The UltimaROM v11.0 Kjata by Developer Kryten2k35

Anyone who rooted their Samsung Galaxy S3 phone will know what a Custom ROM is. This is mainly because, after rooting your phone, the next step is to look for a ROM that can enhance your S III experience. There are plenty of Custom ROMs available on the Internet for you to choose from. How do you decide which one is the best for you? Well the simple way is to read up on every ROM and see which one contains the best set of features and extras that will make your experience unique. The difficult, albeit exciting way would be to try and install every major ROM out there.

What exactly is a ROM with respect to Android?

Simply put, a ROM or Custom ROM is the Phone’s firmware storing all the apps that run it. A Custom ROM is a custom firmware which gets released by anyone except the phone manufacturer. Usually a person who Mods the firmware will release a custom ROM that contains within it a set of extra Mods and Tweaks that will enhance the experience of using your Phone, mainly, the Samsung Galaxy S III.

In this piece, the right way to get the UltimaROM experience will be covered. You would need to have a rooted Samsung Galaxy SIII in order to begin. This phone will need a Custom Recovery software like CWM (ClockWorkMod) or TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) Recovery. TWRP is preferred as it comes with a Touch Interface. This is a big step from the hardware interface of the CWM Recovery. Once you have your rooted device with custom Recovery Installed, you can think of getting yourself a Custom ROM. Details on Rooting your Phone with the Samsung Toolkit is available on XDA. This is the easiest method available right now to Root your S3.

After the rooting is accomplished, it is important to keep a complete NANDROID backup of your system using the Toolkit. This can be a failsafe just in case things go wrong. If you follow all the steps given on the website with the toolkit, you should ideally not have a problem, though things can always go wrong and you alone are responsible for it.

Flashing the UltimaROM v11.0 Kjata: (This method is common to Flashing all Previous UltimaROMs as well, namely v9 Leviathan and also v10 KOTR)

The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with an unlocked Bootloader, which is very important when trying to install or Flash custom ROMs. Once you have the basic knowledge of how to install these custom ROMs, you will always feel like trying out new ROMs from different Developers, like the CyanogenMod 10.1, Paranoidandroid and many others. Here we will see how the UltimaROM experience is as compared to the Stock Samsung Experience.

After you have downloaded the ZIP file from the UltimaROM website, you need to copy it to your Phone’s storage. It is ideal to keep it in the Phone Storage as compared to the SD Card as it becomes easy for TWRP Recovery to find it. You need to perform a factory reset and wipe data if you are coming from another ROM, like the Stock Samsung ROM for example. This will make the whole process smoother.

After installing the ZIP file onto the phone’s internal memory, you can reboot your device into Recovery by pressing the Volume up + Home button + Power Key all at once and keep it pressed until the recovery screen comes on. So once again, Factory reset if you have been using the stock or any other ROM and NOT the UltimaROM. If you are coming from an older version of the UltimaROM then there is no immediate requirement to perform the Factory Wipe. For more detailed instructions you can refer the UltimaROM website or the XDA Forums.

Once the Recovery screen has loaded, you can choose to install the ZIP file by choosing ‘Install’ and then scroll down to where you have saved the ZIP file. Look for Kjata and choose ‘Flash’ by swiping the bar that appears. The installer used for Ultima ROM is the AROMA installer. This is a very convenient form of installation as it allows you to control every aspect of your ROM installation. Right up from Boot animation, till how the toggle buttons look like. In this respect, the Ultima ROM is one of the most customizable ROMs available out there. Once the installation process has started, you can choose every option thanks to the AROMA installer. Once you have made your choices form your own unique ROM experience, you can select the ‘Install’ Button and sit back while the ROM flashes onto your system.

The whole process should not take more than a few minutes (5 +/-3 minutes) to complete. Once completed, choose to reboot and the phone will reboot into the system. Follow the onscreen set up just how you did when you first switched on your Samsung Galaxy S3 and enjoy the Ultima ROM v11.0 Kjata experience.

The ROM, based on the official Jelly Bean XXEMB5 Firmware, has a new cool look as compared to most other ROMs out there. The jet black theme of the Ultima ROM is the default look, while you can always change it in the Flashing process. The preference always remains with the individual when they choose to install, based on their likes and dislikes. So the preferred theme and look of the ROM is highly Subjective. On the whole, the Dark Theme used in the ROM is preferred when looking at the Battery’s longevity. The Super AMOLED screen used in the Galaxy S3 gives you High Definition Sharp and crystal clear images. This also comes at a price; the battery gets used up for displaying such high detail. Keeping the overall Dark Theme of the UltimaROM will reduce the load on the battery as compared to Stock ROMs. If you choose the Siyah Kernal while flashing, you will find a plethora of tweaks that are available to you to control every aspect of your ROM.

The UltimaROM v11.0 is a highly useful variation of the custom ROMs available out there as it allows you to change the sound output of your device. This option is available even in older versions as long as you flash the Siyah Kernal during the installation process. The kernel comes with an inbuilt master control for Equalizer settings among other more useful settings. You can change the clock speed of the CPU, change how the GPU works and performs, change aspects of the phone’s display, how it handles the battery and many other little tweaks that can turn your smart phone into a super phone. You even have the choice of selecting your preferred Launcher like the Nova Launcher, Holo Launcher, Apex Launcher or the Stock Samsung Touch Wiz Launcher. The CyanogenMod’s Trebuchet Launcher and the Nexus Launcher as also available.

The best part for most users who choose the UltimaROM is the Music and Camera. You can choose which player to install when flashing. It is always best to choose the Stock Music Player and Video Player as it comes with support to run many different formats. The ROM also comes with the option to install DSP Manager which is highly recommended as the effects are well worth it. (More details on how to choose the components to flash are available here along with a video review)

So go ahead, take that step to the Dark side with the uber cool UltimaROM Kjata and decide for yourself if you want to use it as your daily driver or not. The ROM is highly stable and super smooth when used on a daily basis. No major bugs have been reported as of now. For more details, Visit the Developer Kryten2k35 on his website www.ultimarom.com and go through the extensive material before attempting to Flash it yourself. It is very easy to flash this ROM as long as you follow all the instructions given on the website.

Tekfusion® Twinwoofers - A Personal Review

I pride myself on two things, my humongous music collection, and my taste for high quality sound which involves three aspects of the typical audiophile’s checklist; Bass, Mids, and Treble. The overall sound quality is of prime importance that scores above the checklist of course. My tracks range from a wide variety of genres, from alternate rock, classic, hip hop and also to trance, house, progressive, psy trance and Symphonic Trance. I needed a good pair of ear-phones to survive all these genres while delivering the same high quality sound. I did receive really good ear-phones with both my phones, Nokia and Sony Xperia. But bundled earphones that come with your phones have some limitations. They cannot deliver awesome quality on other mediums except through your phones, as they have been specifically designed for your phone. Your phone is the ideal environment for it to perform at its best. I am not complaining about that at all.

But like every audiophile, you go seeking out the one earphone that will be able to deliver what you look for, and more. I spent a lot of time going through websites looking for just that elusive pair, taking into account my budget of course. It had to be less than 1500 bucks. There are a lot of earphones that are good and give very good overall sound quality. But it always gives out either in build quality, or distortion at high volumes or loose cable connectors and in issues similar to these. I finally found Tekfusion®Twinwoofers on a website and went through its spec sheet. It seemed impressive on paper, but I was not ready to commit the 1300 Rs that it cost without some proof. Lucky for me, a friend of mine had already bought the set and was using it. I told him of my intent to buy the very same set and asked if I could try them out. He said I was making a wise choice but I was still not convinced until I tried them for myself.

Tekfusion® Twinwoofers

I tried the earphones and tested them out with a total of 10 different tracks (FLAC format). These tracks come from different genres (House, Trance, Rock, Classic, Dance, Indie, Alternate Rock, etc). Now, bear in mind, I will be comparing them to three of my existing earphones, The Sennheiser MX 170, The Nokia Headset WH-205 and the Sony Xperia Live with Walkman’s bundled earphones. (Nokia and Sony are in-ear)

The Sennheiser without a doubt is a precision sound instrument, for want of a better description. And this has been with me for a long time. But it has it’s limitations when it comes to noise cancellation as it is not an in-ear-canal earphone. Ambient noise does seep through and the ‘one size fits all’ rule does not really apply to earphones. So it does lose some points for me there. When compared to it, the Tekfusion® does have a serious edge. It cancels out almost 90% of the ambient noise (rough estimation based on personal hearing thresholds and medium volume levels 40-45 out of 100). It is able to do this because it is, first off, an in-ear canal earphone, and secondly it has 5 sets of interchangeable ear buds. The buds come in 5 different designs that enable you to pick and choose the right one for your ear shape. This is extremely convenient for anyone who likes to have his or her earphones snugly held in the ear without having to constantly adjust it every few minutes. The overall sound quality and individual tone quality is also quite remarkable for something that is NOT Sennheiser. The build quality of the set is also quite high. It has a metal casing that feels sturdy and strong as compared to other brands I have tried out.  I am someone who has always been loyal to the brand, but when, once in a blue moon I come across another brand that can match the quality and cancel out the sound and latent vibrations and deliver quality music at satisfyingly awesome levels, I must say I tend to cheat on my favorite brand. Tekfusion®Twinwoofers is definitely my new favorite when it comes to precision sound delivered at affordable costs.

At just under 1400 Rs (approx) for a full set (includes 5 ear bud pairs, one velvet pouch and earphones and also a manual) it is definitely worth buying it. As long as Tekfusion® keeps building quality products, like the Twinwoofers within this price range, or prices its products keeping in mind the tech savvy audiophile, it will continue to have a growing fan base.

The scores so far for Tekfusion Twinwoofers:

Price: 8/10 (hoping it will reduce with demand)

Bass: 9/10

Mids: 10/10

Treble: 9.5/10

Noise cancellation: 9/10

Build Quality: 8/10

Overall Sound Quality: 10/10 (value for money)

Here is a link to their page.