My first couple of months as a Sprint customer have been a nightmare. My LG Optimus S received an update to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), which broke a staggering number of features. While I didn't suffer some of the most serious issues people reported, such as the phone becoming "bricked", I was unable to use my phone normally for about a month. Bluetooth disconnects, unreliable data, charging issues, reduced battery life, and volume control issues were pretty bad.

After getting no help whatsoever from Sprint (refused to replace the phone, initially refused to roll-back to Android 2.2, told me I would have to wait for a fix but no estimated date), and after having continuing issues despite performing a manual roll-back to 2.2, I decided to take a chance and load a custom ROM. I'm not going to cover what all that means specifically, except to say that using a custom ROM is akin to formatting your name-brand PC and replacing the operating system with a generic version of Windows. In almost every case this will give you a better experience because you remove all the extra crap software that the company puts on it. In the case of Sprint, you remove everything related to Sprint ID, Sprint Widgets, and their other bloat-ware that serves no purpose other than to kill your phone's performance.

Following are the links I found that guided me through the process of installing CyanogenMod 7.1, which is probably the best known of the custom ROMs. There are three required steps, and you need to do these in order. You must first root your phone, then install custom recovery, and finally load the custom ROM and default Google apps. Without getting too technical, these steps allow you to gain root, or admin level access to your phone, customize the recovery tool to allow the backup of your system and loading of custom ROMs, and load the new operating system itself. If you do these steps correctly, you will end up running a clean, fast version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, free of all the issues that were forced upon us with the Sprint upgrade.

Now for the warnings: If you are careless, don't follow these steps completely, or otherwise behave like an idiot while performing the ROM install, there is a good chance you will brick your phone. There is always a chance of this happening when you do things like this, but they are greater when you do stupid things. Also, rooting your phone voids your warranty, but since Sprint has largely been unwilling to replace phones for affected Optimus S users anyway, that really doesn't mean much. And finally, make backups as each of the steps recommend.

These instructions are not mine, so I won't take credit for them. They were provided by a very helpful, smart individual.

Step 1: Root your phone - Click here for instructions

My notes: This is the easiest step, but the longest. It took quite a while for the Gingersnap program to complete the root process. Be patient and let it finish. Don't unplug your phone from the USB cable. If you do, you may need to pull the battery out to get the phone to boot properly again.

Step 2: Install Custom Recovery - Click here for instructions

My notes: Before you start this step, do yourself a HUGE favor - Go to the Android Marketplace and download the app called Chrome to Phone. If you don't already have the Google Chrome Browser, get it first and install the Chrome to Phone extension. The reason for this will become very clear when you get to the step where you need to run several instructions from the terminal on your phone. You REALLY don't want to have to type all those in on the Android keyboard! If you use Chrome to Phone, you can copy, hit the Chrome to Phone button in your Chrome browser, and then paste (using a long-press) into the terminal window on your phone. Seriously...it will save you a lot of aggravation.

Step 3: Load CyanogenMod - Click here for instructions

My notes: First of all, FOLLOW THE BACKUP PROCEDURES! Don't skip them thinking you don't need them. They are the ONLY way you can factory reset the phone if something goes horribly wrong. Also, two things to note in particular about this version of Cyanogen...It is designed for a slightly different model of phone, so this particular ROM thinks there is a physical keyboard installed. It will prompt you to slid out the keyboard, and at first it seems like you can't get around it. No problem, just hit the home key, or setup your accounts in the accounts screen in settings. It's a small glitch that never affects you again after the initial setup. Second thing to note, the phone this ROM was intended for had an FM radio, so there is a tuner app. Don't think you've suddenly grown a radio. The app is useless. Ignore it.

After you have completed the steps and you restart your phone, you will immediately notice how fast and responsive it is. The hugely annoying (at least to me) Sprint bootloader screen and cricket sound is gone, replaced with a generic LG logo. There's a pretty nifty little Cyanogen animation as well, but that's just the visual stuff. Other than the keyboard issue that I noted above, there was really nothing at all that was unexpected. Initially the setup tried to load some google apps that no longer exist, but it's not a problem just to skip by them and go to the market to install whatever you want. If you use a backup app, recovering everything is a little easier. I know backup is critical for my Dogg Catcher podcast app, so I don't have to load a bunch of feeds manually.

As with any type of modification that has risk, I have to give the usual disclaimers that I'm not responsible if you screw up your phone. Neither is the guy who really did all the hard work on the instructions I'm linking to. If you have problems you are welcome to leave a comment on this post.

Good luck and enjoy your WORKING LG Optimus S!

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