[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] AirBruce:
Hello all!

My name is Bruce, and I’m a new android user. Although I bought my Sprint Samsung Epic 4g Touch (E4GT) back in October, I still call myself a n00b because I joined the army being a switcher from Apple. The reason I left iOS is because I felt the OS got stagnant, and wanted to try something new. I also hated having to wait for jailbreaking tools from the dev teams and so forth, to make my iOS device worthwhile.

So here I am, I have my E4GT and I want ICS. I’ve been reading countless sites trying to figure out how to get it. But I’m scared of hard bricking my phone in the process. First, lemme give you my phone details.

I have a stock Sprint E4GT Model # SPH-D710. Running Android Version 2.3.6 on Baseband S:D710.10. S.EL29. It also uses Hardware version D710.10. It’s never been rooted or modded in any form or fashion. Totally stock besides the updates sprint pushes out.

I am a Mac user running a Macbook Pro (Mid 2010) on OSX 10.7.4; though I have access to a PC running Windows Vista if needed.

When it comes to android definitions such as ‘root’, ‘flash’, etc. I’m still somewhat n00b. I have a somewhat average understanding of what each one does, but I’m still mediocre at best on the definitions. As a matter of fact, I just learned yesterday what Kies is, with my cousin upgrading his t-mobile galaxy s2. I discovered it’s like a version of iTunes (correct me if I’m wrong) but for the E4GT or Samsung devices?

So why am I here? Well to be honest… I want ICS like everyone else on here does (and which most of you probably already have). But I’m still a n00b to android and don’t want to hardbrick my device. I know the chances are low if I can follow instructions well, but here’s my problem. I’ve read so many different forums and threads, and watched tons of youtube videos on how to root, and flash roms, etc. I don’t know where to begin. It’s all a big jumble in my head. :-(

So here’s what I’m asking. I’m asking my fellow android users for some guidance. I want an awesome ICS rom that is stable enough and won’t brick my phone. I also want one that is closer to the real android ICS, and that junk Samsung puts out that is more gingerbread than ICS based.

I was hoping someone can lay out a short answer to guides that can help me root, and install a custom rom stripped of all the Samsung bloatware. Also, if you can point me to a guide with links to the files that I need, and most of all… in which order I should do it in. E.g. root first or flash rom, or something else?

Lastly, and I feel this is important. Like I stated, I don’t have access to a windows computer, and that’s fine, I can use my family’s PC like I stated earlier, but the one thing I think you should be aware of is the brick bug and chipset.

I ran the gotbrickbug-v1.1apk on this thread which starts here

http://www.droiddog.com/android-blo...ynos-family-of-phones-sii-and-note-brick-bug/

and directs to the apk on this one

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1693704

And I’m sad to say that it indicated that the verdict for mine was “DANGER! This eMMC chip is *KNOWN* to have the brick bug !

In closing, should I be thinking of flashing a rom with the above known brickbug issue? Or should I wait?

I know this is REALLY long, but I just wanted to be thorough when seeking the help of the community. If anyone has any ideas on how to safely upgrade my phone even with the above brickbug effecting my phone, or if I should wait, or what course of action I should take… please let me know.

I appreciate everyone who might have read this, and hope to become an active member of this community.

Thank you again.

- Bruce

P.S. I read the E4GT wiki at the top of thread, and it did have answers. But I was hoping someone could offer a more specific answer to my questions. Particularly the brick bug. Thank you all again!