Some advice for me new S4

[MedellinParcero]

I bought my S4 in Korea. It is a SHV 300S LTE device. Octa core sold through SKT.

I would like to remove all the bloatware, maximize battery life, and use nova launcher with the click UI icons.

Should I root my device? If so why? What are the top 5 ROMs?

Also what is the best / easiest method for backing up my device? (apps, info, ect)

Also, is there an app or software to which I manage my music preferably similar to itunes and iphone? Would like for the phone to be able to automatically add new music to my device and keep it up to date.

Sorry for all the questions. Any and all advice will be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[kevinof]

I don't have an S4 but there are some things you can do.

Most of the bloatware does nothing but take up space. If you don't set up the samsung apps or run them then they will never consume anything other than rom space. If you do root you can use something like titanium backup to "freeze" apps you don't want to prevent them from ever running.

I used apex launcher (very similiar to nova) and liked it a lot more than touchwiz. You need to remember that nova/apex only replace the launcher and most of touchwiz is still present and running. Even with that I'd recommend changing the launcher although some people like the touchwiz launcher.

Google play music has an option to import itunes music. It will watch the itunes folder and automatically import any new music from it. Means you don't have to change anything. With Google play music you can upload 20,000 songs to the cloud at no cost.

 

[viskon]

You should only root if you need to. I rooted my S4 because I was finding lag in operation and in games. I froze all the apps that would be considered bloat. I'm finding my S4 a lot more enjoyable now. I am using Holo Launcher HD in place of the Touchwiz launcher.

Try Samsung Kies to backup your device. You can also use Helium or Titanium Backup for backing up app data

XDA is your best bet to find roms compatible with your device. Most US carrier S4 have Snapdragon processors and so these roms will not be compatible with your device.