Android Community |
- Root Your HTC Desire
- Aigo has two new Android MIDs in the works
- HTC Has To Pay Microsoft To Use Android?
- HTC Desire Coming to U.S. Cellular in July
- Vodafone is Out Of Nexus One’s Already
- Vodafone 845 ultra-small Android 2.1 phone gets official [Video]
- Firefox Mobile arrives on Android
- Garmin-Asus A10 PND-phone gets official
- Is This The HTC Wildfire?
- CM5 Running on the Iphone 3G
- Andy Rubin Discusses Android
- LG Optimus GT540 Headed To The UK May 1st
| Posted: 28 Apr 2010 10:35 AM PDT Yesterday Modaco promised to release the instructions to root your HTC Desire. Well, today is the big day. If you're ready to root your Desire and unleash its full potential, follow the instructions after the break.
Read this whole topic – it contains a ton of useful information as well as the instructions and downloads! Remember that if you use this guide, you do so entirely at your own risk! Welcome to my guide on how to root the HTC Desire – this is a ‘first cut’ of the guide, and will be refined / improved as time progresses! Compatibility This guide will allow you to root your HTC Desire, provided it has a bootloader version of 0.75 or below. To check this, turn off your device, then turn it back on with the ‘back’ key held. On the second line in green text you will see HBOOT- and then a number. Provided this is 0.75 or below, this guide should work for you. O2 Germany devices are currently shipping with a 0.80 bootloader, and as such cannot be rooted using this guide at this time. Desire rooting protection Back in the early days of Android, rooting was easy. You had several options – you could flash stuff via the bootloader, you could flash an engineering bootloader, you could use kernel exploits – there were many ways of getting the low level access to your device that – in fairness – I think we as paying customers are entitled to. As time has progressed however, the manufacturers have made things harder and harder. The Desire is not a straightforward phone to root, for many reasons, including… * a ‘perfected bootloader’ that doesn’t allow flashing or booting of any images (even HTC signed ones) In reality, the options for rooting a device this secure are limited. Even if a kernel exploit were found, the key partitions would still be unwritable, rendering su access useless. This was circumvented on the Tattoo very cleverly, using a specific memory address from a confidential Qualcomm datasheet, however this information is not yet available for the Snapdragon chipset used in the Desire (and indeed may never enter the public domain). And so the root process becomes a process of methodically probing every possible point of exposure on the device, looking for the slightest chink in the armour. I found one and we’re putting it to good use! The downside is that it’s not as easy or as pretty as rooting a device that is actually DESIGNED to be accessible at the lowest level, such as the Nexus One. Shame on you HTC for going to such unnecessary lengths (but that’s another story for another day). What this root process provides and does not provide The root process will… * flash your device with a new, generic 1.15.405.4 based ROM that has Superuser access The root process will NOT… * enable you to flash your device with a custom recovery image that can be launched easily by just holding down the volume down button when powering on Both of these limitations are being worked on of course. Pre-requisites In order to complete this guide, you need the following… * a HTC Desire Downloads To be ready for the guide, download the following items… * the ‘test ruu’ – DOWNLOAD / MIRROR – MD5: f1981b26b90b97aea395d2b30909a23f Once you have those on your machine, you’re ready to start! The guide Follow through these steps, one by one and at the end of it you’ll have a rooted Desire with the latest ROM. Note: This process will wipe your device and there is currently no option to backup your device ROM before you start. * Make your microSD card into a goldcard by following these instructions (it’s a good idea to back up the contents of your card first!) [via Modaco] |
| Aigo has two new Android MIDs in the works Posted: 28 Apr 2010 10:21 AM PDT A Chinese manufacturer by the name of Aigo has two Android MID's in the making. The new tablets will come in a 5 and 7 inch version. Both will be running Android 1.6, there is no word on when or if these devices will be upgraded to Android 2.1. Price is rumored to be around 1500 Yuan which is roughly $220 and will be released in May.
Both of these devices will have a capacitive touch screen with multi-touch support. They will be powered by a Rockchip 2808 processor and have a dedicated video decoding chip capable of 720p HD video playback. They will also have onboard storage ranging from 4-16GB's; also there will be a microSD card slot. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth makes their usual appearance as well. And for you people who love books, there will be a built-in e-book and e-magazine service, and these devices will be constructed in an all metal case.
[via pocketables] |
| HTC Has To Pay Microsoft To Use Android? Posted: 28 Apr 2010 10:08 AM PDT This came completely out of left field. Microsoft made a few claims that HTC infringed on a few of their patents. HTC obviously agreed that they did and will now pay royalties to not only Google but Microsoft as well to use Android on their handsets.
Microsoft and HTC have had a long standing business relationship. The best WinMo devices come from HTC, that's what makes this move by Microsoft so odd. Maybe they want to slow down Android in any way they can? There is no mention on which Microsoft patents HTC violated with their Android phones. HTC clearly agreed to pay because they are currently locked into a battle with Apple over various patents. This move may cause the price of future Android handsets from HTC to go up. Either way I'm sure they will continue to make awesome yet affordable Android devices.
[via wmexperts] |
| HTC Desire Coming to U.S. Cellular in July Posted: 28 Apr 2010 09:52 AM PDT The HTC Desire is still one of the most wanted Android devices available. Many of thought this device will not see the light of day here in the US. Luckily we were all wrong. US Cellar will be releasing the HTC Desire this July.
The quote above was taken from US Cellular's Facebook page. Like the rest of US Cellular's phones, this will be a CDMA based device. This may be good news for you Verizon and Sprint owners. If they can get a CDMA version, maybe the big boys can too. This phone was also rumored in the past to make its way to T-Mobile. [via ubergizmo] |
| Vodafone is Out Of Nexus One’s Already Posted: 28 Apr 2010 09:43 AM PDT How is this possible? Looks like they've learned nothing from the recent Desire debacle where the phone keeps getting delayed due to them not having enough in stock. The Nexus One for Vodafone UK just got a release date of April 30th and it seems those devices are already gone.
If you like you can still place your preorder right from Vodafone's site but you may be waiting awhile before you receive your phone. There isn't even a mention of this delay on their site anywhere. You will receive an email that looks similar to this: “Dear XXXXX “Thank you for placing your order, reference number XXXXXX “Unfortunately we have suffered a surprisingly high demand for the Nexus One From Google, which means that it is unexpectedly out of stock . “Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. We hope to have further stock available within 7-10 working days and will contact you again once your order has been dispatched. “If you have any further queries please contact us on 0844 854 0430 or email info@v-store.co.uk, quoting your order number as your reference. Thank you for ordering with Vodafone. [via eurodroid] |
| Vodafone 845 ultra-small Android 2.1 phone gets official [Video] Posted: 28 Apr 2010 02:05 AM PDT Vodafone have come clean with their latest Android handset, the super-small Vodafone 845 first spotted in the wild a couple of weeks back. Measuring a scant 100 x 55 x 13 mm, the 845 has a 2.8-inch touchscreen, Android 2.1 Eclair and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
There’s also Vodafone 360, together with access to the Android Market along with WiFi. Vodafone have also confirmed Bluetooth, UMTS/HSPA and GPS, together with 500MB of internal storage. The Vodafone 845 will arrive in the UK in May 2010; no word on pricing at this stage, but it’s expected to be a “low cost” device. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| Firefox Mobile arrives on Android Posted: 28 Apr 2010 01:57 AM PDT A new version of the Mozilla Firefox browser for Android has been released, under the company’s “Fennec” codename. As well as browsing, Mozilla have also whipped up a version of Weave to synchronize bookmarks, history, passwords and tabs between the desktop and mobile versions.
There are a couple of issues to bear in mind – this is an pre-alpha release, after all – with the biggest limitation being that the browser currently requires Android 2.0 or above. You’ll also probably need to have an OpenGL ES 2.0 capable device, you can’t open links from other apps in Fennec as yet, and there are bugs that will chomp through your available memory and likely end up forcing you to reboot the phone altogether. Still, if you want to give it a try then head into your Android phone’s settings, check the option that allows you to install non-Android Market apps, and then head here for the package. Initial feedback seems to be that the UI needs some work, especially when trying to scroll without triggering the browser’s controls. [Thanks Stalker!] |
| Garmin-Asus A10 PND-phone gets official Posted: 28 Apr 2010 01:47 AM PDT Garmin-Asus’ latest Android smartphone has been outed, the 3.2-inch HVGA nuvifone A10. Targeted at pedestrian navigation users, the A10 obviously comes with GPS but Garmin-Asus also preload mapping data onto the handset rather than leaving it to the whims of the cellular network while you’re on the move.
There’s also a 5-megapixel camera with geotagging support, an accelerometer and a 1,500mAh battery; Garmin-ASUS don’t actually suggest how long that will last you while navigating. In the box there’s an in-car windscreen mount that both recharges the smartphone and has a speaker for amplified voice guidance prompts. The usual Android apps together with Microsoft Exchange support are loaded, and there’s the Android Market too; no word on whether the screen is capacitive or resistive, but it does support multitouch. The Garmin-Asus A10 will go on sale in Europe and Asia-Pacific midway through this year; no word on pricing at this stage. Update: Garmin-ASUS have announced that Dutch carrier KPN will be the first to offer the nuvifone A10, taking preorders in May with deliveries expected in July. Press Release: Garmin-Asus announces newest Android smartphone with Garmin navigation A10 focuses on pedestrian-friendly features and navigation for Europe and Asia-Pacific Cayman Islands/April 28, 2010/Business Wire — Garmin-Asus, a co-branded alliance between Garmin® Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), and ASUSTeK® Computer Inc. (TAIEX: 2357), today announced the Garmin-Asus A10, a touchscreen smartphone running on the Android™ platform that is optimized for pedestrian navigation. The A10 is expected to be available in mid-2010 in Europe and Asia-Pacific. For those times when walking is the best way to go, the A10 is ideal for city navigation because of its bright, 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen, electronic compass and long-lasting 1500mAh battery. As with other Garmin-Asus Android-powered devices, the A10's GPS capabilities are optimized to ensure that customers have the best location and navigation experience a smartphone can offer. Detailed maps are preloaded on the A10 so that users do not have to pay and wait for third party maps to download from a server, nor will they lose their turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation if they are out of cell phone coverage. In addition to pedestrian navigation, the A10 is ready for use in an automobile out-of-the-box, and it comes with a powered audio mount that magnifies the volume of the device's voice commands. The A10 is a full-featured smartphone on the Android platform that integrates Google™ Mobile Services with one-click access to Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, calendar, contacts and Android Market™, where users can find more than 30,000 applications to expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyle. Android applications that include location-centric content are also able to utilize the A10's enhanced GPS capability. To optimize a user's ability to stay in touch with family, friends and business contacts, the A10 is compatible with Microsoft Exchange server and will wirelessly synchronize contacts, calendar and enterprise email. Account setup is quick and easy, and in a few simple steps users will have their contacts, calendar and email ready to go. Additional A10 smartphone features include a powerful WebKit browser with multi-touch, The A10 also supports optional cityXplorer™ maps, which makes it possible to plan and use routes that include public transit options such as bus, tramway, metro and suburban rail systems. The Garmin-Asus A10 is expected to be available in mid-2010 in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Additional information about Garmin-Asus products is available at www.GarminAsus.com. About Garmin-Asus About Garmin Ltd. About ASUS ASUS is a registered trademark of ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Garmin is a registered trademark, and cityXplorer is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2010 04:21 PM PDT Some of you may have heard of this name before. HTC had a vote recently which allowed users to pick the name of their next device. Wildfire was the winner with the most votes. Today the FCC had some hands on time with a new Android device that has a full QWERTY slide out keyboard.
This device is called the HTCPC70110 has been approved by the Commission with AT&T 3G bands(potential bad news). It has a touch screen as well as a blue keyboard. The usual Android touch-sensitive keys make an appearance as well. From the looks of this device and the color scheme it could very well be the Wildfire which will be marketed as "playful and full of youth" handset as described in the voting to choose a name. [via unwiredview] |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2010 03:42 PM PDT The iPhone just got a whole lot better. Kmobs/persianowns from teamdouche, Cyanogen’s squad of coding misfits and they are awesome, has just confirmed CM5 is running on the iPhone 3G.
Earlier, the radio and camera was confirmed to be working on the iPhone. Kmobs promised screenshots of CM running on the iPhone so expect those shortly. This is shaping up to be an epic day for Android and shameful day for Steve Jobs. Can you imagine how he would feel when more than half of iPhone users are running CM instead of being locked down by Apple. It’s going to happen, it’s just matter of time. UPDATE: Pic as promised, looks like its real after all (maybe).
[Thanks Artem Russakovskii for the tip,androidpolice] |
| Posted: 27 Apr 2010 02:18 PM PDT This was a short but very interesting interview with Andy Rubin, vice president for engineering at Google, shots was dished out and a few things were kind of confirmed. Android is a well known open mobile OS and the most versatile OS of any kind. This openness is the key to Androids success, many manufacturers have adopted the platform and it is really taking off.
When asked about fragmentation of the Android platform Andy Rubin said," These systems naturally evolve, causing newer applications to not be compatible with older devices. But compatibility for us means more than it does for other people. We have to run on a screen the size of a phone and a 42-inch plasma display." Simply put, fragmentation is a product of newer technologies. As discussed in an earlier post, Froyo will alleviate most of the fragmentation in Android and with it comes Flash integration. Android currently runs on 9 percent of smart phones in the United States. Mr. Rubin sees the open nature of the platform the driving force behind these growing numbers. Also, he fully expects Android to one day over take Apple and Rim. Since Android is viewed as being the biggest threat to Apple, there naturally were a few questions regarding Apple. Mr. Rubin compared them to North Korea, a country that is ruled by a dictator. He also pointed out that Google uses the same SDK to produce apps as the rest of the developers in the Android community. If there is a secret API in Android, they will release it for the rest of the developers to use unlike some companies. Android and Google is all about choice and at the end of the day, choice is what will propel Android to the top spot. [via new york times] |
| LG Optimus GT540 Headed To The UK May 1st Posted: 27 Apr 2010 11:02 AM PDT The LG Optimus formerly know around the web as the LG GT540, will be headed to the UK this May. LG is a late entry into the Android game but they are making a valiant effort to pump out quality Android devices. To bad there isn’t a price tag on this one but expect it to be affordable.
Specifications: • Geo tag enabled 3-megapixel camera If you're bored or just have some time on your hands the press release is at the bottom. We'll be sure to keep you updated on this device as more specs and pricing become available. ” Berkshire, 27 April, 2010 — LG Electronics, (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, today announced the launch of an Android-powered smartphone, LG Optimus (LG GT540), a handset offering an optimal environment for first-time smartphone users with easy and convenient mobile access. LG Optimus allows users to enjoy diverse Android applications and automatic account synchronisation with all Google mobile services. LG Optimus also features enhanced social networking functions in a high-powered multimedia environment. "LG Optimus is the ideal choice for early smartphone users who expect all the features of smartphones without the complexity," said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "This is a device that was designed for regular people who want to jump into the smartphone experience but have been hesitant to do so because of the learning curve. By making LG Optimus more approachable, we hope more people will give smartphones a try." Optimal Convenience The SN Manager offers integrated access to social networking sites in a convenient platform that can manage multiple accounts. LG's dedicated Social Networking Client allows users to easily keep track of their Facebook, Twitter and Bebo accounts. Moreover, the Social Networking System (SNS) widgets provide real-time status updates directly to the home screen without having to access any other applications. The handset's multitasking feature allows users to view updates from friends and access their social media sites while simultaneously searching the phone's contact list. The user interface is customisable for maximum convenience. The LG Optimus can be customised to show anywhere from three to seven home screens displaying frequently used applications, news and weather, among other information, depending on user preference. Additionally, the main menu can be personalised to include up to 10 editable categories for faster, easier navigation. Optimal Excitement The phone's 3MP camera supports geo-tagging, auto face-tagging and face-to-action technology to allow users to create and share multimedia content from the phone. The LG Optimus has a built-in video editor with storyboard function so that users can add music and text to videos directly on the phone. LG Optimus boasts a distinctive design that is both sleek and soft and is available in black and silver. What's more, the phone includes a long-lasting 1500mAh battery, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 2.1 capability, assisted GPS, 32GB of expandable microSD memory and four customisable home screen themes together with enhanced idle lock screen notifications. The LG Optimus will be available in the UK from 1 May. For more information about the LG Optimus visit http://www.lg-optimus.com or for general LG Mobile information visit www.lg.com/uk/mobile.” |
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