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July 18, 2011 By: orb3000
Welcome to week 44 of our weekly Questions and Answers article. We select five questions that might not be of help to you, but it might still be interesting to read or to pass on to someone who might be looking for that answer.
Q: Does Screen Filter app really work to lower battery usage? Or is it just a placebo effect? Can I set my screen to 100% and use the filter to save batt?
A: Depends on the screen, but you can still benefit from Screen Filter because it will make your screen not as bright to your eyes, which is good if you need to use it at night and don’t want to be blinded/wake up your spouse/whatever.
Q: Put a new SD card in the samsung focus. It isnt reading it. I am sure i have to format it some how but i dont know the sequence of buttons and procedure to get it to reformat. Hold camera + power or something like that. Any help would be great.
A: Power, down volume, and camera button till exclamation shows up
Q: Google+ how to install it on a wp7 phone?
A: iOS and Android only but you can access via web: m.google.com/app/plus
Q: How to check battery capacity?
As question I think I got 1580mAh not 1520 mAh… How to make sure which battery is in our sensation?
A: you can see your information on the batterie itself, power off your device, remove the back cover and remove your batterie on the other side, just before the serial number you have : Model BG58100 Rating 3.7VDC 1520mAh 5.62Whr
Q: Do I have to re-downgrade to a stock ROM lower than 1.7 to flash a custom ROM or is that done to get Radio and ENG S-off?
A: If you already have root and s-off i would assume that there is no reason to downgrade again. As far as i am aware radio is not backed up by a NAND backup so be best to take note of what radio you have.
We certainly hope that you can use these bits of knowledge. This site is full of wonderful guides for virtually every question you could have. If you want us to publish a specific question, please contact any of the News Writers.
July 17, 2011 By: orb3000
Welcome to another episode of XDA-Interviews, where we try to talk with those members that have been developing on XDA to bring us great ROM´s and applications.
This time, we will talk with Faryaab, a 14 year old Chef who is actively working on the XPERIA X1, the HTC Desire, and on the Samsung Galaxy S.
orb3000: Thanks a lot Faryaab for giving us some time for this interview. So, you are 14 years old, I dare to ask how long have you been developing and how did it all start?
Faryaab: It all started from my HTC Wizard. I wanted Windows Mobile 6 on it and was searching a lot in Google and came on this site first i was blown away with the work the developers had done. Then i started flashing my Wizard I was a really happy user. The same thing also happened to my HTC Artemis but when i got my XPERIA X1 i was the happiest KID EVER. Then i started to learn how to cook Windows Mobile ROMs and started cooking them for my X1. Later on I found out that my X1 can run Android. I was really amaze that a phone can run 2 OSs. Then I became the Android developer of the X1 and since then i bought two more devices the HTC Desire and the Samsung Galaxy S and the compatibility of the phones were out of the world and then also started cooking for them.
orb3000: Why is it that you chose the Xperia, the Desire, and the Galaxy S for cooking? Was it just because you have those devices? Or perhaps you saw something special on them?
Faryaab: I only had those mobile phones and in my opinion they were the best phones at their time.
orb3000: What advice would you give to the members who are willing to learn the art of cooking?
Faryaab: Just don’t give up and keep trying and searching and you will definitely succeed.
orb3000: What is your opinion about Windows Phone 7? Will you consider cooking for that platform?
Faryaab: I think Windows Phone 7 OS is has real potential but it needs more productivity. Maybe I will cook for Windows Phone 7 OS but not soon.
orb3000: Do you have plans for cooking for more devices? If so, which ones?
Faryaab: I will be cooking for the Samsung Galaxy S II device when I buy it later this year.
orb3000: What do you do for living?
Faryaab: I’m a student so I study.
orb3000: Why is the name for your ROM´s F1?
Faryaab: I name my rom series F1 because I love formula one so my every Android build name start’s from F1.
orb3000: What is the main problem you have faced cooking for Galaxy S?
Faryaab: Bugged stock Samsung base firmwares.
orb3000: Are you planning to expand your work to other devices or operating systems in the future?
Faryaab: Yes after Android I might start cooking for WP7.
orb3000: Thanks a lot for your time and we hope to talk to you later on.
Thanks to all our readers.
Do you want somebody on the XDA Interview? Please let us know.
July 15, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
Are you a Windows Mobile user who has grown tired of the lackluster looks of the stock onscreen qwerty keyboard? Luckily, you are able to try different layouts. However, if you’ve ever tried to download a keyboard theme, you have surely found that most only modify the QWERTY layout.
Luckily, XDA forum member aedon has created a theme that modifies every layout. This theme is available in three versions, all of which deliver a much needed touch of love to the aging OS so many still swear by. In the words of the developer:
So you’ve tried looking for keyboard skins before and were excited about the great new look it gave your phone right?
BUT You were dissapointed to find that it only skinned the very basic onscreen qwerty right? I know I was.
SO I did something about it.
If your familiar with the Sharkie rom, you might have noticed that his 5.0 rom featured a full keyboard skin in wich every single keyboard in the phone had been skinned in Dinik’s iconic anastasia theme.
That was my first keyboard skin.But after the fact I had noticed a themeI liked better then the anastasia glass.
The DUSK!
So I colaborated a bit more with sharkie to make this new full keyborad skin.
We decided that a traditional black and white look would be best and I went to work on this Dusk keyboard.Stock green is just that, a stock green version
Sharkie theme was made to match the sharki roms aqua blue them.
Crimson Red was basicly for my use but I’ll share
Continue on to the original thread to get your replacement keyboard action!
July 10, 2011 By: mic_888
Every week, we select five questions and answers, found on the forums. Even though some of these questions and answers might not be of help to you, they might still be interesting to read.
Q‘My phone constantly runs out of battery when I need it the most,what can I use as a backup?’
A Try Power Fort portable battery chargers, charges one full cycle on the Desire.
Q‘Does anyone have a video player that’s working on this build that’ll play .avi files? I keep getting a message “The file cannot be played with the System Player” when I use RockPlayer?’
A Try MoboPlayer, it has played avi files successfully in the past.
Q‘Is there a way to remove branding on the LG P920? I bought the phone outright but it is filled with useless stuff from Optus here in Australia and I am with Vodafone?’
A Dial ##002# to turn off diversions and dial ##21# to turn off call redirect. This supposedly turns off all Optus services but you may still need to disable them separately.
Q‘I am looking for a B60K or higher series dock, but all the ones in the stores are only B50K. If you have a DOCK with B60K or higher, where did you get it?’
A Try the Currys website – they never had any in store but had the bundle online. Amazon also had it online.
Q‘Following installation of CyanogenMod 7.1.0 RC1 my original Vodafone rom of 1.6 allowed HTC Sync, removed HTC sync from device and its automatically reinstalled it when using the usb connection cable. However i only get a usb storage mode, not a ‘HTC Sync’ now?’
A HTC Sync is a HTC Program that will only work with the stock ROM, because once flashed, your device won’t have any HTC software. It’s like if you wanted to use HTC sync with a non-HTC Android phone.
We certainly hope that you can use these bits of knowledge. This site is full of wonderful guides for virtually every question you could have. Read them and put them to good use.
News Writer Team
June 30, 2011 By: egzthunder1
For as long as we have been here, we have always been faced with difficulties, lack of support, faulty hardware, and seemingly locked-beyond comprehension devices. Nine times out of ten, all the blame will go against manufacturers, you know… those multi-national evil corporations that do nothing else but to bring us the very products that we seem to spend our money, time, and energy on. Apparently, these faceless entities have everything in their control and will give nothing in return to us mere mortals. That is a world wide perception of facts in this technology world of ours, but is it the right perception?
The world as we know it is a global economy with many companies closely tied up in their operations and business practices. In fact, they are so tightly bonded that the demise of one company could send a ripple effect throughout the entire industry. If you don’t believe me, look at what happened when the big 3 US automotive companies started having issues. Every company upstream and downstream from their production plants were having issues and going bankrupt: Delphi, SKF, etc, which were part of the supply chain, and car dealers all over the world. This was mostly because of management decisions at some point or another.
So, where am I going with all this explanation about the workings of our global economy? Simply put, our mobile companies are no different than the example I just put out. Every decision they make has great influence over the market, the future releases, and virtually everything they do. Over the last 4 years, things have sped up considerably thanks to the evolution of mobile systems, maybe a bit too much, to the point that a lot of the decision making has been based on meeting deadlines as opposed to releasing more quality tested products. Basically, it is no longer up to a single company or individual to say “your device will be receiving regular updates and fixes.” Fact of the matter is that this may actually never happen again. So, when you have situations like what happened a few months ago within our very own forums of people bashing Samsung for not releasing Froyo updates for the Galaxy family, was it really Samsung’s fault? Was it the carrier’s fault? Maybe Google had a say in things as well. Same goes for HTC, albeit, HTC was more blatant in saying that it was the carrier’s request that the Sensation line of devices would be locked like that. There are other companies like Sony, who just have a culture of locking things down and offering limited support and life extension to their products. I put them as an example of an extreme as many of their products have no other company between them and the end customer (Playstation products in general). So, really there is no one else to blame in their case.
Thankfully, it seems that the playing field has been shifting quite a bit recently. HTC and Samsung are getting closer to developers and are beginning to focus more on the end user, as it is them (and not the carriers) who ultimately purchase their products. Motorola and Sony are also beginning to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel that they had been travelling through as well. It seems that the rest of the industry will have to follow suit if things keep up.
So, what are your thoughts? Who do you normally blame when things don’t go the way you expect them with your new $400-$600 toy? And most importantly, are you blaming the correct culprit? Please leave a comment.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
June 9, 2011 By: orb3000
Today is a sad day for Windows Mobile users because Microsoft decided to put an end to Windows Mobile Marketplace and MyPhone services. Many threads are surfacing throughout XDA about the same topic and this is because people who were using those services are being notified by a diplomatic e-mail.
Basically, both services will stop working as per the following schedule:
My Phone back-ups stop 7 August, 2011
My Phone web site closes 6 October, 2011
You may want to backup some of your data because Microsoft will provide automatic migration/backup only for:
Contacts (csv), Calendar items (ics), Text messages (txt), and Photos (jpg, jpeg, gif, png, tif, fit, wbmp, bmp, opl, n3a, ota). Other data such as video, documents, music, favs, and tasks should be backed up manually by you before Oct 6, otherwise that data won´t be accessible anymore.
Do you think Microsoft is doing a wise move by closing these services? Perhaps some of these services should be included on the new platform as it is not really functional yet as the “old” service” was. Let us know what you think.
Here is the discussion thread, which was started by XDA member GSLEON3.
This is the mail all users will be receiving.
Continue to the full article.
Thanks to Simon_WM for the tip:)
June 6, 2011 By: orb3000
Here’s another interesting option to interconnect your devices, presented by XDA member adils3d, who found a great free software that will let you connect to your PC via your Windows Mobile device no matter where you are located. You will be capable of doing almost everything as if you were in front of your computer: transfer files, send mail, etc. The original poster includes a step-by-step guide to complete the process with videos for added simplicity. This method has been tested on Xperia X2 and can be found for both Touch screen and non touch screen devices.
Please leave us your feedback.
Originally posted by adils3d
Access your computer from any where in the world with your windows mobile device.Found this great software with which you can connect to your desktop view your desktop on your phone open files do almsost anything that you do on a PC to your desktop from ANY WHERE ON THE GLOBE.
Attaching the files for Windows Mobile SmartPhones and Windows Mobile Pocet PCs and also the desktop client.
I use a SE Xperia X2 and Have installed the Desktop client on my computer and installed the Windows Mobile smart phone application on my mobile.
Pics atttached below of my desktop on my X2
i will explain the correct installation procedure.
Continue to the original thread.
June 5, 2011 By: egzthunder1
Every week, we select five questions and answers, found on the forums. Even though some of these questions and answers might not be of help to you, they might still be interesting to read.
Q Hi Guys I just bought a Spring Evo 4G that has Gingerbread 2.3 and Cyanagen Mod 7.03. Will I be able to activate this w/ Sprint? The seller says it is a clean ESN. Or will I have to restore this (how?) to activate it?
Thanks for the help!!
A As long as the esn is clean, you should be fine. The things needed to activate a phone on your account are the imei, min, mdn, etc. These are independent of the rom. Since the imei is already in Sprint’s system, you might even be able to do it yourself (though perhaps not a good idea if you have the insurance).
Q‘ Hey. I just rooted my phone and I am trying to flash some things but I can’t do so anymore because my version of clockwork MOD no longer supports Amend, I believe it is…
SO, I read that I need to revert to an older Clockwork Mod recover ROM to be able to flash these items
There is an option in Rom manager to go back to the 2.5.0.7 and I currently have 3.0.0.5. Is this safe?
My question is, if I have done a nandroid backup, I fear that messing with this clockwork mod thing will erase everything and not let me have the options to recover stuff…and if something screws up, how could I recover my nandroid backup. Do I need to have a functioning clockwork mod to do this, just in case downgrading messes this up?
I hope this makes sense! I guess I am just wondering if downgrading to a prior vesion of cockwork mod will mess my life up.
Thanks
Mike
A You can’t use rom manager to downgrade, as they are not for the evo.
http://www.mediafire.com/?gijd69zb5222w
Download the version on want, just make sure to rename it so it only says PC36IMG, place on the root of your sd card, boot into the bootloader, then apply update.
Q ‘So I have searched but haven’t found an answer. I suck at searching probably. Any AOSP rom I can connect to my wireless N hotspot fine which is a Linksys E1000 running DD-wrt, but with any sense rom, even the latest OTA, it’s a no go, just constantly fails. Am I missing something?
A Try the 4.22 link in my sig, I just posted a fix for it
Q Hi, I own a Transformer, and I’m quite satisfied about it..
May I just ask you all a question? For the 16GB version, how much Total Space, under Settings -> Storage does your Transformer show?
A 12.63GB, I believe.
I’d assume it doesn’t show the space the OS uses as available. You also have to remember that 16GB of unformatted space works out at 14.89GB. This would mean the OS is only using 2.26GB.
Q Hi all, sorry for this new post in such a short time but I have a question…
I got my phone from eBay, and the guy who sold it to me got it straight from Samsung. This means the phone is unlocked from factory and is not linked to mobile company, like 3, Vodaphone or O2.
The problem comes when I use “Check Fus Downloader” to find firmware for my phone, and only see versions for 3, Vodaphone and O2… Does this mean there is no firmware updates for phones not linked to any company like mine?
Or… would any of the other versions (O2, Vodaphone…) work in my phone?
Thanks a lot again
A http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278
We certainly hope that you can use these bits of knowledge. This site is full of wonderful guides for virtually every question you could have. Read them and put them to good use.
News Writer Team
May 29, 2011 By: orb3000
It is time for our weekly selection of five questions and answers found on XDA forums, and as this week HTC has been around the top stories. So, we will begin with a related question.
Remember that this Q&A might not be of help to you, but it might still be interesting to read.
Q: Is there actually anyway to obtain the new unlocked bootloader on existing devices?.
A: HTC CEO Confirms EVO 3D Will Have An Unlocked Bootloader One Way Or Another.
Q: Does anyone know of a pattern lock screen for wp7? ive searched these forums , yahoo , google and the market place and only see them for windows mobile and andriod.
A: It’s not possible at the moment, It is said to be coming with Mango update…. till then you have to bare it with all of us
Q: I have broken my screen but can still use phone. Is it easy to diy fix or dangerous?
A: It’s not easy, there is a video here showing how
Q: I want to change the dpi setting, currently at 240dpi on CM7, how can I go about it?
A: u have to edit build.prop in the System directory. when u open build.prop in text editor, u will see “ro.sf.lcd_density=240″ a few lines down. change 240 to your preferred value. i think i read somewhere that going below 190 is not recommended. don’t forget to reset the phone for it to take effect.
Q: I’ve installed honeycomb but cannot seem to save the lcd density after i change it. any suggestions?
A: Manual way, if you are feeling adventurous you can do it manually: Install Terminal Emulator by Jack Plevich and SuperUser by ChainsDD run Term and type: cat /system/build.prop > /sdcard/build.prop
Exit and open the file on your sdcard in your fav text editor app and edit the LCD Density setting. It’s right near the bottom of the file, go back to Term and type: su ‘(should now get a prompt to allow access) rm /system/build.prop cat /sdcard/build.prop > /system/build.prop. Reboot.
We certainly hope that you can use these bits of knowledge. This site is full of wonderful guides for virtually every question you could have. If you want us to publish a specific question, please contact the News Writer team.
May 29, 2011 By: TheRomMistress
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has a PLAN.
Personal Localized Alert NetworkThis PLAN basically allows the government to send you emergency alerts via text messaging whether you like it or not. This national alert system will be made possible via a special chip and software upgrade that will become mandatory on all newly manufactured cell phones. The hardware is already installed on high-end phones such as the latest iPhone, a simple software upgrade is all thats required to activate it.
The new alert system is expected to begin late this year for cell phone users in New York and Washington but should expand nationwide as early as April 2012. What can you expect from the PLAN? Once fully in place, you should expect to receive the following types of alerts:
- Messages from the President of the United States
- Alerts that could pose an imminent threat to safety, such as terrorists attacks or severe weather alerts
- Amber Alerts in your area
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are already on board with this free PLAN offered by the government. What if you don’t want to receive these alerts? Thankfully, we will have the option to opt-out…unless the president has a special message for us; those alerts will be required. Mayor Bloomberg thinks of the alert system as a “quantum leap forward in using technology to help keep people safe.” He goes on to say:
“The lessons that were reinforced on 9/11 is the importance of getting clear and accurate information to the public during a crisis”
So for those of you who don’t watch the news or listen to the radio, this may be just what you need to keep you in alert. Or it could just take up more space in your inbox. If you are interested in learning more or would like to join in discussion, please head over to the original thread. Thank you XDA member dandv for bringing this news to our attention!
May 28, 2011 By: orb3000
We arrive to the final part of this interview with XDA member and retired moderator pof. In case you missed them, here are the links for part 1 and part 2 of this interview.
orb3000: What’s your opinion of overall Android security?
pof: Android has been developed having security and privacy issues in mind, it has a rich security model with privilege-separated applications, per-URI permissions, signature-level app permissions, etc… However, it has a very weak point which is at the same time one of its greatest benefits: its openness. As anyone is allowed to publish anything on the market without any review prior to publishing it, this allows to put on the market malicious applications which users can install, so it’s very important to review which permissions we grant to the applications before installing them, and if unsure only install apps from trustworthy developers.
orb3000: Where do you think all this will lead to?
pof: Malware. We’ll see more and more android malware in the future, and it will be very hard to control because it’s not a design or system architecture flaw, it’s something Google can’t avoid if they want the app ecosystem open to third party developers.
orb3000: What do you think Google can do to strengthen and be more prepared for Android security?
pof: I think they have to implement a better reputation system, where user can trust (or not) an app based on the publisher’s reputation. Also it will help allowing the user to selectively choose which permissions he or she wants to approve from the capabilities the application requests when you install it; actually there’s already an app for this, ‘Permissions Denied’ by Stephen (Stericson), but it requires a rooted phone.
Well, thank you so much for making us understand a bit more of this complicated world for us non-developers. Now, we will appreciate even more the time and work that developers invest to make our devices.
Thanks to all our readers and please leave your comments below.
Would you want us to interview someone? Let us know!
We all love our Android and Windows Phone 7 devices because they are wonderful pieces of technology that can do pretty much everything that we can do on a computer. However, we don’t have to forget that these great platforms are standing on the shoulders of a dying giant called Windows Mobile. This platform paved the way for what we currently have as smooth, multi-purpose devices. One use that we can give to these devices is for video editing and XDA member manhab points us to an app that has been dormant in our forums for quite sometime. The app was specifically made for VGA, but the dev brings it to us in a compatible version for QVGA devices. The app is called TrakAx and has been provided in the thread for those of you who are still loyal to WM.
You see? This member searched and found what he was looking for. XDA is a vast (and I do mean vast) source for mobile apps, development, and its history. You’d be surprised what you can find in our site.
hi
before posting this this theard i search in xd developers and i find that thisapplication avaible just for the vga but today is for the qvga windows mobiles
You can find more information in the application thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
May 21, 2011 By: orb3000
Welcome to the second part of the interview with XDA retired moderator pof. Here you can find a link to Part 1. Without further ado, enjoy Part 2:
orb3000: What’s your current device?
pof: Google Nexus One (phone) and Motorola Xoom (tablet).
orb3000: What upcoming developments in the mobile world are you interested in?
pof: I think NFC and mobile payments will be the next upcoming boom, also a lot of tablet devices and TV or set top boxes running Android will come to mass-market in the near future, and this will completely change the way we are now used to consume media and entertainment. TVs are connected to the net will have also a huge impact on the advertising market: why in year 2011 I still see the same ads on TV as my neighbor? Net-connected TVs will allow ad servers to have a specific profile of the user watching TV and send him/her completely personalized ads, based on his preferences, previous browsing and TV watching history and demographics; this will allow micro-segmentation of the ads, widening the range of companies able to place ADs on TV. The TV as we know it will only be used for live sports and news, the rest of the media we’ll consume will be completely on-demand.
orb3000: What are your thoughts the slow development and growth of Windows Mobile and the skyrocketing speed of development for Android?
pof: I never took Windows Mobile as a real production ready OS, it was something we had to live with because there was no alternative at the time (blackberry phones were for dinosaurs and Symbian was a joke). Now Android is far from being perfect, but IMHO it goes in the right direction and if you choose the right device (one which allows to unlock the bootloader) you can use AOSP or custom ROMs on it.
orb3000: Are you looking into developing more apps for Android after your first one?
pof: Probably yes, but usually I only find the time to develop something if I can’t find any other app that suit my needs. Recently, I purchased a Motorola Xoom, and have found the app ecosystem in Honeycomb is still small compared to the wide range of Android apps we’re used to have now on our phones, so probably the next app will be more focused on tablet user experience.
orb3000: How was your experience making your first Android App compared to working with Windows Mobile?
pof: I had to refresh some Java concepts, but overall it was great. I found the SDK documentation easy to read and very understandable, although sometimes you have to refer to other sites like StackOverflow (Q&A site for programmers) because the SDK documentation is not clear or complete enough for a novice Android developer like me. In that sense, I feel the MSDN documentation is more complete, although the Windows Mobile API is far more painful, complicated, and obscure to use at the beginning.
This is the end of part 2. Please let us know what you think or what you would want to ask pof.
Coming up next week, the final part of the interview. We hope you are enjoying it so far.
Special thanks to Noonski
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