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January 12, 2013 By: Joseph Hindy
There are quite a few excellent toolkits for HTC devices that we have covered in recent memory. They can be very useful tools by helping lower the cost of entry for users trying to safely and easily root their devices, install recoveries, and unlock bootloaders. Now, there are new toolkits for the HTC Explorer, HTC Desire V, and the HTC Desire S.
XDA Recognized Developer hasoon2000, who has developed a large number of toolkits for HTC devices, has added the Explorer, Desire V, and Desire S to the list of supported devices. The features are pretty much on par with his other toolkits, but for those who haven’t seen his other releases, they include:
- Get Token ID. Buttons have been replaced and include links.
- Unlock Bootloader (Must place Unlock_code.bin in the folder)
- Install Recoveries
TWRP
User Provided Recovery
-Flash Kernels provided
User Provided Kernel
- Link to this thread
- Link to PM me if you need a phone unlocked
- Link to the One X+ Development thread
- Boot Into Recovery
- Boot into Bootloader
- Relock Bootloader (must be in fastboot)
- APK Batch Installer (Credits to hamsteyr)
Those familiar with his work will note that the features vary only slightly from device to device. This is perfect for new device owners who want to get through the rooting and unlocking process easily, as well as even more intermediate users who need to install APKs en masse or re-lock the bootloader.
For full details, check out the Desire V toolkit thread, HTC Explorer toolkit thread, or the Desire S toolkit thread.
October 25, 2012 By: David Watt
We’ve recently posted a number of articles about a hybrid ROM known as PACman ROM. Originating on the Xperia Ray, it was later ported to the Samsung Galaxy Ace and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro. PACrom is now making it’s way across a number of other devices on XDA.
PACman merges some of the best features from Paranoid Android, AOKP, and CyanogenMod into one uber-featured ROM. The latest devices to receive a PACman port are the HTC Desire S and the old favorite, the HTC Desire HD, both thanks to XDA Senior member blindndumb.
The Desire S ROM should be considered a test ROM, with a number of known bugs at present, including problems with the front camera, speakerphone, and WiFi Hotspot.
The Desire HD ROM on the other hand is a little more functionally complete, with no known bugs.
If you own either of these devices and want a taste of a bit of everything all at once, this ROM might be the one for you.
October 14, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
The last time we brought you news about TWRP, it was to announce that TWRP 2.2.2 had been released. It had fixed a lot of bugs from the initial release of TWRP 2.2 and added a few new features. Very recently, TWRP has been updated again to version 2.3.
There were a whole bunch of awesome improvements with TWRP 2.2 and a lot of unique and brand new features as well. TWRP 2.3 promises no less. The official change log includes:
Rebased onto AOSP Jelly Bean source code
Rewrote backup, restore, wipe, and mount code in C++ classes for easier maintenance going forward
NOTE: backups from prior versions of TWRP are still compatible with 2.3
ADB sideload functionality from AOSP is included in 2.3, see this link for more info
Re-wrote fix permissions entirely in C++ and runs in a few seconds instead of a few minutes (thanks to bigbiff)
Improvements to zip finding in OpenRecoveryScript (should be a lot fewer GooManager automation issues)
Faster boot times
Added charging indicator while in recovery (only updates once every 60 seconds)
Additionally, XDA Recognized Developer Dees_Troy has reported that there is now support for spaces in backup names. Before, if you added a space to the name of a backup, it would not restore. Now users can use whatever naming convention they want.
One of the biggest changes, though, is all of the TWRP being rewritten in C++ and its move to recovery API 3 instead of API 2. With the code rewrite, it will allow TWRP to update more quickly and with more stability. With the API 3 change, it means that some flashable zip files may stop working because the developer needs to update the update-binary. If you don’t want to wait for the developer, or the developer has ceased working on the project, you can find one to use on TWRP’s official website. To install the latest TWRP, you can use the Goomanager application. Simply open the application, hit menu, and install open recovery.
If you want to check out the latest TWRP recovery for your device, check one of the links below.
September 18, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
HTC Sense has always been bittersweet. On one hand, it offers a lot of functionality, it looks beautiful, and the Sense Clock is an iconic symbol of the HTC brand. On the other hand, some consider it to be buggy and bloated. Even though Sense 4 was an attempt to scale back the bloat and streamline HTC experience, they are still a few good updates away from making that actually happen.
One thing many ROM devs and users like to remove from Sense ROMs is the Rosie launcher, which is a large cause of the bloat and system resource hogging. Unfortunately, removing the Rosie means you also lose the HTC Sense 4 lock screen, which people actually like. Now, there’s a way you can remove Rosie and keep the lock screen.
The application is called HTC Lockscreen Shortcut Provider. What the application does is allows you to completely remove Rosie, and put just the lock screen back on. XDA Senior Member itandy developed the application and it’s pretty easy to use.
Installing the application and making it work is pretty easy. The directions are as follows:
Uninstall Rosie (Freezing doesn’t work because Android doesn’t allow two content providers of same type) ** You’re reminded to make a backup first **
Install HTC Lockscreen Shortcut Provider
Run Lockscreen Shortcuts
Select your app for the 4 shortcuts
Hit back to save settings and notify HTC lockscreen
So if you’re tired of Rosie and her RAM eating, CPU sucking ways but still want to enjoy the HTC lock screen, this is likely your answer. While it was developed specifically for the HTC Desire S, itandy believes it should work with any ROM that uses Sense 4 as a base.
For more details, go to the original thread.
August 13, 2012 By: David Watt
With all the recent Jelly Bean development taking place across various device forums on XDA, owners of some of the aging devices may be starting to feel left out. Owners of the HTC Desire S need not worry about this. Over the last week or two, a plethora of Jelly Bean based ROMs have been developed for the device.
First up, XDA Senior Member blindndumb brings us a Paranoid Android port. The unique hybrid ROM has been making it’s way across the forums with high activity of late. It allows setting different DPIs and layouts on a per app basis.
Blindndumb has been busy and has also given HTC Desire S users the chance to try out BlindBEAN, a Jelly Bean hybrid ROM ported from official AOKP builds with CyanogenMod 10 nightlies as a base.
XDA Senior Member nk111 brings us Jelly Bean-based CyanogenMod 10. The ever popular Android mod has made its way to the HTC Desire S, adding to the ever growing list of devices with a CyanogenMod 10 ports.
XDA Recognized Developer superkid and the Andromadus dev team have taken a slightly different, yet equally impressive route. JellyBelly is a CyanogenMod 10-based Jelly Bean ROM, but with something a little extra. The ROM includes kernel 3, despite the fact HTC haven’t released kernel 3 source for the HTC Desire S. The team managed to build the kernel using code taken from the HTC One V kernel sources.
Of course, as with most Jelly Bean ports onto older devices, these ROMs are in an alpha or beta state with a number of known issues. That said, they are still usable and give you a salivating taste of Jelly Bean on your Desire S.
If you want some of the Jelly Bean goodness, head on over to any of the ROM threads:
July 19, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Not too long ago, we brought you news that allowed HTC EVO 4G LTE users to customize their bootloaders. The process was pretty cool, allowing users to make their bootloader look however they want—including making it look unhacked. After the initial project was released, users clamored for this to be made available to more devices. The requests were heard and responded to. Now, the plugin has been made available to make the bootloader customizer for a number of HTC devices.
The process for a developer to port this is not hard. XDA Recognized Contributor regaw_leinad, who developed the application and plugin, takes a time out from the stags (yes, that’s really him) to explain how:
it’s basically all written, they just need to fill in the values for their hboot, and embed the hboot.img into the exe. I already have a placeholder for the hboot.img and android-info.txt so a drag and drop over them should keep it embedded.
Regaw_leinad is also creating the application for the supported devices, but wanted to release the plugin first so users had a chance to get it sooner. The current list of supported HTC devices include:
While the list is quite large, one must keep in mind that not all of these devices have S-Off, and users must have S-Off in order to actually use this application. To get started, visit the original thread.
July 12, 2012 By: Will Verduzco
Just about three months ago, we brought you news that the Team Win Recovery Project had received a massive update to version 2.1. April’s release largely heralded the start of a new age in recoveries—where one would no longer have to deal with cumbersome menus, instead interacting with a very user-friendly GUI.
It wasn’t simply about the GUI either. In addition to bringing an unrivaled level of UI polish, TWRP 2.1 offered users many advanced features such as update.zip queuing, a basic file manager, and dual storage support for Nandroid backups. Additionally, TWRP added support for the open source scripting engine OpenRecoveryScript, which works in conjunction with the previously covered GooManager.
How do you follow up something as revolutionary as TWRP 2.1? With TWRP 2.2, of course. That’s how! The new release builds on the previous offering by delivering many recovery “firsts.” For starters, this is the first recovery to feature on on-screen keyboard. Why would you want such a thing? How about naming and renaming Nandroid backups! TWRP 2.2 is also the only recovery to split extremely large backups, allowing users to backup and restore /data partitions larger than the 2 GB FAT32 file size limit.
In the words of XDA Recognized Developer Dees_Troy:
- On-screen keyboard in recovery! — supports long press, backspace repeat, and swipe left deletes everything left of the cursor
- Name new backups and rename existing backups
- Rename files and folders in the file manager
- Pseudo-terminal emulator
- Support decrypting an encrypted data partition on Galaxy Nexus (enter password using keyboard)
- Backup archive splitting — allows backup and restore of data partitions larger than 2GB
- Simplified XML layout support between resolutions
- Added dual storage selection radio buttons to zip install, backup, and restore pages
- Improved zip install compatibility
- Updated update-binary source code
- Numerous small bug fixes and improvements
Eager to get started? I know I am. Head to the links below to obtain the appropriate version for your device:
May 26, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
There’s nothing quite like getting a new version of Android for a device. Of course, that means that developers go back to the drawing board with a new base to work with to re-release their ROMs on the new version of Android. This would be the case for HTC Desire S, which now has a firs taste of the latest version of ICS. XDA Recognized Developer mdeejay, along with the Virtuous Dev Team, has released VirtuousSaga, first custom ROM with Android 4.0.4. While 4.0.4 only offers iterative changes over its ICS predecessors, this is the first custom ROM to be based on the Saga RUU.
The ROM is seemingly stable for those who have tried it, offering no known issues and all the main features working. The ROM also features a host of features. In addition to being deodexed, zipaligned, BusyBox-ed, and pre-rooted, the ROM also features a few bonuses users are sure to appreciate. This includes the removal of all spyware, along with most of the HTC bloatware. For anyone looking to try out ICS on his or her Desire S, this is definitely worth a shot.
Download links, screen shots, a full feature list, and more can be found in the original thread.
[Thank you to shrome99 for the tip!]
May 23, 2012 By: FallenWriter
One of the most common questions here at XDA over the past several months has been, “When will my HTC device receive Ice Cream Sandwich?” Now, thanks to a tip from XDA Senior Member neoofoox we have our answer.
Although we previously mentioned the devices confirmed to get ICS from HTC’s blog back in March, it was only recently that HTC finally confirmed their timeline for this year’s releases. According to HTC:
What is the overall timeline of Android 4.0 updates?
The majority of devices will receive upgrades in June and July 2012 and we expect to finish upgrades in August 2012 for all announced devices.
When will my device get the Android 4.0 upgrade?
The target timeline for announced devices is below. Because of partner and network testing, and approval processes for device updates, it can take up to 45 days for all carriers and countries to get the update after a rollout has begun.
Device
Schedule
DROID Incredible 2 by HTC To be determined (by the end of August) HTC Amaze 4G May-June HTC Desire S June-July HTC Desire HD July-August HTC EVO 3D June-July HTC EVO 4G+ May-June HTC EVO Design 4G June-July HTC Incredible S June-July HTC Sensation March-June HTC Sensation 4G March-June HTC Sensation XE March-June HTC Sensation XL April-Jun HTC Rezound June-July HTC Rhyme June-July HTC Thunderbolt July-August HTC Velocity 4G March-June HTC Vivid March-June
Please note these dates are targets and may shift due to testing and approvals.
For a detailed look at when your specific device will be getting a taste of frosty Android goodness and several other questions answered, head on over the official page and salivate over your upcoming good fortune.
April 13, 2012 By: Jimmy McGee
This Week in Development, new comer Jordan covers all the exciting stories you need to know from the XDA-Developers forum. In addition to Android’s possibly inadvertent fail, he covers ROMs for the Samsung Galaxy Note and HTC One X, and HTC One V ROMs being ported to the Desire S and Desire HD. Jordan mentions the addition of a forum for the HTC One V. Additionally, XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler‘s CASUAL and Shelr articles are discussed. The strangely addictive Crazy Birds game and an Android VNC are covered, along with the accelerometer fix for the T-Mobile Galaxy SII
Check out the video below.
April 8, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
With the release of new Android devices, it is inevitable for their software to get ported to other devices from the same OEM. We’ve brought you some of this recently with the Xperia S UI being ported to various older Xperia devices. With every new generation coming out, it’s going to end up on an older generation device, one way or another.
For the HTC Desire S, that time is now. XDA Senior Member proxuser has ported over a ROM from one of HTC’s newest offerings, the HTC One V. While the ROM is still a work in progress, there is a lot of promise with the ROM currently. To begin with, the official list of what’s working is longer than what isn’t working, and that is always a great sign. To be more specific, what isn’t working currently is only:
camera
wifi hotspot
usb tethering
So camera, hotspot and USB tethering. Considering what some devices go through with ports, that’s a phenomenal thing. With revision 3.3 only three weeks from release, it’s clear that proxuser is going to support this for quite some time.
The port for the HTC Desire HD is even closer to completion, as the same developer is working on the same port as well. For the time being, the only thing that isn’t working is the camera, so maybe getting hotspot and tethering fixed on that phone can bring some hope for Desire S users.
In any case, both of these ROMs are nearing completion, so Desire S and Desire HD users will soon be graced with the HTC One V goodies. Additional information, screen shots, a review video, change logs, feature list, credits and thank you list, and download links can be found in the Desire S and Desire HD threads.
March 17, 2012 By: ElCondor
The HTC One V’s similarities to its older brother, the Desire S, make it ideal for developers to port ROMs between the devices. XDA Forum Member proxuser has come up with an Android 4.0.3 ROM sporting HTC Sense 4.0 for the Desire S and also the Desire HD.
One would assume that this ROM could be much heavier and less stable than stock because it is built for a more powerful device, but the developer assures us that this is simply not the case. In fact, he conjectures that this is the fastest and most stable ROM for the two devices. However, the ROM isn’t quite flawless. Fortunately, the list of things that work is much longer than the things that don’t. Currently, the main issues are the camera, WiFi hotspot, and SD card mounting functions.
Overall, the ROM seems to be good enough for day-to-day use for most people. Visit the Desire HD and Desire S threads for all information and download or check out a hands-on video to see how it looks.
March 14, 2012 By: Will Verduzco
The billion dollar question right now in the Android world is whether or not your device will receive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. As they so humorously put it:
Few innovations have improved upon ice cream as much putting it between two cookies and making a sandwich. Which is why we all want Ice Cream Sandwich! Ok, that’s not the real reason, but we’re all excited about Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, coming to HTC.
While there is constant speculation as to which devices will be added to the ICS list, not very many firm answers are to be found. Luckily, HTC has just released a public statement as to which devices are slated to receive Google’s latest tasty treat.
Timing is the next important question. HTC has spoken up on this issue as well, stating that the updates for the Sensation and Sensation XE would begin in the coming weeks, with the Sensation 4G andSensation following thereafter. However, the schedule still remains unclear for the other devices slated to receive the OS update.
As for timing, we’re in the early stages of rolling out Android 4.0 for the HTC Sensation and HTC Sensation XE and upgrades will be more widely available in the next few weeks. The update for the HTC Sensation 4G and HTC Sensation XL will follow. Please note, once we start pushing out updates it will take time for all carriers in each country to get the update. We are working closely with our carrier partners to nail down update schedules for our other smartphones and will have more to share very soon.
While many of us are still irked at the fact that HTC’s first generation Snapdragon devices such as the original HTC Incredible and the legendary Evo 4G are not on the update list, their omission is understandable given that not even the HTC-built Google Nexus One is receiving ICS in official capacity. However, the fact that these devices will be receiving Sense 3.6 rather than Sense 4 is a bit of a bigger blow. However, you can bet that our developer community will have that covered, as they have already begun to do so.
Source: HTC Blog
[Thanks to all who sent in the tip!]
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