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January 31, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Scripts are always fun to add to a phone. The versatility of a script can be staggering and can do anything from increasing performance to increasing battery life and sometimes even both. There isn’t much about a phone that can’t be changed with a script.
XDA Developers Senior Member stevehkim has release about half a dozen scripts for the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II that range from performance tweaks to battery life and a couple of other fun tweaks.
The installation instructions are pretty simple, as stevehkim explains:
The scripts are pretty self explantory and you can adjust these values using root explorer and using the menu in root explorer to “open in text editor”. Or you can you wordpad or notepad++ on your pc and adjust them. Save the scripts to your phone. Using root explorer copy the init.d scripts to /etc/init.d. Paste in this directory and set permissions as rwx,rwx,rwx and reboot.
So if you’re toting an AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II and want to get your script on, you can check out the modest collection in its thread here along with information, further instructions and discussions about them. Also, make sure you exercise the proper caution and back up your device first.
January 25, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Modifications, patches and scripts are wonderful and are the easiest software to implement to a device without requiring the old full wipe and flash. There are also a very large number of mods, patches and scripts and sometimes it’s hard for a user to find and keep track of them all.
For those with Samsung devices, namely the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, you now have a tool that will help you with installing patches to your device. XDA Member Pako7, the utility creator, explains:
The program is designed to install patches in the most universal applets\libraries firmware of Samsung-communicators. It works with both odexed, and with deodexed components of many firmware of devices I9100/I91**,N7000,I9250(Galaxy NEXUS),I8150. Likely to install some patches and other communicators based on the Android OS. Optionally, the added ability to load external data from internet. Information about loading the file is stored in the archive dllink.pum.
So for those who want to install some patches and happen to have one of the supported devices, you can find instructions for use, download links and any other information in the original thread. You can also find a list of supported patches in the 2nd post. As usual, be sure to exercise the appropriate caution and create full backups before attempting.
January 18, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Development for the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4g Touch has been slowly increasing over the last couple of months. Just a couple of days ago we told you about the modification to allow Epic Touch users access to all their 4g settings and there’s word around the rumor mill of CM9 in the works as well.
Today, the Epic Touch got another very unique ROM to add to their growing ranks. Team Nocturnal of XDA has churned out a Sony Xperia port featuring the Bravia engine.
This very unique port has add ons and features that many Xperia fans are already used to, including:
-Sony Xperia Software
-Sony PSP Live wallpapers
-TimeScape widgets
-Sony Bravia Engine
-Custom Sony Xperia GUI by Team-Nocturnal
Along with this are some pretty common tweaks and modifications along with ACS Recovery. For those unfamiliar with the Sony Bravia Engine, you can read up about it here. The ROM is a beta version currently and there’s a working list of things that aren’t working just yet, such as some widgets that don’t work. Team Nocturnal has also been kind enough to post their official “to do” list in terms of things they’re working on to make the ROM better.
Anyone who’s looking to try out the Sony Bravia goodness can check out the full change logs, screen shots, download links and the not yet working list in the original thread. The link to the Sony Bravia wiki may be down as many sites are doing a black out in opposition of SOPA and PIPA. If you travel to Wikipedia, you may get redirected to a site where you can sign a petition against those two bills.
January 17, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
With Sprint gearing up for it’s LTE rollout, it’s very possible that the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4g Touch could be Sprint’s last WiMax release.
That doesn’t mean the development stops, however. XDA Senior Member autoprime has released a modification that will allow users full access to the Epic Touch’s WiMax settings. As autoprime explains:
As the WiMax enthusiasts already know… we can edit 99% of the same values as the OG Epic already using both ##DATA# > View > WiMAX and ##DEBUG# menus. Possibly the most useful edit is setting the Entry Rx levels from -89 to -110.. allowing those in low signal areas to still jump on 4G. The big edit that was missing on the E4GT was the ability to edit the WiMax MAC address. This is what I’m sharing today.
The modification allows users to change their MAC address, which works in conjunction with other menus to help those in low reception WiMax areas to connect to Sprint’s 4g.
As autoprime says:
This Will Not MAagically Give You 4g Reception If You Are Not In A WiMax Coverage Area.
So don’t get your hopes up that this will bring the 4g goodness where there is no 4g, but for those who live in one and just can’t seem to connect, you can check out the original thread for instructions on installation and how to use it.
January 14, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Everyone that wants to be involved with development has got to start somewhere, and for users who own an Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4g Touch, there’s a place for you.
XDA Member shanenielson1234 has written a thorough set of instructions for the aspiring developer who wants to learn how to compile a kernel. This has been attempted before by others, but they include things like a script that does all the work for you which leaves the aspiring developers no room to learn and no room to modify.
This method is more complete and requires the users performing the tutorial to go through each step themselves in order to get a feel for how it is really done. It opens the doors for those who want to improve on that process by writing their own script or allows modification of files within the kernel, which is something a compile script just won’t let you do.
For the complete tutorial, download links to essential kernel compiling files, and discussion with users who have begun or completed this tutorial, you can find everything you need in the original thread. Before you begin, though, be sure you’re running Ubuntu (or some distro of Linux) or at least have it operational in a Virtual Box. Also, as part of the tutorial, you’ll be flashing your kernel to your phone after you make it and flashing kernels is always a little dangerous. So be sure you do the usual flashing preparation, such as creating a Nandroid backup, before you begin.
January 3, 2012 By: liwen
Two new Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs, with their Android version at 4.0.1 and 4.0.3 respectively, have been leaked by SamMobile. You might recall that some similar ICS ROMs with TouchWiz leaked three weeks ago; seems like Samsung is making good progress on their promised Ice Cream Sandwich updates so far.
Of course, this is the real deal, with real meaning official – that is, with TouchWiz slapped on top. Still, if you happen to like Samsung’s custom skin or just want to flash something new, head over to the forum thread.
December 20, 2011 By: liwen
Samsung has officially announced its roadmap for Ice Cream Sandwich updates: the bestselling Galaxy S II and ubersized Galaxy Note will be the first devices to get their Android version bumped to 4.0, beginning in the first quarter of 2012, while the Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy R (a Tegra 2 version of the S II, only available in Taiwan), and various Galaxy Tabs (10.1, 8.9, 7.7, 7.0 Plus) will get their Ice Cream Sandwich treatment later, at unspecified dates that are going to be announced seperately “according to market situation and carriers’ requirements”. Same goes, we presume, for the carrier-branded versions of the Galaxy S II.
December 14, 2011 By: liwen
Some Galaxy S II owners might already have experimented with an AOSP port of Android ICS. It turns out that Samsung is working on an official release of ICS for their flagship phone, and a beta of this ROM has been leaked. The ROM has TouchWiz slapped on top of ICS, so don’t expect to see the launcher that ships on the Galaxy Nexus. Rather, you’ll find bits and pieces of ICS in various menus and settings throughout the operating system. The beta ROM doesn’t work completely (users are reporting that 3G is broken), but looks good enough for experimental use. Click on to the discussion thread to start flashing.
December 13, 2011 By: mic_888
If you fancy a change from the standard MMS colours and layout on your Samsung Galaxy S II device, take a look at this pre-themed MMS apk posted by XDA Senior member gh.rohit.
The XDA forum member liked the themes so much that he extracted the app from a ROM, so credit goes to XDA Recognised Developer Crysis21. The app contains the stock theme plus four new ones. To install, backup your existing MMS.apk from Root Explorer by renaming it to mms.apk.bak, copy the new app to system/app, install, and restart TouchWiz Launcher.
You can check the themes from the message settings.
For more information and to download the apk, head on over to the forum thread.
November 28, 2011 By: Sam Caplat
Ice Cream Sandwich ports are highly sought after, given the hype and price of the phone that runs it. However, providing there is support behind development, there is every chance you can run it on your device. This article is here to list the current ICS ports on our most popular forums and their individual stages in progress. Should your device not be listed below, you can always visit your device’s development forum on XDA and search for any ROMs listed with “Ice Cream Sandwich”. Check out our list! READ ON »
November 13, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
We’ve seen an impressive flurry of SGH-T989 development recently. Not too long ago, we brought you news of a 1.8 GHz overclocked kernel for the aptly-named Hercules, and today we are glad to present a modified kernel that enables USB host functionality using an industry standard USB on-the-go cable.
Today’s hackery comes from XDA forum member zedomax. Using this kernel, your device can connect to all sorts of USB accessories, making the Hercules truly worthy of its device name. Low-power devices such as USB keys, keyboards, and mouses should work without a powered hub, but hard drives and the like will (obviously) require an external power source. In the developer’s words:
Well, after about a week of compiling, I finally got a working kernel, this is my first kernel for the T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989.
I present you, world’s first OTG-enabled T-Mobile Galaxy S2!
The kernel comes with OTG USB Host mode enabled. It allows you to connect USB Flash drives, USB Hard disks (must be powered independently), USB Mouse, USB Keyboard, etc…etc..
That’s about it for now since it took me a week to get a kernel working (the other ones have ended me in an infinite boot loop for a whole week, very frustrating.).
You can get in on the action or track the kernel’s progress by jumping to the kernel thread.
November 6, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
If you ask any Android fan about the fastest devices currently available, the Samsung Galaxy S II is sure to be near the top of the list. And while the SGH-T989 “Hercules” variant may not be graced with the giant-slaying Exynos SoC, it still more than holds its own in today’s market. However, sometimes simply being “fast” is just not fast enough.
In order to give the Hercules even more pep in its step, XDA Recognized Developer Romanbb has created a 1.8 GHz overclocked kernel. Aside from simply boosting the clock speed your phone, this kernel also patches in the BFQ I/O scheduler and the ability to customize your voltages to suit your particular silicon. In the words of the developer:
Standard Disclaimer – We are in no way responsible for what you do to your phone. If you destroy your $500 device and try and blame us we will laugh at you. Always read and ensure you know what you are doing before attempting anything***
What this is
- This is a way for me to play around with kernels and use you people as guinea pigs
- OC up to 1.836 ghz
- should boot into stock frequencies
- added BFQ I/O scheduler and made default
- patched drivers from newer Telus 989D source
- added zram
- working init.d support
- insecure
Are you ready to take your device to the next level? If so, continue on to the kernel thread! Be sure to proceed with caution, though. As with any overclocked kernel, there is some risk of device destruction if you push the clocks or voltages too high.
October 25, 2011 By: egzthunder1
The wonderful world of NV, EFS, and all the inherent dangers that come from messing with this. For those of you who have no clue as to what I am talking about, there is a dark, really deep and well protected section of your device that is virtually immune to any kind of flashing and manipulation (unless of course you know how to access it). This part of the device contains information such as IMEI (or MEID and ESN in the case of CDMA devices), programming parameters for the device such as your account information (phone number, etc), data provisioning parameters, and a whole bunch of other things that, when not handled properly, can render a device completely useless. All of these are contained in the infamous \EFS folder. XDA Recognized Developer lyriquidperfection just updated an app that he started working on not too long ago, which basically allows you to back up and restore the contents of this folder, just in case. It seems to be rather simple to corrupt this by trying to unlock or change certain “numbers” in it, which is why being able to back up the original thing is rather important. HTC devices are normally associated with tweaking this due to the ease of getting the device in Diag mode via EPST. However, Samsung devices (and really most devices out there) can indeed be put in Diag mode to access this special section.
Before you go digging around for ways to mess with your EFS folder, you need to understand that, unlike flashing a device (which could potentially lead to bricks as well) could render your device completely useless as it will no longer be recognized by your carrier. From this point, there is no tool to allow you to recover from a mistake done in here, so proceed with extreme caution. Have fun and happy (and safe) hacking!
This is a very sensitive system folder that contains Phone-specific information such as the IMEI (encrypted in the nv_data.bin), wireless devices MAC addresses, product code (also in the nv_data.bin), and much more. Often users trying to change product codes or trying to unlock the mobile will end up corrupting data in this location.
You can find more information in the original thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
Thanks lyriquidperfection for the tip!
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