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July 15, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
When it comes to which ROM to use, some users can be very specific. Some enjoy the feel of a pure Google experience, and are more than willing to give up the OEM-specific features of their device to get them. Others, however, enjoy native features that come stock and would only like the AOSP look-and-feel in certain areas. In many cases, it’s hard to find the best of both worlds—especially on devices like the US Galaxy S III, which features many innovative gestures and inbuilt features.
Thankfully, XDA Forum Member AndroidFan4 has comprised a list of TouchWiz apps that can be swapped for their AOSP counterparts without issue. Combined with the numerous AOSP-style launchers available in Google Play, and you can piece together the perfect ROM for your tastes, while retaining the features native to the US Galaxy S III. There are a few issues with some of the applications, though. For instance, without the TouchWiz Gallery, the camera application will force close when attempting to view a preview, thus requiring users to open the AOSP gallery manually to view recently taken pictures.
Head over to the original thread to learn more.
July 6, 2012 By: jerdog
XDA-Developers is developer-centered to its core. But if you browse the forums, you will often find it devoid of any humor from those same developers. Sure there are moments of genuine hilarity when a user avoids all semblance of cognitive thought and asks a question clearly answered in the first post. As expected, the user then is verbally given the boot from the thread. However, a little more humor in the form of rabid, naked bunnies never hurt anyone.
After a long hiatus from kernel development, the VillainROM kernel developer team of XDA Elite Recognized Developers netarchy and Hacre have returned to bring us yet another masterpiece. If you are not aware, Ninphetamine was one of the most viewed (just shy of 700,000) and most downloaded kernels for the Samsung Galaxy SII i9100. And if you want to see genuine laughs, read the first five posts in the thread. With the release of the Samsung Galaxy SIII i9300, the team have released what they are calling Ninphetamin3. It is already off to a rousing start, with “rabid naked bunnies” primed to take over the world. While still relatively new, the kernel provides marked battery and performance improvements over the stock kernel, and netarchy has this to say about the current feature set:
In the interests of improving battery life and performance on the sgs3, Ninpo and I have decided to pool our collective minds on a kernel, through which we aim to improve the sgs3 experience for everyone… and raise an army of rabid naked bunnies with which to take over the world.
Ninphetamin3 has arrived.
Current features/differences from stock
- Overclocking up to 1800mhz
- CPU Voltage Control Interface
- GPU Voltage and Speed Control Interface
- Tweaked Deadline Scheduler by default
- Compiler optimizations aimed at improving performance/battery (OMG RICE!)
- Removal of Debug overhead for performance/battery improvement
- Triangle Away compatible
- Various other tweaks and alterations too numerous to waste text posting, see the github commits if you really want the gritty details
Hacre joins in with his own personal touch to the project:
In August 2011 a crack development unit left the SGS2 kernel scene, with patches they didn’t commit. This duo promptly escaped from the harrassment of noobs to the outside where the sun shines. Today, their work still wanted by XDA and users of Samsung phones they return to the SGS3′s good fortune.
To follow along on the adventure that is sure to come, visit the original thread.
June 29, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
With ICS, users will notice quite a bit of changes. One subtle change present on most devices is that UMS (USB Mass Storage) has been removed. In its place, users will find that their devices connect to computers via MTP (Media Transfer Protocol).
There are advantages to both protocols, but for most users it comes down to preference and compatibility. One major drawback is that not every operating system is compatible with MTP natively. And if you’re not keen on using third-party software to transfer data, this can become pretty messy. For Samsung Galaxy S III I9300 users, SGS3 Easy UMS aims to solve this issue.
The application is developed by XDA Forum Member Kopfgeldjaeger, and makes the SD card on the Galaxy S III a USB Mass Storage device for users who wish to get around the restrictions of MTP.
The app is simple to use. Users simply install the apk, open it, and toggle UMS on or off. It has only been tested on the International Galaxy S III so far, but it could very well be compatible with other devices with similar configurations.
For additional information, head over to the application thread.
June 27, 2012 By: jerdog
Nobody likes to have their smartphone’s battery drain quickly, especially when the source of that power drain looks to be the phone’s radio itself. Those who picked up the Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300 when it came out have been discussing this very issue.
Battery Usage statistics report that Cell standby is the main culprit—sometimes accounting for 50-70% more than even the Screen or Android System. How can that be when the battery seems to drain normally? XDA Senior Member Andreilux did some testing and discovered that the system was reporting the wrong value for a reason: Samsung made a mistake.
It would seem that the issue comes from an error in framework-res.apk. XDA Recognized Contributor bala_gamer explains that the power drain value setting for Cell standby is erroneouslyset to 34 mA (practically impossible) instead of a more reasonable value of 3.4 mA in power_profile.xml within framework-res.apk. He then put together a corrected power_profile.xml, and provided a quick step-by-step guide to pushing the change. Those not excited about messing directly with framework-res.apk can thank Senior Member ausdim for providing a recovery-flashable update.zip.
Bala_gamer notes that:
This mod will fix the wrong reporting of “cell stand by “usage to some extent. If your mobile has actual drain due to signal issues or some other issues do not blame me or any other for not fixing this.
Note that while this will help the system report more accurate battery usage for Cell Standby, it is far from perfect, and there will still be inaccurate values reported for other items. For more information about the fix, visit the original thread.
June 26, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
The Samsung Galaxy S III and the Samsung Galaxy S II have a lot of things in common. They are both among the most popular phones at the time of their release, they both have a strong development community, and they both have accumulated a considerable amount of hatred from Apple. However, there is another thing that links these phones that many users wish wasn’t there, and that’s the FastDormancy bug.
The bug, which affects both devices in different ways, shows the same symptoms. Users who get horrible battery life and decreased signal strength, especially when using the international version on a U.S. carrier, could have the bug. With the Galaxy S II solution being to simply disable it, users who bought the international version of the SGS3 for use on AT&T in the U.S. have a different solution. XDA Senior Member cmd512 has released a method that aims to fix the data speed problems and perhaps the battery life problems as well. According to cmd512:
I realized that the UK version of the GT-I9300 does not have ANY Fastdormancy data for AT&T medianet. So, I added them in, and now, I’m pulling consistent 5Mbps downloads vs not being able to break 3Mbps previously.
So, as opposed to simply disabling it, the solution appears to be to simply add information for AT&T MEdia Net. There are two ways to get it done. There’s easy way, which requires users to download a file with all the modifications and switch out the unmodified one. And then there’s the fun way—where users use SQLite Editor and their favorite root explorer to do it manually. Whichever way is used, the end result is the same. Users should be able to achieve better battery life and data speeds.
For the full tutorial, head to the original thread.
June 24, 2012 By: The-Captain
The Samsung Galaxy S III, successor to the popular Galaxy S II, now has an official ClockworkMod Touch recovery. And now thanks to XDA Senior Moderator and Recognized Developer mskip, it is flashable via Odin and Elite Recognized Developer Chainfire‘s Mobile Odin. If the name mskip sounds familiar to you, it’s because he also developed both the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Nexus Toolkits, all while pwning noobs around the forums.
This recovery has all the features you would expect in a normal recovery, with the obvious addition of touch functionality. As mentioned earlier, it can be installed through Odin or Mobile Odin. However, this release is only compatible with the international GSM edition. Those with other SGS3 variants will likely have to wait a little longer.
You can find the download and instructions in the original thread.
June 24, 2012 By: Adam Outler
Just days after a root method for all Galaxy S3 variants was released, XDA Elite Recognized Developer Supercurio has done it again and released another extremely highly regarded application on the Google Market. This time, he manages to provide a solution to SIM-Unlock Galaxy S3 aptly named Voodoo Galaxy S III SIM Unlock.
How does it work you might ask? In the words of Supercurio himself:
one click, no reboot, safe
The app is an implementation of XDA Forum Member txlibre‘s procedure for SIM-unlocking the SGS3, which itself comes from Forum Member dagentooboy‘s thread on how to unlock all SGS models via nvdata.bin. Voodoo Galaxy III Sim Unlock is written entirely in Java, which means there is no busybox requirement for this application. The application requires root in order to modify the /efs/nv_data.bin, and sets the simlock bit from a 1 to a zero.
At this point, a reboot would be required. However using strictly Java, the application parses the /proc folder in order to locate the rild process which triggers the nv_data parsing again. This fails verifying the md5, which generates a log file, which contains the newly expected MD5 sum for the nv_data. The system-generated MD5 is inserted in place of the original MD5. It’s an interesting technique, and all this is done with just one click!
Download Voodoo Galaxy S III SIM Unlock from Google Play. Get the source from Voodoo Galaxy S III SIM Unlock open-source project page Check out some of Supercurio’s other open source apps on his project-voodoo github page.
June 20, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
The Samsung Galaxy S III has been one of the hottest releases of the year. With great hardware, above average software, and few complaints; it is hard to imagine the Galaxy S III missing anything. Though for users who have been Android fans for longer than the lifetime of the Galaxy S III, there is something missing. With development being mostly focused on exporting Galaxy S III software, there hasn’t been much being ported in until now.
XDA Recognized Themer Nitroz has brought the popular geniewidget.apk to the Galaxy S III to fill a gaping hole where the news and weather widget should be. The widget is a standard component of Android, and the specific APK was pulled from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Not surprisingly, no one has reported any issues with it yet.
To install, users simply need to download the apk file, put it on their SD card, and use their favorite root explorer app to paste it into /system/app. Follow with a reboot and the widget should be ready to go. As mentioned, no one has reported any issues with it thus far, so all the features users enjoyed should be fully intact and the app itself should be stable. Moreover, since the application is a standard component of Android and was not modified in any way for the SGS3, it should work on any Android device lacking the app from the factory.
To get started, visit the original thread.
June 20, 2012 By: FallenWriter
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is one of the most powerful phones on the market. Although the AT&T and T-Mobile variants do not sport the 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor found in the international version, they feature an incredibly fast, dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. The Snapdragon S4 features Qualcomm Krait CPU and the Adreno 225 GPU.
The fast hardware practically begs for equally optimized ROMs and kernels. Now thanks to Samsung’s software engineers, the device’s power can be harnessed thanks to the release of GPL-compliant kernel source code for the AT&T SGH-i747 and T-Mobile SGH-T999. The best part is that this is before the devices even officially go on sale. This is great news for kernel developers, looking to get started with development a bit early.
What are you waiting for? Head over to Samsung’s Open Source Release Center and download the SGH-i747 and SGH-T999 kernel source code!
June 18, 2012 By: Joseph Hindy
Having an Android device does not necessarily mean that device can only run Android. As with the various devices can run Linux to some extent, it is always good when a new option is given to users. Using a desktop OS on an Android phone can bring a lot of features that Android can’t provide. But more importantly, it’s also a lot of fun. Samsung Galaxy S III users can join in on the fun, as they can now run Ubuntu or Backtrack Linux on their devices.
XDA Forum Member tiborr is responsible for writing the tutorial that gets Linux installed and working. A few pieces of the tutorial were transplanted from other tutorials—all credited of course—but the end result remains the same. The process takes some time and can be a little difficult if users aren’t familiar with executing scripts.
There are also a few peculiarities, however. Users are encouraged to be running a kernel that has loop support. As this can be hard to find in the features list of many kernels, tiborr recommends that users use the Omega V4 ROM. The applications Terminal Emulator and AndroidVNC are also required. Users are encouraged to be sure to have all the tools required before beginning the tutorial, as there is plenty of application switching during the process.
For the full tutorial, head to the original thread.
For this Quick Take of This Week in Development, Jordan talks about articles on the XDA Portal from a secret location. Jordan talks about a sweet development for the camera app on Android that allows any device to shoot in burst mode. Also covered is a modification to reduce audio latency on the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S. Jordan reminds you to check out XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler’s XDA TV Contest from Saturday.
Jordan then spends most of his time talking about the latest news for the Samsung Galaxy S III. This device gets a toolkit to do the hard work, a camera modification to allow 30 Mbit video recording, and CyanogenMod 9 Nightlies. So sit down, or stand up, relax, and check out this video.
June 18, 2012 By: Will Verduzco
Just yesterday, we brought you news that the Samsung Galaxy S III had been graced by official nightlies of CyanogenMod 9. Now we have further choice in AOSP-based ROMs thanks to XDA Recognized Developer Faryaab, who has ported Recognized Developer romanbb‘s Android Open Kang Project ROM to Samsung’s latest flagship device.
The ROM’s feature list is quite extensive, and the release is highly functional as well. Since Faryaab used Team Hacksung’s device tree, users can expect that everything that works on the CM9 nightly builds should work here as well. Like before, however, the following minor issues should be noted:
- FM Radio: currently not supported, try Spirit FM from market
- Using flash in camera causes problems.
- LED is not being lit when charging.
Those looking to snatch a piece of the AOKP pie should continue on to the ROM thread.
June 17, 2012 By: Will Verduzco
Back when we took a quick look at the Samsung Galaxy S III at Samsung Unpacked 2012, we immediately knew that the device’s proprietary software would surely be appreciated by the community. While we’ve seen various parts of the TouchWiz-laden UI ported to other devices, some lucky SGS3 owners actually prefer vanilla AOSP over Samsung’s heavily skinned variant.
For those who haven’t been following development progress on the device, XDA Elite Recognized Developer Chainfire first rooted the SGS3, sight-unseen, about a month ago. Not too long after, he released CF-Root and an unofficial version of ClockworkMod for the device.
Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer XpLoDWilD of Team Hacksung fame, we now have official CyanogenMod 9 nightlies on Samsung’s latest flagship, enabling people to get a piece of the vanilla Android pie without intrusion from Samsung. The ROM itself is highly functional, though the following minor issues should be noted:
- FM Radio: currently not supported, try Spirit FM from market
- Using flash in camera causes problems.
- LED is not being lit when charging.
Those looking to get their fix of CM9 goodness should head over to the release thread.
[Big thanks to XDA Forum Moderator babijoee for the tip!]
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