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With the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 obtaining root, it was only a matter of time before it's smaller sibling, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, was rooted as well. Unlike the original Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 10.1, which were released almost a year apart from one another, this generation offers the two sizes (as well as a few others) concurrently. Given the similar hardware and software, making the leap from one to the next is much easier.
Init.d has a special place in Android. With it, users can install scripts and mods to run at boot, and thus modify almost any aspect of the phone that they want. There are battery tweaks, performance tweaks, GPS tweaks, signal tweaks, and the list goes on and on. However for these scripts to work, the phone must first have init.d support. Typically, Ramdisks provide init.d support, but sometimes it is possible to gain init.d support without flashing a new Ramdisk, or even without altering the Ramdisk at all.
Having complete control over the CPU is one of the big reasons why Android devices get rooted. Some enjoy overclocking the CPU to boost performance, while others enjoy underclocking the CPU to conserve battery life. Applications like the popular SetCPU and modifications like the HTC EVO 4G LTE dual core mod give users more control over their CPU. The only problem with applications like these is finding the right tools to get all the features you need. Not all mods and applications cover all bases. There may never be an application, mod or script that does, but there's at least one more out there. The good news is that it does more than most.
Windows has always had a bittersweet relationship with most of its user base. While it accounts for over 80% of all operating system use worldwide, issues like the Blue Screen of Death and other various bugs annoy users a great deal. There are some devices that can run Windows, but the cool factor soon disappears as those bugs emerge once again.
While there are tools available to convert ROMs from one type to the next, they sometimes require a number of steps, and are often complicated and frustrating. This is especially true for devices that have their own ROM file type such as Motorola's SBF or LG's KDZ. As development on Android continues, it was only a matter of time before developers found a way to switch from those proprietary file types to something a little easier to work with.
Burst shot to take many pictures quickly is a standard feature on many newer HTC and Samsung devices. For older devices, the camera application is not capable of burst shot, and users who want such a feature are left in the dark. However, the ability to take many pictures at once could mean better pictures for those who use their phone cameras frequently. Now, there is a way to get burst shot on any Android device using a simple application called Fast Burst Camera.
While it hasn't hit the mainstream yet, Near Field Communication is on the rise. With a number of flagship Android devices shipping with a NFC chip installed, users have been finding more and more uses for NFC. Is the experience perfect? Far from it, but improvements are being made all the time to make NFC a bigger part of the Android experience. There are many tools out there to help NFC users make full use of NFC, and now there's at least one more way to make the experience even better.
With numerous tool kits available for a plethora of HTC devices, some Samsung users may feel a little left out. Toolkits are often an integral part of a new user's experience because they provide easy access to otherwise complex development work.
Android development on Windows is far from ideal. However, thanks to new tools and utilities, many developers are finding ways to develop for Android with less strife.
If unlocking a bootloader were as easy as inserting a key and turning, there would be a many fewer people angry at Motorola. Unfortunately for new users, it isn't and often involves manually entering commands. While this isn't difficult, many new users can certainly appreciate a step-by-step guide to walk them through the process---especially when the guide explains each step and provides screen shots.
While the term "hacking" is often used incorrectly when dealing with Android, that doesn't mean that there aren't opportunities to actually hack something. While we certainly don't condone malicious hacking, a friendly prank played on friends and family often doesn't hurt. Users looking to play some jokes on their pals via their internet connection now can using an app that does all the hard work for you.
One of the bigger problems with apps on Google Play is how they often ask for many more permissions than necessary---everything from children's games that for some reason need to read our SMS conversations to Malware wanting to hijack our contacts list, users have been on high alert looking out for rogue applications. This fear has even turned users away from otherwise awesome ideas like Microsoft's on{X}.
As time passes after a device is released, older root methods often get patched. Thus, developers often are forced to find a new exploit to provide their users with root access. Sometimes it can be a rough process and other times it's as easy as changing from one known root exploit to a different one.
The HTC EVO 4G LTE will undoubtedly be one of those crowd favorite devices for some time to come. With some pretty awesome stuff being released in the last couple weeks, development continues to move right along with a new root method that is, believe it or not, even easier than the solutions in place now.
From the moment a device is released---and this is true for pretty much any Android device---someone inevitably begins to look for a way to obtain root access. In some cases, it can be rather difficult and take weeks or months, but in other cases it's almost instantaneous. No matter the time frame or the device, gaining root access for the first time is always an exciting development.
While mounting NTFS may not be the first feature users line up for when buying an Android phone, it can certainly be useful at times. For those out there who may be thinking of mounting an NTFS USB key or hard drive to their Android devices, you actually now have an app for that.
There are a number of applications out that help alter your CPU in some way. Whether it's choosing the governor or overclocking your CPU, the apps available now have been adequate for most purposes. However, with the releasing of quad-core phones mixed with the Android community's endless need to tinker to perfection, the classic CPU apps may not be enough for some users. Now, the quad-core HTC One X has its own dedicated application to give users a bit more CPU control.
As many prepaid users will tell you, getting frequent text messages about your remaining balance can be annoying. Some services even text you after every call and data usage. While some find this helpful, others find it unbearable.
What began as a simple root method has now spiraled to talk of a backdoor in ZTE devices. There is a flaw in some ZTE devices that can give root to any app that knows how to ask for it. For some users, this may sound cool because that means root is all that much easier to obtain, but one only needs to read between the lines to realize the risks involved.
In Android, things are ported all the time. Sometimes it's a ROM going to different devices, apps coming from different platforms, or in some cases even root methods can be shared between devices. As it stands, porting things can yield some of the most exciting and rewarding development work until built-from-source ROMs like CyanogenMod 9 are released. In some cases, many aspiring developers pick up the torch and begin the porting process themselves. Many wonder where to even begin, and while there are tutorials out there, some can be downright intimidating to read through.