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I run Linux exclusively and I was not happy when my Android device stopped enumerating as a mass storage device. The OS version I have right now doesn't automount MTP, so how am I supposed to get files on and off of my phone? There are several options, but I think the most simple answer is to use ADB.
Everyone who builds ROMs knows about the repo tool, right? I say wrong. You can build ROMs all the live long day and know nothing about it. But you'll face-palm after learning about what you're missing.
The release version of Heimdall Suite 1.4.0 is now available after an epic wait. You may remember hearing about this version of the suite way back in October when the release candidate was first announced. That's quite a slow pace for the last steps toward a stable release, but it sounds like the time was well spent. XDA Recognized Developer Benjamin Dobell cited problems with packaging and squashing outdated content as the main cause of delay. He hopes that the work he put in here will mean shorter development cycles for future versions.
Pssst... over here. Yeah, did you know about the Hidden Android Classes? Shhh... it's a secret. They let you do stuff you otherwise couldn't. You can read internal data, like the text message database stored on a phone. You can also gain lower level access to the hardware in order to extend your app's access to things like the touchscreen input values, or WiFi radio usage. To get your hands on that kind of contraband, you'll need to do some poking around in the Android SDK, and make a few... changes... to the way your Eclipse ADT plugin works.
Developers who are just getting started can leap through the learning curve by reading code written by more experienced programmers. It becomes even more useful if you can read an explanation of what each code chunk does, like with this weather app tutorial. Francesco Angola, who also wrote that guide on using Httpclient, has done a great job of explaining how to use a website API, parse a JSON string, and present the results to the user.
Last month, we saw a new tool that made it painless to edit the contents of Classes.dex. If you were drawn in by that prospect but couldn't quite get the pieces to work, I think you'll appreciate following the example that XDA Recognized Themer/Contributor Rizal Lovins put together. He takes one step back to look at the bigger picture, giving a start-to-finish walkthrough for decompiling, editing, recompiling, and signing an APK file. The necessary tools are pretty much the same (Windows, Java, Android SDK, Apktool, and a text editor) so that you may pick up where you left off with your smali and Baksmali editing experiments.
Owners of the Verizon variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet will no longer feel left out, thanks to the unlock package that XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler posted late Friday night. Although he takes issue with the word 'unlock,' preferring to call it a 'jailbreak' because that term is exempted by the DMCA.
Dan Rosenberg has done it again... Well, he claims to have unlocked the Samsung Galaxy S 4 bootloader, giving only this slightly blurry image as proof. But anyone who's been paying attention will know that Dan, aka XDA Recognized Developer djrbliss, is good for his word.
When you get done coding and testing your shiny new app, you'll still have a couple of steps left to make it ready for prime time. There are plenty of ways to learn about signing APK files, but I found XDA Senior Member Nikwen's guide to give just enough of an overview without getting bogged down in the details.
Hobby electronics enthusiasts will be happy to learn of the arrival of an Arduino IDE for Android, which includes support for uploading sketches to the popular microcontroller development boards. ArduinoDroid hit Google Play a few days ago, and I gave it a whirl as soon as I had the chance.