AddictiveTips » Ali Waqas

Install Ice Cream Sandwich Contacts Dialer On Epic 4G Touch

Ali Waqas — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:48:39 +0000

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the new sensation among Android users. Ever since the SDK was made available for this new Android update, we have seen various industrious hackers trying to port ICS on their respective Android devices. Although developers have been successful making SDK based ports on several devices, but most of them are in a semi working stage. We believe that unless Galaxy Nexus system ROM is made available, there won’t be a stable and fully working Ice Cream Sandwich port for any Android devices.

In case you have Epic 4G Touch, then you can test drive Ice Cream Sandwich dialer on your phone. The credit for creating ICS dialer clone goes to ssconceptz at XDA forums. The developer based this port on stock contacts.apk pulled from Epic 4G Touch firmware. This dialer app is set to be compatible with all ROMs and kernels.

Here is the step by step guide to install Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone dialer on your Samsung Epic 4G Touch:

The first step is to make sure that you have root on your phone along with ClockworkMod Recovery installed.
Once you have root on your device, download the ICS dialer CWM flashable package from here and save it on your phone’s SD Card.
Now download ES File Explorer from Market.
Once you have downloaded this file explorer, launch it on your phone.
Now tap on Menu –> Settings and enable Root Explorer settings from resulting menu.
Once root explorer settings are enabled, go to your phone’s System/app folder and rename contacts.apk to contacts.apk.bak.
After this exit file explorer and use ROM Manager to reboot your device in ClockworKMod Recovery.
Once you are in recovery, use Install Zip from SD Card option to flash / install ICS Contacts Dialer zip file.
After the flashing / installation process is complete, reboot your device.

And there you go! You now have the latest Ice Cream Sandwich dialer on your Epic 4G Touch. In case you are facing any issue with this app, then head to official XDA thread for Live developer support.

Read Install Ice Cream Sandwich Contacts Dialer On Epic 4G Touch by Ali Waqas on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Root Samsung Galaxy Note And Install ClockworkMod Recovery

Ali Waqas — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:36:31 +0000

Samsung Galaxy Note is phone-cum-tablet that seems to be Samsung Galaxy S II’s older sibling. The phone is meant for business professional who need to scribble notes, share information and fix meetings on the go. The gigantic 5.3 Inch screen with a Stylus is a definite try to bring Stylus back in fashion. And if you have this phone and were looking to root it, then there is some great news for you. Senior XDA member and Android developer, netchip, has managed to port ClockworkMod Recovery on this phone. Although installing ClockworkMod Recovery itself has nothing to do with rooting Galaxy Note, but you can easily flash SuperUser to gain rooting privileges.

Here is the step by step guide to install ClockworkMod Recovery on Samsung Galaxy Note and then root it:

The first step is to download and install KIES on your PC.
Once done, download ODIN and extract the files to a folder on your desktop. It will be convenient if you can rename the folder on desktop as “Odin”.
Download ClockworkMod Recovery Odin flashable .tar file and save it in Odin folder on your desktop.
Put your phone in download mode. You can do this by first powering off your phone and then booting it back again while pressing volume down key along with power and home button.
After you are in download mode, connect your phone to the computer and wait for driver installation.
Open the Odin folder on your desktop and click on Odin.exe.
You will see Odin application screen with one com port tab gone yellow. The yellow tab signifies that your device is connected to computer in download mode.
Switch to the PDA tab in ODIN and select ClockworkMod Recovery Tar file you earlier copied to ODIN folder on your desktop.
Now, click on Start and wait for ODIN to complete the flashing process.
After the flashing is complete, your phone will automatically reboot.
Download Superuser flashable ZIP, connect your phone to the computer and copy the zip file to SD Card root.
Reboot your phone in Recovery.
Once your phone is in recovery mode, go to “install zip from SD Card” and select SuperUser.zip file to flash.
Reboot your phone.
Once your phone boots, download Root Checker app from Market to verify root access on your phone.

In case you are facing any issues, then head to the XDA forum thread.

Read Root Samsung Galaxy Note And Install ClockworkMod Recovery by Ali Waqas on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Root Xperia Arc With Xperia Easy Rooting Toolkit [Guide] [ZergRush]

Ali Waqas — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:04:08 +0000

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is a high-tier Android phone that comes loaded with 1 GHz scorpion processor and 8 MP primary camera. The phone has managed to gain a massive fan base since its release. The developer community is also consistent in providing support for this phone and we have seen many hacks, tweaks and mods emerging in the past to enhance user experience. The recent production of these handsets, recently made available, have largely remained a difficult challenge for developers to gain valid permanent root access.

However when it is Android, there is always a way! The team behind Revolutionary, a home-brew bootloader unlocking utility for HTC phones, recently made their ZergRush Root Exploit public. Building on that, some industrious hackers and developers managed to gain permanent root on their Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc phone. The exploit has been nicely packaged in a one-click batch file for convenience of novice users.

Unlike previous rooting methods, the ZergRush exploit is able to gain rooting privileges with or without locked bootloader. DooMLoRD, senior XDA member and recognized developer, is the one who created this Xperia 2011 Easy Rooting Toolkit for Xperia Arc phones based on ZergRush Exploit. Theoretically, the script is universally deployable on all Xepria Android devices but has been practically tested on Xperia Arc with stock 4.0.2.A.0.42 firmware. The script basically roots your device via ZergRush Exploit along with installing BusyBox and SU files.

Here is the step by step guide to root Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc via DoomLord’s ZergRush Single Click rooting script:

The first step is to make sure that you have ADB drivers for Xperia Arc installed on your computer.
Once done, enable USB debugging on your phone by going to settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.
Now enable Unknown Sources by going to Menu > Settings > Applications and checkmark Unknown Sources.
After this download the single click rooting script from here and extract archive contents on your desktop [for ease of access].
Now connect your phone to the computer via USB cable that came with phone. Disregard the PC Companion Software prompt and keep the connection to charge only.
Now go to the folder on your desktop where you extracted rooting script zip contents.
Double click on RunMe.Bat and follow onscreen instructions closely.
Once the rooting process is complete, reboot your device.
Now download Root Checker app from Market and verify your phone’s root status

And there you go! You have your Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc rooted! In case you are facing any issues or want to thank the developer in person, then head to the official XDA thread posted here. All credits for this root goes to creators of Revolutionary along with DoomLord and everyone else who helped.

Read Root Xperia Arc With Xperia Easy Rooting Toolkit [Guide] [ZergRush] by Ali Waqas on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

How To Root Samsung Admire Android Phone [Guide]

Ali Waqas — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:53:28 +0000

Do you know about Samsung Admire ? Well if you do, then you probably have one. Samsung Admire is a mid-tier Android phone that is meant for social media addicts. The phone launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread on board and comes packed with all social networking tools without any TouchWiz hindrance. The phone finally stands rooted with DJrBliss’s exploit. It is interesting that a similar exploit, which gained permanent root on Droid 3 and other Droid phones, is responsible for gaining root privileges on Samsung Admire as well.

Here is the step by step guide to root Samsung Admire Android Phone:

The first step is to download Samsung USB Drivers and install them on your PC.
Once done, download One Click Samsung Admire Root package from here and extract it to Samsung Admire Root folder on your desktop. You can make a new folder by the name of Samsung Admire Root on your Desktop.
After you are done extracting the contents of root zip package, enable USB debugging on your phone by going to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.
Once you have enabled USB Debugging on your phone, connect your phone to the computer. Make sure that you do not mount SD Card as flash drive and keep the connection to charge only mode.
Now open Samsung Admire Root Folder on your desktop and double click on Run.bat file.
Now follow onscreen instructions closely to gain root on your phone.
After the process is complete, your phone will reboot.
You can now download Root Checker app from Android market to verify your phone’s root status.

In case you are facing any difficulty with this method or want to root your phone using Linux or Mac, then head to the Android Forums thread. All credits for this rooting method go to Djrbliss, K0nane and MikesToolz.

Read How To Root Samsung Admire Android Phone [Guide] by Ali Waqas on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Rotate Video Playback On Galaxy S II Without Auto Rotation [Guide] [Orientation Lock]

Ali Waqas — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:45:03 +0000

Samsung Galaxy S II is a dual core, high tier Android phone that has managed to gather huge fan base since its launch. The stock Video Player app on Samsung Galaxy S II allows the user to see videos in portrait mode. However, users need to have auto-rotation set to ON in settings for videos to stream/ play in portrait mode. Electrox666, Senior XDA member and Android developer, has managed to integrate a rotation toggle in video player that lets you easily change orientation of the video. The hack basically removes SRS effects toggle and replaces it with a rotation icon. Another advantage of this tweak is that you can easily lock video playback in landscape or portrait mode without having to go in Settings menu.

Here is the step by step guide to enable Rotation toggle in Stock Video Player app on Samsung Galaxy S II:

In order to being with this hack, you need to make sure that you have root on your device along with ClockworkMod Recovery installed. ClockworkMod Recovery can be installed on your phone via ROM Manager after you have root.
Now download the flashable zip file from here and save it on your desktop for ease of access.
Once done, connect your phone to the computer, mount SD Card and copy the downloaded zip file to SD Card root.
After this, reboot your phone in ClockworkMod Recovery. You can download ROM Manager from Market and use in-app Recovery Reboot option to boot into recovery.
Once you are in Recovery mode, use Volume keys to navigate to Install Zip from SD Card and select using home button.
From the resulting menu, select the zip file you earlier copied to SD Card root.
Now flash the file and wait until the process is complete.
Once the installation/ flashing is done, reboot your device normally.
Now tap to launch Video Player and you should be able to see a rotation icon instead of SRS option.

And there you go! You can now control rotation and lock orientation of videos on your SGS II without having to go to settings menu again and again. In case you are facing any issues or need developer support, then head to the official XDA thread posted here.

Read Rotate Video Playback On Galaxy S II Without Auto Rotation [Guide] [Orientation Lock] by Ali Waqas on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter

Install Bravia Reality Engine Of HTC HD2 [Guide] [Android]

Ali Waqas — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 05:47:16 +0000

Android is the fastest growing Smartphone OS throughout the world. The main reason behind this Android boom is perhaps its universal adaptability and a structure that is customizable to core. Recently Sony Ericsson, one of the key Android phone manufacturer, introduced Bravia Reality Engine in select devices. This engine is basically a display management functionality that comes integrated with contrast enhancement, re-coloring and other display tweaks. The main motive behind Bravia Engine is to get a closer-to-life [reality] display on your mobile’s screen. Although Bravia Engine comes packaged in newer Xperia line, but the development community has managed to port it to older Xperia devices as well.

Recently tin240, Senior XDA Member, managed to port this Bravia Reality Display Engine to HTC HHD2. The port was carried out by tinkering with some system files. It is important to mention here that after installing Bravia Engine on your phone, you will only be able to get it working in stock gallery and stock video player.

Here is the step by step guide to install Bravia Engine on HTC HD2:

The first step is to make sure that your device is rooted and is running Android.
Now download BraviaEngine.rar from here and extract the archive contents to your desktop.
Once done, connect your phone to the computer, mount SD Card and copy both extracted files from rar package to SD Card root.
Now disconnect your phone from the computer and use ES File Explorer or Root Explorer to move the two files you copied to SD Card to System/etc folder.
After this, open Build.Prop file on your phone using any text editor and add the following commands:

ro.service.swiqi.supported=true
persist.service.swiqi.enable=1

Now reboot your phone. You might have to power off your phone and turn it back on after 1st reboot for settings to stick.

And there you go! If you are stuck or need hands on guidance from the developer, then head to the official XDA thread posted here.

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How To Increase 4G Connection Speed On Infuse 4G [Guide]

Ali Waqas — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:04:11 +0000

In case you are an Infuse 4G owner with root and are looking to multiply your 4G connectivity speed, then you are in luck! SSJ_Gomike, Senior XDA Member and developer, has discovered awesome build.prop tweak that lets you optimize 4G connectivity on your device. For those who don’t know, Build.Prop file is basically your device’s build properties file and is utilized for various purposes. The file carries discreet instructions for phone’s operation and you can tinker with certain lines of code to change LCD density, configure Dalvik VM Heap Size, modify camera properties, optimize network performance etc.

The workaround that lets you increase Infuse 4G, involves adding a few instructions in your Infuse 4G’s build.prop. Here are the step by step instructions to increase 4G connectivity speed on your Infuse 4G:

The first step is to make sure that you have root on your phone. You can follow the instructions posted here to gain root privileges.
Once you have root on your device, download ES File Explorer from Market and install it on your phone.
After you have the ES File Manager installed, tap to launch the app then press menu > settings and enable Root Explorer along with Mount System option.
Once done, press the back button for app’s main screen and then tap on small SD Card image on top left corner to of the screen to navigate to root.
Now on this screen, scroll down and select “System” folder.
Once you are inside the System folder, locate Buil.Prop file.
After you have figured out Build.Prop file, long press the file icon and select Open with ES Note Editor.
Now enter the following commands exactly as they are in build.prop opened already in ES Note Editor:

ro.ril.hsxpa=3
ro.ril.gprsclass=12
ro.ril.hep=1
ro.ril.enable.dtm=1
ro.ril.hsdpa.category=20
ro.ril.hsupa.category=7
ro.ril.enable.a53=1
ro.ril.enable.3g.prefix=1

After you are done adding these lines in Build.prop, reboot your phone.

And once your phone is reboots normally, test your 4G speed via SpeedTest.Net app available for free in Market. In case you have any other issues or you want to add some more info, then please head to the official XDA thread posted here.

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Install Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich On Nexus S [Guide]

Ali Waqas — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:37:53 +0000

Google Nexus S was first in line when Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was announced, and it was indeed confirmed by Samsung and Google both that an update will follow soon. The developer community, however, could not stand the wait, and hence a build from Ice Cream Sandwich SDK now stands ported to the phone. The interesting aspect of this ICS port on Nexus S is that everything, except Bluetooth, NFC and Panorama Mode, work quite well. As always, the awesome developer community at XDA is responsible for bringing this Ice Cream Sandwich awesomeness for your Nexus S. For those who don’t know, Ice Cream Sandwich is the new Android 4.0 OS update that comes jam packed with features. From supporting USB Game Controllers to HDMI out-put and extended widget support, Ice Cream Sandwich has everything covered for Android users.

As this port is based on Ice Cream Sandwich Android SDK, so new features like face unlock and newer icons don’t come integrated. The port has some consistent developer support as 14 complete builds have been released so far.

In case you are ready to test drive Ice Cream Sandwich on your Nexus S, then follow the instructions provided below:

Make sure that you have root on your phone along with ClockworkMod Recovery installed.
Download Ice Cream Sandwich SDK based custom ROM for Nexus S.
Connect your phone to the computer, mount SD Card extension and copy the downloaded ROM zip file to SD Card root.
After you are done copying the file, reboot your phone in ClockworkMod Recovery mode.
In recovery mode, follow on-screen instructions to make a complete Nandroid backup of your current ROM.
Once done with making backup, do a complete Wipe. Wipe data and factory reset as well as format cache partition.
After this, use Install Zip from SD Card option to install We Scream For Ice Cream ROM zip file.
After the installation is complete, reboot your device.

And if everything goes as planned, you will end up with delicious Ice Cream Sandwich on your phone. In order to re-root your device, download SU.zip and simply flash it via recovery. In case your are facing any issues and want Live developer support, then head to the XDA thread for the ROM. All credits for this port goes to Beezy and HAKA at XDA developer forums.

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Save Bandwidth While Browsing On Android With TextOnly Browser

Ali Waqas — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:59:10 +0000

Are you one of those fellow “Androiders” who browse the web on their phone/tablet via data connection due to unavailability of Wi-Fi? Or have you ever wondered if you can keep your mobile data costs under check and browse the internet “freely” at the same time? If your situation is similar to what has been described above, then read on – for you may like it. TextOnly Browser has recently been released in Android Market with the sole purpose of controlling and reducing data connection expenditure. According to the app developer, the mission of TextOnly Browser is to reduce data usage by only displaying readable content and skipping everything else. The browser also claims to skip ads, heavy java script files and everything that can be a burden on your precious data connection bandwidth.

We decided to take TextOnly Browser for a test ride in Addictive Labs. Spotting the app on Market is pretty easy, as only a simple keyword search does the job. After downloading the app, it was a bit of dismay to see a single URL field with option to either “Go” or search in “Bookmarks”. If you are an avid Opera or Dolphin Browser user, be prepared to feel disappointed. We typed in the URL and zoom! It took TextOnly a mere 2 seconds to load AddictiveTips! Although we didn’t quite like the “dark” background, tapping any post title landed us on an optimized text-only page. Bookmarking is also fairly easy with TextOnly, as you simply need to tap the Bookmark tab to get the job done. You can later retrieve your bookmarked pages from Bookmarks page on the app’s main screen.

After looking at a couple of posts, we decided to check out the over all app navigation. Apparently, we weren’t able to navigate to older posts due to non-availability of any such option in this browser. With all scripts and images filtered out, all you can do is stare at the current data on a website. After our futile efforts to read older posts, we decided to check twitter feeds of @addtips. The browser again failed on us, as we weren’t able to load complete timeline, and were left with only newer tweets.

Despite these shortcomings, TextOnly Browser remains good at what it is supposed to do, and our testing showed it to be considerably faster than either Opera or Dolphin on an EDGE data connection. For a verdict, we believe this app is a well-executed idea, but due to utter lack of navigation buttons, settings menu and limited bookmarking option, it may not gain as much favouritism as its counterparts. We’d definitely like to see later versions of the app addressing the issues mentioned, and getting more capabilities overall.

Download TextOnly Browser

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Remove Listening Cap From Pandora With Unlimited Pandora App [Android]

Ali Waqas — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:02:19 +0000

Pandora Internet Radio is the most customizable radio service that streams free music to your phone. If you are an Androider with special interest in Music, then Pandora is probably installed on your Android phone already. Recently Pandora placed a “listening cap” on their service. According to creators of Pandora, the “listening cap” has been introduced to keep control “costs”. Many folks don’t really agree to Pandora’s point of view and in retaliation to that, there is now a modified Pandora App available without any listening cap or limit. Phia, XDA Member and developer, has released this unlimited Pandora app that lets you listen to your favorite music without worrying for streaming limits. According to Phia, he tinkered with the app for himself and is now making it public in order to help folks get their music all month long. We aren’t sure how Pandora will react to this one, but until it is available; its worth a shot!

Here is the step by step guide to get unlimited Pandora streaming on your Android phone with UnlimitedPandora APK file:

The first step is to remove Pandora app that you already have on your phone.
Once done, download the UnlimitedPandora.apk App file from here and save it on your desktop for ease of access.
After this connect your phone to the computer and mount SD Card as flash drive.
Now copy the apk file, you earlier downloaded, to SD Card root.
Once you have the file on SD Card, disconnect your phone from the computer.
Now launch Market and download ES File Manager.
Once ES File Manager has been installed on your phone, tap to launch the app and follow in-app instructions to install the UnlimitedPandora.apk file.
After you have installed Pandora, do not launch and simply reboot your device.
Now once your phone reboots normally, tap to launch Pandora and you are all set to enjoy unlimited music streaming.

In case you are facing any issues or want to thank the modder, then head to the official XDA thread posted here.

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1st Custom Gingerbread ROM For T-Mobile Galaxy S2 Available [Guide]

Ali Waqas — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:19:34 +0000

Finally there is some great news for T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II [S2] owners. Recently the phone got rooted via custom kernel flashing method and now the first custom ROM for this phone has made it to public. The ROM is stock, comes pre-rooted with latest BusyBox and SuperUser. Apps like Asphalt 6, Bous, Books, Mobi TV, ECID, IQ T-Mobile, Live Source, Mall lite, Media hub, Mobile backup, Netflix, Sns for Linkedln, Telenav, T-Mobile Blio, T-Mobile m4m, and Zinio have been removed to optimize user experience. According to the ROM developer, G Talk with video has also been pre-integrated in this ROM, This first custom stock Android Gingerbread custom ROM for T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II [S2] comes from teshxx. According to the developer, the ROM is also intended to provide developers and theme creators of this phone with a solid base to work on.

Here is the step by step guide to install this stock custom Android Gingerbread ROM on T-Mobile Galaxy S II:

The first step is to make sure that you have root on your phone along with ClockworkMod Recovery.
Now download the ROM zip file from here and save it on your desktop for ease of access.
Once done, connect your phone to the computer, mount SD Card as flash drive and copy the downloaded zip file to SD Card root.
After you are done copying the ROM file to SD Card, reboot your phone in ClockworkMod Recovery. You can use ROM Manager’s in-app option to boot into recovery.
After you are in recovery, make a Nandroid backup of your current ROM using on-screen options.
Once you are done making the backup, Wipe Cache Partition and Factory / Data reset your phone.
Once done, navigate to install zip from SD Card and install the ROM zip file.
Once the installation is complete, reboot your phone.

And there you go! You now have the first custom ROM on your phone. In case you have any issues or need to discuss more with the ROM developer, please head to the relevant XDA thread.

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Install ClockworkMod Recovery On HTC Amaze 4G [Guide]

Ali Waqas — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:33:55 +0000

HTC Amaze 4G got an amazing permanent one click root treatment couple of days back. For those who don’t know, HTC Amaze 4G is a brilliant top-tier Android phone with special focus on its camera. The phone has redesigned and enhanced camera interface that promises to deliver exceptional video and still results. Apart from this, Amaze 4G comes packed with a dual core 1.5 GHz processor and 4,.3 qHD display. Once the phone got root, the developers are now busy in making other modifications and developing ROMs. xboarder56, senior XDA recognized developer, has managed to port ClockworkMod Recovery 5.0.2.6 on Amaze 4G. Previously it was xBoarder’s stable root script that helped gaining permanent root privileges on the phone.

Here is the step by step guide to install / flash ClockworkMod Recovery on HTC Amaze 4G:

The first step is to make sure that you have root on your device. You can check out the rooting guide posted here for detailed instructions.
Now download Recovery image file from here and save it on your PC.
Once done, connect your Amaze 4G to the computer, mount SD Card and copy the downloaded zip file to SD Card root.
After you are done with copying recovery file to SD Card root, disconnect your phone from PC.
Now power off your phone, pull the battery out, replace it back and power it back on while holding Volume Down key along with Power button.
After your phone boots, you will get a pop-up asking start update.
Press volume up to start update and sit back while it the process is completed.
Once the recovery image is flashed on your phone, press the Power button to reboot your phone.

And there you go! You now have a recovery installed on your phone. We believe that you can download ROM Manager from market and use in-app option to reboot your phone anytime into recovery. In case you are facing any issues or want to thank the developer, then visit the relevant XDA thread.

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