Android Fanatics

How to Share Your Android Device’s Files over WiFi

2013-05-26T19:42:00.000+08:00

January 21, 2013 in Android Basics / Tips and Tricks, Android How To's, Featured, How To's

The days are gone when you needed to connect your device to your PC using cables to transfer files as much convenient options have now become available. With the connectivity options like WiFi, you can transfer files fro and to your device without using cables at a faster transfer rate. You don’t need to buy any expensive accessory to do that, you just need an app and fortunately, the app’s available at free of cost. So, let’s see how you can share your device’s files over WiFi using the app.

I. Before You Begin:

1. Both your PC and your device must be connected to the same WiFi network.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. AirDroid (Google Play Link)

III. Sharing Your Android Device’s Files over WiFi:

1. Download and install the AirDroid app on your device.

2. Once installed, launch it from your App Drawer.

3. It’ll show a tour for the first time users, just skip it.

4. Now, you’ll see an IP address and a password in the app. Note them down.

5. Open a Web Browser on your PC and type in the IP address you got in previous step.

6. You’ll then be asked to enter the password. Just input the password you got in step-4.

7. Hit the Enter button on your keyboard.

8. And you’re done!

Great! You’ll now be able to copy files from your device to your PC and vice versa. The transfer rate would be as fast as if you were copying files from one drive to another on your PC!

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.

This is part of our Android How To’s. We have how to’s on rooting, loading ROMs, and tons of other tips and tricks for your specific device or for Android devices in general! For all of our Android How To’s, head here.

How to Use Your Phone Overseas (Ultimate Guide)

2013-05-26T19:38:00.003+08:00

January 28, 2013 in Android Basics / Tips and Tricks, Android How To's, Blog, Featured, How To's, iOS How To's, iPhone Basics / Tips and Tricks, iPhone How To's, Windows Phone Basics / Tips and Tricks, Windows Phone How To's

Using your phone overseas can be as easy as just turning it on, but using your phone like that overseas will cost you more than your hotel costs most likely. If you want to use your mobile phone overseas, you can do so without incurring a ton of charges by following a few steps.
I. Download these Apps to Make Traveling Easier
There are a few apps that you should download before you leave the States that can make communicating easier once overseas.
1. WhatsApp – Go to your device’s app store and search for WhatsApp. Install it. Set it up by following the on screen setup process. WhatsApp is free for the first year and only $0.99/year after that. Worth it.
WhatsApp will allow you to send text messages to anyone else that has WhatsApp on their device for free using a data connection. Since data plans in most countries are a flat rate and text messaging rates to text people in other countries are ridiculous, this can be a huge saving right off the bat.
*You need to download WhatsApp BEFORE you leave your current country. This is because when you first install it, it has to verify your phone number using a text message and then it is always associated with that number. Doing this before leaving the country ensures that it associates your usual phone number with the account and not a temp number you might be using in the new country.
2. Skype – Go to your device’s app store and search for WhatsApp. Install it. Set it up by following the on screen setup process.
Skype’s big draw is that it allows you to do video calling with anyone else that has Skype on their device as well for free using a data connection. I wouldn’t recommend doing this on a mobile data plan on your device as it’ll eat up your data allotment quite quickly, it is great to use when you have a Wifi connection available.
3. Google Voice (US Only) – This isn’t quite for your phone but has to do with phone calls. On the computer you are planning to take overseas, make sure go to google.com/voice and sign up for a google voice account and gmail account. Choose a phone number from your area in the US (it only works for the US for now) and then open mail.google.com and login with your gmail account tied to the new Google Voice account. Then click the phone icon in the chat window to the left and dial a US number to make sure it works.
The big draw for this is it will allow you to call people back in the States from your computer for free. Also handy if you need to pretend you aren’t overseas as the number that will show up on their caller ID will be the US number you selected when signing up. Just keep those timezones in mind, calling at 3am might give away that you’re in Beijing.
*You need to download Google Voice BEFORE you leave the US, as the download is blocked in some countries (even though the download is blocked, using it in other countries should work fine).
II. Determine whether your phone is GSM/CDMA
In the States, we use two different cell phone technologies, GSM, which uses SIM cards, and CDMA, which does not. The general rule of thumb is if you are using any company besides T-Mobile or AT&T, then you are most likely using CDMA and do NOT have a SIM card. If you are using T-Mobile or AT&T then you DO have a SIM card.
Why does this matter? Well, most cell phone service providers outside of the States are GSM and so they use SIM cards. Unfortunately, if you have a CDMA phone and in a country with only GSM providers, you won’t be able to use your device, period.
There is only one exception to this, Verizon and Sprint now have some devices that even though they are CDMA they are also have an included SIM card slot just for use overseas. They usually label these devices as “World Phones”. If you have one of these devices then you can put a SIM card in them when you go overseas and be okay. Easiest way to figure out if you have one of these devices is to simply call your carrier and ask if your device is capable of using a GSM SIM card overseas.
III. Check the Frequency Compatibility
So now that you’ve figured out that your phone is GSM, there’s one more thing to figure out before you can ensure your phone will work when you get there: the frequencies.
Nowadays, most phones have all 4 frequencies used for voice and text messaging (850/900/1800/1900) so, for the most part, you shouldn’t have an issue going to any country with your device and using it as a phone (heading into a small country with a name you’ve never heard before might cause an issue but most modern countries will work just fine).
The issue comes in with 3G frequencies. Depending on the carrier these vary. AT&T in the States uses 1900mhz, T-Mobile uses 1700mhz, etc. So make sure to head to GSMArena.com or another similar site, search for your device, and take note of the frequency listed for 3G (and 4G if you have an LTE enabled device and want that to work as well). After that, head to our frequencies page for a list of carriers and their 3G/4G frequencies to see if they match your device. If they are, brilliant! If they aren’t you might want to purchase a phone that has that frequency built in instead or else just have slow internet.
IV. Get a SIM card from a Carrier in the Country You Are Visiting.
Before you leave, take a second to go online and do a little research on what phone companies are in the country you are visiting (and also which are the best/largest/fastest). This is easy to do by just Googling the name of the country and typing in “mobile phone companies” behind it or something similar.
Once you’ve done your homework and decided on a carrier, Google where their stores are before heading overseas. If you can find one in the airport you arrive in, youll be able to get a SIM card immediately and use Google Maps to then navigate your way to your hotel room. Imagine having to do this without Google Maps. Asking for directions, speaking to other human beings, scary I know.
V. Unlock Your Device
If you’ve found out that your device uses a SIM card and will work on the carrier you’ve chosen overseas the next step is to SIM unlock the device so it will accept the new SIM card hen you insert it.
If you have a device from a carrier (i.e. T-Moble, AT&T, Vodacom, etc.), then it is most likely SIM locked to that carrier. If you have a device you bought directly from the manufacturer or from Google (i.e. Nexus 4) then it is most likely unlocked already. If it is unlocked already, then no need to do anything, just skip this step and head to the next section. If it is locked, then you can unlock it in one of two ways.
1. You can simply ask the carrier to unlock it. Most carriers will do this for free so long as you’ve been in contract with them for more than 90 days (at least here in the States). All you have to do is call them and tell them you are heading overseas and want your SIM unlock code from them. If they give it to you, simply save it and put it in when prompted for it by the phone when you insert the foreign SIM card. If they don’t give it to you, head to the next option below.
2. If you cant get the unlock code from your carrier for free, then you can always purchase one. We have a supplier we use for these codes for our own devices that we can recommend. Head there, choose Products & Services, choose your device, and purchase an unlock code (they are the cheapest and most reliable we’ve found but feel free to Google your device name and the term unlock code behind it if you want to try and use another supplier).

Purchase an Unlock Code

Once you purchase it it’ll take up to 48 hours to get the code sent to you. Once you receive it, simply put in any unauthorized SIM card and it will prompt you for the code*. Once inputted, your device will be permanently unlocked and ready to accept a foreign SIM card.
*For iPhone users, there is no need to enter in a code. Simply wait for the email saying your device has been unlocked and plug it into iTunes. iTunes will let you know that your iPhone is now unlocked and you are good to go.
VI. Buy a Prepaid SIM card when you get overseas.
1. Hopefully, you’ve Googled where to find the carrier you planned to use before you set off and know where to go to get the SIM card (and if you were lucky, it was in the airport you arrive in).
Once in the store, you need to find out about their prepaid SIM only plans. I recommend getting a data plan (i.e. 1.5Gbs, 2Gbs, 3Gbs, etc.) and adding a little bit of talk time on top as well. If you’re like me things like Google Maps, Facebook, Yelp, web browsing, etc. will be used far more often than talking on the phone (also keep in mind that you can use WhatsApp for text messaging and Google Voice on your computer for calling).
VII. Setup the Internet Settings
1. Last thing you need to do is put in the new carrier’s internet settings. Soon as you put the SIM card in, you’ll be able to make calls and send texts but internet and MMS are a totally different ballgame. Each carrier has their own settings for your phone to be able to access the internet and send picture/video messaging. For our full list of internet settings, head here and write down the one you need for the country/carrier you’ll be using as you’ll have to input it during the next step.
Here’s how to add the correct internet settings for each of the major mobile operating systems:
Android (4.2.1)

Pull down the notification shade.
Select the button at the top right to be taken to the quick options menu.
Select Settings at the top right.
Select More.
Select Mobile Networks.
Select Access Point Names.
Tap the three dots at the bottom right and select New APN.
Enter the information for each field for the carrier you are using from our list of settings.
When you’ve entered everything, tap the three dots in the bottom right corner and select Save.
Now tap the empty dot to the right of the new APN to select it.
Wait 2 mins and then try to access a website from your internet browser.

iPhone/iOS:

Open Settings.
Select General.
Select Cellular.
Select Cellular Data Network.
Turn ON Mobile Data if it is off.
Select APN.
Enter the information for each field for the carrier you are using from our list of settings.
Hit the Home button.
Wait 2 mins and then try to access a website from your internet browser.

Windows Phone:

Tap Settings.
Select Cellular.
Select Add Internet APN.
Enter the information for each field for the carrier you are using from our list of settings.
Wait 2 mins and then try to access a website from your internet browser.

How to Get the Facebook Home on Any Android Device (Updated 04.16.13)

2013-05-26T19:37:00.002+08:00

April 13, 2013 in Android Basics / Tips and Tricks, Android How To's, Blog, Featured, How To's

You might have heard about Facebook’s new app, Facebook Home, that replaces the home screen on your Android device. This new app launched on April 12th in the Google Play store but is only currently available for a handful of devices. Thanks to some impatient developers, that exclusivity didn’t last long. You can now download and install on the Facebook Home app on any Android device. Here’s how.

I. Install the New Facebook APKs

1. Uninstall your current Facebook app and Facebook Messenger and Facebook Home if you already tried to install it and failed. (You can do this by going to Settings > Apps > find the apps and uninstall them one by one).
2. Download the three APK files from the links below and save them to your desktop.
Facebook Home (Updated 04.16.13)
Facebook Messenger (Updated 04.16.13)
Facebook App (Updated 04.16.13)
3. Plug your Android device in via USB cable.
4. Copy the three APK files over to the storage of your device.
5. Unplug the device.
6. Open any file browser on your Android device and locate the APK files. (If you don’t have a file browser, head to the Google Play store on your device and search for Astro File Browser and install that, then use that to locate the APK files).
7. Click each of the APK files to install them, one by one. To avoid issues, install the Facebook App first, open it and login. Then install the Messenger app, open it and login. Then, finally, install the Facebook Home app, open it, and login.
8. Once they are all installed, hit the home button and when asked which app to use select the Facebook home application (you can check the box to make it the default if you decide you want to keep it for now).
9. Enjoy exploring the new launcher and apps. To uninstall, simply go to Settings > Apps > Select them Facebook apps and hit uninstall on each of them, one by one.
If you have any issues and have a custom recovery (or a stock recovery that has these options) head to recovery and wipe cache/wipe dalvik cache and reboot.

If this procedure helped you, please head to the developer’s original thread and thank/donate to them!

[PORT] [CWM] Micromax A116 CWM 6.0.1.2 + Root

2013-05-26T19:22:00.002+08:00

Using Flash Tools to Flash CWM Recovery to A116

Quote:

Requirements:
CWM Rewcovery
Flash Tool
A computer
A Micromax A116 (obviously)

Steps To Follow:-

1. Install drivers for your phone using Micromax drivers.
2. Extract the Stock ROM folder and replace recovery.img with cwm recovery.
3. Extract and open the SP Flash Tools.
4. In SP Flash Tools, click on Scatter-Loading and the program will ask you the location of the scatter loading file for your device.
5. In the extracted folder of the stock rom, go to the folder named "S9201_MP_F4_B1_IN_MMX_0.16_flasher_user" and select the file "MT6589_Android_scatter_emmc" which is our scatter loading file.
Check only recovery.img, preloader and uncheck all others.
6. Switch off your phone (Remove the battery to make sure it is switched off).
7. In Flash Tool, go to Options and Click USB Mode so that it is enabled. Click options again and then go to DA Download All > Speed and finally select High Speed.
8. Click the Download option (present on the right of Firmware
> Upgrade option) and the flash tool will start looking for your phone.
9. Connect your phone now. The Flash Tool will start the flashing process, the progress of which can be viewed from a yellow progress bar at the bottom of the flash tool.
**Don't interrupt this process as it can potentially brick your device.
**Make sure no power interruption takes place. (Use a laptop to ensure this).
10. After the process completes, a green ring will appear on your device signalling that the process was successful.
11.Disconnect your phone.

Quote:

CWM 6.0.1.2 :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8wjy2h1rurz653/new2.img

Mt6589 Scatter File :
http://db.tt/JjMl15wO

SP Flsh tools:-
http://mtk2000.ucoz.ru/down7/FT3.13.04.rar

Drivers:-
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nv96xclhjmaiclu

64bit drivers:-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2206421

CWM is tested working.

Changelog:

[6/3/13]
1. Fixed external memory backup issue
2. Center image is now of CWM

Root tutorial:-
1. Flash both these files through cwm

http://downloads.noshufou.netdna-cdn...arm-signed.zip
http://downloads.androidsu.com/super...arm-signed.zip

Credits:
Mahommad Abdul Sajid- Testing
Yuweng- Porting methods
Micromax A110- Original Recovery

Press Thanks button if I helped!!

Press THANKS if I helped you in any way

How to Unlock Bootloader on Sony Xperia Devices (Official Method)

2013-05-26T19:04:00.003+08:00

September 20, 2012 in Android General Rooting How To's, Android How To's, Featured, How To's, Sony Xperia Arc How To's, Sony Xperia Arc S How To's

In order to discourage owners from messing with their devices, companies lock devices’ bootloaders most of the times. But for more enterprising users like our readers, this is seen more as a hindrance than a failsafe to rooting and flashing custom ROMs/kernels. Times have changed now and manufactuers are now waking up to the developer community’s contribution that has grown exponentially over the years, and are offering to unlock bootloaders safely. One such company is Sony (previously Sony-Ericsson) and this guide below will show you how to unlock your bootloader if you own a relatively recent Xperia device.

I. Before You Begin

1. Unlocking your bootloader will void your warranty. Sony is particular about this and so are we. Make sure you realize what you are losing before you take the next step!
2. You will be opting out of over-the-air updates when you unlock your bootloader.
3. Back up anything you feel is important before you proceed.

II. Can my Xperia device be Unlocked?

Sony has been adding devices to the unlockable bootloader list over time and if your handset is listed on this page under the Supported Phones section, your device’s bootloader can be unlocked! Another way to check is:
1. Enter *#*#7378423#*#* on your phone dialer to access the service menu.
2. Go to Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. Check if Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes in this section.
If you found Yes, then you are in luck and your bootloader can be unlocked!

III. Unlocking the Bootloader

1. Install the Android SDK. Use our setup guide (until Step 4) to do this easily.
2. Download the fastboot driver file from Sony.
3. Extract the downloadinf.zip you downloaded to a folder on your desktop. This folder will now contain a single file called android_winusb.inf; copy this file.
4. Go to c:\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver and paste the copied file here. If you are asked to overwrite an existing file of the same name, do so.
5. Find your IMEI number and write it down somewhere accessible. To find out your IMEI number, type in *#06# on your phone dialer.
6. Go to Sony Mobile’s Unlocking Site.
7. Click on the Yes, I’m sure button to begin the process.
8. Tick both the checkboxes agreeing to Sony’s legal terms and click on the I accept button.
9. You should now be at the Unlock request page. Enter your name, email and your device’s IMEI number and click on Submit.
10. Your unlock code should now be revealed. Write/copy this down somewhere accessible.
11. Power down your device.
12. Hold the Menu button (Xperia arc, Xperia arc S, Xperia neo, Xperia neo V, Xperia pro) or the Search button (Xperia Play) or the Volume up button (Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia ray, Xperia active, Live with Walkman, Xperia S) and connect the device to your PC using the microUSB cable already provided.
13. If you are asked to install drivers, point the driver installer to c:\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver.
14. Open up a command prompt window and type in the following commands. To open up a command prompt windows, hit the Windows key + R to open up the Run dialog box, type in cmd in the Open field and hit Enter.

cd C:\android-sdk\platform-tools
fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version

[You should get a response back, something like 0.3, which means your phone is connected and detected properly]

fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xKEY

[Replace the KEY in 0xKEY with the unlock code you obtained from the Sony website]
Your bootloader should now be successfully unlocked!
If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.
This is part of our Android How To’s. We have how to’s on rooting, loading ROMs, and tons of other tips and tricks for your specific device or for Android devices in general! For all of our Android How To’s, head here.

How to Root the Sony Xperia J

2013-05-26T19:01:00.000+08:00

Good news for all those lucky users who have bought the Sony’s latest and greates Xperia J smartphone. A root method has become available for the device and this opens up doors for the custom development to get to your device. While almost all the Sony Xperia series smartphones are enjoying root-access, Xperia J is going to get the same enjoyment with this new root method. In the following guide, we’ve covered how you can root your Xperia J smartphone and get the root-only apps running on it. So, let’s get started:

I. Before You Begin:

1. This will void the warranty of your device. However, you can reinstate the warranty by unrooting your device if there’s any unrooting procedure available.

2. You must be running 11.0.A.3.28 or 11.0.A.3.18 firmware with locked bootloader. This procedure doesn’t work on other firmwares.

3. You should have appropriate drivers installed on your PC.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Root Package (It’s attached in the first post)

III. Rooting the Sony Xperia J:

1. Download and place the Root Package archive onto your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the archive to your Desktop.

3. Enable the USB debugging option on your device by heading to Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>>USB debugging.

4. Once enabled, connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.

5. Now double-click on the Runme.bat file you have on your Desktop.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

7. And you should be rooted now!

Amazing! Your Xperia J has successfully been rooted and you now have access to system level files on your device. This simply means you can go as deeper as to system files and modify them, this translates into more customization options for you.

IV. Flash a Custom Recovery Image (Optional):

1. If you would like to flash a custom recovery image in order to flash custom ROMs, head to the How To Flash a Custom Recovery Image on the Sony Xperia J to learn how to do that.

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.

How to Install ClockworkMod Recovery on the Sony Xperia J

2013-05-26T19:00:00.001+08:00

Maybe you’ve rooted your Sony Xperia J smartphone and now want to flash custom ROMs? Maybe you want to make a backup of your current firmware so you can have peace of mind while using your device? No problem, this guide shows exactly how you can install ClockworkMod Recovery on your Xperia J smartphone. CWM Recovery is one of the best custom recoveries ever made for Android devices and with its new updates, the user-interface as well as the functionality has really become much better than before. Follow the following guide and get the recovery installed on your device:

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must have done our How to Root the Sony Xperia J procedure.

2. You must be running 11.0.A.3.28 or 11.0.A.3.18 firmware with locked bootloader.

3. You should have appropriate drivers installed on your PC.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. ClockworkMod Recovery (It’s attached in the first post)

III. Installing ClockworkMod Recovery on the Sony Xperia J:

1. Place the ClockworkMod Recovery archive onto your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the archive to your Desktop.

3. Enable the USB debugging option on your device by going to Menu>>Settings>>Developer options>USB debugging.

4. Connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.

5. Double-click on install.bat file you have on your Desktop.

6. It’ll install the CWM Recovery on your device.

7. Once the recovery’s installed on your device, reboot your device.

8. And you’re done!

Congrats! You’re now rocking the ClockworkMod Recovery on your Xperia J smartphone. Before you start using the recovery, please take a look at the source thread once as there’re some useful instructions given there.

IV. Flash a Custom ROM (Optional):

1. If you are ready to flash custom ROMs on your device, head to the How To Flash a Custom ROM on the Sony Xperia J to learn how to do that.

Image Credit: Softpedia

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.

How To Setup ADB & Fastboot Driver With Android SDK On Windows [Complete Guide]

2013-05-26T18:53:00.003+08:00

Setting up ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and Fastboot is a very basic step to make communication with your android device with Windows. In short, Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator instance or connected Android-powered device. By having ADB and fastboot, it helps to install and flash zip into your device like custom recovery, insecure bootloader, images, root package, stock or custom firmware, stock or custom ROMs. You must have both ABD & Fastboot to be installed if you starting to develop android app or any other android development jobs.
Let’s get started on how to set up ADB and Fastboot for your android device to Windows.

How To Setup ADB & Fastboot Driver with Android SDK on Windows

Requirements

Windows PC with internet
Android device
MicroUSB cable

Download

Download android SDK Tools Only for Windows
Android SDK Tools.exe (Official Website, 80MB)
Android SDK provides needed API libraries and developer tools necessary to build, test, and debug apps for Android. If you’re a new Android developer, we recommend you download the ADT Bundle (FULL bundle) to quickly start developing apps. It includes the essential Android SDK components and a version of the Eclipse IDE with built-in ADT (Android Developer Tools) to streamline your Android app development.
Java SE Development Kit 7 (JDK)
jdk-7u11-windows-i586.exe, 32 bit Windows x86, 88.77MB (Only install Windows 32 bit even you are with 64x bit Windows.

Instructions:

Unzip the downloaded zip file and execute the Android SDK ***.exe file.
You will be prompted to install Java Platform JDK from Java SE Software if you do not have it in your Windows PC.
Execute the downloaded Java SE Development kit 7 before proceed.
Execute again the Android SDK ***.exe to continue.
Follow the instruction to complete installation of Android SDK Tools. Start SDK Manager.
Check Android SDK Platform-tools and Google USB Driver.
Press Install 2 packages to continue installation.
Select Accept and press Install and let’s the download to complete.
When you see the log file below, the installation is completed. Press close.
Now you have ADB and USB drivers installed in PC.
Now, connect your device to PC with micro usb cable.
You will see USB driver has installed successfully.
Activate your android device USB debugging mode. (Settings-> Developer option –> USB debugging.
Let’s Windows continue to install the driver.
You are now complete all the ADB and USB driver.
Reboot your device into fastboot mode and complete fastboot mode driver installation.

Take Note:

To complete installation if you use other than Nexus device, you need additional USB driver from Samsung Kies, HTC Sync, Motorola Sync Manager or LG Mobile Tool.

Install ClockworkMod Recovery on Sony Xperia Z with Locked/Unlocked Bootloader [GUIDE]

2013-05-26T18:52:00.002+08:00

Sony's flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z, was rooted even before the device could go on sale with due credit to the developers' community. Now ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery can be installed on the phone. Using the CWM recovery users can perform several functions such as installation of custom ROMs and system tweaks.

The Xperia Z features a 5in full HD display.

Below are two different methods to install CWM recovery on Xperia Z: one for Xperia Z with locked bootloader and the other for unlocked bootloader version.
The custom recovery file, which is built from CWM 6.0.3.0 sources, for Xperia Z with unlocked bootloater is released by XDA developer, DooMLoRD. The developer notes that the aforementioned recovery file works only on Sony Xperia Z running on stock firmware 10.1.A.1.350/434 or any ROM based on the same firmware. Head over to the development page to learn more about the custom recovery release. The CWM recovery 6.0.2.8 for Xperia Z with locked bootloader is shared by XDA developer, krabappel254.
Xperia Z users who wish to install CWM Recovery on their devices, may follow our step-by-step guide below. Users should have a rooted version of the phone. Click here for step-by-step guide to root the Sony Xperia Z.

Pre-requisites
1) Install USB Driver for Sony Xperia Z to transfer files between the computer and the Android device.
2) Enable USB Debugging Mode on the phone to connect it with the computer and use Android SDK with it. [Press Menu>> Settings>> Applications. From there navigate and click on Development option and ensure the USB Debugging Mode is turned on.]
3) The device should have ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and Fastboot installed on the phone.
4) As the tutorial might wipe out all the data on the device, create a backup. If the device has a custom recovery such as CWM/TWERP already installed, users are recommended to back up the data using the same.
5) Ensure that the battery of Xperia Z has above 80 percent charge.
6) The recovery files and the installation tutorial below are compatible only with Sony Xperia Z. Applying these to any incorrect variant is likely to brick the device. Therefore, install the recovery files accordingly.
Steps to install CWM Recovery on Xperia Z with unlocked bootloader
1) Download CWM recovery 6.0.3.0 for Sony Xperia Z to the computer. Extract the downloaded zip file to get the boot.img file
2) Ensure that a working fastboot is already installed on the phone [For guide click here]
3) Turn off the Xperia Z. Then enter into fastboot mode by pressing the Volume Up button
4) Connect the phone to the computer using USB cable
5) Wait until the LED lights up with blue colour. Try few more times if the first attempt fails
6) On the computer, copy the boot.img file into C:Fastboot
7) Open the command prompt on the computer. Go to Windows logo then type CMD in the search box and press Enter
8) Type cd C:fastboot then type fastboot flash boot boot.img
9) Once the action is completed, try to restart the device
The Sony Xperia Z should now have CWM recovery installed.
Steps to install CWM Recovery on Xperia Z with locked bootloader
1) Download CWM Recovery 6.0.2.8 for Sony Xperia Z with locked bootloader to the computer. Extract the downloaded zip to get the install.bat file
2) Ensure that a working fastboot is already installed on the phone
3) Double click the install.bat file
4) Plug in the USB cable to the phone to connect it with the computer. Wait until the device is detected by the programme
5) Follow the screen instruction from the programme to continue installation
6) When the installation process is completed, switch off the phone
7) Press the Volume Up or Volume Down button and release for some time when the phone is booting (with LED is green)
8) Boot the device into the custom recovery [Try some more times if the first attempt does not work]
[Source: The Android ROM]

How to Root the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro

2013-05-26T00:21:00.000+08:00

The X10 mini pro has been around for a long time now but with a bustling developer community, the device has managed to stay fresh and even has ICS custom ROMs now. This guide below will show you how to get there by taking the first step – root the Xperia X10 mini pro. Read on then if you want to do this.

I. Before You Begin

1. This procedure will work on Xperia X10 mini pro running v2.1.1.A.0.6. If you have a device running some other version, leave a comment in the Comments section below and we’ll tell you if this works on that version or another procedure that could work for your firmware.
2. This procedure is designed to work on the Windows (preferably Windows 7) operating system.
3. Back up everything you feel is important before you start with the procedure.

Necessary Downloads

1. SuperOneClick.rar [File attached to the first post of this thread]

IV. Rooting the Xperia X10 Mini Pro

1. Extract SuperOneClick.rar to a folder on your desktop.
2. Enable USB Debugging on your device. To do this, go to Menu > Settings > Applications > Developer Options and tick the USB Debugging checkbox.
3. Connect your device to your PC and if there are any drivers being installed at this point, let Windows 7 do so.
4. From the folder, you extracted above, run SuperOneClick.exe.
5. Click on Root.
Your Xperia X10 Mini Pro should be rooted once the application confirms that your device is rooted!

IV. Unrooting the Xperia X10 Mini Pro

1. Follow the same steps as in Section IV until Step 4.
2. Click on Unroot.

V. Flashing Custom Recovery (Optional)

If you would like to flash a custom recovery image in order to flash custom ROMs, head to the next procedure to learn how to do that.
If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.
If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.
This is part of our Android How To’s. We have how to’s on rooting, loading ROMs, and tons of other tips and tricks for your specific device or for Android devices in general! For all of our Android How To’s, head here.

How to Root the Sony Xperia Arc S

2013-05-26T00:10:00.001+08:00

The Sony Xperia Arc comes with a 4.2-inch LCD display, a 8MP shooter and a 1GHz Scorpion processor keeping things running at its mid-range speed. The device recently saw an update to Android 4.0.4 officially but there’s no word as yet on whether there will be an official Jelly Bean upgrade. Until then, there are custom ROMs to try out and to do that, your Arc will need to be rooted. This post below will help you do that.

I. Before You Begin

1. Make sure that your device is at least 75% charged.
2. The guide below is designed to work on Windows PCs (preferably Windows 7); sorry Mac/Linux users!
3. Back up everything you feel is important before you begin.
4. This procedure is designed to work on Xperia Arc devices running firmware v4.1.B.0.587. So make sure this is the firmware versions you are running before you proceed.

II. Necessary Downloads

1. Flashtool v0.8.6.0 .
2. Lt18i_4.1.A.0.562_Kernel.ftf (Link available in the first post under the Downloads section)
3. DooMLoRD_v1_Xperia-2011-ICS-ROOT-emu-busybox-su.zip (Link available in the first post)

III. Flashing the .562 Kernel

1. Double-click on flashtool.exe you downloaded above and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
2. Copy Lt18i_4.1.A.0.562_Kernel.ftf file you downloaded above to C:\Flashtool\firmwares on your harddrive.
3. Open the Flashtool application after installation and click on the Flash icon (the one with the thunder symbol).
4. You should be presented with two options: Flashmode and Fastboot Mode. Select Flashmode.
5. Choose Lt18i_4.1.A.0.562 and click on OK. Follow the on-screen instructions on how to boot your device into fastboot mode and connect your device. Also, make sure”No Final Verification” is marked.
6. Reboot device.

V. Rooting the Xperia Arc

1. Enable USB Debugging on your device. You can do this by heading to Settings > Applications > USB Debugging and checking the tickbox next to it.
2. Enable installation of non-Market applications. To do this, go to Settings > Applications and check the Unknown Sources tickbox.
3. Enable MSC Mode. Go to Settings > Xperia > Connectivity > USB Connection Mode and select MSC Mode.
4. Connect your device to your Windows PC.
5. Extract the DooMLoRD_v1_Xperia-2011-ICS-ROOT-emu-busybox-su.zip that you downloaded above to a folder on your desktop.
6. From the extracted folder, double-click on runme.bat to run the DooMLoRD tool.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the process to be complete (your device will reboot several times during the procedure).

V. Flashing Custom Recovery (Optional)

[Tutorial]How To Root and Unroot Samsung Galaxy Ace

2013-05-21T09:37:00.000+08:00

If you’ve upgraded your Ace’s firmware to the official gingerbread update you might know that SuperOneClick rooting method doesn’t work anymore. Luckily there is another method involving installing a zip file from recovery which I’m going to explain now. This method is actually better since you don’t have to connect the ace to a computer. You can root and unroot on the fly. So in this tutorial I’ll be showing you how to root AND unroot you Samsung galaxy ace!
Caution: In my experience nothing has ever gone wrong with rooting. There is always that slight chance something can mess up. Use caution and only do this if you want to. I am not responsible if anything happens (but I really don’t think anything will happen if you do everything right) Also rooting voids your warranty but don’t worry, unrooting should give it back like nothing ever happened.!!
Download the two zip files I’ve attached below

How to Root the Galaxy Ace 2.3

1. Copy the Root.zip file (download below) into your sd card. You can even put it in a folder if you want.

2. Turn your phone off

3. Boot your phone into recovery mode. To do that, hold HOME+POWER buttons. When the screen turns on and you see the Samsung logo, let go of POWER but keep holding HOME. After the Galaxy Ace logo shows up and disappears, you should enter recovery mode. You can let go of HOME now.

4. Now in recovery mode, you can scroll up and down using the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons and select using the HOME button.

5. Scroll to the second option “apply update from sdcard” and press HOME to select.

6. Scroll to the Root.zip file and select it (if you put it in a folder, find and open that folder and then select Root.zip

7. After it’s done installing, select “reboot system now” and wait for the phone to reboot

8. To check if your phone is rooted, go to you app drawer and look for an app called superuser with an icon of a pirate android with cross bones. If you see it, your phone is rooted.

Congrats! You’ve officially rooted you galaxy ace!!
Now what if you want to go back to unrooted for some reason , or just for the heck of it?? It’s easy. Very similar to rooting

How to Un-root the Ace 2.3:

1. Download unroot.zip (below) and put in sd card

2. Turn off the phone and boot into recovery (refer to step 3 above)

3. Install the unroot.zip (similar to step 5 and 6 above)

4. Restart phone (incase you’re THAT stupid, refer to step 7 above)

5. Look in the app drawer and if all went well, the superuser icon should no longer be there!!!

Quote:

Note: I've tested the unroot.zip and it works for me. But just incase it still doesn't work you can use a root explorer and delete some files to unroot:-

-Open up market and download "ES File Explorer" (or if you have any other root explorer you can use that).
-Open ES files explorer, tap menu, go to settings, go to the "Root settings" section and enable "Root Explorer" and "Mount file system" (you have to be rooted to do this)
-go back and tap Favorites in the top left corner and select "/". Now go to system/app/ and find and delete "Superuser.apk". PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!! dont delete anything other than the files I mention.
-go back to system/ and open the "xbin" folder and delete the following files and ONLY THESE FILES!!!:
1. busybox
2. sh
3. sqlite3
4. su
5. su-v1
6. su-v2
7. su-v3
-restart phone

Your ace is now un-rooted! It’s that simple. Hope I’ve helped! I’m not sure this method works for froyo, but there are plenty of tutorials for rooting froyo ace as well.

Note: the root and unroot zip files are not mine. Got them from some nice people on the internet and then renamed them!

I got the root.zip from http://androidforums.com/ace-all-thi...d-2-3-3-a.html ......... on this site the zip is originally named upd_1.zip

The unroot.zip is from here http://www.tutebox.com/3708/mobile/h...-3-4-or-2-3-3/ ….. the zip was originally named update.zip

Thanks to the people who made these zips!!

Attached Files

	Root.zip - [Click for QR Code] (924.8 KB, 124242 views)
	Unroot.zip - [Click for QR Code] (101.3 KB, 44817 views)

How to Root the Galaxy Y Pro (B5510) and the Galaxy Y Pro Duos (B5512)

2013-05-21T09:27:00.002+08:00

The Galaxy Y Pro and the Galaxy Y Pro Duos are some really affordable handsets that have a major advantage over other Android phones in their segment – a full QWERTY keypad. In case of the Galaxy Y Pro Duos, users have the added advantage of using two SIMs simultaneously which would make carrying two different devices unnecessary. We’ll show you how to root both of these devices without breaking a sweat in the following guide.

I. Before You Begin

1. You need to have updated drivers from Samsung. You can install these automatically by installing Samsung Kies.
2. There’s no real need to back up anything as this will not need a data wipe, but do so just in case you run into problems.
3. Download the Universal GB Root file.

II. Rooting the Galaxy Y Pro and the Galaxy Y Pro Duos

1. Enable USB Debugging on your device. You can do this by heading to Settings > Applications > USB Debugging and checking the tickbox next to it.
2. Connect your device to the Windows PC.
3. Put your device in USB Storage Mode and copy the universal_gb_root_v15.zip file you downloaded above to the topmost folder on your SD card. You can put your device into this mode by selecting USB Storage when your device prompts you for the type of connection when connected.
4. Disconnect the device and power it down.
5. Put the device into Recovery Mode. To do this, hold Volume Up and the Home buttons simultaneously and press the power button. Now, hold all three buttons until the device boots into Recovery.
6. From the Recovery Menu, select ‘apply update from SD card’. Use Volume Up and Down to navigate and the Home button to select the desired option.
7. Navigate to universal_gb_root_v15.zip and select it by pressing the Home button.
8. Wait until you see the message ‘Install from SD complete’.
9. Select ‘reboot system now’.
Your Galaxy Y Pro or the Pro Duos should be rooted once you reboot the device. Check for the Superuser app in the app drawer or download Root Checker from Google Play to know root status. To take things further, like installing custom ROMs and other things, you might want to flash ClockworkMod Recovery which you can do so by following our guide located here.
All thanks go to StoneBoyTony on XDA for this easy-to-use solution!! We suggest you donate or at the least thank him on the XDA thread if you liked this procedure.
This is part of our Android How To’s. We have how to’s on rooting, loading ROMs, and tons of other tips and tricks for your specific device or for Android devices in general! For all of our Android How To’s, head here.

How to Root Samsung P7500 Galaxy Tab 10.1

2013-05-21T09:11:00.003+08:00

This thread is here to make the lives of every one just that much easier. Will try to keep the first and reserved posts as up to date as humanly possible.

Please ask all questions in relation to issues you are having following the FAQ instructions to make it easier to answer your questions and easier for us to track the solutions that way the FAQ post is as up to date and accurate as possible.

As the GT10.1 landscape changes this thread will get updated. I will try and keep everything as simple and to the point as possible. Contributors will be much appreciated.

THE BASICS

BOOTLOADER MODE

Turn device off. Then hold down power + volume down button (the button closer to power button) until you see two icons appear then let go. Left icon (box) is recovery and right icon (Android robot) is Download. Use Vol. down to navigate then vol. up to select.

DOWNLOADING MODE

Just tap volume up when you have highlighted the android robot icon. You should see downloading appear under the icon.

RECOVERY MODE

Vol. up/down to navigate up or down and power button to select.

This is what you use to install ROMs/KERNELs and even themes for your specific roms when they become available. Just highlight the box icon and hit Vol. up. What we are doing now is replacing the stock recovery on your device with Clockwork Mod Recovery which allows you install unsigned ROMs/Kernels/Updates. When in recovery mode you can also back up whatever current ROM you have on your device so if you install a new ROM and something goes wrong you could always use recovery to restore. Whenever you install a new ROM it's advised to always wipe the device using cwmR to ensure a more stable install. Install new ROMS will also mean you will be losing all the apps on your device. It will look like you have a brand new device after the install unless its an update.zip for whatever rom you are currently on and the developer of that rom supports it.

Don't worry about losing your apps as you can always re-download them once you sync your device with your google account. However, the state of those apps and your settings will be lost, so I strongly suggest that you use an app like titanium back up and always make a back up of your apps before flashing any new ROMs. Check in the Recommended Apps section for a direct link to Titanium backup.

Here is the clockwork mod menu

- Reboot system now (self explanatory )
- Apply update from SDcard. (when you connect your device to your computer it will show up as tablet. The SDcard that cwm refers to is simply your device storage. Always make sure to copy install.zips to the root directory of your tablet storage.) You use this when applying an update for a specific ROM if that is what the ROM developer says.
- Wipe Data/ Factory Reset You should always do this before you install a new ROM or if you are having minor issues with your device.
- Wipe cache partition Think of this as the lite version of whats above . If you do above though it doesn't hurt to do this too.
- Install zip from SDcard Use this to install new ROMs.
- Back up and Restore
- Mounts and Storage use this to connect your device to your computer when in recovery mode. It is also possible to transfer files to your device while in this mode.
- Advanced What you are interested in here is something called dalvik cache, you want to wipe this too before installing any new ROM
- Power off

CLICK ME FOR ALL TERMINOLOGY DEFINITIONS

NVFLASH

Nvflash is a low level formatting and imaging tool. If you don't have a working recovery, or have broken the actual boot-loader on your tablet, this is the tool you will need to turn to. For those with unlocked bootloaders (and no fastboot capability), its the best way to root your device. Nvflash is pretty much NVida's version of say an ODIN program but done through cmd prompt. It can save a tablet if one is soft/semi-bricked or maybe full-bricked. To use nvFlash you must first put your tablet in APX mode (think of it as a way to allow you use commands on your computer to control your tablet).

Refer to this thread for downloads and instructions.

So off we go.

ROOTING YOUR TAB

GO TO SamsunFirmware.com AND DOWNLOAD A STOCK FIRMWARE FOR YOUR TAB VERSION> KEEP IN SAFE PLACE!!!!!!! You are already on the right page just scroll down.
Courtesy of RoboBear

GOOGLE I/O & RETAIL WIFI VERSION
[GTP7510]

DOWNLOADS compiled and hosted by tphillips

Content - GT-p7510_USB_Driver | hc-3.1_ota-full_sam_tab_10.1.zip(StockROM) | Odin3_v1.85 | recovery-cwm_4.0.0.4-sam-tab-10.1.tar.md5 | stockretail.tar.md5(recovery) | Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_10.1_root

Download FilesForDummies.zip here
Mirror 1
Mirror 2

DONT WIPE during any part of this process. Make sure to put the stock rom from the download package on your device/use CWM and do a backup of your rom before you start anything in case something goes wrong. You have been warned!!!!!

1. Install samsung USB driver or download samsung Kies and install on your computer which will in turn install the drivers for you.

2. Run Odin.exe, choose PDA and point it to recovery.md5 file.

3. Connect tab via usb to your computer while in downloading mode then hit start in Odin on computer after connection has been established. Run, wait then reboot.

4. Connect tab to computer in usb storage mode (make sure usb debugging is off in tab settings) copy root exploit (Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_10.1_root.zip) to you tablet and take note of where it is. You can skip this part i fyou downloaded this file with your tablet.. Turn off tab. Reboot into bootloader again but this time go to recovery. Select to install zip from SDcard. navigate to where the root.zip is. Install the root.zip. Reboot into android. Your tablet is rooted.

5. Done.

You can also refer to this well made Video showing the whole procedure or this other awesome video by Dansan682.

RETAIL 3G
[GTP7500]

1. Download this Root.zip file to your tablet and move it to root directory of tablet storage. (you can also download on comp. then transfer to tablet)

2. Reboot tab and go into recovery mode and apply the root.zip you just downloaded.

3. Then reboot

rooted already

For CWM [B]

1. After rooting download and install Rom Manager from market.

2. open Rom Manager app and have it install clockwork Mod to your device, you should see your device listed within Rom manager.

3. Done.

Courtesy of Robobear

RETAIL 4G
[GTP7500] courtesy of poitee

Downloads

Kernel.zip
Recovery.zip

1. Copy Files to root of device storage.
2. Boot into Bootloader mode and navigate to and enter recovery mode.
3. Apply Kernel.zip then recovery.zip
4. reboot.....Done.

UNROOTING & RESTORING STOCK RECOVERY

1. Using CWM Flash the stock rom for your device. This unroots your device and basically makes it like a brand new tablet.

2. Use Odin to flash the stock recovery from the filesfordummies.zip.

3. Done, your device is exactly how it was when you picked it up.

FLASHING ROMS AND KERNELS

This is pretty easy as long as you have CWM on your device.

Simply boot CWM recovery, navigate to either update/instal zip from SDcard (pls adhere to ROM/kernel install instructions) and flash the .zip file of the ROM or kernel.

I will update this section with links to all the existing and stable ROMs and kernels as the become available. I will advice that you hold off on the kernels if you can as every stable kernel will eventually get cooked into a ROM unless of course you want to help test them or be on the bleeding edge .

AVAILABLE ROMS & KERNELS
LEGEND

★ - WIFI
★ - 4G
★ - 3G

★ - Custom ROM
★ - Kernel

If your Device is supported the stars will tell you all you need to know.

★[ROM]Stock US Retail WiFi in case something goes wrong
[Solution] HC 3.1 OTA Stock ODIN
★[ROM]Stock|EU|Wifi|Retail|Touchwiz
★ [ROM][STOCK][ARABIC][AUG'13]W/ Official TOUCHWIZ
★★ [ROM][CWM] 3.1|WiFi|Touchwiz UX|DEODEXED
★★ [ROM][CWM] 3.1|WiFi|Touchwiz UX [UPDATE: New WiFi Base Rom]
★★ [ROM][CWM]3.1|WiFi|Bonsai ROM|ToucWiz option|
★★ [ROM][CWM]3.1| Blazar TW Rom|OC 1.6GH Kernel|Prerooted| by Poitee
★★ [ROM] [CWM]3.1|StarBurst ROM| by PhantomHacker
★★ [ROM][CWM][EUR][3G] BroodComb G-P7500 XWKG9 [ALPHA]
★★ [ROM]Task650's KME ROM UEKME Touchwhiz
★★ [KERNEL] 3.1|WiFi|OC 1.4GHZ| by Pershoot
★★[ROM] LiquidSpeed>>> New!!!
★★[KERNEL] 3.1|WiFi|OC1.6GHZ|Voltage Control|Voodoo Sound|CIFS-NTFS| by Poitee
[TABUNTU] Galaxy Tab 10.1 NATIVE Ubuntu WIFI now with a video

IRC ONLINE CHAT

Drop in HERE if you need some Help . #gtab

ROM/KERNEL/THEMES/UPDATES BETA TESTING!!!!

Ever wanted to get whats coming before anyone else (never mind the small issue of being a guinea pig ) Well here is your chance. In this section I will put up the contact info of any dev currently looking for testers and for a limited duration, once the devs has all their testers his link will be closed. You can also think of this section as a great way to see what is coming and what stage of development its in. So stop just downloading stuff people, now you can actually really contribute to making what gets released the best it can be and as bug free as possible.

FAQ

Be sure to ask whatever questions you have in relation to anything and any problems you come across. But please start every question you have with either a

(Q) basically letting me know its a question or a
(P) letting me know its a problem

I will put up all your questions or problems on here so everyone can see them and the answers or fixes . this way people won't have to filter through tons of pages to get help.

(Q) Should I follow these instructions for an IO edition tab? Or should I just use the fastboot flash [cwm recover] and flash the zips through that?
(A) This method will work on the IO version.

(Q) kernel 2.6.36.4 is a NO-GO for the 3G version?
(A) Yes, it doesn't work on the 3G version yet.

(Q) If my tab ins locked does that mean i cant flash kernels on it?
(A) You can flash anything as long as you have a recovery that will support it. In our case CWM. Being locked and unlocked really only stops you from flashing stuff "easily" but since we can change the recovery, we can flash anything.

(Q) Does the Odin file wipe tab?
(A) No. All Odin is doing here is flashing a new recovery to your tab. Nothing more.

(P) Can't see tablet as USB storage device on Mac.
(A) Unfortunately Android and Macs don't play nice... you best bet is to use dropbox or a simple bluetooth transfer to transfer files from your mac to your tablet. Then on your Tab use a file manager app to move your files to where you want them to be. For now. Another option is to download everything that requires you using CWM with your tablet so its all already there. So in CWM all you have to do is navigate to your downloads folder. I just created a folder called mods and I have them all there.

(P) Stuck in BootLoop after Flashing ROM via Odin.
(A) You should use nvFlash to falsh CWM if you don't still have it then do a full wipe of your device including reformating all partions in mounts and storage except the boot partition then using Odin install a stock Rom on your device.

(P) I messed things up on my LTE tab and I now somehow dont have a recovery mode anymore!!!!!
(A) Go Here and scroll to post #4 and follow tijayz instructions.... make sure to thank him!!!

USER TIPS AND RECOMMENDED APPS

TIPS

1. Working Hulu

2. How to utilize the entire screen for setting widgets and icons without the 1inch gap on the sides? Use ADW launcher EX

3. Rotation Lag Fix

4. Look here for a Mod to permanently set your browser user agnet to desktop. No more mobile sites.

RECOMMENDED APPS!!!!!go on!!, find an awesome app and suggest it to be added to this list!!! Only android market or direct .apk links so isers can download and install straight from their devices

Titanium BackUp
Circle Launcher
ADW Launcher EX
Beautiful Widgets
CNN
Minimalistic Text
Thumb Keyboard
Tablet Keyboard
XBMC
PLEX
Playstation Emulator
SNES emulator
Multipicture Live wallpaper. Kiss weirdly cropped wallpapers goodbye
Wallpaper Slideshow
Dolphin Browser HD
Pulse news Reader
AutoDesk SketchBook Pro
Feedly
File Manager HD (honeycomb)

[SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 TOOLKIT V7.0] Drivers, Backup, Root, CWM, BusyBox + MORE [VZN]

2013-05-21T08:52:00.002+08:00

INTRODUCING THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 UNIFIED TOOLKIT

IMPORTANT: THIS TOOLKIT SUPPORTS 14 DIFFERENT S3 VARIANTS AT THE MOMENT SO MAKE SURE YOU SELECT THE CORRECT MODEL FOR YOUR DEVICE IN THE MODEL SELECTION SCREEN OR INCORRECT RECOVERY/BOOT IMAGES WILL BE DOWNLOADED WHICH COULD SOFT BRICK YOUR DEVICE.

Quote:

SUPPORTED MODELS

INTERNATIONAL [GT-I9300] SUPPORT THREAD HERE

AUSTRALIAN MODEL GSM [GT-I9300T]

INTERNATIONAL [GT-I9305/GT-I9305N] SUPPORT THREAD HERE

AUSTRALIAN MODEL LTE [GT-I9305T]

C SPIRE MODEL LTE [SCH-L710]

AT&T US [SGH-I747] SUPPORT THREAD HERE

BELL, ROGERS, SASKTEL, TELUS [SGH-I747M] [SGH-I747M] USE AT&T SUPPORT THREAD

US CELLULAR MODEL LTE [SCH-R530] USE AT&T SUPPORT THREAD

METRO PCS MODEL LTE [SCH-R530M] USE AT&T SUPPORT THREAD

SPRINT US [SPH-L710] SUPPORT THREAD HERE

TMOBILE US [SGH-T999] SUPPORT THREAD HERE

MOBILICITY, VIDEOTRON, WIND [SGH-T999V] USE TMOBILE SUPPORT THREAD

VERIZON US [SCH-I535] SUPPORT THREAD HERE

FUNCTIONS OF SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 UNIFIED TOOLKIT V7.0 [10TH JANUARY 2013]

Install drivers automatically
Backup/Restore a single package or all apps, user data and Internal Storage
Backup your /data/media (virtual SD Card) to your PC for a Full Safe backup of data
Perform a FULL NANDROID Backup of your system via adb and save in Custom Recovery format on your PC
Pull /data and /system folders, compress to a .tar file and save to your PC
Auto Update ToolKit to latest push version on startup (donator feature)
Backup/Restore your /efs partition
Dump selected Phone Partitions, compress to a .zip file with md5 and save to your PC
Install BusyBox binary on phone
Root any public build INCLUDING JELLY BEAN (different options available)
[B]Root with Superuser (ChainsDD) or SuperSU (Chainfire) via CWM (works on ANY build)
Flash Stock Recovery
Install any zip file via Sideload feature in Recovery
Flash CWM Touch Recovery (thanks to TeamEpic) or CF-CWM Recovery (thanks to Chainfire)
Rename Recovery Restore files if present
Flash Insecure Boot Image for adb mode
Flash Stock Boot Image back to your phone
Create tar file to flash via Odin with 1-click process
Download, Extract and Flash Stock Rom (full DETAILED steps) ESSENTIAL FOR WARRANTY RETURNS
Rip cache.img to zip file in CWM format for editing and flashing (thanks to Adam Lange)
Install a single apk or multiple apk's to your phone
Push Files from your PC to your phone
Pull Files from your phone to your PC
Set Files Permissions on your phone
Dump selected LogCat buffers to your PC
Dump BugReport to your PC (if installed)
Help, Information Screen for various tasks
Mods Section to Modify your phone
Reboot Phone options in adb mode
Change background, text colour in ToolKit
Activate Donator features from within the ToolKit

--------------------------------------------------------------

**CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 TOOLKIT V7.0**
INCLUDES MODSSECTION V3.0

Mirror (MediaFire) of V7.0 being uploaded

NOTE: As this update is soo big and pretty much every file from previous versions has changed an Auto Update to V7.0 is not possible because the update would be the same size as the full download and I am not permitted to host that size file on my server. Please download and install the full version from the link above. Donator codes will still work on the current version and enable future Auto Updates and donator features.

NOTE: As the exe files are not Digitally Signed with a Microsoft Certificate they 'may' get picked up as potentially harmful by Antivirus Programs and deleted on first run. If this happens restore the file and exclude it from future scans to use it. This seems to happen mostly on AVG Free and Norton which is why I switched to BitDefender which is much better.

IMPORTANT: ONLY FLASH ROMS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR YOUR PHONES MODEL NUMBER AS FLASHING AN INCORRECT ROM CAN POTENTIALLY BRICK YOUR DEVICE!

Credits: ChainsDD for Superuser, Chainfire for SuperSU and modded cwm, koush and the clockworkmod team for cwm touch, twrp team, ausdim for cwm port to I9305

--------------------------------------------------------------

(Changelog at the Bottom of Post#1)

PLEASE READ THE *FAQ* IN POST#2 BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS

--------------------------------------------------------------

2. USING MSKIPS' SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 UNIFIED TOOLKIT

a. Download the Samsung Galaxy S3 ToolKit package and run to install the ToolKit to your PC. The installation will also create a Shortcut on your desktop for easy access. You have the option to include or exclude the drivers files at installation so if you already have your drivers set up and are just updating the ToolKit then you can untick the drivers if you wish.

b. Once the ToolKit is installed make sure your phone is booted and plugged in via USB cable and double click on the 'Samsung GS3 ToolKit' shortcut on your desktop to run it.

c. You will be asked if you want to check for an Update. If you type 'yes' this will download and check the latest version numbers against the versions in the ToolKit. If there is an update available then you will have the option to download and install it (donator feature).

d. You will now be presented with a Model Selection Screen to choose the Model/Build that you are currently on. Type the number that corresponds to your desired selection. For example type '06' for GT-I9300 ELLA build. If you cannot find the build your device is using then type 'h' to select the HELP option to get more info.

e. The Toolkit will now locate and download the recovery/boot image pack for your chosen Model. This is a new feature so the Toolkit is not limited to how many Models can be added and it cuts down ALLOT on the download size. After the zip file has finished downloading it will be extracted to the correct folders and the files checked to make sure everything is ok.

f. When you enter the Main Menu you will see 'Adb Mode' at the top. If you have installed your drivers correctly then you will see your devices serial number under the text with 'device' next to it. If you see this then your device is connected and you can carry on.

NOTE: If you haven't installed the drivers and don't see a serial number at the top then this is the FIRST thing you want to do so the Toolkit can operate properly.

g. Each option in the ToolKit has full information on what it is and how to use it.

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1. INSTALLING GALAXY S3 DRIVERS

The first thing you need to do is to install the drivers. These are needed so that you can communicate with the phone via the PC and perform the tasks that the ToolKit offers.

NOTE: If you have Kies installed then it is advisable to uninstall it first to avoid conflicts.

a. Make sure your device is booted into Android and the USB cable is unplugged.

b. Select Option 1 in the ToolKit to install the Samsung USB Driver pack. This should install all the neccessary drivers you need.

C. While the drivers are installing make sure that USB Debugging is enabled on your device via the Settings, Developer options Screen.

d. After the drivers have been installed connect the USB cable and the PC should detect the device and install the correct drivers. This will also happen when you enter Download Mode and Recovery Mode for the first time.

e. If you want to check the drivers then go to your Control Panel on your PC and open the Device Manager. With the USB cable connected you should see a device listed as 'Samsung Android Phone' or something similar and a driver attached to it.

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3. FLASHING A ROM, RADIO, KERNEL OR ZIP FILE VIA CWM TOUCH RECOVERY

a. Download your chosen Rom, Radio or Kernel from the Development Forum, then make sure your phone is booted up as normal and connect your usb cable so it goes into MTP Mode. Copy the .zip file (DO NOT UNZIP IT FIRST) to the 'Internal Storage' part on your phone. Do not copy it to a Sub Directory as it will be harder to find when flashing it.

b. Enter CWM Touch Recovery (shut down the phone then hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds).

c. Select 'Install zip from sdcard' and select 'choose zip from sdcard' if the file is on Internal Memory.

d. Scroll to your zip file and select. Then select 'Yes' in the list to start flashing.

e. When flashing is finished press the BACK Button to go back until you get to the Main Menu and then select 'reboot system now' to reboot your phone into Android.

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3. FLASHING A ROM, RADIO, KERNEL OR ZIP FILE VIA TWRP TOUCH RECOVERY

a. Download your chosen Rom, Radio or Kernel from the Development Forum, then make sure your phone is booted up as normal and connect your usb cable so it goes into MTP Mode. Copy the .zip file (DO NOT UNZIP IT FIRST) to the 'Internal Storage' part on your phone. Do not copy it to a Sub Directory as it will be harder to find when flashing it.

b. Enter TWRP Touch Recovery (shut down the phone then hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds).

c. Select 'Install' and select your file from the list if the file is on Internal Memory (for External Memory select it at the top).

d. Swipe your finger from left to right at the bottom to confirm the flash.

e. When flashing is finished select Reboot System or go back to Home for more options.
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4. FLASHING A ROM, RADIO OR KERNEL VIA DOWNLOAD MODE USING ODIN

Odin can be used to flash image files or parts of your phone. You can flash something as simple as a boot image or a complete system. Everything is packed in a tar or tar.md5 file on your PC and flashed via Odin which is a Windows OS program.

a. Make sure you have your tar file stored on your PC.

b. Reboot your phone to Download Mode [shut down your phone, then hold down the Home + Volume DOWN Buttons and press the Power Button for about 2 seconds until a Warning screen appears. Press Volume UP to continue to Download Mode.

c. Connect your phone via usb and the first box at the top under ID:COM should turn blue and have some text in it. If you are using Download Mode on your phone for the first time then you will notice drivers being installed to use it.

d. The site or page you downloaded the file from will usually give you instructions to set Odin but if not you want to load boot/recovery/system files to the PDA location and have 'Auto Reboot' and 'F.Reset Time' ticked and nothing else.

e. Click on 'Start' to start the flash. You can see what is happening in the text box in the lower left.

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USEFUL INFORMATION

How to get into Recovery Mode
1. Unplug the USB cable.
2. Shut down the phone.
3. Hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds to enter Recovery Mode.

How to get into Download Mode (For Odin)
1. Unplug the USB cable.
2. Shut down the phone.
3. Hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME DOWN' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 2 seconds until a WARNING! Screen appears. Press the 'VOLUME UP' button to enter Download Mode.

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ChangeLog: (previous changelogs to the new unified version can be found *HERE*)

ToolKit v7.0 (10th January 2013)
+International and Snapdragon Toolkits have been unified into a single Galaxy S3 Toolkit
+Rewritten how the Toolkit works to keep all tasks common to other Toolkits in a seperate executable
+After model is selected the Toolkit will now download ONLY the files needed to cut down on install size
+Seperated all supported devices by model number
+Added support for new S3 variants
+Added support for latest builds on all models
+Updated all cwm and twrp recoverys to the latest version and given each model its matching recovery
+Updated SuperSU files by Chainfire to 0.99
+Added new root methods
+Added flash zip file by sideload function in recovery
+Fixed many functions and made other functions more accessible and easier to understand
+Added Instant Reply donation link to get codes out to people much quicker without waiting for a manual response
+Previous Snapdragon and International Toolkit codes will still work with the new unified version
+Soo many more changes to integration and operation I cant list them all

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*DISCLAIMER*

I take no responsibility for any fault or damage caused by any procedures within this guide. No warranties of any kind are given.

How to Unroot the Samsung Galaxy Xcover (S5690) running Android 2.3

2013-05-19T18:48:00.002+08:00

Now that you have rooted your Galaxy Xcover, there may come a time when you need to unroot it, like when you are getting it into a service center for any reason or selling it. The guide below is just for those times and will get you back to stock in no time.

I. Before You Begin

1. This guide will only work if you have followed our procedure on rooting the Galaxy Xcover. Trying it after rooting with any other may brick your device!
2. Back up everything you feel is important.
3. Make sure you have your device charged to 75% or more before you begin.

II. Necessary Downloads

universal_gb_unroot_v10.zip [Download link available in this post]

III. Unrooting the Galaxy Xcover

1. Connect your device to your PC in USB Mass Storage Mode and copy the universal_gb_unroot_v10.zip to your SD card.
2. Disconnect your device and power it down.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons until your device boots into recovery mode.
4. Use the Volume Up and Down keys to navigate and highlight apply update from sdcard and press the home button to select it.
5. Locate and select universal_gb_unroot_v10.zip to begin flashing the file.
6. Select reboot system now once you see the install from sdcard complete message,
Your Galaxy Xcover should be unrooted at the end of the procedure.
If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.
If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below.

How to Root the Samsung Galaxy Xcover (S5690) running Android 2.3

2013-05-19T18:47:00.002+08:00

The Xcover is a device that was released back in 2011 and apart from being sturdy with resistance to dirt and water, came with Android 2.3 on board. Samsung, as usual, hasn’t been too keen on releasing updates for this now low-end device and seems to ignore the fact that users want more from their devices as days go by. But the developer community hasn’t been idle and as a first step, this device can be rooted to at least install root-requiring apps that enable customizing your device a bit more than what it is at stock. The guide below will show you how to do just that – root the Galaxy Xcover.

I. Before You Begin

1. Make sure your device is charged to 75% or more to prevent unwanted shutdowns.
2. Back up all the data you feel important before you start.

II. Necessary Downloads

universal_gb_root_v25b.zip [Download link available in this post]

III. Rooting the Galaxy Xcover

1. Connect your device to your PC in USB Mass Storage Mode and copy the universal_gb_root_v26b.zip to your SD card.
2. Disconnect your device and shut it down.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons and let them go once your device boots into recovery mode.
4. Use the Volume Up and Down keys to highlight to apply update from sdcard and press the home button to select it.
5. Locate and select universal_gb_root_v26b.zip to flash the file.
6. Once you see the install from sdcard complete message, highlight and select reboot system now.
Your Galaxy Xcover should be rooted once it reboots!
IV. Unrooting the Galaxy Xcover
If you want to unroot your Xcover, our guide on the same should help you.
If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.
If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below.

Downloads Links

2013-05-19T18:42:00.003+08:00

	Universal_GB_ROOT_v9.zip - [Click for QR Code] (1.10 MB, 1160 views
	Universal_GB_UNROOT.zip - [Click for QR Code] (101.7 KB, 489 views) universal_gingerbread_v25.zip OR Mirror. Root_with_Restore_by_Bin4ry_v30 CWM recovery 6.0.3.0 CWM Recovery 6.0.2.8

How to Root the Nexus 10 (unlock bootloader, and flash custom recovery guides included)

2013-05-19T18:18:00.002+08:00

The Google Nexus 10 is an impressive device from Google, it is an Android tablet developed by Google and Samsung, Nexus 10 has a 10.1-inch with 2560*1600 pixel display resolution. It was released on the end of the 2012 (November 13) and comes with two storage size models, one has 16 GB and the other one with 32 GB, it comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean which running on a CPU 1.7 GHz dual-core Cortex-A15 and 2 GB (12.8 GB/s LPDDR3) RAM memory.
Mali T604 GPU and multiple features like “Photo Sphere”, widgets on the lock screen, gesture typing and multiple user accounts for access in Nexus 10 tablet and so on, if you want to know more about this device you can visit the device page.
If you’re an owner for this tablet and you want enjoy of its maximum potential, you need to know how to unlock its bootloader, then to root it and to install a custom Recovery image on it. In this tutorial, we will teach you all this action in order to have all the control when you use your Nexus 10 tablet.
After you’ll install the Custom Recovery Image on your device you’ll be able to make a full backup of your existent ROM and all the data stored in your device, system data, the users data, personal data and all. Also, after you get the root access you can install and running the applications that required the root access and you’ll be able to customize your Nexus 10 device in what mode you want. But the main advantage is that you can easily replace your current Android OS with the new custom ROMs available for your device.
So, follow the next sections and be careful if you want to know how to easy unlock the bootloader, root and flash the custom recovery image in the Google Nexus 10 device.
Before to stating our tutorials you need to follow some prerequisites that are required to be applied before you begin the guides, so in the next guidelines you’ll find the prerequisites:

Firstly you need to know that, all the instructions and information in this article must be used only for Google Nexus 10 device, model no GT-P8110. Applying this tutorial for any other device can brick them or you can damage your device.
The instructions and all information listed here are provided only for educational and instructional purpose, and if you decide to use them for your device is only in your own risk.
The android.sc team shall not hold any responsibility or liability if you brick your device or lose any data applying the instructions from this article.
You need carefully read and understand all steps of the guides first, and after that you can perform the instructions.
You’ll need a computer near of you which running Windows Operating System, and the Google Nexus 10 GT-P8110 model device.
If you have a Linux or Mac OS PCs, then you can use our source to root your device, please visit via link at the end of article.
Install the proper drivers and in order to make able the communication between the Nexus 10 device and your PC, then install or be sure you have a zip extractor app like WinZip or 7-Zip, WinRAR, etc.
Make a full backup of your critical data that you have stored in your device, like SMS, Contacts, Call Logs, Internet Settings, applications, image files, video files, or any documents or file that you think are important for you. For backup methods, you can use which method you are sure is safe or you can use our tutorial to save your data in the cloud or to save in your local PC.
Verify the Nexus’s 10 battery level and charge it to be full power because of your device doesn’t have enough power left then can take a forced shutdown in the middle of the process.
Disable the antivirus and the firewall that you have installed on devices, your tablet and your PC. These applications can interfere with the rooting process and can interrupt it.
I think these are all prerequisites that you need to follow before to move to then next section, so reread all the above points and don’t skip any step or the correct order for the same.

How to root the Nexus 10 devices and unlock its bootloader included – guide:

Firstly download the CF Auto Root package for the Google Nexus 10 and save it in your computer
Extract the downloaded file of the CF Auto Root pack on a folder on your computer; you’ll obtain 3 files and 2 sub-folders.
Shutdown your Nexus 10 tablet completely.
Connect your device to your PC using the original USB cord.
Reboot your tablet into Bootloader Mode, to do this press and holding down in the same time Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons, until the Bootloader Mode is displayed.
Now, open the folder where you extracted the downloaded pack, and launch the script for starting the rooting process, to do that double-click on root-windows.bat file. You can make the same if you open a Command Prompt, then change directory when you the CF Auto Root files are extracted previously in your PC and enter: root-windows.bat command in the CMD (Command Prompt) window.
After you entered the previous command a command prompt will appear with some warning text messages, press enter to continue.
Now the script will begin to unlocking your Nexus’s 10 bootloader, when is done you will see a warning in the device’s display with bootloader unlocking warning message. Confirm that you want to unlock your device’s bootloader.
After the bootloader has been unlocked, then the script will continue to root your Nexus 10 device.
You’ll be notified with a red Android logo, and a text messages on your Nexus’s display as the rooting process goes on, and after that your Nexus 10 tablet will take a reboot.
Now, press Enter in the CMD window to exit the script on your computer.
Disconnect your tablet by removing the USB cable.
That’s all in order to obtain the root access. Your tablet has been successfully rooted.
Download and install the Root Checker from Google play store and verify if your tablet has the root access.

How to flashing the custom recovery image in Nexus 10 devices:

Download one of the next custom recovery images: TWRP Recovery 2.4.1.0, or ClockworkMod Recovery 6.0.2.3,or ClockworkMod Touch Recovery 6.0.2.3 and save it in your PC.
Rename the custom recovery image file that you downloaded into recovery.img , that thing will help you to work with an easy name later.
Now, transfer recovery.img file into the tools sub-folder that you extracted the rooting pack zip archive previously, the custom recovery image file need to be in the same folder with fastboot-windows.exe
Now, reboot your Nexus 10 device to the Bootloader Mode.
Connect your device to the PC using the USB cable.
Open a Command Prompt (CMD) on your PC.
Now, change directory in the path where the tools subfolder is in the main CF Auto Root pack file were extracted previously.
Enter the following commands in the command prompt: fastboot-windows.exe flash recovery recovery.img and then fastboot-windows.exe reboot-bootloader.
Now from the bootloader menu, select “RECOVERY MODE” using the Volume Keys, to choose it and press the power button to select it. Your Nexus 10 device will boot into Recovery Mode and will appear the menu of the custom Recovery Image that you have been installed on your device.

That’s all, now you successfully learnt how to root, unlock the boot-loader and flash a custom recovery image for the Nexus 10 device. Please let us know if the guides work for you and if you have problems with some instructions that we have listed here, describe us exactly what happens, and we will try to find the best solution for you.
Via

Update Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710 XXAMB5 Android 4.1.2 Official Firmware.

2013-05-19T18:09:00.003+08:00

Today we will tell you How to Update Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710 XXAMB5 Android 4.1.2 Official Firmware..If you have installed official updates through ODIN then it will be so easy. This is only for Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710.If you are doing it first time please pay attention. This Guide is only for Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710 . If you are installing it first time please read the instructions carefully.We have prepared more guides on Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710 in which we have tutorials about How To Update Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710 .If you are interested in other Samsung updates, DO check Our Guides.

USB DRIVERS FOR Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710.

How to Install Android 4.1.2 XXAMB5 on Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710.

Important Things:

This Tutorial is only for Galaxy Xcover 2 S7710 , do not try it on any other device.
This is a completely unbranded firmware by Samsung.
Make sure to back up all your important data.
This is an official ROM , you will lose your root.

Installation Steps:

Download Android 4.1.2 S7710XXAMB5 for Galaxy Xcover 2 to your computer and extract the zip file.
Download Odin1.85.
Turn Off the device and go to download by pressing and hold volume down + home button and the press the power button until the boot screen shows up.
You have to installed Android USB driver’s to connect your device with the system. If you don’t have the driver’s download it from here.
Open Odin and connect your device with system, it should be in download mode when you connect it with odin.
Once your device is successfully connect of the odin port will go yellow.
Now select the files that you have to install on your device all files will be in the ROM folder that you have extracted.

Click on ‘PDA’ and select file with ‘CODE’ in its name.
Click on ‘Phone’ and select file with ‘MODEM’ in its name. Ignore this step if there is no such file.
Click on ‘CSC’ and select file with CSC’ in its name. Ignore this step if there is no such file.
Click on ‘PIT’ and select the .pit file. Ignore this step if there is no such file.

In Odin select ‘Auto Reboot’ and factory reset options, as for Partition option check it only if you have selected .PIT file in above step.
Now click the start button in Odin and let the installation process to start.
After installation is complete, your phone will restart when you see this unplug the phone from PC.

How to Flash a Custom Recovery on the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003)

2013-05-19T18:05:00.003+08:00

Samsung Galaxy SL has been lucky enough to get a custom recovery for it and that too the ClockworkMod. It’s an awesome custom recovery that once flashed, takes place of stock recovery and provides far more and better features than the stock one. Flashing it on your Galaxy SL shouldn’t take more than a few minutes and our guide below will help you to do that. So, get ready to flash a custom recovery on your Galaxy SL smartphone.

I. Before You Begin:

1. You must have rooted your device before doing this procedure. Check out our How to Root the Samsung Galaxy SL procedure to root your device.

2. This should replace your current recovery with the CWM Recovery.

3. This works on Windows based PCs only.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. ClockworkMod Recovery (Download the appropriate recovery from the first post)

2. Odin

III. Flashing a Custom Recovery on the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003):

1. Place both the files you downloaded to your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the Odin archive over to your Desktop.

3. Double-click on the Odin executable file and it’ll open.

4. Click on PDA and select the CWM Recovery file you downloaded earlier to your Desktop.

5. Checkmark the boxes that say Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time.

6. Make sure you haven’t checked the Repartition box.

7. Turn OFF your device.

8. Reboot your device into Download mode. To do so, simply hold down the Volume DOWN+Home+Power buttons together.

9. Once inside Download mode, connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.

10. Hit Start in Odin and it’ll start flashing the recovery.

11. Once the recovery’s been flashed, your device should automatically reboot.

12. You’re done!

Great! You’ve successfully flashed the CWM Recovery on your device and you should be able to use it to flash custom ROMs right away!

IV. Flash a Custom ROM (Optional):

1. If you are ready to flash custom ROMs on your device, head to the How To Flash a Custom ROM on the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) to learn how to do that.

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below.

How to Root and Flash Custom Recovery on Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003)

2013-05-19T18:01:00.002+08:00

Maybe you’re looking to run some root-only apps on your device? Maybe you want the freedom that your friend’s having with his rooted Android device? No problem, we’ll help you root your device. The Samsung Galaxy SL can be rooted using the popular SuperOneClick app and this guide walks you through all the steps to root the device. So, follow it and get your device rooted.

I. Before You Begin:

1. Be aware that rooting your device will void its warranty. However, unrooting should help you reinstate the warranty provided an unrooting procedure’s available there.

2. This works on Windows based PCs only.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. SuperOneClick (Download the latest version of the app)

III. Rooting the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003):

1. Download and place the app archive onto your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the archive over to your Desktop.

3. Turn ON the USB debugging option on your device by heading to Menu>>Settings>>Applications>>Development>>USB debugging.

4. Once enabled, connect your device to your PC via USB cable.

5. Run the SuperOneClick app by double-clicking on its executable file.

6. Click Root button in the app and it’ll start rooting your device.

7. Once it’s done, reboot your device.

8. You’re done!

Awesome! Your device has been rooted and you should be able to find the Superuser app in your App Drawer. Your phone is now ready to be loaded with root-only apps!

IV. Flash a Custom Recovery Image (Optional):

1. If you would like to flash a custom recovery image in order to flash custom ROMs, head to the How To Flash a Custom Recovery Image on the Samsung Galaxy SL (GT-I9003) to learn how to do that.

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here and here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below.

How to Root Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200 on Android 4.1.2 XXMD6 Jelly Bean and Install ClockworkMod recovery

2013-05-19T17:55:00.006+08:00

Samsung recently rolled out the Android 4.1.2 XXMD6 Jelly Bean official update to the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with model number P6200. The XXMD6 Jelly Bean is an unbranded version of firmware and can be installed using Samsung KIES server. Also, users from supported regions can manually update their tablet with the latest official build using Odin flashing tool.

Android 4.1.2 XXMD6 Jelly Bean firmware is released for Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus users who have already updated their device and are currently looking for a root method may follow our step-by-step guide. The tutorial includes installation of ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery and rooting the Galaxy tablet. Both the recovery file and Superuser file used for rooting have been released by XDA developer acme1974. Head over to the source page to learn more about the release.

1) Install USB driver for Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to transfer files between the Android device and computer.
2) Enable USB Debugging Mode on the tablet to connect the Android device with the computer and use the Android SDK with it. [Press Menu>> Settings>> Applications. From there navigate and click on Development option and ensure the USB Debugging Mode is turned on.]
3) As the tutorial might wipe all data of the phone, create a backup. If the device is having any custom recoveries such as CWM/TWRP already installed then backup data using the recovery.
4) The device should have above 80% battery charge.
5) The Galaxy tablet should be factory unlocked and not locked to a particular carrier.
6) The tablet will lose manufacturer's warranty once it is rooted, but users can reclaim the warranty by unrooting the device later.
7) The recovery file and the Superuser file work only on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200. As applying these to any incorrect variant might brick the device, verify the model number of the Galaxy device by selecting Settings>> About device>> Model number.
Files required to download
Download recovery.tar.rar file
Download Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip
Download Odin3 v3.07
Steps to install CWM recovery on Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200
Step-1: Extract the recovery.tar.rar file using winrar/7zip/winzip or any other extracting tool
Step-2: Extract the Odin3_v3.07.rar
Step-3: Copy the Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip file to the external SD card of the tablet
Step-4: Switch off the Galaxy tablet. Then boot the device into Download Mode by pressing and holding Volume Down and Power buttons together. A warning message will appear. Now press the Volume Down button to continue to enter Download Mode
Step-5: Run Odin on the computer
Step-6: Connect the Galaxy tablet to the computer using USB cable while it is in the Download Mode. Wait until Odin detects the device. When the tablet is connected successfully to the computer, the ID: COM port will turn yellow. The successful connection will be indicated by an Added message in Odin.
If the Added message does not come, then try the USB port at the back of the computer. It that too does not work, then re-install USB driver
Step-7: In Odin, click the PDA button and select recovery.tar.md5 file
Step-8: Verify the Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time checkboxes are selected in Odin. But uncheck the Re-Partition option
Step-9: Double check everything and then finally hit the Start button in Odin. The installation process should begin now
Step-10: When the installation process is completed, the tablet will reboot automatically. Once the home screen appears on the tablet, unplug the USB cable from the device to disconnect it from the computer
Steps to root Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200 on Android 4.1.2 XXMD6 Jelly Bean by installing SuperSU
Step-1: Reboot the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus into the recovery mode by pressing and holding the Volume Up and Power buttons together
Step-2: In recovery mode, select install zip from sdcard then select choose zip from sdcard. Then navigate to the Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip file. Select it using the Power button and confirm installation by selecting Yes on the next screen
Step-3: Once the installation process is done, return to the main recovery menu and reboot the tablet by selecting reboot system now.
As the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus boots up successfully, it should be rooted successfully on Android 4.1.2 XXMD6 Jelly Bean with CWM recovery installed on the device.
To ensure the above root method is installed and working properly, download Root Checker app from Google Play Store.
[Source: Honai of Android]

How to Root the Samsung Galaxy Beam I8530

2013-05-19T17:48:00.001+08:00

You now don’t need a separate projector to enjoy movies with your family on big screen, all you need is the Samsung’s Galaxy Beam smartphone. You might be wondering how a smartphone could replace a projector, but this smartphone exactly does it. The smartphone is equipped with a projector so you can enjoy all your videos, pictures and games on the big screen. Since it drains out battery very quickly, the phone’s got two high-capacity batteries to make your experience uninterrupted. Being an Android device, the smartphone can be rooted and in the following guide, we’ve compiled all the steps you should follow to root your Samsung Galaxy Beam. Let’s get started:

I. Before You Begin:

1. This is gonna void the warranty of your device (until you unroot it).

2. You must have drivers for your device installed on your PC. You can get them from here.

II. Downloading Required Files:

1. Rooted Kernel

2. Odin

3. Samsung Drivers

III. Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Beam I8530:

1. Place both the files you downloaded to your Desktop.

2. Extract files from the Odin archive to your Desktop.

3. Double-click on the Odin executable file and it should launch.

4. Turn OFF your device.

5. Reboot it into Download mode. This can be achieved by pressing and holding the Volume DOWN+Home+Power buttons together.

6. Once in Download mode, connect the device to your PC via USB cable.

7. In the Odin, click on PDA and then select the Rooted Kernel (.tar) file you placed on your Desktop.

8. Hit the Start button and sit back and relax.

9. Once it’s done flashing the file, the device should reboot.

10. And you’re rooted now!

Brilliant! Your Galaxy Beam has been successfully rooted using the rooted kernel. Some of the cool root-only apps are waiting for you right in Google Play, give them a try!

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below.

Samsung Galaxy S4 review

2013-05-19T15:29:00.004+08:00

For

Stunning screen
Superfast processor
Great camera

Against

Feels cheaper than similar-priced phones
'Innovation' makes things too complex
Slight UI issues

Samsung Galaxy S4 review

The Galaxy SIV is here - but does it pack enough of a punch?

Recommended award

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the most hotly anticipated smartphone ever from the Korean brand, and with a glut of top end features, it's the most powerful and desirable device Samsung has created yet.
One of the most impressive things about the phone is the fact the size hasn't changed from its predecessor - the Galaxy S4 comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches), meaning there's no extra heft to try to work with in your palm.
However, despite this fact, the screen on the S4 has been increased once more, to a whopping 5-inch display with Full HD resolution. This means the same amount of pixels you'd have seen on a TV that cost well over £1,000 four years ago is now riding around in your pocket.

Let's not pretend that Samsung is a pioneer in this area though: like a great many features of the Galaxy S4, the phone borrows a lot from the other top smartphones of the moment. Both the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC One have screens that rock the same resolution, but neither of them have the jaw-dropping clout of the Super AMOLED HD screen on offer here.
On top of that, there's a much faster processor packed under the hood, ample storage space for media thanks to an expandable memory card slot, and the likes of 4G, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and pretty much any other connection you care to mention on board.

Samsung has tried to supplement this with a tranche of software upgrades too, meaning a more powerful camera, a better way to communicate with your friends and consume media, and interestingly a big push into health through dedicated apps too.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 costs the same as the HTC One, give or take a pound or two, on contract. This will still put it around £35 per month, which isn't too bad for such a high design.

But before we dissect all the possibilities the phone has to offer, let's look at the design. As we mentioned, it's impressive in its form factor, thanks to the sub-8mm thickness, and at 130g it manages to still be light without shaving off so much heft that you feel like you've got a flimsy piece of plastic.

That's probably the biggest compliment we can pay the Samsung Galaxy S4 - where its predecessor felt a little bit cheap in the hand, the S4 manages to bring a much more solid build and better construction to boot.
So while the "faux metal" band makes a comeback on this model, it looks a lot more premium. And there's very little flex in the chassis when you hold it tightly, which was another problem with the Galaxy S3 at times.

That doesn't mean that the phone is completely remodelled from the S3 - it's very similar in appearance, so much so that a number of people asking to see it during our review thought we were palming them off with our old S3. The polycarbonate chassis remains, but that brings with it the faithful battery cover, which conceals a removable battery and microSD slot.

We're not so fussed about the battery being able to drop out of the phone - so few people carry around a spare battery, and nowadays portable charging blocks are becoming so cheap and light that they make much more sense too.
We'd almost prefer something like the Sony Xperia Z, which has a refined and packaged chassis but doesn't need a removable battery: it makes use of a slot instead for the memory card. This integrated nature would make for a slightly more premium feel to the phone.

However, it's a small gripe with the S4, as while the cover feels flimsy, it's better than it was on the S2 and the S3, and they both sold like hot cakes.
In the hand, the Samsung Galaxy S4 feels much better than any other Samsung phone we've held (apart from the gargantuan smartphones the brand used to make - the i8910 Omnia HD might have been built like a brick, but it felt wonderful to hold). The screen's spread towards the sides of the phone means a much narrower bezel, and the effect is certainly impressive.

It might look very similar to the S3, but when you take the Samsung Galaxy S4 up close, you really start to appreciate the nuances.
We'd say it feels a lot more like the LG Optimus G range now - when we first picked it up, we were struck with how similar it felt in terms of sturdiness and the polycarbonate construction to the LG Optimus G Pro.
That's no criticism, as the device was well built too, but it has a similar rounded feel. This is intriguing given the history of the two companies, and shows more of a leaning towards the plastic shell from the Asian brands in general.

Buttonry has barely changed from before - the power button has been shifted slightly on the right-hand side, and is now much easier to hit. Samsung has clearly taken some lessons from the Galaxy Note 2, which has a really well positioned power/lock button.
The volume key is less easy to hit, and could be lower down in our eyes, but the travel on both of these buttons is satisfying, and you'll always know when you've hit them.
The plastic used on the home key has been upgraded too, with a more solid feel under the thumb when you press down to get back to the main home screen. The two buttons flanking it give you access to menus or take you back from whence you came, and while both are easily hidden, they light up nicely with an even glow when called into action.
There are loads of sensors on the front of the phone above the screen, including cameras to track your eyes, a 2MP camera for HD video calling and a proximity sensor for knowing where the phone is in relation to your ear. On the white review unit we had, their presence looks rather ugly either side of the generous earpiece, but on the darker models this is less of an issue.

The other notable addition to the design of the Galaxy S4 is the infra red blaster on the top of the phone. This enables you to control your TV, satellite box, DVD player, amp and even air conditioner. Again, this isn't a new feature, but it works well in practice, and despite being small is powerful enough indeed.
Other than that, there's not a lot more to say about the design of the phone, as it's just a little underwhelming. We know it's unfair to lambast a brand for not overhauling the design every year, but in the One X and the One, HTC has proven that it is possible to offer up a new design each time around and still keep things attractive.
Looking so similar to the Galaxy S3, you can't help but feel Samsung has gone a little too Apple and created something more in keeping with the Samsung Galaxy S3S - a minor update to a great phone to keep those coming out of contract happy that they have a premium phone to upgrade to.
We do implore you to get the phone in your hand before making a judgement though - while it's not got the best design on the market when it comes to materials, it's a big step forward compared to the Galaxy S3 and allows for a grippy and easy-to-hold phone, with a whopping screen inside.
To just dismiss it for being plastic would be doing the S4 a disservice as it has so much more going for it than that, but it's worth remembering that to a lot of people, the way a phone looks is as important as how much RAM it's got on board and how fast the CPU is - if not more so.

Screen

The Galaxy SIV is here - but does it pack enough of a punch?

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has an all-new screen, and we'll state it now: the Samsung Galaxy S4 has the best display you can find on a smartphone.
It's the same Super AMOLED technology used in other Galaxy smartphones, but this time it's been cranked up to Full HD resolution, which is 1920 x 1080 pixels, if you're asking.
This uses the same PenTile matrix that's drawn so much criticism for Samsung over the years, as some state that Samsung is using too many of one colour of pixel, or sub-pixel (the colours within each pixel) is too basic – all of this has meant that older Galaxy smartphones have had something of a blue or green tint, or been a little low-resolution when viewed (admittedly really) close up.

The Samsung Galaxy S

Well, and you'll forgive us for saying the same thing that we did last year with the Galaxy S3, close up now there's no way you can see any jagged edges or elements within the icons. It's simply superb, and makes everything from web pages to video look brilliant.

The Samsung Galaxy S2

And there's no worry about the tints of old, nor the criticisms levied at Samsung for making over-saturated screens, as often people have claimed that the colours look too strong on these devices thanks to the OLED technology used.It is a feature of the technology, and not just because of the high contrast ratios on offer, but with the Galaxy S4 Samsung has added in a mode to make the colours look more natural, should the user so with to have it that way.

The Samsung Galaxy S3

This method does drop the brightness somewhat, and that's already lower than you might find on the HTC One but that extra brightness isn't needed thanks to the contrast ratio we mentioned earlier. One of the strengths of OLED technology is that when a pixel is displaying a black image, it's completely off, and therefore draws less power and looks darker. Compared to LCD screens, which have a backlight to light the colours in front, this means that the blacks will never be as black as found on an OLED.So, as we said, there's nothing to want for with the Super AMOLED Full HD screen found on the Samsung Galaxy S4. It might not be as high resolution as the HTC One, simply because it's larger with the same amount of pixels, but viewed up close you'll struggle to find a flaw with it.

The Samsung Galaxy S4

You can change the brightness from the notification bar by sliding your finger up and down the screen - but if you want to make things easier you can just tag the Auto button and have the Galaxy S4 working away at deciding the optimum brightness for you.What's new here is the ability to customise the auto level - so if you like things a little lighter or darker, then you can choose such a thing. It's a good way to manage your battery even easier.
Another feature, which is both good and bad, is the improved capacitive technology used in the screen. This is designed to ape a feature brought by Nokia on the Lumia 920, which enables you to wear gloves and still use the phone - which will be a key feature to those in colder climes, or like to wear gloves for sport or similar.
However, while this works well for gloves, it does over-power the screen somewhat, in that when you're holding your finger over the screen looking to scroll up and down when you're read a certain paragraph, it will sometimes register a press when you've no intention of doing so. It's irritating to say the least, and something that we hope Samsung irons out with future software updates.
Aside from that, there's not a thing that we can criticise the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen for in any way, as it's as close to perfect as you can get on a smartphone - making it a great device for so many more functions as a result.

Interface

The Galaxy SIV is here - but does it pack enough of a punch?

The interface on the Samsung Galaxy S4 isn't an officially new release of TouchWiz, the Korean brand's name for its Android overlay, but it does bring a whole host of new features to the Galaxy range, working best on the S4.
It's built on top of Android Jelly Bean 4.2, which means there are several significant upgrades from the previous version, found on most of the other top-end Galaxy devices and, crucially, ahead of the likes of the HTC One and the Sony Xperia Z.
One gets the feeling Samsung has delayed Android 4.2 for the Galaxy S3 simply so it can offer differentiation with the new model – things like split menus mean you feel like you're greeted with a different phone, despite both the S3 and S4 doing roughly the same thing.

So, for instance, in the drag down notification bar, you're now greeted with two icons in the top right-hand corner; one takes you to the internal settings from anywhere in the phone, and the other gives you quick shortcuts to turn elements within the S4 off and on.
This is an idea Google pushed with the new iteration of Android, and works well. However, it's a little redundant here, as the phone already has these in a long line in the notification bar. You can also edit these quick toggles too, so it means that you'll rarely push the other button to get the full list.
Android 4.2 promises further smoothness upgrades too, and while this works on the likes of the Nexus 4, we're not sure what it's really added with the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Considering that this phone is running the quad-core Qualcomm 600 chip, clocked at 1.9GHz and combined with 2GB of RAM, we would have expected this phone to run faster than anything we'd ever seen before.
While that is true for the most part, it's only a touch more than we've seen on the Galaxy S3. Apps will open and close faster, but elements like the time taken to open the multi-taking menu (triggered by holding down the home key from anywhere in the phone) still take a beat to activate.
It makes us hanker for the octa-core processor that other parts of the world are getting - the reason being that 4G can't apparently be added to that chip very easily, so we have to make do with a quad core option. It's not as simple as saying that other version is twice as fast, as it's essentially two quad core chips doing different tasks when needed, but there's no doubt that the other version is faster.
In case you're wondering, there are two versions of the Galaxy S4: one with the Exynos 5 octa-core, and this one (model number GT-1905) that has the Qualcomm Snapdragon quad core. This version is clocked at 1.9GHz, which means it runs faster in general - however, the octa core has two sets of four cores, with one for day to day stuff and the other for heavy lifting, such as photo processing and such.
While we're miffed we don't have the option of this other version (it's smashed the benchmarks in many tests) there are questions about whether the battery will hold up as well as the device flicks between the two quad core processors inside - it could improve efficiency or deplete it, depending on the implementation, so perhaps bigger isn't always better.

The general Android / TouchWiz interface is still the same as ever: this means that you can throw as many widgets and apps all over the seven home screens that you like. It's still a great way of doing things, and since Android Jelly Bean has been used you can now flick items out of the way just by dragging them onto the screen and holding them in the place you want.
What is interesting is that Samsung still hasn't added the functionality to drag and drop app icons on top of one another to create a folder. We're pretty sure Apple is trying to patent such an idea, but given rivals have managed to use this method (such as HTC with the One) we'd have expected Samsung to do the same.
It's not a big deal, but having to drag an app to the top of the screen, create a folder, name it, then drag other apps in is a bit of a hassle.
One area that has been changed massively from S3 to S4 is the lock screen. Firstly, there's a new way to mess around with this UI: where once you could only touch the screen and watch the water ripple around, now you can choose to have your finger trigger a little light that hovers under your finger.
Combined with the S4's improved screen technology that's been super-boosted, in terms of sensitivity, to enable you to use gloves with it, you can now hold your finger a centimetre or so above the display and watch the light flicker along under your digit. It's not a big thing, but one that we found ourselves constantly playing with like tiny children.
The lock screen, thanks to the Android 4.2 update, now enables you to have widgets on there before you open the phone, enabling music control, remotes to display and messages to preview.
While there are some useful implementations of these (the music player is really handy to have, and can be resized by dragging the track list up and down) others, like favourite apps, really don't help as much. You can still thankfully have all the lockscreen shortcuts, which means you can interact in the same way as before. To open the phone into a widget you just tap it then swipe below. We initially wanted to criticise the phone for this, but after a few days it really becomes second nature.

We would say the blocky nature of the UI really isn't attractive. It basically adds a load of features into a previously simple experience, which may or may not please some people. Thankfully, all this is switched off by default - and you can even have your own message saying hello every time you open the phone.
It's clear that Samsung has toed the Google line in using Android 4.2 on the Galaxy S4, as this lock screen functionality is straight from the search giant's design board (with a few Samsung design ideals placed on top).
It's also present in the menu system, which, rather than one long list of all your options, is divided into four screens: Connectivity, My Device, Accounts, and More. It's a neat way of packaging things all up, but it can be hard to hit the categories on the top given the size of the screen.
The interface on the Samsung Galaxy S4, to the uninitiated or the Galaxy S2 user looking for their next upgrade, is great. It has loads of innovative ideas and works blazingly fast. We can see why some people find TouchWiz a little cartoony and convoluted at times, but in our eyes this is a great combination of power and simplicity in a smartphone.

Messaging

The Galaxy SIV is here - but does it pack enough of a punch?

By Gareth Beavis May 17th 0 Comments

The messaging experience on Samsung smartphones has never been the strongest, and thankfully it's getting better and better with each iteration. We'd go as far as saying that it's actually GOOD on the Samsung Galaxy S4, and that's coming from a place of wanting to throw the Galaxy S3 out a window once or twice when the email client doesn't connect properly.
Let's start with one of the most important points: the keyboard. The previous Samsung versions have been woeful, with bouncy word prediction, inaccurate typing and cramped conditions.

Thankfully with the S4 Samsung appears to have realised this and made a larger option, and thanks to the larger screen you've even got a row of numbers on the top so you don't constantly have to keep pressing 'Shift' to get them up each time. We did a lot, though. Just to let you know.
There's also a Swype-a-like option on board, and while the jury is still out on whether this is more efficient that tapping away, we found it to be more accurate thanks to the larger amount of space afforded by the 5-inch screen.
We still instantly downloaded another option (SwiftKey might be underpinning a lot of what this keyboard is about, but the native option is still preferable in our eyes, as it takes less customisation at the start.)
Text messaging is still a key part of the Samsung Galaxy S4, and has been slightly upgraded; where there was just a conversation view with bubbles before, you now get little contact pictures next to each person, which adds a touch of personality to an SMS conversation. Yes, again it's not a new experience, but it works well on the phone.
You've also got a larger capacity for text messaging than before - where you could only write a missive that was 480 characters or less before converting to a (costly) MMS in previous versions, now you can have over 5 messages' worth before such a function kicks in.

Email

The email client on the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S3 was rubbish, and we've mentioned that already. However Samsung has taken something of a mallet to that functionality and interface with the S4 and significantly upgraded it. While the S3 came close to working as it was supposed to after nearly a year on the market, the S4 comes out of the gate swinging, if you'll forgive the mixed metaphor.

This means a much cleaner UI that makes it much easier to quickly glance and see who sent each message, a slide-across bar that takes you to your inboxes (should you have multiple accounts on the phone) and even the chance to have priority senders and a combined inbox.
So far, so very similar to the recent iOS update (which was similar to the HTC option before it, it should be noted).
But the key thing is here that the client, which was built to be powerful but ended up flawed, now works as it should.
We can easily set out of office messages, set priority accounts that we need to panic about (although the process there is a little convoluted and won't let you search an Exchange server to get the addresses you need - nobody should have their CEO's email saved as a contact, but if they email you then you would listen).

ChatON

There are other options for messaging of course: for instance, ChatON is present once more (Samsung's attempt to bring a WhatsApp/BBM/iMessage rival) and brings functionality like being able to send walkie-talkie voice messages to one another as well as pictures and messages, but there are so few people using it regularly that it won't be long before you hide it from the menu screen unless you happen to have a lot of chatty Samsung friends.
This is something of a shame actually, as it's a decent platform. You can add a profile pic, send files and the like over a data connection without having to faff with email, and the range of customisation options and UI both work very well for the most part.
Once again, Samsung has shown that it has seen a problem in its older phones and corrected it accordingly - it might not be market leading but there wasn't a point where we felt that communication was harder with the Galaxy S 4, and that's all we're looking for in this scenario.

Calling and contacts

The Galaxy SIV is here - but does it pack enough of a punch?

Contacts are very similar to before on the Samsung Galaxy S4, but this is no bad thing. Laid out in an easy to read format and manageable ways of connecting the right people together, this is a perfectly passable way of looking for the people that matter to you.
The main thing that we like is the ability to smart dial. This means that when you open the number pad you can enter the name as you would have done on predictive text all those years ago - so 3-2-3 would be the command to bring up 'Dad', for instance.

It's a slick way of getting around the contact list. It's hardly new - most phones pack it as an option now, and those that don't (iPhone) sorely miss it - but it saves you monkeying around in the main contacts list.
That said, the experience there is very good. If you've got the likes of Exchange, Facebook and Google accounts set up on your phone then chances are you'll be able to see a host of names here to play with. We're sad that Twitter was taken out of the experience, as it was helpful to have on the Galaxy S2 by enabling you to see friends' Tweets in their contact profile.
However, if you're not savvy enough to work out how to stop every person you're following on Twitter displaying in your contacts' list, then you would have hundreds floating around there.
(By the way, it's a simple tap of the menu button and selecting 'Contacts to display' where you can choose which service will supply the people to chat to. You can customise this too, meaning you only have certain services coming through, which means you can choose to just have the likes of Facebook and Google, where most people will store contacts.
Pro tip: hit 'Settings' and then tag 'Only contacts with phone numbers', which will clean up your phone book no end).
Beyond that, there's not a lot more to the Samsung Galaxy S4 contacts interface that really makes it stand out - it doesn't have the ability to parse through albums on social networks or update you with people's musings through statuses, but to many that's more of a hindrance. And to those where it's not, you can head on over to the HTC One to see how all that works.
The interface is simple, it's damned easy to navigate to the people you want (using the alphabetised list on the right-hand side and then using the slider to get more exact) and the result is instant when opening a contact.

You can link contacts together easily by going into the name and hitting joined contacts, then selecting other profiles from social networks to bring everything into one place. Samsung still hasn't mastered the art of suggesting these links in one big batch, so expect a lengthy time spend doing so when you turn the phone on.
One big change we're not sure we're in love with: every contact that doesn't have a picture drawn in (from the likes of Facebook or Google+) will have a stock smiling male cartoon face - it's meant to be cutesy, but it can come across a little creepy when it flashes up onscreen from an unknown number.
Another oddity with the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the ability to use high res pictures to populate contact images - other handsets enable you to define that any social network, Facebook in particular, will always display HD pictures when you connect a person in your phone book to the social network profile.
It might sound like a minor thing, but when high-res pictures flash up during a phone call, it makes the phone feel a lot more premium, which is rarely the case with the Galaxy S4, which will only do so if you've linked Google+ or tagged them in your own photo.

Calling

Calling on the Samsung Galaxy S4 carries on from its predecessor - namely in being excellent. It's got a slightly narrow earpiece range, which means that you have to be careful where you position it in relation to your ear, but that's a really minor quibble as the overall effect is impressive and works well thanks to some clever volume management.
The S4 has noise reduction built in, and many people commented how clear the the sound was over the airwaves. The S4 supports HD voice as well, which is carried over the 3G/4G networks (depending on your provider) so you'll always get the best clarity on offer.

In short, this phone worked well no matter where we were. Dropped calls should be a thing of the past on all handsets, but that's not always the case; however, with high end handsets there's no reason to think it should happen, and the power of the S4 to keep hold of signal is impressive.
In fact, the signal strength was regularly impressive, making very few trips down to the dreaded 'no bar' icon that means you might have a connection but, hey, you might not. Nobody enjoys that smartphone lottery, right?
There are a number of extra bells and whistles to play with here too which offer varying success. You can set something called 'Adapt Sound' which asks you to pop in a pair of headphones and listen to a range of sounds at different frequencies, thus tailoring the output to your ears.

You can also choose to have 'Clear Sound' or 'Soft Sound' during the calls, but when we tried these modes all we got was a slight variation in volume. There are other tricks that are more useful in call, like being able to turn noise reduction on and off and being able to boost the volume when needed.
Otherwise, it's the same great calling experience we've come to expect from the Samsung Galaxy range, even down to the three options that come up when you end a call (Message, Call or Video Call) so you can get in touch with the person if you've forgotten pertinent information. Although video call never works, let's be honest. Even Apple is starting to wonder...
In short, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the best phones for actually, you know, phoning, out there. It's size isn't horrendous next to the ear and people can hear you - and vice versa. Job done.