[S]he Talks Android

Super Penguins Game Review For Android

2012-09-20T10:38:00.000+08:00

Antarctic Penguin was one of the cutest 8-bit games I grew up with on Nintendo. Then came Spyro, Harvest Moon, and Final Fantasy 7 for PlayStation. And then I moved on to more "mature" games like the Command & Conquer Series (PlayStation and PC), Left4Dead (PC), and more recently, Dead Trigger for Android. But there's nothing quite like Antarctic Penguin. I even went as far as downloading an emulator just so I could see that round little penguin bounce to the side whenever it hit a seal or a crack in the middle of ice.

Super Penguins is a FREE game for Android and iOS that has the same ditsy appeal of Antarctic Penguin - minus the 8-bit graphics. This time, it's three-dimensional and the penguins are no longer helpless.

The story?

Your penguin colony needs fish to survive and octopi happen to feed on the same food. Since they're evil, they held your penguin friends captive and took all the fish away. Your goal is to collect as many fish as you can before perishing in their tentacles. Oh! And you get to save your penguin friends along the way too.

Gameplay

You get to choose from 8 characters: 5 cute penguins, a beaver, a penguin-bot, and a platypus.

Seriously. There's a platypus. And a beaver.

The blue penguin is a free character but the rest of them you have to either buy with in-game ~~cash~~ fish, earn as a reward by making an in-app purchase, or get by liking the Super Penguins Facebook Fan Page.

When you play the game for the first time, you will be taken through a tutorial on what and what not to do. The actions are so simple that even my 4-year old son picked them up after his first try. Just tilt your device left or right to collect fish and avoid obstacles, and tap the screen to jump. That's it!

Now I couldn't help but notice its similarities with Temple Run in terms of gameplay. You're going to take your penguin (or whichever character you choose) for an indefinite run across meters of frozen land to collect fish. That is, until you stumble upon a barricade which could be anything from a randomly falling icicle to the tentacle of a giant octopus. When that happens, your cute wittle penguin will drop dead on the ground and you have to start all over from zero meters. Or you can pay 4500 fish upfront to get an extra life and pick up from where you left.

Aww. My wittle blue penguin is dead.

The game has its own shop for purchasing permanent upgrades and temporary powerups. You can use the fish you collected or bought for purchasing stuff from the store. Upgrades and powerups will better your chances of going farther and collecting more fish. You can get as many upgrades as you want until they max out but you will be limited to one powerup for each run. During the run however, you can receive powerups by rescuing penguins-in-distress.

There are currently 6 powerups to choose from before making a run. That includes:

No ink splats (500 fish) - Lasts throughout the run.
Extra life (1000 fish) - Single use only. The powerup is used after your character dies so you can continue playing the game.
Fewer icicles (600 fish) - Lasts throughout the run. Decreases the amount of icicles falling from the sky.
Double jump (800 fish) - Lasts throughout the run. To activate, tap the screen to jump and then tap again while the character is in mid-air.
Rocket 300m (300 fish) - Single use only. Takes you for a 300-meter rocket ride at the start of the run.
Rocket 500m (500 fish) - Single use only. Takes you for a 500-meter rocket ride at the start of the run.
Rocket 1000m (1000 fish) - Single use only. Takes you for a 1000-meter rocket ride at the start of the run. But you probably already knew that.

Features

Achievements keep track of your progress
Locally saves your all-time high score
Share scores to friends on Facebook and Twitter
Take a screenshot of your score at the end of a run

Graphics and performance

For a free app, Super Penguins is quite the looker. The environment renders smoothly during gameplay and I don't see any artifacts. Its interface all throughout is user-friendly and visually appealing. It's definitely a top-notch find amidst the low-quality apps that dominate the Android market.

The game runs smoothly on my two devices including a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and Galaxy S2. There are no freezes, stuck-ups, force closes, and the like. My Galaxy Tab 7 couldn't even handle Temple Run without lags and it's a delight to see that it has no problems with Super Penguins.

Verdict

Given its high-quality graphics, smooth performance, and simple but fun gameplay, I'm not surprised that the game has a 4.5-star rating on the Google Play Store. It's a gem in a sea of stones. The game is easy enough for youngsters and equally as motivating to keep older crowds hooked for some time.

[ Download links: Google Play Store | iTunes Apple Store ]

Developer: Supersolid Ltd.

[S]he Talks Rating: 4 out of 5

Screenshots

Download US Only Apps To Your Android - No Root Required

2012-09-17T01:23:00.002+08:00

A few weeks ago, I taught you how to download region-specific apps (such as US only) to your Android. That particular method involves rooting your phone and losing your warranty. Today I'm going to teach you how to do the same without rooting your phone.

That's right.

You can download regional applications straight to your Android without the risk of bricking it or losing your warranty.

Now this is something I discovered by accident. Thus, I can't guarantee it works for all area-specific applications. However, it's worth a try. Anyway, it's very easy to do. Whether or not it works for you I would love to hear your feedback on the comments below!

Prerequisites

Android 2.1 and higher

HOW TO ACCESS US-ONLY (AND OTHER AREA-SPECIFIC) APPS ON YOUR ANDROID

Step 1: Download AppBrain App Market from Google Play (free)

Step 2: Launch AppBrain

Go through the start-up process. No need to sign up but it's up to you, really.

Step 3: On AppBrain, search for an area-specific application

A good example is Blogger for Android which is limited to specific regions like the US and UK.

Step 4: Select the app you are looking for

Click "Install".

You will be redirected to Google Play only this time, you now have access to the regional app.

Step 5: Click "Install" or purchase the app if it's paid

Then, wait for the app to finish downloading.

I know this worked on me because if I search for Blogger on Google Play Store, the app doesn't show. It only appears when using the AppBrain App Market. If this technique doesn't work for you, you can always try Market Enabler. But as previously mentioned it needs a rooted device. Dowloading from third-party app markets is no longer an option these days. Haven't you heard? They got nabbed by NBI.

SGS2 JB ROM Review: Super Nexus Build 2 by Faryaab

2012-09-16T21:34:00.001+08:00

Knowing @Faryaab and his previous work on F1 Galaxy Nexus, I knew that Super Nexus was going to showcase what he does best - a raw Android experience. Super Nexus does just that and offers Jelly Bean on a buttery platter. For an early release, the Super Nexus is an impressive custom JB ROM.

Version reviewed in this post: Super Nexus BUILD 2
Build date: 08-11-2012
Developer: Faryaab of XDA Forum
Original XDA thread here

Pros

What works: WiFi, Camera, Video Recording, GPS

Stable. Force closes are very rare. Most FCs are due to an app's incompatibility with Jelly Bean and therefore the app developer's fault (not Faryaab). On that note, I say "screw you Gameloft."

Good battery life. My phone lasted approximately 1 day 6 hours on light use and 15 hours 22 minutes on light to moderate use.**

** During light use, phone was: Awake (4h13m), Screen On (2h36m), WiFi On (5h26m). During light to moderate use, phone was: Awake (4h37m), Screen On (2h 26m), WiFi On (4h59m). Battery info c/o Battery Monitor Widget.

Real slick. Everything loads fast - even the Gallery.
Features all the Jelly Bean goodies such as Google Now and a much-improved notification system. In case you're wondering, they work smoothly on Super Nexus.
Light-weight and bloatware-free.
Clean UI. More professional looking than Ice Cream Sandwich.

Cons

Bug: Gallery app sometimes force closes while being used by other applications (see Gallery below for more info)

No toggle shortcuts on the Notifications Drawer. This is the drawback of aiming for a vanilla Jelly Bean experience.

Non-resizable widgets. Maybe I just got used to Apex Launcher?

You can't change the lock screen wallpaper. Whatever the home screen has, the lock screen gets.

OVERVIEW

Lock screen

Access shortcuts to the Camera app (left), Google Voice Search (top), and phone unlock (right).

Notifications Drawer drops down from here.

Home screen and dock

Smooth scrolling. No lags whatsoever.

Place apps on top of each other to instantly create folders. Each folder can hold up to 16 applications. Folders can be renamed.

Change wallpaper from home screen.

Widgets are non-resizable.

Place folders on the dock bar. With space for four folders, that means the dock can hold a maximum of 64 apps!

Notifications Drawer

Displays time, day of the week, and date.

Shortcut to system settings.

Swipe to individually remove notifications.

Clear all notifications in one click.

Displays preview of emails and messages.

Shows Google Now cards.

Missed calls have shortcuts to call back or reply with a message.

Access app info by giving the notification a long press. Useful for identifying source of spam notifications.

Recent Apps View

No task manager.

Swipe to remove an app from the list.

App Drawer

Apps and Widgets found in separate tabs.

Shortcut to Play Store (upper right)

Smooth scrolling.

Messaging, Contacts, and Phone Dialer

Camera

Shortcut to Gallery.

Flash: Auto, On, Off

Adjust White Balance, ISO, Exposure, Scene Modes, Focus Mode, and picture size

Apply color effects: Aqua, Negative, Sepa, Mono

Gallery

Bug: FC's while being used by another app. Like when viewing the Gallery from the Camera app, editing photos, or setting a gallery photo as a wallpaper. Happened to me on all three occasions and it doesn't happen instantly. Takes a few seconds before it does.
Loads fast.
Has shortcut to camera app (upper right).
Play photos in slideshow.
Share photos individually and by group. Remembers the app you last shared photos with.
Change orientation and crop photos.
Set picture as.
Edit photos in photo editor (see Other Applications below for more info.)

Music

When playing music, it shows up as shortcut on Notifications Drawer. Sadly, the notification shortcut doesn't have music controls.
Party Shuffle.
Add to playlist.
Delete songs from your phone/memory.
Adjust sound effects.
Set music as ring tone.

Internet Browser

Automatically signs in to your Google account. Syncs saved bookmarks.
Swipe to remove open page from tabs view.

Other Applications

Google Now. Brings up cards displaying information on weather, traffic, public transit, flights, sports, calendar appointments, translations, currency, time at home (when traveling to a different time zone), and nearby places that may interest you.

Voice Search. Perform actions with the right commands. Search your phone or the web for apps, images, and more!

Galaxy S II Settings

Configure radio. Choose from UMTS only, HSDPA only, and HSDPA + HSUPA
Adjust screen. Change colors, touchscreen sensitivity, and enable/disable backlit keys
Calibrate sensors.
Set vibration intensity of haptic feedback.
Enable/disable passive audio out on dock.

Movie Studio. A video editing app that lets you merge different videos in one clip, add titles and subtitles at specific intervals, apply filters, and add music.

Photo Editor. Can only be accessed from Gallery. Lets you apply an assortment of photo filters (with adjustable intensities).

News & Weather. Brings you updated weather and news reports based on location.

How To Do A Nandroid Backup Using CWM Manager and CWM Recovery

2012-09-04T02:21:00.000+08:00

If you like flashing custom ROMS or is at least considering the idea, one of the most important things you need to learn is performing a Nandroid backup. It sounds complicated but trust me, it's much easier than you think. One way of doing it is through CWM Manager which happens to be easier. Another way is through CWM Recovery, a pretty basic but lengthier approach. In this article you will learn how to use both for creating Nandroid backups.

The great thing about a Nandroid backup us that it saves everything about the system on your device. That includes your system data and more importantly, user data. All the apps you have installed, the user data individually saved by these applications, your phone contacts, the accounts tied to the device - every detail will be retained and these are but to name a few. Even the kernel and boot image you have installed will be saved. You can think of a Nandroid backup as a camera that captures everything in a snapshot. So if you want to revert to an old (and probably more stable) ROM after trying a new one, just flash or restore an existing Nandroid backup and things will be back the way they were. There are a few requirements if you want to backup of your current ROM.

Prerequisites

Rooted device. Sadly, you need to have a rooted phone. If you're wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of rooting, you can refer to this post -
Custom recovery

HOW TO DO NANDROID BACKUP USING CWM MANAGER

CWM Manager is an application that comes pre-installed in custom ROMs with CF-Root kernels. If you flash CF Root on top of an official firmware, CWM Manager will automatically be installed on your phone too. The app will still take you to CWM Recovery but with the added benefits of:

Changing the file name
Choosing between internal and external SD card for the backup.

Step 1: Launch the application

Step 2: Select "Backup"

Step 3: Change the back-up name and press "OK"

CWM Recovery saves back-ups on a date-and-time format. CWM Manager gives you the option to change that. If you don't want to lose track of your back-ups, it's best that you edit the file name from here. I suggest you name a backup based on its firmware version and kernel like "XXLPX-Abyss1.2".

Step 4: Choose your backup location.

Choose between internal SD and external SD card. The available memory will be displayed so you can make a proper choice.

Step 5: Wait for the process to finish.

Your phone will automatically reboot to CWM Recovery for the back-up process. When it's finished, your phone will reboot normally.

Step 6: Check for successful backup.

Launch CWM Recovery once again and click "Restore". See if the backup coincides with the file name you assigned from Step 3 to ensure that the process was successful.

HOW TO DO NANDROID BACKUP USING CLOCKWORKMOD RECOVERY

An old-fashioned way of doing a Nandroid backup is through CWM Recovery. If you don't have CWM Manager, this is the best tool for performing backups. Use the volume rocker to navigate up and down CWM Recovery and the power button for making a selection. If you have a touch-based recovery, use the on-screen navigation.

Step 1: Go to recovery mode.*

*The method for this varies across devices. For Samsung Galaxy S2, the phone must be turned off first. Then press the Volume Up + Menu + Power simultaneously to go to recovery mode. Find out how it is done for your device but if you have a Samsung smartphone, the method described earlier will probably work on you too.

Step 2: Go to backup and restore > backup (to save in external SD) OR backup to internal sdcard (to save in internal SD)

Step 3: Wait for the process to finish.

Step 4: Check for a successful backup.

Go to backup and restore > restore (if backup is in external SD) OR restore from internal sdcard (if backup is in internal SD). There should be a file name closest to the date and time you performed the backup in Step 2. If it's there, backup was successful.

Step 5: Select Go Back > reboot system now.

Dead Trigger Survival Tips: Bloody Subway Arena Walkthrough (v1.5.1 ONLY)

2012-08-26T21:13:00.004+08:00

Only works for v1.5.1 :-) If you have v1.5.0 and lower versions of Dead Trigger, please refer to this Bloody Subway cheat guide.

The recent update (v1.5.1) for Dead Trigger fixes the bugs detailed in the Bloody Subway cheat guide that took me some time to perfect. This time, I can't guarantee you're going to survive for more than 50 waves - unless you're that good. I did come up with new survival tips so you can last longer than usual.

Disclaimer: How long you actually survive depends on your character level, character upgrades, weapons, and skills at evading those f*cking zombies.

I do apologize for the poor quality of my photos because Screenshot ER Ultra isn't allowing me to save screenshots in JPEG format :-( But if you want to survive for longer, I suggest you read everything so that you will understand the summarized survival tips at the end of this post.

CHARACTER, WEAPONS, AND ITEMS

You need to be at least Rank 13 to get the following recommended character upgrades, weapons, and items.

Character

2-3 weapon slots
3-4 item slots

Aside from these, the following character upgrades are also recommended for the Bloody Subway Arena. It is entirely up to you which ones you will get but I arranged them based on importance from top (most important) to bottom (least important).

Improved Radar (39G)
Additional Health (99G at Rank 1 AND/OR $5000 at Rank 8)
Ammo Supply (99G at Rank 1 AND/OR $30000 at Rank 10)

Weapons

You can use the following weapons depending on the slots you have. To survive longer, do upgrade these recommended weapons to increase their damage, accuracy, range, and clips.

For those who have 2 weapon slots...

Slot 1: Minigun OR Bren for regular zombies and bosses.
Slot 2: Brain-mill OR Chainsaw for killing SWAT zombies.

For those with 3 weapon slots...

Slot 1: Minigun OR Bren
Slot 2: KSG OR RMGT 870 OR any weapon of your choice for shooting zombies while running around. When you reach Rank 15, you can upgrade to Striker because it is the only shotgun with the most clips. Ideally, you should have a high-damage medium-range weapon so you can easily kill zombies the moment you cross them.
Slot 3: Brain-mill OR Chainsaw

For those with 4 weapon slots...

Slot 1: Minigun OR Bren
Slot 2: Bren (if you have Minigun) OR Lewis OR any weapon of your choice. For this slot, it is best that you place any high-range weapon with a high number of clips. It will serve as your alternative to the weapon on Slot 1 in case you run out of ammo.
Slot 3: KSG OR RMGT 870 OR Striker (for Rank 15 only)
Slot 4: Brain-mill OR Chainsaw.

Items

I highly recommend that you get a Speed Booster which costs 399G at Rank 1. Speed is the most important aspect of survival in the Bloody Arena. So work hard by playing Daily Rewards and take your chance at the Casino. If you can't get a Speed Booster, it's okay! I provided alternatives below :-)

Have 2 item slots?

Slot 1: Speed Booster OR 2 Revive Kits
Slot 2: 2 Medkits OR 5 Bandages

Have 3 item slots?

Slot 1: 2 Medkits
Slot 2: Speed Booster OR Slow Time. Slow Time will give you allowance to get either Additional Health or Ammo Refill without being chased around by zombies.
Slot 3: 2 Revive Kits OR 5 Bandages

Have 4 item slots?

Slot 1: 2 Medkits
Slot 2: Speed Booster OR Slow Time
Slot 3: 2 Revive Kits
Slot 4: 5 Bandages

BLOODY SUBWAY SURVIVAL GUIDE

The "Safe Zone" And Some Zombie-Killing Tips

Upon entering the Bloody Subway Arena, turn to your right and run!

See that gate over there? Unlock it and climb the staircase.

This will be your "safe zone" or the place where you're staying most of the time. Zombies will be coming from two sides - your left and right.

Zombies to your right must be shot dead on the spot using your weapon from Slot 1.

Zombies from the left staircase can either be shot in the leg or killed on the spot. If you have an Improved Radar, this will come in handy. Now look at your radar. If there are NO zombies to your right, kill the zombie(s) on the bottom of the staircase.

But if there are zombies to your right, just dismember them by shooting them in the legs. This will buy you enough time to kill zombies on your right and change ammo clips by the time the staircase zombies reach the top.

When surrounded by hoards of zombies at the safe zone, RUN! After running, you can deal with the zombies in different ways. Whichever strategy you take, remember that zombies will be following you around even if you ran in circles. So the trick is to lose them or have them chasing after you from a single direction.

What do I do when I'm surrounded by zombies?

You can run downstairs (granted there are no zombies waiting at the bottom) and just shoot them from there. If they come too close, run upstairs again towards the safe zone and shoot them.

When you see zombies coming from all directions, run down the safe zone staircase and outside towards the lobby. Avoid zombies you encounter so they don't hit you. Then climb up one of the two staircases in the lobby and run back towards the safe zone from the second floor. By doing this, most zombies will be entering the safe zone from one direction - the doorway on the right.

Tips: While running around, shoot a few zombies using a Striker. You can use any shotgun or high-damage medium-range weapon. Also, reload your primary weapon while running so when you reach the safe zone, you can get back to killing zombies.

Reloading Your Weapon

Reloading your weapon at the wrong time is bad for survival. In fact, you may die out of it.

When do I reload my primary weapon?

When there are no zombies around. Use your radar or plain sight to detect nearby zombies. Don't wait for your ammunition to run out before changing clips.
While running around. Whether you are trying to avoid zombies or shaking off an entire hoard, save time and your life by reloading.

Ammo Refill, Additional Health, and Power-Ups

Ammo Refill, Additional Health, and Power-Ups are available at all Dead Trigger Arenas. These areas need a few hundred dollars to unlock but definitely worth-it.

Where can I find Ammo Refill? At the safe zone; particularly the wall on the back.

When do I buy Ammo Refills?

At the end of each wave.
If you ran out of ammo and still have a few zombies to slay.

Ammo Refill at Bloody Subway safe zone

Where can I find Power-Ups? On the room opposite to the safe zone on the second floor. You have to unlock this area using money.

When do I get Power-Ups? See the "Power-Ups Guide" below for a detailed explanation.

Bloody Subway Power-Ups Area

Where can I get Additional Health? On the ground floor, in between the two staircases of the lobby. The cost for refilling your health is around $100 to $1000 depending on how much you need.

When do I get Additional Health? When down to your last 1-2 zombies during a wave and you realize you need life, shoot off their legs and run to get Additional Health.

See the yellow arrow below? That's how you check for the last 1-2 zombies of the wave.

Below is an example of me running for life. Oh no, only 9 seconds left! Make sure that by that time, you are already on your way back to the safe zone!

Now let's talk about Power-Ups and how they can help you defeat bosses.

Power-Ups Guide

You can only buy (1) Power-Up after every 2 waves. So if you buy a Power-Up during Wave 1, you can't buy another one until Wave 3. Each Power-Up lasts throughout a wave. So if you buy one at the start of Wave 1, it will expire once you finish the wave. The Power-Up alternates between Head-Flator and Damage Booster. The first available Power-Up is always a Head-Flator followed by Damage Booster, Head-Flator, and so on.

When do I get a Power-Up? Here's a step-by-step guide to help you understand how it works...

When you are down to the last 1-2 zombies of Wave 1, I want you to shoot off their legs and run towards the Power-Ups Area. Unlock it.
Enter the caged room and stay there until the crawling zombies come near you. If they do, kill them to end the wave. If they die on their way to you, the wave will automatically end.
When the wave ends, get the Head-Flator Power-Up before the countdown begins and run back to the safe zone. Then, refill your ammo.
During Wave 4, repeat step 1-3. This time, you will be getting a Damage Booster and prepare for Wave 5. Run towards the safe zone and buy an Ammo Refill.

The steps described above is a cycle you should stick to for killing zombie bosses.

Killing The Boss

Boss Waves occur at Waves of 5 - Wave 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. To kill the boss, you need to:

Get the Damage Booster Power-Up during boss waves.
Get the Head-Flator 2-3 waves before boss waves. This will ensure the availability of the Damage Booster during boss levels.
Find his "soft spot".

The "soft spot" is a sensitive body part of the boss. When you hit it, he will tilt his head. If you don't, he will just stand there and do nothing then run towards you. To find his soft spot:

Shoot the boss at different parts of his body. My personal favorite is his neck but sometimes, he gets hurt when you shoot him in the stomach and feet.
If the boss doesn't tilt his head after shooting him at different parts, WASTE NO TIME. Run and reload your ammo. Once he chases after you, try shooting him again at different body parts and as soon as he tilts his head and flails his arms, CONTINUOUSLY SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD.
If the boss tilts his head in your first attempt, aim at his head and continuously shoot at it til he dies.
If you run out of ammo and the boss is still alive, repeat steps 1-3 until he dies.

Below is an example of a boss you SHOULDN'T continue shooting in the head. See how he's just standing around? It means your bullets aren't hurting him.

AVOID THE GREEN SPIT OF THE BOSS AT ALL COSTS. It will limit your vision and prevent you from seeing clearly. You can do this by sidestepping to your left or right the moment he spits at you.

After killing the boss, time will slow down as he falls to the ground. Take this opportunity to:

Reload your weapon.
Get Ammo Refill if you ran out.
Kill other nearby zombies.

I killed the boss yay!

Congrats on killing the first boss for the wave. That's right. There's likely second boss coming at you before the wave ends. So if don't have at least at least 150 bullets on your primary weapon, get an Ammo Refill at the safe zone. Now go get him.

Tip: Don't forget to refill your ammo once again after the wave ends!

And now, a revised version of my survival tips for the Bloody Subway!

SUMMARY: BLOODY SUBWAY ARENA SURVIVAL TIPS

Use a shotgun when running outside of the safe zone. You can also use any high-damage medium-range weapon of your choice. Shoot the zombies closest to you and avoid the the rest until you get back to the safe zone.
Don't run for petty cash during waves. Unless you are absolutely sure there are no zombies around (and the cash is really, really close to you), don't go for it! You will be paid thousands of dollars if you survive a wave :-) The higher the wave, the greater your rewards will be.
Only use your bandages or medkits during emergencies. Anyway, you can run for Additional Health in between waves. BTW, never use them while surrounded by zombies because you will just lose the life you gained.
Use your Revive Kits sparingly. If you are surrounded by a swarm of zombies or confronted by the boss zombie and got nowhere to run, let yourself be killed and the Revive Kit will kill those bastards.
If you can run, then run! One thing I learned from The Walking Dead is that those f*ckers are stupid and you can avoid them. Running around the Bloody Subway is really great for losing zombies. You should also run the moment you're surrounded to avoid extensive damage.
At the safe zone, kill all zombies to your right.
At the safe zone, dismember OR kill zombies coming from the left stairway. Only dismember if there are zombies approaching from your right. Kill the stairway zombies when there are none to your right.
Shoot in the head. Yep. There's no better way to kill them. Carnages are awesome but they are a waste of ammunition.
Use Minigun or Bren for killing regular zombies and bosses. But you can also use any high-range weapon with high number of clips as your primary weapon.
Use a chainsaw or Brain-Mill for killing the SWAT zombie. There's no faster way to kill them.
Look at the radar. Check on it regularly to see if it's safe to refill your ammo or reload.
Only use the Damage Booster during boss levels.
Get the Head-Flator 2-3 waves before the boss level.
Use Slow Time in extreme emergencies. Example: If you have a low life but already ran out of bandages, Medkits, and Revive Kits.
Practice. It takes time to get used to this routine. You might not get it at first but you will eventually. So keep practicing until you get your rhythm.

Abyss Kernel Tweaking Guide (ICS Kernel for SGS2)

2012-08-25T19:08:00.002+08:00

I've been on Abyss Kernel for the past week (at least, back when I prepared this post) and I'm really impressed with its stability, battery life, and performance. In this post, I will teach you how to tweak your device settings using Abyss Kernel. I'm only going to cover what I believe are its most important tweaks for battery and performance.

Version reviewed in this post: Abyss Kernel v1.2 (latest)
Build date: May 18, 2012
Compatibility: Samsung, MIUI, AOSP, and AOKP ROMs
Developer: angelom
Download link: See List of SGS2 Kernels (ICS)

Features

Abyss CWM Recovery
Set screen brightness to lowest possible level (lower than stock Samsung firmware)
Adjust voltage of CPU
Change GPU frequencies
Change value of charge current
Adjust touch sensitivity
Adjust gamma levels

Whoaaah. Let's slow down for a bit.

How to adjust screen brightness

Now the screen brightness, you can adjust directly on your phone. Just press and hold on the Status Bar and slide your finger across. There you go!

How to adjust CPU speed

NOTE: Underclock and overclock is possible.

You can also adjust the CPU speed using AnTuTu CPU Master Free or SetCPU available at Google Play. The CPU can be set from 200 to 1600 MHz (1.6 GHz) using either of these apps. These apps also allow you to select kernel governors like "ondemand," "performance," and "powersave". Basically, they are presets for CPU clockspeed. Each preset can affect the performance of your SGS2 as well as its battery life. To find out more about these Governor Tweaks, please refer to this amazing thread on XDA. Don't read too much though. It's going to give you a headache if you're an average user like me :)

One thing you may notice different is the "abyssplug" governor. This is a unique hotplug governor to Abyss Kernel. More about hotplug when you read along.

Abyss Kernel Tweaks

The Abyss Kernel has its own touch-based CWM Recovery. It has the functionality of CWM Recovery and more. With it, you can access the following under "ABYSS Menu" for tweaking.

Abyss ASV Table Menu
Install Abyss Script
Delete Abyss Script
Create Backup EFS
Clear init.d folder
Tweaks Service Menu
Advanced Abyss Menu
Abyss ASV Bus Table Menu

Sorry, but I can't give information about all of them. However, I can teach you how to tweak the most important settings which I highlighted in bold. These tweaks can optimize the battery life and performance of your SGS2.

Abyss ASV Table Menu

This enables you to adjust the voltage or amount of battery power your SGS2 consumes on a given clockspeed/frequency. Low voltage equals good battery life. Under this setting, you can choose from eight (8) options ranging from ASV Table 0 to ASV 7. I'm going to spare you from the headache and tell you this:

"The higher the number, the better its power efficiency."

I haven't really this theory but judging by the voltages from this XDA thread, ASV Table 7 is the most power efficient whereas ASV Table 0 is the least power efficient. The default ASV Table for Abyss Kernel is 3. The voltages of ASV Table 3 are lower than the original setting of the SGS2 which explains why Abyss has an impressive battery life.

There's an additional option under Abyss ASV Table Menu that says "Don't use ASV TABLE (for script)". I don't know anything about scripts so I didn't select this.

Tweaks Service Menu

Enable sched_mc power savings - Better battery life, less performance
Disable sched_mc power saving - Better performance, less battery life
IDLE Mode Menu (affects the idle mode of your SGS2)

IDLE Enable - Normal idle. Least battery efficient but phone wakes easily. Clockspeed is 0 but CPU still draws power, resulting in battery drain even when idle.
AFTR Enable - Deep idle. More battery efficient but phone takes time to wake. Clockspeed is 0 and CPU power is killed. The phone will rely on L2 cache power to wake. The battery barely drains during Idle Mode in this setting.
IDLE + LPA Enable - Similar to IDLE Enable but L2 cache power is removed. Thus, it provides better battery efficiency than IDLE Enable.
AFTR + LPA Enable - Similar to AFTR Enable but L2 cache power is removed. This is the most battery efficient IDLE Mode.
Restore default - restores the default IDLE Mode for Abyss Kernel.

Enable EXT4 Boost - Increases disk performance
Disable EXT4 Boost - Normal disk performance
Enable BLN - Enables back light notifications. The capacitive buttons of your SGS2 will light up for notifications when your phone is idle. Promotes battery efficiency.
Disable BLN - Disables back light notifications. Your entire screen will light up for notifications.

Advanced Abyss Menu

Second Core Menu

Hotplug on - TBH (To be honest), I don't know how it works but this is the best option under this menu if you want your SGS2 to have a balanced battery life and performance. Abyss Kernel has its own hotplug called "abyssplug"
2 core always off - Switches to single-core power. Offers great battery life but compensates performance of your supposed-to-be dual-core SGS2. I believe this will heavily impact 3D games. BTW add me on Dead Trigger "shetalksandroid" lol.
2 core always on - Forces 2 cores to run. Always. Even on idle mode. Offers great performance but obviously drains battery fast.

Vibration Level Menu - Select from Level 0 to 6 where "Level 6" is the strongest vibration intensity. Choose Level 1 to help save battery.

ASV Bus Table Menu

Bus speed determines the speed of data transfer. Between ASV Bus Table 0 to 6, 0 is the slowest and 6 is the fastest. I did some benchmarks using CF-Bench while on default ASV Bus Table (which is unknown) and ASV Bus Table 6. Under Bus Table 6, many values increased including the Overall Score. The phone does heat up for no reason when set to ASV Bus Table 6 so I would suggest experimenting with lower values. Or, you can always select "Default ASV Bus Table."

Final word...

Well, I hope I helped you learn some things with this post. This has really been a great experience for me. Okay, at first it gave me a headache (and many things still do!) but at least I learned new stuff. I plan to test more kernels on my SGS2 and invest on benchmark tools. For consistency, I will only use stock XXLPX firmware to test these kernels.

Dead Trigger Cheats: Bloody Subway Arena Survival Guide (v1.5.0 ONLY)

2012-08-18T01:21:00.000+08:00

This only works on v1.5.0 and lower versions of Dead Trigger :-) If you have updated to v1.5.1 please refer to this new Bloody Subway Survival Guide.

UPDATE 08/25 Madfinger obviously read my blog and decided to fix the bugs exploited in this survival guide. To top it off, they even added an zombie entryway in the "safe zone" discussed in this post. MY ADVICE: Don't update to v1.5.1. But if you have Titanium Backup (Android only), just uninstall the app and restore v1.5.0 like me :-)

Old post starts here***

This really isn't a cheat - more like "an exploitation of a bug" that exists in the Bloody Subway Arena of Dead Trigger. If you stick to the tips I give you, you can survive the Bloody Subway for an indefinite** period.

** depends on your device's battery life LOL.

Moving on, I really tried to make a video tutorial using Screencast but my dual-core SGS2 couldn't handle it. Even tried overclocking my phone but it didn't work. So please be patient going through the screenshots and my tips :-)

So why should you bother surviving the arena anyway?

CASH. The maximum I got was $50,000 after surviving 55 waves. If you have cash, you can upgrade your character, buy weapons, and have better chances of surviving longer in the arena. And if you have greater chances at surviving, you get to have more money! The recent update should get you even more cash since you will be rewarded after winning boss levels.

EXPERIENCE. When I need to level up, I don't play missions. I play the Bloody Subway Arena. Why? Because the patterns are easier to exploit. I went from Level 28 to 30 after 55 waves.

Character

If you have enough money (or willing to spend on some IAP), the following character upgrades will do. Then again, you can always get extra cash and gold using the Casino and by playing special missions every day! The following character upgrades are arranged from the most important to least important.

At least 2 weapon slots
At least 2 item slots
(Optional) 1 to 2 Additional Health - if you're not getting this you need to have a Speed Booster for Items.
(Optional) Improved Radar

Items

The following item purchases are ranked from the most important to least important.

Have two item slots?

5 Bandages OR 2 Revive Kits depending on your level.
Speed booster OR 2 Medkits. But speed is really more important in the Bloody Subway since you can grab Additional Health in the game :-)

Three item slots?

5 Bandages
2 Revive Kits OR 2 Medkits
Speed booster OR Slow Time

Four item slots?

5 Bandages
2 Revive Kits
2 Medkits
Speed booster OR Slow Time

Never use grenades by the way. If you are swarmed by zombies and decide to use a grenade, you will die. Also, grenades are not worth carrying around if you want to last long in the arena. I also feel the same way for all other items. They can help you survive early on but not in the later stages. That is why Slow Time is my second option to the Speed Booster but you can only use it in emergencies like running for your life or getting ammo when extremely needed.

Guns

I won't suggest specific guns because truthfully, I bought gold and cash using real money. However, I do recommend having long-range rifles or automatic weapons. Additionally, you also need at least one shot gun (for that nasty SWAT zombie). Trust me, you don't want to waste your precious ammo on a single SWAT zombie. However, I'm going to share the weapons I currently use:

Slot 1: Minigun
Slot 2: Bren
Slot 3: Lewis
Slot 4: Striker

And now, the survival guide!

Step-by-Step Survival Guide For Dead Trigger's Bloody Subway Arena

Step #1: Run like hell and go to the "safe zone."

As soon as you enter the Bloody Subway, don't just stand there and do nothing. Run like hell towards the staircase on your left. When you reach the caged room, come near it and unlock by selecting "Buy." This is your safe zone. Don't worry. You will get the lost cash later in the game.

Step #2: Stand by the caged door of the safe zone.

Zombies will come by waves of 30 in each level. However, all 30 zombies won't be swarming soon. They will come in 4 to 5 separate batches. In between these batches of zombies, stand by the caged door as preparation for Step 3.

Step #3: Dismember 3 to 4 zombies that come near you.

Using a long-range weapon or a minigun, shoot the zombies closest to you. SHOOT THEM IN ONE OR BOTH LEGS AND NOWHERE ELSE. You might want to prioritize running zombies that are closest to you. If possible, shoot them when they are a few feet from the entrance. The now-dismembered zombies will crawl towards you. Back up into the room. Crawling zombies are unable to enter.

... or any room with this platform for that matter. See photo below.

Shoot 3 to 4 zombies and make sure they are lined up across the entrance. In doing so, no other zombie (running, walking, boss, or SWAT) can enter the room!

Step #4: Shoot approaching zombies in the head.

Now that crawling zombies are lined across the entrance, come closer to the door - not too close though! Shoot approaching zombies using a long-range weapon. To conserve your ammo, it would be best to shoot them in the head.

If a SWAT zombie shows up, wait until it gets near and shoot at its face with a shotgun. It takes several shots to kill him.

Step #5: Shoot crawling zombies when new zombies stop appearing.

After shooting a couple of zombies from afar, you will notice that no new zombies are appearing on the radar. At this point, you have to shoot the crawling zombies blocking your entrance so that new zombies will appear.

Step #6: Repeat steps 2 to 5!

Just keep blocking the entrance with crawling zombies in each batch. If a crawling zombie dies, replace it with a new one to ensure that no zombie gets in.

The last zombies in a wave

During the last batch of zombies, DO NOT KILL THE CRAWLING ZOMBIES BLOCKING YOUR ENTRANCE. Otherwise, you will only have a 15-second window to run for ammo and get additional health if you lost any. 15 seconds is enough for just either of the two.

Running For Ammo And Health

I can make my ammo last for two waves but this is only because I have four weapons. If you have fewer guns, you need to constantly run for ammo.

WHERE do I find ammo? Youu can find it at the caged entrance across your new-found safe haven, second floor.

Ammunition is right across the safe zone.

Unlock this area to access Ammo Refill

The cost of ammo depends on how much you need.

HOW do I run for ammo? While zombies are blocking the entrance of your safe haven, switch to a shotgun and run towards the caged entrance across your safe haven. Select "Buy" to unlock the door and run towards the ammunition icon on the corner by the wall. Select "Buy" again.

Don't worry. The crawling zombies won't be able to reach you inside these caged rooms!

WHERE do I find health? At the room in between the two staircases, first floor.

How do I run for health? If you lost a significant amount of life during a wave (and still have enough time), run downstairs and go back to where you started on the first floor. Go to the caged door in between the staircases, unlock, and "Buy" Additional Health from the icon.

The cost of health depends on the amount you need

WHEN do I run for ammo and health? You don't want to get hurt when running for ammo and health so it's best to run for them in between waves during the 15-second break and while being chased around by the crawling zombies you didn't kill.

By the way, after getting ammunition and/or health, don't bother killing the crawling zombies unless you have enough time. Remember, YOU NEED TO REACH THE SAFE HAVEN IN TIME FOR THE NEXT WAVE. Just run back towards the safe zone and the crawling zombies will die on their way to you :-)

I know what you're thinking...

Why can't I use my bandages, medkits, or just rely on my revive kits? Simple. BECAUSE YOU ONLY WANT TO USE THEM DURING EMERGENCIES. Remember, you want to survive waves and waves of zombies and not just the first few waves.

Note: When buying ammunition or health, it takes some time before they refresh.

Power-Ups Guide: The Head-Flator and Damage Booster

Do you see the green icon inside of your safe haven? It alternates between a Head-Flator and Damage Booster. Those are called power-ups. I only use them in boss levels and I suggest you do to because they take much longer to refresh. Each power up lasts an entire wave so get them 3 to 5 seconds before the next wave. In the higher waves when bosses are more difficult to defeat, I suggest you get a Head-Flator TWO WAVES BEFORE THE BOSS LEVEL. That way, you can get the Damage Booster during a boss level.

Defeating The Boss

Boss levels are available in intervals of five. Wave 5, 10, 15, etc. are all boss levels. A maximum of two bosses appear in these levels but there was a time I got 3 bosses and I was like WTF?!?!

The boss doesn't appear right away. He only appears after a few couple zombies. I want you to do steps 2 to 4 of my step-by-step survival guide until he shows up.

And now... the f*cking boss.

The boss won't be able to enter your safe haven if crawling zombies are blocking the entrance. Look at him. Is he running or just walking? If he is walking, stand your ground and shoot the crawling zombies (with a shotgun if possible) and switch to an automatic weapon. Kill one or two zombies on the entrance so he can get into the room to be with you. If he's running, let him inside the room but run outside as soon as he does LOL.

Now here's the thing about the boss. When you hit him somewhere sensitive, he will tilt his head up for some time and let out a gurgling scream. If you don't hit him in the right spot, he just stands there and seems bullet-proof! The first thing you need to do is find his soft spot. You can find it by using a rifle and shooting at different parts of the body. When his head tilts after hitting a certain spot, then that is his soft spot. CONTINUOUSLY SHOOT AT IT UNTIL HE DIES. My personal favorite is his neck but sometimes, his stomach and feet work. But there's a catch. The boss has to be close to you if you want to make sure that you hit a soft spot. And unless you find it, you won't be able to kill him.

Yep. I hit his soft spot alright!

When you run out of ammo and the boss isn't dead yet, he will get back to his original position (which is standing and staring at you). If this happens, you have to leave the safe room and run! His hits are deadly and you want to avoid them.

While running around like a lunatic, I use a shotgun to kill regular zombies and switch to my minigun when he gets near. But you can use any automatic rifle you're comfortable with. Every time you hit his soft spot, aim at his neck right away and continuously shoot until you run out of ammo. Sometimes, I also make a run for ammo while the boss is chasing me around. This can be really nerve-racking!

The first boss is dead, now what?

When the first boss dies, time slows down until he falls on the ground. The whole slow motion lot is going to be entertaining. However, I suggest you take this as an opportunity to refill your ammunition instead of staring at the Matrix thing that's about to take place. After all, you will need more bullets until the second boss arrives. If you lost too much life after the first boss, just use a bandage and hang on. Now go kill the second boss.

My "Lucky 13" Bloody Subway Arena Survival Tips

Use a shotgun when running outside of the safe zone. Just shoot at zombies closest to you and avoid the the rest until you get back to the caged room.
Don't run for petty cash during waves. Unless you are absolutely sure there are no zombies around (and the cash is really, really close to the entrance), don't go for it! You will be paid hundreds of dollars if you survive a wave :-) The higher the wave, the greater the reward. Besides, losing some life for $50 to $70 is not worth it.
Only use your bandages or medkits during emergencies. Anyway, you can run for Additional Health in between waves.
Use your Revive Kits sparingly. If you are surrounded by a swarm of zombies or confronted by the boss zombie and got nowhere to run, let yourself be killed and the Revive Kit will kill those bastards.
If you can run, then run! One thing I learned from The Walking Dead is that those f*ckers are stupid and you can avoid them.
Always shoot the fastest and closest zombies to you first. Then shoot the close but slow zombies. A slow and close zombie, you can avoid. You can merely run around the safe room and it won't be able to hit you. But a running walker? You won't be able to avoid it if it comes near you.
Shoot in the head. Yep. There's no better way to kill them. Carnages are awesome but they are a waste of ammunition.
Use long-range weapons for dismembering and killing zombies from afar.
Use any automatic weapon on the boss (even if it's long-range).
Use a shotgun for the SWAT zombie and for killing crawling zombies on your entrance.
Look at the radar. The appearance of zombies actually takes on a pattern every now and then. Monitor it so you'd know which zombies to shoot first :-)
Only use the Head-Flator/Damage Booster during boss levels. I recommend alternating between the two in the early stages but at higher levels, I recommend only using the Damage Booster. Check out my tips above on these power-ups.
Practice. It takes time to get used to this routine. You might not get it at first but you will eventually. So keep practicing until you get your rhythm.

Oh, and by the way! Start playing the Bloody Subway from 100 percent battery. You can plug in your device to charge while playing. If charging affects the responsiveness of your screen, only charge during non-boss levels where you can relax :-) Hope you benefit from my tips!

How To Use Mobile ODIN For Installing Firmwares And Kernels

2012-07-28T06:00:00.000+08:00

Mobile ODIN is basically an Android application equivalent to ODIN for PC. That's right. It's an application you can install on your Android device to flash firmwares and kernels. What makes it easier to use than ODIN? For starters, Mobile ODIN automatically places files where they're supposed to be when you open them with the app. No need to worry about placing files incorrectly which, by the way, could seriously screw up your phone. It's really easy to use as long as you have a compatible "flashable" file. In this post, I will teach you two things - how to flash firmwares and how to flash kernels on your device using Mobile ODIN.

Before we begin, let me give you reasons why I prefer installing firmwares and kernels using Mobile ODIN.

Unlike ODIN, Mobile ODIN doesn't leave you with that nasty yellow triangle during boot image (which fortunately you can remove using Triangle Away - no need for USB jig!). I don't know about your device but from what I know, the yellow triangle appears in Samsung devices when flashing custom ROMs and kernels.
It's really simple to use. As I mentioned earlier, Mobile ODIN is smart enough to automatically set partitions when you open a file. No more worries!
It's convenient. No need to power up your PC. Installing firmwares and kernels is within hands-reach and with much less clicks than flashing with custom recovery. Need I say more?

Compatible Devices

Samsung Galaxy S GT-i9000
Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-i9100
Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000
Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-i9300
and more!

Please refer to this XDA thread by Chainfire to see the complete list of supported devices.

Prerequisites

Rooted device
Mobile ODIN Pro [ Google Play Store ] or you can download the Lite version at this XDA thread. NOTE: The Lite version doesn't have EverRoot which automatically roots the phone after installing official firmware.
At least 50 percent of battery life, just to be sure
Nandroid back-up (again, just in case)

Reminders

Flashable .zip files are not supported in Mobile ODIN.
Only files for Kernel, System, Data, Cache, Param, Modem, and Hidden files are supported
Mobile ODIN does not flash PIT, IBL/PBL, SBL, and EFS
After flashing official firmware, you will only get SuperSU. You may need to flash a separate CF-Root kernel to gain CWM Recovery and CWM Manager. You can flash CF-Root using Mobile ODIN like me :)

HOW TO FLASH FIRMWARES USING MOBILE ODIN

Step 1: Download the firmware

It must be in .tar.md5 format which usually is the case with official firmware. If you have a .zip or .7z file, you can use ZArchiver (free at the Google Play Store) to unzip it directly on your phone. You should see the .tar.md5 file after. You can also unzip it on your computer and transfer the file to your internal/external SD card later.

XXLPX in .zip format

XXLPX in .tar.md5 after unzip. I use ZArchiver, free at Google Play

Step 2: Transfer the unzipped file to your device.

You can place it in your internal or external SD card. Personally, I set up a folder at the internal SD card titled "ROMs and Flashables" and segregate firmwares and kernels in different folders.

Step 3: Launch Mobile ODIN

Grant SuperUser access when prompted.

Step 4: Select "Open file ..."

Choose the firmware you unzipped from Step 1. You will be informed about the partitions that Mobile ODIN automatically set for you. Select "OK".

Selected a wrong file? No worries. Select "Clear all" to clear all partitions.

Step 5: Make sure EverRoot is ticked (Pro users only)

That is, if you want to root your firmware during installation. The boxes that you can check are as follows:

Enable EverRoot
Inject Superuser
Inject Mobile ODIN

Otherwise, leave these boxes unticked.

Step 6: Select "Wipe data and cache" and "Wipe Dalvik cache"

This will perform a "clean wipe" which is often necessary for installing firmwares.

Step 7: Select "Flash firmware"

When asked if you should check the md5 signature, have it checked. This will make sure that the file you have is complete and not broken. After this step, your phone will automatically shut down and reboot to Mobile ODIN's custom Recovery Mode. The installation process will take place. Just sit back and wait for it to finish :)

HOW TO INSTALL KERNELS USING MOBILE ODIN

Step 1: Download the kernel

It must be in .tar format so you can flash it using Mobile ODIN. If you have a .zip file, try to unzip it and see if there's a .tar file inside.

Step 2: Transfer the unzipped file to your device.

You can place it in your internal or external SD card.

Step 3: Launch Mobile ODIN

Grant SuperUser access when prompted.

Step 4: Select "Open file ..."

Choose the firmware you unzipped from Step 1. You will be informed about the partitions that Mobile ODIN automatically set for you. Select "OK".

Step 5: Select "Flash firmware"

Afterwards, your phone will reboot to Recovery Mode for installation of the kernel. Wait for it to finish and your phone will automatically reboot. Congrats! You just flashed a kernel using Mobile ODIN.

Android FAQs: What Is A Custom Kernel?

2012-07-18T02:26:00.003+08:00

What are custom kernels?

A kernel is basically the bridge between the software and hardware. Whenever you command your phone to do something (launching an app), the software sends that request to the hardware which in turn, makes the launching of the app possible. Custom kernels for Android are unofficial creations of independent developers. Unlike the kernels that OEMs make, custom kernels offer more modifications that allow you to tweak your phone in every possible way. For example, the maximum clock speed of the Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 is 1200MHz or 1.2GHz. This limitation is set by the stock Samsung kernel. With the help of a custom kernel, this speed can be pushed to 1400Mhz (1.4GHz) or more!

Benefits Of Installing Custom Kernels

The exact benefits of a custom kernel depend on the modifications of a developer. Some have overclocking features, others don't - you see where I'm going right? In general though, you can benefit from having better control of device. These options are most helpful for users who want to maximize the full potential of their Android or perhaps want to extend their device's battery life. Below are some of the benefits of installing custom kernels.

Adjust CPU frequencies and set profiles like OnDemand, Battery Saving, etc.
Underclock and overclock CPU speeds
Underclock and overclock GPU speeds
Adjust voltage
Adjust touch screen sensitivity
Equip your phone with BLN (backlight notifications)
Custom recovery that allows backups and restorations of entire ROMs as well as installation of .zip files
Minimum screen brightness pushed past the limitations of stock kernel
Conserve battery (with the right settings)

Disadvantages Of Installing Custom Kernels

Before you can install custom kernels on your Android, your device needs to be rooted. This means you have to break your device's warranty. Another disadvantage of custom kernels is the possibility of screwing up your phone. If you set a voltage too low to save battery for example, something bad is bound to happen. Of course, this would be totally your fault and not the kernel's.

Ski ROM For SGS2: v1 ROM Review

2012-07-18T01:27:00.001+08:00

Ski ROM may be a Samsung-based firmware but it was made out of a refreshing concept I haven't seen in most ICS builds - a transparent user interface. It still has that unmistakable TouchWiz feel to it which happens to be hated by most modders. HOWEVER (and that's one big however), this is still a first version and from what I've seen from it, things are looking promising! For an initial release, I'm pretty impressed with it.

Version reviewed in this post: Ski ROM v1 (XWLPG)

Build date: 06-30-2012

Developer: android_isda_shit of XDA Forums

Original XDA thread here

PROS

What works: WiFi, Data, Bluetooth, Camera, Video Recording, and GPS. Pretty much everything since this is Sammy-based.
Very stable. Didn't get any force closes at all. Well, except for Twitter which just happened once in 7 days of use.
Different look! All thanks to the LG Launcher and transparent UI present in the following:

Homescreen
Apps Drawer
Notifications Drawer
Phone Dialer
Contacts
Messaging (Inbox only)
Calculator
Clock
Gmail
Music Player
Play Store
YouTube

Amazing battery life. My phone lasted around 26 hours on mild to moderate usage. Lasted for 16 hours when WiFi was left on for 10 straight hours for the sake of Skype.
Scrollable toggles

CONS

Bugs: You can't change the Lockscreen wallpaper. It remains the same as the Homescreen wallpaper.
The transparency of some apps interferes with readability of text. A good example is Gmail. TIP: Just use a basic one-color wallpaper :)
Needs more improvement on theming IMO. The battery icon for instance looks cartoon-like. When you have a low battery, you can't tell from the icon how much battery is left because it only displays a red battery with an "X" in the center.
Gmail, Google Play Store, and YouTube are installed as system applications. This is not the CON yet just keep reading. Now If you decide to update these applications, their transparency will be lost since you are basically replacing them. TIP: Do you want the original transparent look back? Just uninstall the update by going to Settings > Applications > All > (Select App) > Uninstall Updates. This will uninstall the update and revert the app to its original transparent UI.
Sometimes, there is a slight lag when launching applications - particularly those that are transparent. I also noticed that lags are highly likely when using a live wallpaper.

PREVIEW

Lockscreen

Of course, it still has the standard Slide lockscreen which you can change to Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password security. The option to not use any lockscreen at all is there too. Unfortunately, what you can't change is the wallpaper. But this will probably get fixed in the next update. Keep those fingers crossed!

Home Screen and Dock

Where do I begin? It looks different! And I mean that in a good way. Sure, it still has that 5-icon dock but if you take a closer look, the icons were replaced with LG's. Even the Home Screen shares this LG Optimus look. To edit animation options, screen transition, and the wallpaper, press the Menu touch button from the Home Screen and select "Home settings". If you long press on an empty space of the Home Screen, you will be given the option to add apps and widgets as well as change the wallpaper.

Status Bar and Notifications Drawer

Icons on the Status Bar are either gray or green. I can live with the green but I don't like the battery icon. When the phone has a critically low battery, it would turn red with an "X" symbol in the middle. No percentage will be displayed. I think most of us would prefer to know just how much is left of the battery even if it were less than 10 percent.

Toggles on the Notifications Drawer are either green (activated) or white (deactivated). They are set on a semi-transparent background and scrollable. Included in the toggles are WiFi, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, GPS, Sound, Vibrate, Auto Rotation, Airplane Mode, Auto Brightness, Do Not Disturb, Screen On Timeout, WiFi Hotspot, Sync, Flashlight, Reboot Options (Reboot, Recovery, Download), and Shutdown.

Notifications will be displayed on an even more transparent background which looks sexy by the way.

Recent Apps View

There's nothing new here. You can still access the Task Manager :)

Apps Drawer

Again, it is powered by the LG Launcher that comes pre-installed with Ski ROM. You can access all applications, just downloaded apps, or widgets by selecting tabs on the upper screen. Apps can be rearranged individually by selecting the Settings icon on the upper right corner. To arrange apps in chronological order, press the Menu touch button from the Apps Drawer and select "Reset." Under the same menu, you can also select to "Show more icons" on each page as well as access the App and System settings.

Messaging, Contacts, and Phone Dialer

The Inbox is transparent but Message threads have the standard Sammy theme. I can't say the same for Contacts and the Phone Dialer which has transparent themes all-the-way.

Camera

Gallery and Music

The pre-installed Gallery looks like Samsung Gallery but it is named "SBEDemo" which stands for Sony Bravia Engine Demo. It loads faster than the stock Gallery for Samsung but I can't confirm if it is in fact what it says it is, considering it looks exactly like the stock Sammy Gallery. Can anyone confirm this? Anyway, the Music player is clearly stock Samsung but it has the same transparent theme used in most applications.

Internet Browser

Other Pre-Installed Apps

CWM Manager
SuperSU

VIDEO WALKTHROUGH

My voice is not in this one video walkthrough, sorry! I didn't have enough time. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel.

NOTE: The dev has been banned from XDA Forums. If you want to help bring him back, you can sign this petition. The petition was posted by another member of XDA and was not created by me.

SGS2 ROM Review: Pure ICS v7.5 [XWLPG]

2012-07-02T12:56:00.002+08:00

Pure ICS is a custom ROM that brings an Ice Cream Sandwich experience on top of a Samsung-based firmware. Here I'm going to review the standard "light" version which only includes few stock Samsung apps. But there is also an AOSP package if you don't mind having stock Samsung apps aka "bloatware".

Version reviewed in this post: Pure ICS v7.5 (XWLPG)

Build date: 06-16-2012

Developer: Spike_M of XDA Forums

PROS

What works: WiFi, Data, Bluetooth, Camera, Video Recording, GPS
Fully-themed even though it is Samsung-based!
Apex Launcher allows further customization of UI
Has FM Radio, Voice Recorder, CWM, and SuperUser SU
Good battery life. Mine lasted more than 24 hours with some WiFi, calls, texting, and mostly on standby.

CONS

Bugs: On the Gmail app, there was this one time that emails would go blank if you attempt to scroll to view the entire message. Again this only happened once after 7 days of use :)

The ROM has stopped development - so I've heard :(

PREVIEW

For a 5-minute video walkthrough of Pure ICS, please check the bottom of this post :)

Lockscreen

Since this is a Sammy-based ROM, you can choose from the standard Slide, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password lockscreen. You can access the Notifications Drawer from the Slide lockscreen.

Home Screen and Dock

Since Pure ICS has an Apex Launcher, you can control the number of docks (max 5), number of dock icons (max 7), and elastic scrolling just to name a few. You can even hide the dock completely! As for the home screen, you can control the number of screens (max 9), choose the default screen, resize widgets, among many other functions. To access the customization settings for the home screen and dock, simply go to Apex Settings > Homescreen settings or Dock settings.

Status Bar and Notifications Drawer

The status bar is Holo-themed which means that the time, battery, phone signal, and WiFi have a light blue color on black background. The screen brightness can also be adjusted from the status bar by holding and sliding your finger across. You can't customize the notifications drawer but there's really no need to. A lot of useful toggles are already on there. All you have to do is swipe across them.

There's are toggles for the standard WiFi, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, and GPS along with Sound Profiles, Autorotate Screen, Airplane Mode, Auto brightness, Screen On, Hotspot, Sync, Flashlight, Reboot, Recovery, Download Mode, and Shutdown. Most toggles act as shortcuts to their individual settings. But you can access all Settings by clicking the Settings Icon below the toggles.

Recent Apps View

As you can see, you can access the Task Manager from here - something I really like about Samsung-based ROMs.

Apps Drawer

There's still some bloatware on the standard edition of Pure ICS but they're mostly useful apps. If you want all Samsung apps, you can install the AOSP version of Pure ICS. The stock Samsung apps installed in the standard version I reviewed are as follows: Calculator, Calendar, Camera, Clock, Contacts, Downloads, Email, FM Radio, Gallery, Internet, Memo, My Files, Phone Dialer, Photo Editor, Task, Task Manager, Videos, and Voice Recorder.

Messaging, Contacts, and Phone Dialer

First off, the annoying yellow-blue-and-gray theme of the Messaging app is long gone. Spike_M managed to make it gray-and-black which I personally like better than the blue-on-white theme of stock ICS. The same theme is used on Contacts and Phone Dialer.

Gallery

Pure ICS has the stock Samsung Gallery since it is a Sammy-based ROM. Sorry but I just don't like it.

Internet Browser

The ROM also has a stock Internet browser which I actually like. It automatically signs you in to your Google account and syncs bookmarks from your Google Chrome for PC.

Camera

Other Pre-Installed Apps

CWM Manager - for backing up, restoring, and deleting backups, reboot options, installing APKs, flashing kernels, and flashing stock firmware.
SuperSU - grants root access

VIDEO WALKTHROUGH

Here's a 5-minute walkthrough of Pure ICS. I'm sorry if you hear some trucks or cars passing by :D Our house is right in front of the highway and we have this *antique* home made entirely of wood so sound easily gets through. I'm thinking about looking for a pair of headsets that eliminate background noise :) Not sure if they even exist lol.

How To Install Custom Kernels On Your SGS2 Using ODIN

2012-07-01T02:20:00.004+08:00

Custom kernels in .tar format must be installed using ODIN. In this guide I will teach you how to install custom kernels on your Samsung Galaxy S2 via ODIN. If you downloaded a .zip file you have to flash it with CWM Recovery. I prepared a separate installation guide for that which you will find here.

Prerequisites

Custom kernel for your SGS2. Here's a list of custom kernels for SGS2 on ICS
Rooted device [ How To Root Your SGS2 Using CF-Root - ICS only, sorry ]
Compatible firmware (compatibility depends on kernel)
At least 60% battery life (just to be safe)
Download ODIN on your PC. Unzip the file. You can find the latest version in this XDA thread.
USB Drivers
USB cable
Recommended: Nandroid backup

How To Install Custom Kernels On Your SGS2 With ODIN

Download a custom kernel for your SGS2 in .tar format.
Turn off your smartphone
On your PC, launch the ODIN.exe file you unzipped from the prerequisites.
On ODIN, click the PDA section and select the .tar kernel you downloaded from step 1. Don't click anything else.
On your SGS2, go to Download Mode by pressing Volume Down + Power + Menu. Confirm by pressing Volume Up.
Connect your phone to the PC via USB cable
Check ODIN. A small box on the upper left should turn blue and the dialog box must display "Added!!"
Select "Start" and wait for it to finish. After it is complete, your SGS2 will reboot on its own. You now have a custom kernel flashed on your phone!

How To Check For A Successful Custom Kernel Installation

Go to Settings > About Phone > Kernel Version. It should coincide with the kernel you just flashed. Enjoy!

How To Install Custom Kernels On Your SGS2 Using CWM Recovery

2012-07-01T02:17:00.000+08:00

Custom kernels in .zip format must be installed using Clockworkmod Recovery. In this guide I will teach you how to install custom kernels on your Samsung Galaxy S2 using CWM Recovery.
If you downloaded a .tar file you have to flash it via ODIN. I prepared a separate installation guide for that which you will find here.

Prerequisites

Rooted device [ How To Root Your SGS2 Using CF-Root - ICS only, sorry]
At least 60% battery life (just to be safe)
Clockworkmod Recovery (comes with CF-Root)
Compatible firmware (compatibility depends on kernel)
Recommended: Nandroid backup

How To Install Custom Kernels On Your SGS2 Using CWM Recovery

Download a custom kernel for your SGS2 in .zip format.
Transfer the downloaded .zip file to your /sdcard
Turn off your smartphone
Go to Recovery Mode by pressing Volume Up + Power + Menu
Select wipe cache partition > Yes - Wipe Cache
Select advanced > Wipe Dalvik Cache
Select install zip from sdcard > choose zip from sdcard > select the .zip from Step 2.
Wait for the installation to finish.
Select Go Back > Reboot System Now

That's it!

SGS2 ROM Review for F1 GalaxyNexus

2012-06-24T01:13:00.002+08:00

(image source)

F1 GalaxyNexus is based on the original ICS code released by Google. The version reviewed in this post is based on the latest ICS firmware, Android 4.0.4. If you want to get a Galaxy Nexus experience on your phone, this would be a great option.

Version reviewed in this post: 05-06-12 (Build Date)

Developer: Faryaab of XDA Forums.

PROS

What worked: WiFi, Data, Bluetooth, Camera, Video Recording
Light. Only 70MB+.
Loads fast!
Holo Theme
Stock ICS everything.
Great battery life. Mine lasted 24 hours on low lights and some WiFi. Mostly on standby though.
Galaxy S II Settings app lets you switch type of data connection, adjust screen colors, modify touchscreen sensitivity, calibrate sensors, and turn off touch lights.
Restart to Download and Recovery mode from Power options.
Hide toggles from Notifications Drawer.
SuperUser is pre-installed

CONS

Bugs:

After a full week of use, there were 4 instances where I noticed my phone turned off for no apparent reason. Not sure if it's the ROM though. It could be my phone :(
Other known bugs as cited by TeamHacksung.

Notifications Drawer has its disadvantages:

Toggles are limited to tabulated layout.
There are only five toggles: WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Data, and Autorotate.
Toggles don't have shortcuts to individual settings. There's only one shortcut to access all Settings
Each time your phone restarts, you have to long press on the Settings icon to show toggles.

No underclock/overclock settings
No file manager pre-installed. FIX: Just download one from Google Play!
No CWM Manager. I just like having the option to rename backups from my phone :(
Only has Clockworkmod Recovery v5.5 - would love to see CWMR Touch on future versions. That is, if you like CWMR Touch.
~~No theming options.~~ You're right @Reiz3r it was a wrong thing to say here :) Thanks!

PREVIEW

For a 5-minute video walkthrough of F1 GalaxyNexus, please check the bottom of this post :)

Lockscreen

You can choose from Slide Lockscreen, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password. Face Unlock works well.

Home Screen and Dock

There's no option to remove the Google Search bar and widgets are non-resizeable. You can change the wallpaper though. The dock is non-scrollable but it can hold up to 4 icons, including folders.

Status Bar and Notifications Drawer

The status bar looks good but I'm not a fan of the notifications drawer. The option to hide toggles is great but every time your phone restarts, they're always hidden. Maybe you would like that though. Also, there are only five toggles in tabulated layout. Sadly, you won't be able to access individual toggle settings.

Recent Apps View

Apps Drawer

As you may notice, there's not much bloatware on F1 GalaxyNexus. The custom ROM only takes up 70MB or so. Not bad right?

Messaging, Contacts, and Phone Dialer

Gallery

Internet Browser

The internet browser signs into your Google Account automatically, allowing easy access to synced bookmarks.

Other Pre-Installed Apps

Galaxy S II Settings - Lets you switch between data connectivity options, modify screen settings (including touchscreen sensitivity), and calibrate sensors.
SuperUser SU- Grants root access.

VIDEO WALKTHROUGH

For downloads and installation guide, please visit the original XDA thread.

How To Root Your SGS2 With CF Root, ICS Edition

2012-06-17T11:42:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the "ICS Edition" of your ultimate rooting guide for SGS2. And when I say ultimate, I mean this is for all existing official ICS ROMs for SGS2. No matter where you are from the world and regardless what ICS firmware you have, this is the guide for rooting your beloved international SGS2 otherwise known as GT-i9100.

Before anything else, many thanks to Chainfire for making this possible. Don't forget to support his work!

Requirements

Original ICS firmware.
Check for your firmware version by going to System Settings > About phone > Build Number. Look for "IML74K.XXXXX" wherein "XXXXX" stands for the CF Root you should download. List it down.
Download ODIN3 v3.04 on your computer. Unzip the file.
Battery life of at least 60% on your phone.
SGS2 USB Drivers. If you have a Microsoft PC, just plug in your device with a USB cable while it is turned on and off. Wait for the USB drivers to install on their own :)

How To Root Your SGS2

Download the CF Root that matches your phone's build number. After downloading, unzip the file. You should see a .tar file. Don't see your firmware version below? Please leave a comment and I'll look for the latest CF Root available for you :-)

CF Root for BULPC v5.4
CF Root for DXLP7 v5.4
CF Root for DXLP9 v5.4
CF Root for UHLPE (XXLPQ) v5.4
CF Root for XWLP2 v5.2
CF Root for XWLP3 v5.4
CF Root for XWLP4 (XWLPS) v5.4
CF Root for XWLP7 v5.4
CF Root for XWLP8 v5.4
CF Root for XWLP9 v5.4
CF Root for XWLPD v5.5
CF Root for XWLPE v5.5
CF Root for XWLPF v5.5
CF Root for XWLPG v5.5
CF Root for XXKP1 v5.1
CF Root for XXKP2 v5.1
CF Root for XXKP4 v5.2
CF Root for XXKP8 v5.2
CF Root for XXKPA v5.2
CF Root for XXLP1 v5.2
CF Root for XXLP2 v5.2
CF Root for XXLP6 v5.2
CF Root for XXLPB v5.2 *problems with mounting secure storage
CF Root for XXLPD v5.5
CF Root for XXLPH v5.2 *problems with mounting secure storage
CF Root for XXLPJ v5.3 *problems with mounting secure storage
CF Root for XXLPQ v5.4
CF Root for XXLPS v5.4
CF Root for XXLPW v5.5

Launch the ODIN3 .exe file you unzipped from the prerequisites.
Click PDA and select the .tar file you unzipped from Step 1.
On your SGS2, make sure the USB Debugging Mode is switched on.
Turn off your SGS2 and switch to Download Mode by pressing Volume down + Power + Menu. Then press Volume Up. (Thanks to the Anonymous commenter for identifying the typo!)
Connect your SGS2 to the computer using a USB cable.
Check ODIN. A small box on the upper left should turn blue and the dialog box must display "Added!!"
After Step 7, press "Start" and wait for the rooting process to finish.
After it is complete, your SGS2 will reboot on its own.
When your phone SGS2 it is now rooted! Yay! :-)

How To Check For A Successful Root

There are three steps to check for a successful CF Root.

After your phone reboots, check for two apps: SuperSU and CWM.
Turn off your phone. Go to Recovery Mode by pressing Volume Up + Power + Home. You should see a CWM recovery.
Reboot your phone again. You should see a yellow triangle below the Samsung Galaxy S2 logo. You can remove it using Chainfire's Triangle Away - no need for a USB jig with this app!

ROM Review: Foxhound ICS for SGS2, Ocelot Revolver Edition

2012-06-17T11:41:00.003+08:00

UPDATED: Bug fixes for Contacts and Phone Dialer included as suggested by @musafir84. Thanks Musafir! Don't forget to check out his website, Techie Ideas!

Foxhound ROM is a custom ROM for SGS2. The version reviewed on this post is based on the latest official ICS firmware available for SGS2, 4.0.3 XWLPF no-wipe.

Version reviewed in this post: Ocelot Revolver

Developer: rafaele88 of XDA Forums

Image source: Original XDA Thread

PROS

What worked: WiFi, Data, Bluetooth, Camera, and Video Recording
Screen sensitivity to touch is good
More than 5 toggles on Notifications Drawer
Stock ICS Apps Drawer.
Stock ICS Gallery included. I like it better than Sammy's Gallery.
Underclock/overclock CPU up to 1.6GHz plus more using ExtTweaks app.
Good batter life. Mine lasted almost 16 hours on low light and occasional WiFi.
Clockworkmod Recovery Touch comes preloaded. It's super fun!
Custom installation process**

** The installation process on Foxhound ROM is fully customized. You can choose from the settings listed below. Settings in ITALICS were my personal options and the only ones covered in this review. You can choose whichever you like :)

Installation Mode

Default Installation - Recommended.
Light Installation - Only basic apps are installed.
CUSTOM INSTALLATION - SELECT THE APPS YOU WANT TO INSTALL.

Kernel Installation

Abyss Kernel
SIYAH KERNEL
N.E.A.K. Kernel
Speedmod Kernel
Phenomenal Kernel

Modem Installation

LPS
LPR

Themes

STOCK GS3
ICS Domination

Launchers

APEX LAUNCHER
TouchWiz GS3 Launcher
Nova Launcher

CONS

Bugs:

Phone Dialer (rare) - FIX: Go to System Settings > Applications > All >
Slide lockscreen (sometimes) - doesn't respond to touch. FIX: Press the Menu button or turn off display then turn back on.
Contacts (always) - just a black screen most of the time. FIX: Go to System Settings > Applications > All > Clear Data. Then go to Contacts Storage and select "Clear Data" as well (as suggested by @musafir84). Launch Contacts and sync Google contacts. It should work fine now :)
Task Manager (always) - when ending a task, it doesn't reflect on the task manager right away.

Stock Notifications Drawer theme. I hate it.
SuperSU is not pre-installed
When you install Titanium Backup, you might bump into Root Access problems. FIX: Download SuperSU from Google Play and reboot your phone. After reboot, launch Titanium Backup. If you still bump into problems, give it some time and launch the app again or reboot once more.
For the most part, it's no different from custom ROMs based on stock Sammy firmware, save for the really cool custom installation (and easy-to-do) setup that comes after you install it :)

PREVIEW

For a video walkthrough, please see bottom of this post :) I attached the 3-minute YouTube video I created.

Home Screen and Dock

I installed the Apex Launcher so it supports resizable widgets, a scroll-able dock, drawer animation, and several more perks. Go explore it yourself :)

Lockscreen

You can choose from Slide Lockscreen, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password. Face Unlock works perfectly.

Status Bar and Notifications Drawer

As mentioned previously, there are more than 5 toggles. Just swipe to the right to find all of them. I find Flashlight and Screen On toggles most useful.

Task Manager and Recent Apps View

Okay. The Task Manager does kill apps when you press "Exit" or "End" but it doesn't show right away. You have to relaunch Task Manager to see them gone -__-

Apps Drawer

It has the stock ICS Apps Drawer which I really like. Stock Sammy apps look different. I think it's the SGS3 theming. Nonetheless, I love the new icons!

Messaging, Contacts, and Phone Dialer

They're all stock Sammy. Sometimes, the Phone Dialer locks up and force closes. Contacts never load. Ever.

Camera

Nothing new here. Sorry. Got too lazy to switch it to Landscape Mode :D

Gallery

You can choose from stock Sammy Gallery or the stock ICS Gallery. I prefer the ICS Gallery better.

Internet Browser

The browser will log you into your Google account. If you have bookmarks synced on your Google Chrome for PC, they'll show up on the stock Sammy browser. You can also save bookmarks on your phone and access them on your PC later. This is one of my fave ICS features.

Other Pre-Installed Apps

Apollo Music Player - ICS-themed music player.
App Backup & Restore - Backup and restore apps
AppZorter Lite - Requires TouchWiz so I never got to test it.
ExTweaks - Underclock/Overclock CPU, control GPU steps, activate BLN and others. Gives you full control of your phone!
File Explorer - ICS themed. Don't really like it :(
MrMad.net - Dunno what it's for LOL.
Mi File Explorer - Sorts your files according to format. Really nifty for .apk installations.
Voodoo Sound - Extended sound controls. Doesn't work on Siyah Kernel.

Video Walkthrough

Here's a 3-minute video walkthrough I prepared for you guys. I hope you like it!

For the installation guide, please check the original XDA thread.

How To Download US Only Apps On Your Android

2012-04-25T06:03:00.001+08:00

Screw Google. Who says you can't download US-only apps on your Android? For this week's tip and trick of the week, I'm going to teach you how to download applications (paid or free) that are supposedly restricted to the Land of Milk and Honey. Above anything else, you need a rooted phone. Otherwise, this workaround is no good.

First, go to ~~Google Play~~ this XDA link to download Market Enabler (free). Google pulled it off the Play Store. Pffft.

Special thanks to @swapnil360 for the link :)

You can use Market Enabler for downloading paid and free US-only apps on your rooted Android phone.

After installation, Launch Market Enabler.

Go to the Actual tab and take note of the numeric code. That is your provider's code.

Next, go to the Settings list and long-press on a US provider - there's T-Mobile and Verizon. I usually select Verizon. Wait until a dialog box appears.

From the dialog box, select "fake this provider now." Grant SU (Super User) permissions when prompted.

Go back to the "Actual" tab and see if the numeric code is different from your provider's. It should either be 310004 (Verizon) or 310260 (T-Mobile).

Wait a couple of minutes. Then launch Google Play. You'll know it worked if paid apps are in USD ($).

So there you have it! You can now download US-only apps, paid or free at the Google Play Store. The app will not in any way affect the phone signal with your actual provider. But if you want to revert to the original setting, just go to the Actual tab and select Restore settings.

Boid for Twitter (Alpha) - The Best Twitter Client For Android

2012-04-24T07:10:00.001+08:00

I may be one of the few who like the official Twitter app for Android. Compared to most third-party Twitter apps, it has a cleaner looking UI. I'd go for clean and beautiful UI over functional clients like HootSuite or Tweetcaster any day. With that being said, wouldn't it be great if a Twitter client had a nice user interface but still was functional? Well my friends, you probably haven't meet Boid for Twitter.

Boid for Twitter is a unique Twitter client that takes advantage of Ice Cream Sandwich and makes use of its - must I say - overly used Swipe gesture. With just a swipe, you can access different tabs/columns which includes Profile, Direct Messages, Home, Mentions, Trends, and Favorites from left to right.

Incredible UI

On the top are icons for the tabs/columns previously mentioned.

On the bottom, you'll find on-screen navigational buttons which change depending which tab you are on. You can basically post tweets, search for tags and users, and hit refresh on all tabs.

Option to send direct messages and access your profiles vary with the opened tab.

So yeah, Boid for Twitter supports multiple accounts.

Twitter updates for all accounts will be unified on the Home column.

Assign colors to your profiles to help distinguish tweet updates from different accounts. Just select the profile from the Profile Column and choose from blue, purple, black, and yellow among many others.

Set the default column.
Whenever you launch Boid, you will be immediately taken there.

Pull to refresh.

Add/Delete a column.

Change the theme.
Currently limited to Dark, Light, and Dark and Light.

Post tweets longer than 140 characters.
The app supports Twtmore.

So far, only phones running ICS are compatible with the app. So if you have a non-ICS phone, you won't see it on Google Play no matter what you do. And may I remind you that Boid for Twitter is still on Alpha which means it could have few bugs here and there. The latest version is stable though. No force closing of any sort :-) Also worth mentioning is the fact that the Boid team is actively pushing out updates throughout each week. Last week's bugs could be this week's fix.

What are you waiting for? Go download it at Google Play for free! Boid for Twitter may be on Alpha but it sure looks like its nearing its final release. For more information, feel free to visit the Boid for Android website. And if you're wondering what the team has in store for Boid, you might as well check their roadmap too. Hope you like Boid just as much as I do ;-)

[ Google Play Download Link ]

ICS Sensation ROM for SGS2 by Crysis21

2012-04-23T01:00:00.000+08:00

Sensation ICS for SGS2 is based on original Sammy firmware but with something extra - an HTC Sense 3 theme. According to the dev behind it (as stated on the original XDA thread), he is still working on a theme based on Sense 4.

Version reviewed in this post: 3.2 (there is now v3.4 available for download)

Developer: Crysis21 or @cristi_holdunu on Twitter.

Image source: Sensation ROM for SGS2 XDA thread

What works & Pros

What works: Everything. Remember that Sensation ICS for SGS2 is based on original ICS firmware by Samsung so yeah. Everything works :-)
Icons are different. I'm not familiar to HTC Sense 3.0 but icons of key applications are different.
Phone Dialer has a different UI. More beautiful than stock Samsung UI IMO.
Great battery life. My phone lasts 14-16 hours on moderate internet usage (with backlight on minimum brightness most of the time. Lasts 12-13 hours on heavy internet and moderate phone use. I use Pulse, check out Streamzoo a lot, and have active sync for Facebook, Pulse, email, and Twitter/Facebook for LauncherPro widgets. Rarely text or call though.
No sound on boot. I dunno with you but I like it. Crysis21 said he removed it in this version to prevent getting scolded at the library lol.
Stock ICS lockscreen. Yes, Crysis21 removed the ugly slide lockscreen from Samsung and replaced it with the stock ICS version.
Themed notifications drawer. It looks lovely. Also, there are more toggle selections to choose from - just slide across toggles to access them all.

Select which toggles to display by going to QuickPanel Settings
What I really like about the toggles is that positioning from last use is retained (as long as the phone doesn't restart).

Themed status bar. The status bar is no longer black but bluish gray to match the notifications drawer. Battery status icon is blue and looks even cooler when charging.
Recent apps view similar to stock Sammy. I like how it has the option to go to Task Manager so you can properly kill running apps.
Samsung stock apps are pre-installed. Even though I barely use them, I think it's good that they're pre-installed.
Option to remove Sammy apps. You'll have to flash an additional .zip file though, available for download at 7 Droids.
Apps: Unless you uninstall original Sammy apps, you'll notice that there are two of almost everything - Gallery, Music Player, and Video Player; each from either Samsung or stock ICS firmware. Uninstalling Sammy apps would leave only stock ICS apps except for the Camera and Browser which remain to be stock Samsung apps.
Turn of touch lights, battery saver, and all Sammy functions are still there.

Bugs & Cons

Bugs: There's only one I noticed. The WiFi bug though it happens rarely. *Sometimes* when you turn on WiFi on notifications toggle, it just stays that way and never finds or connects to a suitable WiFi network. When this happens, you need to restart your phone or it will drain your battery when left that way.
Stock Samsung Home Drawer. I just hate it.

Verdict

If themed Sammy ROMs is a guilty pleasure of yours - like mine - I certainly recommend Sensation ROM by Crysis21. I can't wait once it gets Sensation 4 theming though. I expect it would be just as stunning as Sensation 3 on the current version of Sensation ROM.

For installation, you can check the original XDA thread.

Screenshots

Streamzoo For Android - Way, Way Better Than Instagram

2012-04-08T17:36:00.000+08:00

When I first heard about Instagram coming to Android, I was excited. The photo-sharing app has been limited to iPhones long enough to make me extremely jealous. And when I say jealous, I meant over Instagram and not iPhone. Just wanted to make that clear. So when it was released days ago, I downloaded it right away. And I was like...

MEH. This is it?

I've been using Streamzoo for a while now and in my opinion, it's much better compared to Instagram. In this post I will highlight all the cool features of this photo-sharing app and why I prefer it over IG.

Truly optimized for Android.
Instagram for Android is just an iOS port of the app to the green little robot. Streamzoo, on the other hand, is truly optimized for Android. You can use touch buttons (if your phone has any) but still navigate easily through the app without them.

Follow people and tags.
Unlike Instagram where you can only follow people, you can follow both people and tags with Streamzoo. People and photos which include tags you follow will show up on the Feeds section. For example, I follow the #SGS2 tag so when a photo is uploaded with this tag, it will show up on my Feeds. Tags are called "streams" in Streamzoo btw.

Clean interface.
I really don't get it with Instagram. The formatting is all wrong. Just check the feeds on Instagram and compare it with Streamzoo's. The difference is like day and night. From font color to positioning of icons, everything is cleaner and more organized with Streamzoo.

Collect points and badges.
Streamzoo has a reward system. You can collect points and badges by uploading photos and getting likes on them. Streamzoo adds limited-time-only badges during holidays to shake things up a bit in addition to their standard badges.

If you get enough points, you could make it to the Popular Wall and Leader Board.

More Social features.
Aside from commenting on photos, you can also send a private message to users. I met a lot of cool people with this feature and that makes it a little bit more social than Instagram. You can also share photos to social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Tags assigned to photos will also show up on Tumblr.

Receive messages and be notified of mentions and comments.

Receive notifications for likes and follows.

Get shoutouts from people you follow for great finds.
You can also shoutout photos you like and share them to social networks like Facebook and Twitter but this will be limited to 1 every hour until you reach 2,500 points and get 20 likes on a single upload.

Because not all photos look good in squares and one-time filters
Sure, square photographs look cute. But if you are into photography you know that not all pictures look good in squares. Streamzoo offers more options so you can crop photos in different dimensions.

Also, you can add filters and borders separately.

Use tilt-shift.

And adjust brightness, hue, saturation, and contrast!

The title of the photo can be separated from the description too. Although tags will be limited to 10 to prevent "over-tagging" which people often do on Instagram to get likes.

And yes, you can use emoticons on Streamzoo even if you didn't have an iPhone.

And did I mention, Streamzoo is a multi-platform app?
Not only does it support iOS and Android, complete access to the application is also possible via http://streamzoo.com on your PC. You can also upload photos via your computer. With Instagram, all you can do with your PC is change your profile settings and access everything else using your phone. But with Streamzoo, you can do anything you can on mobile via PC.

Clearly, Streamzoo is way, way better than Instagram for Android. One of the reasons why many of us (including me) use IG anyway is because most of our friends are there.

Switch to Streamzoo, invite your Instagram-crazy friends over there, and give the photo-sharing platform the spotlight it deserves. And if you want to add me on Streamzoo, my user name is bloggingada :-)

Thanks to Musafir of Techie Ideas for introducing me to Streamzoo months ago. And congrats to Streamzoo for creating what in my opinion is the BEST photo-sharing app.
This article is in no-way related to a post from Talk Android which compares Instagram vs Android. All ideas from this post are original. But kudos to them for not sucking up to Instagram which most Android websites do.

Ultimate Survival Guide To Android App Sales

2012-04-08T05:56:00.002+08:00

Every now and then, Android apps go on a mass-sale. It's crazy. Dirt-cheap crazy. Apps originally priced more than $2.00 go as low as $0.10. Two major sales had gone by on the ~~Android Market~~ Google Play Store and I've had my share of regrets. If people come up with survival guides for a zombie apocalypse, why shouldn't I make one to help you survive those crazy sales on Google Play?

Survival Tip #1 ~ Don't buy paid apps unless they're on sale.
When there's an ongoing sale, never buy paid apps on regular price. Sales usually last for days and who knows? Yesterday's regular purchase could be today's app on sale. There's a trend here: The 10 billion downloads sale lasted ten days, Google Play's first sale lasted a whole week, and Amazon's first year birthday celebration called out a seven-day sale. As soon as the sale starts, do yourself a favor and don't buy paid apps unless their prices are slashed.

Survival Tip #2 ~ Buy apps you like as soon as they're on sale.
As soon as an app you like goes on sale, buy it. Tomorrow, it may no longer be on sale. Don't make me say "I told you so."

Survival Tip #3 ~ When a kids' app goes on sale, buy it.
It doesn't matter if you don't have kids - yet. Chances are, you will have them a few years from now. So when a kids' app goes on sale - whether it's a book or some other educational tool - buy it. It will be forever tied to your Google account and synced to all your future Android devices :-) Years from now, your imaginary kids will be able to use them. Besides, if you have a babysitting stint going on, these apps will come in handy.

Survival Tip #4 ~ When a 3D game goes on sale, buy it.
When 3D games go on sale (RPG, racing, first-person shooters), buy them. It doesn't matter if you like them or not. 3D games on sale are the greatest bargains you will find. 3D games usually cost more than $3 but this priced is reduced to $0.99 or lower depending on the sale. Got many of my 3D games for $0.20 and $0.10 :-)

Survival Tip #5 ~ Check Google Play / Amazon Appstore every few hours.
Whenever Google Play or Amazon Appstore is on sale, check every few hours. Our biggest enemy (for those of us who live outside of the US anyway) is timezone difference. Even though apps are likely to be available for 24 hours on local time, the time frame of their availability varies. Here in my country for example, apps on sale (during the 10 billion downloads sale) refreshed every 9:00pm. Try to find out what time apps refresh on your part of the world whenever there's on sale. And check back in following days at the same time.

Survival Tip #6 ~ Don't forget the refund button
Except for 3D games which you can't test within 15 minutes after download (because of the extra data they need), don't forget the refund button for all other apps you purchase. This is especially true for tools, photography, and entertainment apps. Not all apps on sales suit our needs, particularly those belonging to these categories. So as soon as you download one, test it and hit the "Refund" button on Google Play right away if you don't like it. This happened to me for SoundHound and Magic Camera which turned out to be useless - at least, in my case.

Survival Tip #7 ~ Always have money in the bank
If there's one thing I hate about Google Play, it's that you can't download paid apps if you have no money in your debit card. Apple Store allows a few downloads even if you didn't have cash but once money is in, purchases will automatically reflect. With Google Play, the policy is easy: No Money, No Paid App. So if you use a debit card for buying apps, always have some money in it. $20 is usually enough to last you through a week of app sales.

All these tips are based on personal experience :-) I hope they can help you survive the next Android app sale. For more tips and tricks, don't forget to follow me on Twitter for a weekly update!

Review: AdyScorpius MIUI v2.3.31 For SGS2

2012-04-07T09:13:00.002+08:00

It's been a while since I used AdyScorpius MIUI (first known as MIUI Fresh). The custom ROM even made headlines on several Android websites and that's where I found out about it. The latest version is v2.3.31 and as always, combines CM9 and original MIUI.

Perhaps the biggest reason why I like MIUI despite its iPhone-ish feel is that it looks clean and professional. Everything is easy to access too with AdyScorpius MIUI. More importantly though, it's more stable than the original MIUI ICS for SGS2.

Version reviewed in this post: AdyScorpius MIUI v2.3.31 (Android 4.0.4 ICS)

Developer: @AdyScorpius

What works & Pros

What works: WiFi, autorotate, messages and calls, camera, video capture (1080p), USB debugging mode (I am unable to check 3G and tethering. Please confirm)
Lockscreen: Slide to unlock interface which offers direct access to messages, camera, and phone dialer. Can be changed to Pattern, PIN, and Password for added security.

Expand notifications bar on lock screen by going to Settings > Status Bar > (check) expandable under keyguard. This only works for non-secure lock screen.
Update: Change lockscreen wallpaper. First create /data/system/theme folder. After that you can change it by going to Themes. The theme needs to be MIUI ICS compatible which is hard to determine.

Dock: Place up to 5 icons. Can be changed.
Home Screen

Smooth scrolling.
All apps are accessible on home screen, just like in iOS. The icons are beautifully styled and placed in equally-shaped squares to make them look balanced and proportional.
Add widgets like any Android home screen. Long press on empty space or go to Menu > Edit widgets.
Organize apps in folders. Add folders and rename them. Each folder could hold up to 12 apps so you could better organize everything on your home screen.
Add more than 20 home screens. Don't know the limit exactly. I got tired at 24 lol. Updated: Unlimited home screens!
Change transition effects: Class, Classic, Crossfade, Falldown, Page, Cascading, Rotation, and 3D Cube.
Easily add/access pages and assign main page. Go to Menu > Preview.
Change wallpaper. From the home screen go to Menu > Wallpaper > Desktop wallpaper. Choose from pre-installed wallpapers or your gallery by selecting "Others" on the bottom screen.

Status Bar: Semi-transparent status bar with white icons. Even if you used a white background, icons are still visible because of its semi-transparent nature.

Edit battery status indicator by going to Menu > Settings > Complete Settings > Battery > Battery indicator style.

Notifications Drawer

Separate views for notifications and toggles. Swipe left to right to easily switch between the two. You can also click "Notifications" and "Toggles" on bottom of Notifications Drawer.
Swipe to remove notifications individually. Click X on upper right to remove all of them at the same time.
Long press on toggles for quick access to settings. For example, long-pressing on WiFi toggle will take you directly to WiFi settings.
Customize toggles on display, layout, and arrangement by clicking "More" from notifications drawer or going to Menu > Settings > Complete Settings (top right) > Status Bar. You can only place a maximum of 10 toggles. And there's a lot to choose from!
Adjust brightness from Toggles.

Recent apps view when long pressing home button. Also features:

Swipe to remove notifications individually.
Clear all recently viewed apps by selecting the icon on the bottom left.
Access running apps by clicking icon on the bottom right.

Apps and interface: Combines CM9 and stock MIUI apps and interface.

CM9 apps: Camera
Stock MIUI: There's to many so I'll just mention the ones I like most :-)

Browser (automatically syncs to Google account). Learn to sync it to your Google Chrome here.
Music Player - Really cool interface. See screenshots below.
Gallery - organizes your photos very well. Shows your favorite (or most used) folders on bottom half of screen. See screenshots below.
Sound Recorder - this could come in handy... when ghost hunting. erm. And interviewing people.
Torch - turns your LED flash to a flashlight. Shortcut from lockscreen: Long press menu button while your phone is on standby.
Monitor - monitors data usage
AntiSpam - for blocking messages/calls from specific numbers)
News and Weather - location based

Gapps pre-installed: GMail, GTalk, Google Search, Google Maps & Navigation, Google Places, YouTube, Play Store
Other pre-installed apps: Superuser and Titanium Backup. AWESOME.

Other things I like.

Popup message notifications. Reply to messages easily even when using an app.
Adjust text size by going to Menu > Settings > Display > Font Size
Option to disable touch button actions though they'd still light up. As far as I know the option can only be accessed via Toggles of your Notifications Drawer.

Bugs & Cons

Note: Most bugs are caused by the limitations of MIUI ICS and CM9 which are still under development.

Each time your phone turns on, the "USB storage not in use" notification always shows up. Just press the back button to get rid of it.
When installing .apks (and installation from outside sources is allowed), it will tell you the app wasn't installed - BUT IT WAS.
Most themes won't work. Only those compatible to MIUI ICS do and there are very few. I was unable to find one. Still, you can change home screen wallpaper.
Unable to view external SD card using File Explorer. FIX: Use Astro Manager. From the /mnt/sdcard view select "Up" and then "emmc" to see files in your external SD. You can use other third-party file managers as well.
No option to turn off touch light buttons.

Verdict

Unlike previous versions, AdyScorpius MIUI is now beginning to resemble MIUI ICS more than CM9. The simplicity of its interface is what draws me most to it. To tell you quite honestly, too much tweaking gives me a headache and this custom ROM gives me a break from all that. If you want a simple and everything-ready interface like iOS, I recommend this one over original MIUI for SGS2 (which is based on those buggy-as-hell Sammy ROMs). It's stable, reliable, and works great as a daily ROM.

For downloads and installation guide, please check the original XDA thread :-) And don't forget to check out the screenshots below!

Screenshots

Review: Hydrog3nics (HyDr0G3N-ICS) For SGS2

2012-04-03T04:53:00.002+08:00

Hydrog3nics is a custom ICS ROM based on AOKP (Android Open Kang Project). If you like the stunning UI of CM9, Hydrog3nics doesn't look any different. When it comes to customization and better control of your SGS2, Hydrog3nics is one of your best bets.

Mod version reviewed in this post: April 01, 2012

Developers: @Paradoxxx_1337 and @NetchipTI. Don't forget to follow them on Twitter!

Image source: HyDr0G3N-ICS XDA Thread

What works & Pros

What works: WiFi, autorotate, send and receive messages, receive and make calls, camera, video capture (1080p), full HD video playback, USB debugging
Lock screen: You can change lockscreen text color, style, and a whole lot of things by going to Settings > ROM Control > Lockscreen Options. If ever the icons get disarranged when you switch between styles, change Lockscreen Targets on the bottom of Lockscreen Options.
Home Screen

Clean UI + pure ICS icons
Interactive widgets like in Honeycomb
Resizable widgets

Apps Drawer

Apps are arranged alphabetically
Browse through apps and widgets continuously

Status Bar

Blue battery status icon and clock. Change clock display by going to Settings > ROM Control > Clock
Show day of the week on status bar - just awesome.
Change clock position - SERIOUSLY? COOL!
You can even change the clock color.
Change battery icon style - text, icon with text, and many more!
Change battery bar thickness and color -__- Wow.
Okay, basically you can change every icon on the status bar by going to Settings > ROM Control. They are all under Status Bar.

Notifications Drawer

Adjust brightness or switch to auto-brightness mode
Quick press Settings icon to hide/show toggles
Long press Settings icon to access settings
Quick press toggles to activate them
Long press toggles to access individual settings for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Autorotate
Swipe to individually remove notifications, press X on top right to clear all notifications
Change toggle styles, arrange toggles order, and choose which toggles to display by going to Settings > ROM Control > Toggles

Recent Apps View - Enable by going to Settings > ROM Control > Nav Bar > Enable long press home menu :-)
Settings

The same Holo theme as CM9 but with something different - ROM Control. Check below for what ROM Control has to offer.

Apps - Camera, Gallery, Music, Messages, Contacts, Phone Dialer, and Internet Browser are all similar to CM9. Listed below are their notable features.

Camera: Take panorama photos
Gallery: Loads fast. Edit photos by selecting a photo and clicking the menu button. Then select "Edit". Really love this about ICS :-)
Music: Google Music, has sound effects/equalizer
Internet browser: When you sync your SGS2 to Google (and given that you set Google Chrome to sync bookmarks), saved bookmarks on your Google Chrome browser will be synced to your phone. Click here to find out how to do this.

ROM Control (Too many to mention so I'll just name those I found interesting and confirmed to work)

Disable boot animation
Add navigation bar (with even more customization settings)
Change lockscreen style
Show battery percentage on lockscreen
Use power button as flashlight when screen is turned off
Enable "slide across status bar" to change display brightness.
Change every icon on the status bar by going to Settings > ROM Control. They are all under Status Bar. THIS HAS GOT TO BE MY FAVE FEATURE.
And now my second favorite feature: OVERCLOCKING & UNDERCLOCKING. Go to Settings > ROM Control > Performance and choose between 100 to 1600MHz.

Trebuchet Settings

Basically similar to CM9.
Edit number of home screens
Choose default screen
Change transition effect
Show page indicator
And so on...

Bugs & Cons

CWM isn't pre-installed. Backups and restores have to made manually via ClockWorkmod Recovery.
Sometimes, it takes a while to wake up the phone after turning off the display and phone locks itself.
Cannot change lockscreen wallpaper. Settings > ROM Control > Lockscreen Options > Change lockscreen wallpaper force closes.
Can't remove vibrate/haptic feedback on lockscreen. I find it annoying.
You can turn off the touch button lights by going to Galaxy S II Settings > Sensor > Check/Uncheck Enable keys backlight. However, it doesn't stay that way. You have to turn it off again eventually.

Verdict

Hydrog3nics for SGS2 is the most customizable ICS ROM I've tried to date. It gives you the power to tweak minor details like icons on the status bar, all the way to CPU speeds. I really enjoyed how detailed this ROM can get. And that's what makes this custom ROM special from all the others I've tried.

For now, please check the original XDA Thread for installation guide and latest release of Hydrog3nics.

Screenshots

The screenshots below are based on the preset customizations. You can further customize them by going to Settings > ROM Control. There's really too many of them to include here :-) I say you experiment how settings affect the user interface. Enjoy!

Review: Droid Comic Viewer For Android

2012-04-02T03:13:00.001+08:00

Last week, we saw two big games debut on Google Play - Angry Birds in Space and Temple Run for Android. While I enjoyed both games very well, my most frequently used app for the week was Droid Comic Viewer. And so today, I bring you my featured app of the week: Droid Comic Viewer by Robot Media. The app lets you view digital comic books on your Android, hassle-free.

[S]he Talks App Rating & Review

Droid Comic Viewer

by Robot Media

RATING: 5 out of 5.

Comic books have gone digital and distributed in a variety of formats. Droid Comic Viewer is an app designed to read these digital comic books, so you can follow your favorite comic series wherever on your Android device.

PROS:

Clean and simple interface
Supports CBZ/ZIP, ACV, CBR/RAR, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and image folders (long tap)
Go through pages by clicking the semi-transparent buttons on both ends of the bottom screen or by swiping from left to right (and vice versa).
Pinch screen to zoom in and out.
Automatically saves your progress in a book. Next time you launch the app, you will be taken to the same page you read last.
When you finish a comic book from the same series (example: Walking Dead, yay!), pressing the semi-transparent button on the right will take you to the next comic book found on the same folder. That means you can easily read book after book, without searching them all over again! :-)
Menu Options:

Switch to landscape mode
Go to: First, Previous, Next, Last
Views: Fit to screen (Zoom out), Zoom in, Fit width, Fit height, Actual size
Browse through all pages of the comic book and select which part you want to be taken to.
Share screen to social networking sites and other communication methods via the app.

Settings:

Open comic book from your internal or external SD card.
The last folder you opened will be saved so next time you search a comic book from the same series, you won't have trouble finding them. Just remember to organize your comic books in separate folders if you have too many.

CONS:

Honestly, didn't find anything nasty about Droid Comic Viewer. Sometimes, it doesn't load files and an error would appear. But this is because the comic you downloaded is corrupt. Redownloading them seems to fix that on most occasions.

FINAL VERDICT

If you want to read comic books on-the-go with your Android, Droid Comic Viewer seems to be the best candidate for that. Despite the lack of cool animation when flipping through pages, I give it a perfect 5 out of 5. For a free app, I'm impressed by its simple but fully functional interface which allowed me to finish 60 of the 90+ Walking Dead comic books in just two days of my free time.

[ Google Play Link ]

SCREENSHOTS

How To Sync Google Chrome To Your Android

2012-04-02T02:17:00.000+08:00

The ability to sync bookmarks across Google Chrome for PC and your Android device is made possible by your Google Account. It is possible to do this under two (known) scenarios: one, you could be using the beta release of Google Chrome for Android; two, your device is already running Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). You're probably wondering how you can sync your Google Chrome browser with your Google Account. Fret no more because I'm here to guide you step-by-step.

STEP 1: Click the Control button on the far right of your Google Chrome browser.

STEP 2: Scroll down and click "Sign in to Chrome..."

STEP 3: A new window will pop up on your Google Chrome and will ask you to sign into your Google Account. Remember to use the account used for your Android device.

Once signed in, you can opt to sync everything (Apps, Autofill, Bookmarks, Extension, Omnibox History, Passwords, Preferences, Themes, Open Tabs). You also have the option to choose which of these you will sync to your Android.

In a few minutes you should see Google Chrome bookmarks synced to your device. Don't forget to follow me for more tips and tricks for Android! It's @shetalksandroid on Twitter.