Database Users

[Q] Intro and a uple ??s

Hi people,
I am a noob as far as Android goes, but I am pretty good at PC stuff. I run a 3D CAD department and I've been the "unofficial" tech guy at every job I've had in the last 10 years.
That being said, I just got the HTC Hero from Sprint last weekend, Android 2.1, update 1. I have always wanted to play with Linux but have never really had the time. So, this is my first encounter with Android or Linux.
So ..... , as much as I'd love to root the phone, I'm afraid to brick it. Is there any way to get rid of all the bloatware without rooting my phone? Also, what are the chances of bricking the phone? I've read a couple "how to root" articles on the net and it doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but I LOVE this phone so far (other than battery life) and I honestly can't afford to go buy a new one at full price if I end up killing my phone.
Another question; I've seen a few people in other posts who have the HTC Hero and say they're running 2.2. How is this done? Is this something else that I would need to root the phone to accomplish?
Also, I just ordered an 8GB microSD card. My laptop has a card slot, so I'm figuring I can put the new card in the slot, connect my phone via USB, and copy everything on the phone to the new 8GB card, then just swapping the cards.
Am I correct thinking this should be as simple as it sounds, or is there more involved?
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, and I look forward to reading/posting here on a regular basis.
Thanks,
Eric Mortenson

Hey, welcome to XDA!
It is VERY HARD to brick this phone, so don't worry....about the only way we've seen that is by flashing a GSM radio to it, so just don't do that and you'll be fine trying anything else.
There are a couple rooting methods here, and there won't be any problems at all as long as you follow the instructions. It's not as daunting as it may first seem. You do have to root to get rid of bloatware, it can't be done without rooting. I recommend this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572 although there are 'one-click' and 'universal' methods out there too.
The ones running Android 2.2 are doing it through a custom ROM called Cyanogenmod. Check out the Development section to find it. It doesn't have the HTC Sense UI though, so it will look and feel different than your stock 2.1. But lots of people here are using it and loving it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755795
And yes, you should just be able to swap out the SD cards with no problems.

chromiumleaf
Thanks for the quick and helpful reply. It is greatly appreciated.
I think I am going to try to root my phone. Pre-installed "bloatware" on PCs is one of my biggest pet peeves. So, the biggest reason I have right now for rooting my phone is to get rid of the stuff I don't want/need/use.
I will probably leave the 2.1 on the phone because I love the phone so far and if as you say, it will look and feel different. Maybe I'll keep digging through the site and change my mind later. Thanks for the "heads up".
Please do me one favor, and I hate to sound ignorant (I did say earlier I was new at this), but what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Sorry, tried doing a search so I wouldn't have to bother you but I'm just not sure.
Thanks again.
Eric

Eric_1966_FXE said:
...what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To "flash" some code means to burn it into your phone's read-only memory. A number of things can be flashed to your phone's memory, including the radio operating code, high-level operating system code, and "kernel" (system "core") code.
What the poster meant by "flashing a GSM radio" is "downloading the code that operates the phone's radio". Our Sprint Hero phones have what is called CDMA radio hardware, while European Hero phones have GSM radio hardware. The two different radios are not compatible with each other's operating code. So if you ever download ("flash") the wrong radio code (GSM code) into your CDMA phone, that will render your radio inoperative, which will effectively brick your phone.
With that in mind, just read carefully any information relating to any system code you're considering flashing to your phone, and make SURE it's for a CDMA phone, and you'll be fine.

I loved sense and was all against even trying an aosp rom( vanilla/ stock android), but once I flashed CM6 and found beautiful widgets and launcher pro plus and dialer one I haven't looked back. The speed of my phone and the overall appearance is far better than Sense UI. Rooting the 2.1 is far easier than it was when I got mine. You had to download and type in a whole bunch of crap, now its as easy as installing an app and running it.

Thanks
Thank you to all three of you for your quick (and more importantly useful) answers.
You guys are awesome.

Go for it
I have 4 Hero's here at my home on a family plan,and mine is the only one running CM6-RC1 and they are all jealous. Every one that has a Hero at work or a different Android running 2.1 that has seen mine including a few Evo users loves the way mine looks and how fast it is. I thought in the beginning I wouldn't want to loose Sense and feared I would brick my phone as well,but these guys here are great and are a very supportive Hero community and walked me through the process. It is a lot easier now with the universal 1 click method than before,so that was what I did. The nice thing is if you do everything correctly,you can revert right back to you stock phone if you ever have to take it in for service.
Taking your time and researching all of this pretty good before deciding what to do is a good thing,but I can honestly say, there is so much more you can do once you unlock your phone than just downloading apps and bloat ware...you can actually make it work and do what you want it to do.
The chiefs here at XDA are working hard to bring us stable working Roms for everyday use,and I tip my hat to all of them and I certainly am loving how my Hero is now compared to what it was when it was stock.The RC-1 build I am running is awesome and (knock wood) haven't crashed 1x with it where I needed to do anything nor have I had any shutdowns or unexpected forced closed programs that were installed correctly.
So I say... Don't be afraid and just go for it.. you can still have it similar to what it is now,or you can see what aosp is all about like many here have and try it.That's the beauty of Rooting...YOU have the choice of what is on your phone..not someone else.
Good Luck
Mac

Thanks Mac
And Thank you to all who responded.
Like I said in my intro, I am a tech geek when it comes to PCs but this is my first venture into this kind of forum.
You have all been extremely helpful and have made me feel welcome.
I only hope that I can return the favor at some point to others on XDA.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Thanks again,
Eric

[Q] about kernels and devs

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I did search and found nothing:
I had an Inc. before, and traded to the X for the screen, and physical buttons which I like.
However, as we all know the X blows in comparison to the Inc. in terms of development; so I have to ask since I'm trying to decide what to do:
1) Is the kernel responsible for preventing us from things like notification toggles, notification recent apps, etc... ?
2) When Gingerbread/Ice Cream comes out, are we pretty much at moto's will w/o being able to modify the kernel?
3) What are the chances of seeing CM6 on the X specifically? I'd love to see it, but am no longer hopeful I guess
4) I saw that ccvp (or something like that) was able to hijack moto's init. Is this pretty much dead, or is there still work for it?
I don't really care that birdman stopped dev work on the X (he was responsible for a lot, i know) but will tear if more devs switch to other phones.
Any Ideas?
Again, sorry if all this was already covered.
P.S. I have programming, and Java experience so I WAS thinking to start trying to do some sort of cracking on this myself, but too afraid to brick my only phone

dreamersipaq said:
Sorry if this has been asked before, but I did search and found nothing:
I had an Inc. before, and traded to the X for the screen, and physical buttons which I like.
However, as we all know the X blows in comparison to the Inc. in terms of development; so I have to ask since I'm trying to decide what to do:
1) Is the kernel responsible for preventing us from things like notification toggles, notification recent apps, etc... ?
2) When Gingerbread/Ice Cream comes out, are we pretty much at moto's will w/o being able to modify the kernel?
3) What are the chances of seeing CM6 on the X specifically? I'd love to see it, but am no longer hopeful I guess
4) I saw that ccvp (or something like that) was able to hijack moto's init. Is this pretty much dead, or is there still work for it?
I don't really care that birdman stopped dev work on the X (he was responsible for a lot, i know) but will tear if more devs switch to other phones.
Any Ideas?
Again, sorry if all this was already covered.
P.S. I have programming, and Java experience so I WAS thinking to start trying to do some sort of cracking on this myself, but too afraid to brick my only phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The inability to boot a custom kernel is the one and only roadblock to full custom ROMs like Cyanogenmod. And while I would never say 'never', I would not count on a hack showing up soon. Just go check in on the Milestone people (same bootloader)
Having said that, I would encourage you to go look at what's being done in the dev subforum. Roms like Tranquility, Apex, Zapx and the early Rubix roms are very solid, but removing much of the blur stuff.
Most recently, Fission & Rubix 1.0 are building just about the entire base from AOSP, using almost none of the motorola blur overhead.
Also, hacks have been recently released to overclock the processor.
All in All,there are certainly some limitations imposed by the kernel situation, but there is also still quite a bit happening.

I'd also like to add that it is virtually impossible to truly brick the DX now since the official OTA 2.2 SBF has been leaked.
The only thing we don't have on the DX is custom kernels. However, with all we do have at our disposal, I don't really care at all. I can fully theme, overclock, use all the root apps, etc...
I don't know whether or not the DX will get Gingerbread. It certainly is a possibility. However, I will be upgrading to the newer device designed for Gingerbread. When I say this, I mean a phone that's display can do 1024 by 720 resolution. Also, many of the top-end upcoming phones are going to have autostereoscopic 3D displays. Did I mention that many Gingerbread phones will have dual-core CPUs and GPUs with graphics which rival the PS3 and xBox 360? Well, they will
Remember, Verizon is going to probably do the same thing they did with the DX. They will let people get the 2-year account renewal price for the best upcoming phone even if you just renewed your 2-year contract this year. If someone renewed their contract with the DX and got it for $199, they will be able to do the same thing in December/January with the top-end Gingerbread phone most likely for $199 too

[Q] Rooting my Note3, what and how now?

Hey guys, just a quick question. Please please excuse me for I am definitely a noob, but I've done some research about rooting and what it offers yet I still don't know how to use it. It feels much like learning how to drive a stick... understanding in theory, but difficult in application until practice. My note 3 is rooted, but I still have no idea what and how much I can do from here. Not to mention, while I'm doing research and trying to educate myself, there are some names and terms I do not understand. Anyway, let me just write some of the questions I have in a list:
1) Cyanogenmod. Is it available for verizon note 3 running 4.3? I keep getting search results that there are while the cyanogenmod website itself doesn't offer it? I also got a Nexus 7 to try to expand my knowledge in this field, and it does have cyanogenmod installed. Now, to my understanding, it runs side by side with the Android OS while it basically strips the device's bloatware, giving you the pure, simple, raw experience of Android OS. If I were to install cyanogenmod to the note 3, how would it affect the camera functions and the s pen functions? The reason why I ask about the camera is because using my Nexus's camera and looking at some youtube videos of note 2's with cyanogenmod, it seems like it would actually be a downgrade from the note 3's stock camera. And as far as the S pen goes, I've realized that I would lose the action notes, s notes, and sketchbook for galaxy apps, wouldn't I? How could I go around that?
2) Flashing ROMS. What exactly does this do? All I can find is that it allows me to customize my phone, but I don't seem to understand to what extent.
3) Kernels. What are these?
Lol, so sorry for such basic questions. But I would really really appreciate your patience and information!

CyanogenMod is unofficially available for the Note 3. Not everything works. CyanogenMod is a ROM that changes the software on the phone. It's a more customized version of Android, and very close to "stock". If you use CyanogenMod however, you will lose your S-Pen and it's features, along with all of the other TouchWiz features of the phone (gestures, split screen, etc.). The S-pen will act as a basic mouse pointer. CyanogenMod is not pure AOSP, it's quite far from it. It's similar, but very different from a pure Google experience. It's really a beast of it's own in my opinion, and is now a stand alone company that will seek to profit off of the ROM (likely by coming standard on some devices). That's not to say it isn't good, I run it on most of my other devices but on the Note 3, without the S-Pen it's just a big phone.
ROM's are customized versions of Android typically created by a developer or group of developers. The features of each ROM will change. A 4.3 TouchWiz rom might remove all of the carrier bloat (applications not likely used, but run in the background and offer little no actual use to anyone). They'll also provide enhancements and tweaks that make life a little easier like a quick-access flashlight tied to your volume up button, or the ability to remove certain icons from the notification panel, a batter percentage indicator in the notification panel, removing the exchange security permissions, or just general speed improvements over the factory settings. There are many advantages to a ROM and once you use them you'll likely never go back to stock. The ROM features are typically listed in the ROM's topic.
There are many ROM's out there for many different devices, so make sure you only install one that is made for your phone. You'll also hear about AOSP ROM's, these are stock or close-to-stock versions of Android, typically found on Nexus devices. The way Google intended Android to be used.
Android uses a Linux Kernal. It's a customized version of Linux. It's the base operating system behind Android. Similar to ROM's, different kernals can offer different levels of customization, however they won't be as prevalent as a ROM since they deal more with the core of the operating system. The Kernal will manage the drivers for all the different components of the phone, like your radios (how you receive a phone signal), your sensors, camera, CPU, etc. Be especially careful when changing Kernals, it can drastically affect your phone, and possibly permanently.
I'll put in the caveat that this is my understanding, and may not be 100% accurate. People are welcome to correct my mistakes and misunderstandings I may have =)
I hope you find it helpful!

Thank you for your response and information!
Okay, so I guess Cyanogenmod for the Note 3 is not an option for me since I enjoy using my S pen (I mean, why else would I have gotten the phone in the first place haha)
Could you direct me to some useful ROMs or recommend me some? The thing is, I had the Motorola Droid as my first smartphone and never really got into rooting or anything, and when I got the iPhone 4s, that's when I started learning about jailbreaking and got pretty good at it too. Now that I'm back to Android and learning about root, I've realized just how.. simple and basic jailbreaking is compared to rooting. So, would these ROMs be similar to tweaks you can get from the Cydia store in, let's say, behavior of the phone?
I don't think I would want to mess with kernels for a long while either, not until I get more acquainted with rooting in general.

ch0i said:
Thank you for your response and information!
Okay, so I guess Cyanogenmod for the Note 3 is not an option for me since I enjoy using my S pen (I mean, why else would I have gotten the phone in the first place haha)
Could you direct me to some useful ROMs or recommend me some? The thing is, I had the Motorola Droid as my first smartphone and never really got into rooting or anything, and when I got the iPhone 4s, that's when I started learning about jailbreaking and got pretty good at it too. Now that I'm back to Android and learning about root, I've realized just how.. simple and basic jailbreaking is compared to rooting. So, would these ROMs be similar to tweaks you can get from the Cydia store in, let's say, behavior of the phone?
I don't think I would want to mess with kernels for a long while either, not until I get more acquainted with rooting in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well first thing you need is safestrap so you can actually flash a ROM link here
This allows you to create limited size slots to flash a ROM to without effecting the stock ROM. There is a way around the size limitation of the slots, but I wouldn't worry about that yet. Just get a feel for it first before you risk bricking.
As for a ROM, head on over to the android development section and pick one. They all have great descriptions of what they have and what they don't. Personally I run hyperdrive and it makes a great daily driver. Still has enough of the original Samsung stuff to look like a Note 3 but allows you to tweak it much further. There are plenty others, and that's the beauty of safestrap, flash to your heart a content until you find one you like.
Kernals aren't something to worry about yet because the boot loader is still locked, limiting our ability to flash a kernal or a custom recovery at that. Unless something has changed that is... Has it? Did it get unlocked while I was asleep.
I you ever get stuck, search then ask. You might also want to read about ODIN here. since you're already rooted some of this doesn't pertain to you, but is still a good read as ODIN will help you recover from some problems.
Hope that helped.

blksprk said:
Well first thing you need is safestrap so you can actually flash a ROM link here
This allows you to create limited size slots to flash a ROM to without effecting the stock ROM. There is a way around the size limitation of the slots, but I wouldn't worry about that yet. Just get a feel for it first before you risk bricking.
As for a ROM, head on over to the android development section and pick one. They all have great descriptions of what they have and what they don't. Personally I run hyperdrive and it makes a great daily driver. Still has enough of the original Samsung stuff to look like a Note 3 but allows you to tweak it much further. There are plenty others, and that's the beauty of safestrap, flash to your heart a content until you find one you like.
Kernals aren't something to worry about yet because the boot loader is still locked, limiting our ability to flash a kernal or a custom recovery at that. Unless something has changed that is... Has it? Did it get unlocked while I was asleep.
I you ever get stuck, search then ask. You might also want to read about ODIN here. since you're already rooted some of this doesn't pertain to you, but is still a good read as ODIN will help you recover from some problems.
Hope that helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It did! Thank you very much!

ch0i said:
It did! Thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only option with Safestrap and therefore on newer Verizon Note 3's is a ROM based on stock, so Cyanogenmod isn't an option at all.
I would consider Hyperdrive. Enhanced app windowing options, Xposed framework to get rid of earphone hearing damage warning and never ending reminder about how to clear default apps and tons of little customizations. Getting rid of boot sound is reason enough for me.
Other things on your checklist whether you get a custom ROM or not is Adaware, which you can download on xda to block ads. Need Titanium Backup to back up apps with data, something you can't do without root and very useful when switching ROMs or phones. Lots of other useful tools like Root Explorer on Google Play. If you stick with your stock ROM, do the mod to allow free tethering for Wi-Fi.
Since you like your S Pen, you need Pen Window Manager, available on Play to choose for yourself which apps can run in a pen window. That was one of the big reasons I wanted to root this phone.
By the way, once you find a ROM you like, it's best to nandroid back it up, backup the stock ROM for safety, then restore your custom ROM to the Safestrap stock slot. The ROM 1-4 slots have limited storage so not great long term solution if you have a lot of apps, etc.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Kyocer Hydro Life Android Development?

Please forgive me if I am in the wrong place. I am trying to figure out where I should post my questions. First off is does anyone know if Kit Kat will be coming to Metro PCS Hydro life any time soon. I have heard that Kyocera has already released an update to Metro. I had a kernel update not too long ago.
So is the the place to ask for android development on the Kyocera Hydro Life? If not, where? Also if there is no interest in developing for a $50-$30 water resistant and impact resistant phone with a quad core and 1.5 gb ram and a qHD screen and an 8gb rom space and expandable 32gb sd card and I have no clue as to why??? I understand this is no Nexus 6 but it is a cool budget phone and the stock software is rather poor. It works but really I would love just a stock kit kat or lolipop on this phone. A custom kernel and rom could really make this thing fly for the cost. I think as a dev it is really an engineering challenge to make a stock device with some strengths and limitations really show its potential. SO please some dev somewhere try to help unlock the bootloader and give us the freedom to really use our phone!
My second question as a total newb to android development is with all the tutorials and reading it is a lot of information so if I was to try and attempt to unlock the bootloader and develop a recovery in a very easy to understand way I would love some help. know there are guides but I have serious add issues and to try and sift through I will simply get lost. I have had so much help from the XDA community and reaped so many benefits I figure it is my time to try to give back but it would be really helpful for me to get a clue on where to begin and go from there! You can pm me or post here if that is o.k. and maybe others who may be interested could try too. At first I think a custom recovery and unlocking the bootloader would be as far as I would like to go so I do not get to ahead of myself.
So I thank you to anyone who can either help me learn what I need to get the bootloader unlocked and write a custom recovery or ideally a experienced Dev who could take up the cause. I am grateful for any help on this!! Thanks!
Robert

Also a Hydro Life Enthusiast!
Hello Robbbzilla,
Thank you for posting that question, I also have a Kyocera Hydro Life, which over not so much time went down in value and now is discontinued on the network I used (metropcs). Which in and of itself, baffles me because it is probably the Best budget friendly phone I have ever had. I enjoy this phone so much that instead of upgrading to the next best thing, I have bought 3 of these off of people on Craigslist instead. Well worth it in my book. Any how, I am on my 4th one now and it's not because they always break or freeze up, or become sluggish or for any other phone problem, its because this particular phone has been stolen 3 times from me, and lost once!
On this particular phone (which I am using now) I decided I'd try the whole root idea which worked fantastic, however, I am still looking for a custom ROM and Kernel.
So my question to you is, Did you ever figure this out? Or did Anyone help you out with finding one?
I know this post was from a little while ago but would REALLY Appreciate ANY insight you or anyone else may have.
Again, thank you for such a clear, and well articulated question!
Keona

Rooting and recovery questions.

hey everyone! Glad to be back in XDA developer forums.
I've come here several times, finding fixes, roots, modifications, and themes, on my older phones. First and LG is theme, and then a galaxy S3, both of which I learned how to install recovery, superuser, root and kernel, from people like PlayfulGod.
This time around, I feel like I'm a Little More up with the curve, in that my new Moto X pure 2015 is slated to arrive any day now.
my questions are as follows:
I am wondering if there a legitimate reason, to install recovery, and to root this phone.
I was told by many people that is what they are calling a "pure android experience" meaning there's not a lot of bloatware to get rid of if any, but before I listen to a lot more of this, I thought I would check in with you guys first. Generally speaking, I like custom boot animations, overclocking when possible with kernels and CPU controllers, and the ability to dump anything I don't like, so long as it will not make the phone stopped working. What I'm wondering is:
Will there be a list of apps that I can get rid of?
Will I need to route the phone, to install a custom boot animation, and are there any existing that I can use the phone
What would the advantages of rooting this phone be?
Thank you, and thanks for such a great group of developers. You guys saved my asked several times with old phones, maybe now with the new Moto X pure I will build to keep up a little better. LOL. Thanks again
:laugh: