T-Mobile’s Galaxy S II Suffers From Incorrect Display Calibration

by Harold Williams on
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There is a discussion going on over at the XDA forums giving a very in-depth look at some screen problems T-Mobile’s S II is having compared to Sprint’s version. While we did our own review on T-Mobile’s S II, and having seen this beautiful screen myself first hand, no immediate problems were noticeable. The image you see above was taken with the camera shutter down to see things not visible by the naked eye. There are also two more shots after the break showing you what the screen will look like in person, one of which shows the poor contrast compared to Sprint’s. I did’t see any problems in person that would kill the deal for me owning this phone, but you’ll have to decide for yourself. The full thread can be seen over at XDA found after the break. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts right down there in the comments.

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Droid Razr: How The Heck Did They Fit It All In?

by Axl Logan on
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We know what you were thinking when the 7.1 mm thin Motorola Droid Razr was first unveiled, “how the heck did they fit everything in there?”  We were thinking the same thing, especially when they announced that there would be LTE radios on board.  Well, the good folks over at the Engadget Mobile team put together a little “under the hood” look with their go to guy, Francois Simond, who handles everything in the hardware hack dept.  Check out his findings below when he cracked that baby open.   » Read the rest

DROID RAZR Gets its Early Root On

by Stacy Bruce on
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By now you are definitely familiar with the Motorola DROID RAZR, one of the hot 4G LTE devices headed for Verizon. The RAZR will have some fierce competition with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the HTC Rezound. One positive aspect of the RAZR, like that of the Galaxy Nexus, it has recently been rooted, ready for your tinkering as soon as you get it home on November 11th.

The popular 1-click root tool that has been used on various Moto devices also works on the RAZR. As you can see in the photo below, the device has a # symbol after the owner typed in “su” in terminal emulator. This is great news, yes? But don’t forget, Motorola has unfortunately locked the bootloader for Verizon-bound devices.

How many of you have plans for this device to be your next?

[via DroidLife]

[Download] Galaxy Nexus Full System Dump Including Boot, Recovery Image

by Stacy Bruce on
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Looks like there is more good news for prospective Galaxy Nexus owners as our pals over at MoDaCo has a little treat for us that many of you will be happy to see. We are getting access to a full system dump from the Galaxy Nexus’ ICL23D build.

There should be a little something for everyone: apps, ringtones and wallpapers for the basic users and everything else including the boot recovery images for you dev types. It’s very likely that this won’t be the build that makes it into retail devices but if it’s just the multimedia your after, there shouldn’t be an issue. Add this to the recently discovered root method and we’re all set! Hit the source below for details and download links.

[via MoDaCo]

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Already Rooted!

by Roy Alugbue on
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(image courtesy of MoDaCo)

We already know about the most anticipated Android phone of the year. Even though the first Ice Cream Sandwich masterpiece has yet to land in stores, it hasn’t stopped MoDaCo’s Paul O’Brien from tweaking the phone. The crafty developer has created a “Superboot” program which installs a specialized boot image to the Galaxy Nexus. The significance you ask? Since the program roots at start up, there’s no need to flash partitions, no need to overwrite the shipped ROM on the phone– you literally set it and forget it!

To see the specifics of this wonderful piece of programming, hit the source link below. There you will find thorough and complete instructions as well as the necessary files to complete the root. Please note the developer specifically mentions that you will need to unlock the bootloader if you’re on a retail Galaxy Nexus. Oh but don’t worry, he provides instructions on how to unlock the bootloader if necessary too. Happy rooting!

[via MoDaCo]

Motorola Atrix 2 Gets Manual One Click Root Method [Courtesy of XDA]

by Stacy Bruce on
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Already got yourself the new Atrix 2? Feeling a little bit superuser-ish? Your in luck then! XDA forum member, jimmy273, has posted some instructions on how to root the new Motorola device. Jimmy273, being the modest man he is, doesn’t take full credit for this feat and passes some credentials on to p3droid for creating this method. All Jim did was use p3droid’s Bionic root method and tried it on his Atrix 2 and had success.

To see all the gritty details hit the source link below. There you will find full instructions and files needed to gain superuser status. Be sure to read the instructions thoroughly and check out what other forum members had to say. Good luck and happy rooting!

[via XDA forums]

Sprint Continues to Upset With the Blocking of WiFi Tethering Apps

by Stacy Bruce on
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It was a while back that carriers caught on and started blocking customers from downloading wireless tethering apps from the Android Market. You may still be able to tether via USB cable but the wireless method is now all but extinct. Sprint held out the longest allowing customers to use their phones in conjunction with a third-party app to serve as a free wireless hotspot. Those days are gone my friends, Sprint devices are now too blocked from downloading such apps from the Android Market.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise because the Now Network has already put a cap on 4G mobile hotspots and broadband usage, charging $.05 for every MB exceeded. If your device is rooted though, you still have an option for stickin’ it to the man. You can sideload the third-party apps by doing so directly from their websites, ie. WiFi Tether. So although it sucks and pisses us off, lets at least be thankful for all those great developers out there who always have our back in a pinch. Thanks guys, you rock!

[via Android Police]

Motorola Devices Receive Possible Permanent Root

by Stacy Bruce on
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A new root method for Motorola devices has shown up on the interweb claiming that it may be a permanent solution. There is still the possibility that Moto will patch this method closed in future updates but if you are already rooted you might as well give it a try. It should only take a matter of minutes to complete and will work on most Motorola devices including the Bionic, Droid 3 and Droid X. Before you can start you need to be rooted and in case you aren’t, the directions can be found here. Once you have root you will just need to change a few lines in your “mount_ext3.sh” file using Root Explorer. Hit the break for full instructions. » Read the rest

HTC Security Threat Round 2

by Spencer McClendon on
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HTC just can’t win. No sooner than having plugged one security hole, another has been discovered.  TrevE over at InfectedROM has demonstrated the security lapse and even made an app that exploited the the lapse. Check out the video below to see how he did it.  The new threat is for all HTC devices running with the WiMax radio. (Yes Sprint customers that means you.)  The report states a malicious app can read your 4G network settings and even shut down the connection all together.  HTC and Sprint just released an update a few days ago to fix an issue with the Sense UI security holes. HTC makes some amazing phones but if they keep having security issues, I wonder if they can still lure customers in.  Are you an HTC/Sprint customer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Liberty ROM Released for DROID 3 and Bionic

by Roy Alugbue on
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So you own a DROID 3 or a Bionic, but hate BLUR? Today is your lucky day. Kejar31 and Jrummy16 at RootzWiki have released their Liberty ROM to the general public. This attractive ROM features apps built from source, an attractive yellow and black theme and custom add-ons such as the Liberty Customizer (enabling you to add back BLUR apps). Hit the break to see full instructions for both the DROID 3 and Bionic from RootzWiki as well as screenshots of the attractive ROM in action.

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