The team over at Paranoid Android has announced they are open sourcing their HALO project. HALO brings Facebook Chat Heads-like notification functionality to Android apps, one of the few features of Facebook’s Home interface that actually received a positive response from users. Along with floating the notification on the screen on top of open applications, the HALO project gives users the ability to interact with app in a limited matter, like sending a response to a message. » Read the rest
If you’re an avid root/modder in the Android community then rooting tool-kits should be nothing new to you. Today an all-in-one root plus recovery installer has been made available for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4. The instructions seems relatively easy (if you’re familiar with this kind of stuff), so just make sure you follow the directions thoroughly.
Not too long ago, an unlock tool was released for some Motorola devices that used Qualcomm processors. Well, it turns out that unlocking hack still works on newer Qualcomm devices, including the variant of the Galaxy S 4 with the Snapdragon 600 chip. So if you’re planning on picking up a new Galaxy S 4 this weekend, you won’t have to wait for a root method.
The downside is that there are no stock images or custom recoveries available for the device yet, so if you brick the device in the root process, you’re completely out of luck. OTA updates will also likely mess up root. Fortunately, it’s a pretty safe bet that this is going to be a popular device, so it shouldn’t take long before some recoveries and ROMs start popping up. Until then, though, root at your own risk. » Read the rest
Are you the proud owner of a new HTC One? Is your only complaint the weird button layout? Developer tbalden at XDA may be able to solve your problem with his new kernel tweak which turns the HTC button into a sleep button (which also enables the home button to wake the device) or a menu button, depending on your preference.
This little tweak is possible since the digitizer of the HTC One extends a bit under the HTC button, which allows a different function to be assigned to it with a custom kernel. Currently, the hack isn’t 100% functional, and there’s been a tiny amount of weird behavior with it, but it’s definitely going to be a great mod as it’s further developed and tweaked. Hit the break below to check out the forum post to get the mod working on your shiny new phone.
source: XDA
ES File Explorer has been on my phone for a long time. I love using it to manipulate and move files to and from various folders and the like. My only complaint was that the UI seemed a bit outdated and didn’t fit with the Holo style that the later versions of Android brought to the table. The devs must have read my mind though because they posted a test build of the newest version of the file manager sporting a new Holo-style theme. While it is marked for testing purposes, the app appears to be pretty solid. I have yet to see a hiccup in the short time that I’ve used it.
For those that are interested in tinkering with the app, you can download it or read up on it from the source link below. I’ve included a gallery past the break so that you can see the new UI in action. It should hit the Play Store sometime soon barring any major bugs. As far as I can tell though, it’s pretty close to a final product.
Sure we’re all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the hottest smartphone of the year, but that hasn’t stopped the gang at XDA from bringing the world glorious root capabilities. That’s why the gang has gone ahead and showcased its ROM is packaged with ROOT&Busybox into an image flashable via Odin. As exciting as it is to see the Galaxy S 4 being on its way to truly realizing its full potential, the gang at XDA highlights that the root method is only for the octa-core Exynos 5 variant of the smartphone, meaning the rest of us who will be on the Snapdragon version will be out of luck… for now at least.
Now if we can only get some certainty that we’ll get some custom goodies taking advantage of the Galaxy S 4′s root, we’ll be in business.
source: XDA
HTC Sense 5 was debuted in the Taiwanese company’s latest flagship device, the HTC One, and brings a much updated UI. While HTC hinted at a few phones receiving Sense 5, the Droid DNA was left out. Since it’s a fairly new device, the upgrade will happen at some point, but if you can’t wait, a developer by the username newtoroot has you covered. Porting Sense 5 to the Droid DNA has begun and a ROM is available. Everything is working except MMS and Zoe which is HTC’s new feature that allows you to snap still images and record HD video simultaneously. » Read the rest
Do you have an HTC Droid DNA, One XL, or One S? A few developers over on XDA have been hard work on a new little trick for you that will achieve S-Off on your device. All you need is a working ADB and fastboot to work with, as well as your locked device. Droid DNA users will also need SuperCID, which could be an issue if you’ve accepted the latest OTA update, but the developers have already promised a fix in the works for those users. Like always with experimental stuff like this, bricks can happen. If you’re not comfortable doing it, you shouldn’t do it at all. With that being said, if you’re ready to get your hands dirty, hit the link below to dive in.
source: XDA
One of the main reasons people choose to go with Android is because of the customization of the OS. With features like custom app launchers and widgets, Android is widely regarded as the favorable OS for anyone looking to make their smartphone or tablet exactly the way they want to. Due to the open-source nature of Android, many users look to do what is known as “rooting”. “Rooting” is essentially getting to the bare system of the device and unlocking the potential of your smartphone or tablet by use of super-user permissions.
Depending on your phone, carrier and manufacturer, the process of rooting your phone could be either extremely easy or extremely tiresome. Luckily there are developers who’s mission is to create a seamless and user-friendly ways of rooting devices and bringing custom ROMs, or custom user interfaces to your device. » Read the rest
Owners of some Android devices, in particular the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Nexus, may have noticed a bug that causes their device to have trouble transitioning between different WiFi access points when access points overlap. XDA Forum member felixchris has put together a hack that addresses one of three possible ways the bug manifests itself. According to felixchris, the three ways that users may experience the bug include: » Read the rest