Flash the Droid X back to the Froyo 2.3.340 Stock ROM

Brandon Orndorff
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0

For those of you with a Droid X that have either rooted it and want to put it back to stock or upgraded to Gingerbread and realized you lost root here are the instructions. Keep in mind that when flashing back to the stock Froyo ROM you will lose all data so backup before you follow the instructions.

Instructions to flash the Droid X to Stock Froyo 2.3.340 ROM:

  1. Download and Install RSD Lite (Download Link)
  2. Run RSD Lite on your computer
  3. Plug your Device into a Windows PC
  4. Turn your Droid X off
  5. Boot into the Droid X Bootloader (volume up + camera + power)
  6. Your Droid may or may not install drivers at this point
  7. Wait for RSD Lite to recognize your phone
  8. hit the “…” button and load 2.3.340 SBF file (Download Link)
  9. Click Start
  10. Once its 100% complete turn off your Droid X
  11. Boot your Droid X into Recovery Mode (home + power)
  12. When you get a triangle hit the search button
  13. Navigate to wipe data/factory reset and select it with camera
  14. Say yes and reboot your phone
  15. Congrats your back on the Stock Froyo 2.3.340 ROM

Locate your Lost or Stolen Android Phone

Brandon Orndorff
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1
Locate your Lost or Stolen Android Phone

Find a lost or stolen android phone

If your Android phone has been lost or stolen and you have no tracking installed have no fear it can still be tracked. There is an app called “Plan B” that can be remotely installed after the phone is lost or stolen.

What Plan B does is allow you to login to the Android Market Web interface and install it remotely. After this is done the app will immediately send your phones coordinates to your gmail account, it will track and send you messages for 10 minutes. If you can’t get to your phone and need to track it again all you need to do is text “Locate” to your phone and it will start the process again.

Those of you who have already lost your phone (hopefully the battery isn’t dead yet) give it a shot. If your phone was stolen and it hasn’t been too long since do it now. Please let us know if this has helped you find your phone.

Viewsonic ViewPad 10Pro Tablet (Windows 7 & Android 2.3)

Brandon Orndorff
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0
Viewsonic ViewPad 10Pro Tablet (Windows 7 & Android 2.3)

Viewsonic ViewPad 10Pro
Viewsonic is talking about their ViewPad 10Pro and the fact that it will be a Windows 7 Tablet that will use Bluestack’s Virtual Android to run Android 2.3 within Windows. This will mean that you can tap an app to switch between Windows and Android OS.

The Tablet doesn’t seem to be very impressive with a 1.5 GHz Intel powered processor that I see no way of keeping up with the high end quad-core tablets that will be hitting the market soon. While this tablet seems to be impressive running the two operating systems I would surely wait to handle one before thinking about a purchase.

ViewPad® 10pro Delivers the Best of Both Worlds in a 10.1″ Tablet, Offering a True Dual Windows® and AndroidTM OS Experience

WALNUT, CA–(Marketwire – Aug 15, 2011) – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced its latest 10.1″ Windows® and Google Android™ dual OS tablet — the ViewPad 10pro.

The ViewPad 10pro is one of the first tablet solutions to be powered by the new 1.5GHz Intel®Atom™ processor Z670. Designed specifically for tablets, this new CPU minimizes power consumption, while enabling smaller and thinner product designs. Partnered with a 1024×600 capacitive multi-touch panel, ViewPad 10pro users can enjoy impressive Full HD 1080p video playback, fast Internet browsing and longer battery life, without sacrificing on performance. Paired with 2GB of integrated memory, the ViewPad 10pro is the optimal mobile computing powerhouse.

“We listened to our customers. We made the ViewPad 10pro dual OS interface as quick and intuitive as possible, while partnering with industry CPU leader Intel to deliver the latest in design and innovation across all fronts,” said Michael Holstein, vice president of business development, ViewSonic.

Tailored for business users, the ViewPad 10pro makes it even easier to enjoy a dual OS experience within a single tablet. Android 2.3 runs as an application on top of the Windows 7 operating system so users need to simply tap on the Android icon to make a seamless switch between business productivity and ultimate entertainment. Throw in the built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, an HDMI out for content sharing, a 1.3 megapixel built-in front camera and a high capacity battery for up to 8 hours of battery life, and you get the ViewPad 10pro — a fully optimized, true dual OS tablet to keep users connected.

“The new Intel Atom processor-based tablet from ViewSonic is a cool, and distinguished product that brings a personalized and flexible experience,” said Bill Kircos, general manager of marketing for Intel’s Netbook and Tablet Group. “Our Intel platform supports multiple operating systems, and this tablet shows how consumers can move between Windows and Android experiences in a way that offers rich graphics, high-definition audio, easy Internet browsing and longer battery life in a slick form factor.”

To ensure the ViewPad 10pro grows with each person’s individual needs, the device offers expandable storage options via a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of additional space. The dual OS ViewPad 10pro is available in two configurations — with Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD hard drive) and Android 2.3 for an ESP of $699, or with Windows 7 Home Premium (with a 16GB SSD hard drive) and Android 2.3 for an ESP of $599. A custom docking station accessory is also available for an ESP of $59. Both tablet configurations will be widely available in late August, with limited numbers currently available.

The Viewsonic ViewPad 10Pro will be focused on business use although with all of the other high end tablets out there we cant be sure how it will do. Only time will tell so we will keep our eyes peeled and try to get our hands on one when available to give a more detailed review.

MIT Keeps Google’s App Inventor Alive

Brandon Orndorff
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0
MIT Keeps Google’s App Inventor Alive

Massachusettes Institute of Technology Logo

We recently mentioned that Google was placing App Inventor with Google Labs in the R.I.P area of the digital world. Google did however mention that they would open source the App Inventor project to anyone willing to take it on. MIT has decided to take that role with their new Center for Mobile learning which will be housed in the MIT Media Lab.

Professor of Computer Science, Hal Abelson at MIT had a few words:

App Inventor for Android—a programming system that makes it easy for learners to create mobile apps for Android smartphones—currently supports a community of about 100,000 educators, students and hobbyists. Through the new initiatives at the MIT Center for Mobile Learning, App Inventor will be connected to MIT’s premier research in educational technology and MIT’s long track record of creating and supporting open software.

Google first launched App Inventor internally in order to move it forward with speed and focus, and then developed it to a point where it started to gain critical mass. Now, its impact can be amplified by collaboration with a top academic institution. At MIT, App Inventor will adopt an enriched research agenda with increased opportunities to influence the educational community. In a way, App Inventor has now come full circle, as I actually initiated App Inventor at Google by proposing it as a project during my sabbatical with the company in 2008. The core code for App Inventor came from Eric Klopfer’s lab, and the inspiration came from Mitch Resnick’s Scratch Project. The new center is a perfect example of how industry and academia can collaborate effectively to create change enabled by technology, and we look forward to seeing what we can do next, together.

Its great to see App Inventor being resurrected although hopefully only for those with a little more sense than to create the useless apps it was pushing out previously. Time will tell.

Enable Webtop via HDMI without Dock for Atrix 4G on Gingerbread

Brandon Orndorff
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12
Enable Webtop via HDMI without Dock for Atrix 4G on Gingerbread

Those of you that don’t want to purchase the Dock for your Motorola Atrix 4G but still want to use webtop, these are the instructions. This method is to enable webtop on the Motorola Atrix 4G after the Gingerbread update via HDMI.

Some webtop functionality like the clock widget, music, and gallery will be disabled for this to work. Also keep in mind that you must have a rooted Atrix for this mod to work. If your Atrix is not rooted then go to “how-to-root-the-atrix-4g-after-gingerbread-update” to root your Atrix and come back to this article after.

What will this mod do to my phone?
This webtop mod will replace the original DockService and PortalApp APK’s. There are 3 different files below so that you can install this webtop hack on version 4.5.91 OTA, HKTW, and ORFR 4.5.2A. Anyone with development experience can enable the other features that were mentioned above with the DockService-dev.apk that is included with the DockService.apk and PortalApp.apk below.

Instructions to Install the Webtop Hack on your Atrix 4G:
(If you are deodexed, ignore any errors related to odex)

  1. Download and unzip the modified apk’s to C:\webtop (Download Link)
  2. Connect your phone to the computer via USB
  3. Open a command prompt in Windows (Start -> Run -> Type “cmd”)
  • For Atrix on AT&T 4.5.91 OTA, type “cd c:\webtop\ATT”
  • For Atrix on HKTW, type, “cd c:\webtop\HKTW”
  • For Atrix on ORFR, type, “cd c:\webtop\ORFR”
  1. Type “adb shell” press ENTER
  2. Type “su” press ENTER
  3. If your phone asks for Superuser rights tap allow
  4. Type “mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/mmcblk0p12 /system” press ENTER
  5. Type “mv /system/app/DockService.apk /system/app/DockService.apk.bak” press ENTER
  6. Type “mv /system/app/PortalApp.apk /system/app/PortalApp.apk.bak” press ENTER
  7. Type “mv /system/app/DockService.odex /system/app/DockService.odex.bak” press ENTER
  8. Type “mv /system/app/PortalApp.odex /system/app/PortalApp.odex.bak” press ENTER
  9. Type “rm /data/dalvik-cache/*DockService* /data/dalvik-cache/*PortalApp*” press ENTER
  10. Type “cd /system/app” press ENTER
  11. Type “cp /sdcard/DockService.apk ./” press ENTER
  12. Type “cp /sdcard/PortalApp.apk ./” press ENTER
  13. Type “chown 0:0 ./DockService.apk” press ENTER
  14. Type “chown 0:0 ./PortalApp.apk” press ENTER
  15. Type “chmod 644 ./DockService.apk” press ENTER
  16. Type “chmod 644 ./PortalApp.apk” press ENTER
  17. Type “reboot” press ENTER

Congrats you now have webtop enabled on your Motorola Atrix without having a Docking station. Just plug your phone into your screen via HDMI and have fun. If you have any questions please let us know.

HTC Suing Apple for Patent Infringement

Brandon Orndorff
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0

A lawsuit was filed in Delaware’s U.S. District Court to stop all importing and sales of products that Apple is supposedly infringing on patents.  Since Google purchased Motorola Mobility, HTC has decided they have more than enough ammo to push this suit.  Read more below about the case via Reuters:

NEW YORK | Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:53am EDT

(Reuters) – Smartphone maker HTC Corp sued Apple Inc, claiming infringement of three patents through Apple’s sale of Macintosh computers, iPads, iPods, iPhones and other devices.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware seeks to halt Apple’s importation and sale of infringing products in the United States. It also seeks compensatory damages, triple damages for willful infringement and other remedies.

Tuesday’s complaint escalates the legal battle between the companies. Apple has accused HTC of patent infringement through its smartphones, and filed several patent lawsuits against the Taiwan-based company in Delaware in the last two years.

Neither company was immediately available for comment.

HTC filed its lawsuit one day after Google Inc agreed to pay $12.5 billion in cash for Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc to gain access to thousands of patents and help protect its fast-growing Android mobile operating system.

That merger, if completed, could put pressure on HTC and other Android licensees, which face the risk of promoting a direct rival.

Google last year developed the Nexus phone with HTC, but sales proved disappointing.

According to its complaint, HTC obtained the patents that it believes Apple is infringing in 2008 and 2010.

HTC is based in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, and Apple in Cupertino, California.

The case is HTC Corp v. Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, No. 11-00715.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Additional reporting by Sinead Carew and Tom Hals. Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Robert MacMillan)

 

Root the Motorola Photon 4G without Webtop

Brandon Orndorff
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0

Until recently the only method to root the Motorola Photon 4G was connecting it to the HD Dock. Now there is an even easier method that does not require the dock. We have only attempted this on one Photon and it worked flawlessly (we have since rooted 3 photons using this method and have yet to have any errors).  The Motorola Photon as many of you know is the CDMA version of the Motorola Atrix and has to this point worked much better than its counter part.  The Photon is easily rooted now and allowed to use the media dock without additional features being paid for.

Root Instructions for the Motorola Photon 4G:

  1. Download photon-torpedo.tar (Download Link)
  2. Place photon-torpedo.tar into the “/data/tmp” folder
  3. Install “Superuser” from the Android Market
  4. Install “Android Terminal Emulator” from the Android Market
  5. Run Android Terminal Emulator
  6. Run “cd /data/tmp”
  7. Run /bin/tar xf /data/tmp/photon-torpedo.tar
  8. Run /data/tmp/photon-torpedo.sh
  9. Run /data/tmp/install-su.sh
  10. Congrats your Motorola Photon 4G is Rooted!

Thank you to XDA member edgan for posting these instructions in the XDA forums.  A few other things that rooting the Photon will get you besides the obvious ability to access the entire file system is screenshots and the ability to turn off the shutter sound on the camera.  Even with these added benefits from rooting the Photon we have to say our favorite is being able to use it as a mobile Wifi hotspot and tether other devices to it without upgrading your plan or paying extra for features that you should get out of the box anyway.

If you use this method please let us know how everything goes in the comments below as well as any issues you run across so that others can learn from your experience.  Also feel free to ask any questions about the process as we are here to help and enjoy being there for our loyal followers.

How to Unlock the Motorola Photon 4G Bootloader

Brandon Orndorff
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2

You can now unlock the Motorola Photon 4G’s bootloader by flashing the SBF file using Motorola’s RSD Lite program. While this is a long process, its very easy.

Unlock Instructions for the Photon 4G Bootloader:

  1. Turn off your Photon 4G
  2. Remove your MicroSD and SIM cards from the phone
  3. Turn on your Photon while holding the power up button
  4. Wait for the phone to say “Starting RSD Protocol Support”
  5. Run RSD Lite on your Computer (Download Link)
  6. Select the button labeled “…” beside the box labeled “Filename”
  7. Extract the Unlock SBF File to your computer (Download ink)
  8. Load the SBF file located inside the new files you just unzipped
  9. Be sure you have all phone drivers installed
  10. Plug your photon into the computer via USB
  11. RSD should recognize the device and say “Connected”
  12. Press “Start” and wait for the phone to reboot (takes a bit be patient)
  13. Open and extract fastboot files (Download Link)
  14. Open a command prompt and navigate to where you extracted fastboot
  15. Restart your Phone manually
  16. While powering up hold the power button and volume down
  17. When you see “Starting Fastboot Protocol Support” you can let go
  18. Type in your computers command prompt “moto-fastboot oem unlock”
  19. Take note of the unique device id
  20. Type “moto-fastboot oem unlock DEVICE ID“
  21. Type “moto-fastboot reboot”
  22. After your device reboots the bootloader will be unlocked

Acer Iconia Tab A100 (First 7 inch Honeycomb Tablet)

Brandon Orndorff
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0
Acer Iconia Tab A100 (First 7 inch Honeycomb Tablet)
Acer Iconia Tab A100 7 inch Honeycomb Tablet
Acer Iconia Tab A100 The First 7 inch Honeycomb Tablet

The Acer Iconia Tab A100 is now available in the US. Out of the box it has Android 3.2 Honeycomb which supports smiler screens. This makes the Iconia Tab A100 the first 7 inch tablet with Honeycomb. This Tablet comes in a $329 8GB version and a $349 16GB version.

Some of the Acer Iconia Tab A100 Features:

  • Android Honeycomb 3.2
  • Dual-core Tegra 2 Processor
  • 5 MP rear Camera
  • 2 MP front Camera
  • Weighs in at 0.92lbs

Acers Press Release on the Iconia Tab A100:

Acer Iconia Tab A100 Now Available in North America: Industry’s First 7-inch Android Honeycomb Tablet

Acer America expands its Acer Iconia™ Tab line of tablets with its first 7-inch tablet – and the industry’s first 7-inch tablet running Android™ 3.2 (Honeycomb) – in the United States and Canada. The new Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 features an incredibly portable sub-one pound design, a vibrant 7-inch multi-touch display, and a sleek, thin design that is comfortable to use and take virtually anywhere.

With the Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 tablet, customers can have a single portable device for enjoying entertainment such as games and websites as well as productivity applications such as a calendar and email. The tablet comes pre-installed with Adobe Flash Player 10.3, so Adobe Flash games and websites can be enjoyed right out of the box. In addition, the WiFi device is the ideal size for moms, families and individuals who want to stay entertained and productive, since the screen is large enough to enjoy video and other multimedia, yet the device is portable enough for comfortable single-handed use.

Weighing in at a mere 0.92 pounds and measuring only a half-inch thick, the Acer Iconia™ Tab A100’s super-portable size makes it easy to take anywhere. The vibrant 7-inch TFT WSVGA screen displays social networking sites, photos and more in 1024×600 resolution and high-color contrast, so customers can enjoy crisp, vibrant content enhanced by a 16:10 aspect ratio and 75-degree wide viewing angle. Plus, the 7-inch capacitive touch-screen is incredibly responsive and accurate for convenient finger-tip control.

“The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 tablet delivers the ultimate combination of portability and performance for fun and gaming as well as staying in touch,” said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing, Acer America. “Families are spending more time social networking and enjoying web-based digital media, so a highly portable tablet like the Acer A100 will let them get more done and stay connected on-the-go to enjoy their lives more fully.”

Ultimate Companion for Mobile Moms and Families
The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 is the ultimate companion for mobile consumers such as moms and families who want a single device for gaming, fun, entertainment and staying in touch on the go. Customers can enjoy movies right out of the box with the Google® Movies app that allows users to rent and play movies on the Acer A100. Also, Google® Music gives customers instant access to their personal music collection on the web without the hassle of wires or syncing. Customers can also use NemoPlayer® for video, photos and music and Aupeo! for enjoying online radio. Dolby® Mobile Technology on the tablet delivers dynamic sound to enhance the enjoyment of music and movies. In addition, the Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 can be connected to a TV via its HDMI port, so customers can share full HD videos in 1080p resolution. Game play can also be extended to a big screen TV or display with the Acer A100’s HDMI port and dual-display support. As a result, more people can watch and enjoy the game as it is mirrored to the larger screen. Plus, the Acer A100 can be used as a controller for the game as the player watches the image on the larger display.

In addition, games are crisp, fast and realistic thanks to the performance technology and six-axis motion sensing gyro meter. Customers can enjoy rich and exciting Adobe-flash basedWeb pages, games, videos and animations with Adobe Flash Player 10.3. Thousands of additional apps can be easily downloaded from the Android Marketplace.

Save Memories, Shop Better, Stay Connected with Cameras
The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 allows customers to always be ready to take photos and video on-the-go and quickly share them by email and on social media sites. Lighter than most SLRcameras, the Acer A100 has a 5MP rear-facing camera with flash, so families will know they have a great camera with them to capture all of life’s fun and unexpected moments. It also records clear and detailed HD Video at 720p at 30 frames per second. Plus, the rear-facing camera can be used with many available apps to read bar-codes and QR codes for shopping and other promotions. The tablet also has a 2MP fixed-focused front-facing camera and webcam for video chats.

Reading and Productivity Apps Let Moms and Families Get More Done
The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 e-reading functionality will be appreciated by a range of family members. Moms and dads can download e-books to enjoy during quiet moments in comfortable single-handed usage. The tablet comes pre-installed with Google® Books eReading app for enjoying e-books. Plus, the color screen vibrantly displays children’s e-books, so they’ll always have something to enjoy during long or unexpected waits. Extra features like the realistic page turn effect make reading even more fun. The auto-rotation allows customers to enjoy e-books, games, movies and more in either landscape or portrait mode.

In addition, everyone can stay up-to-date with extended family and friends via Acer’s Social Jogger, which puts Facebook® and Twitter® in one place for quick and easy reading and updates. Moms can keep their family schedule organized with the easy-to-use Acer “Day Planner” application that gives an easy-to-view list of upcoming activities. Working moms and those with busy schedules will appreciate that the Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 helps them stay productive. Customers can set up multiple email addresses and view Microsoft® Office documents using the trial version of the “Docs to Go” app for getting things done quickly.

Android 3.2 Brings Additional Benefits for Browsing and Entertainment
The Acer A100 comes installed with Android 3.2, the latest version of Honeycomb to give customers the latest in advanced mobile browsing. Customers can browse the Internet with speed and ease, even web pages built with Flash, thanks to Adobe Flash 10.3 that comes pre-loaded on the Acer A100 tablet. In addition, Android 3.2 lets customers have more control over their entire browsing experience, such as managing web pages by tabs, more advanced privacy settings, and proper sizing of apps and web pages for the 7-inch display.

Connectivity to WiFi and Other Devices
The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 can quickly and easily connect to Wi-Fi networks via the integrated Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED wireless technology to access the Internet, the Android marketplace for apps and more.

Customers can enjoy their own digital content on the Acer A100 tablet by transferring files such as videos, movies and eBooks to it through the tablet’s micro-USB port or by using the Micro-SD card reader that can read Micro-SD cards with a capacity up to 32GB.Plus, the integrated Bluetooth allows consumers to connect the tablet to a variety of other devices, such as headsets and keyboards.

High-Performance for Maximum Enjoyment
The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 packs maximum performance into its incredibly portable size. It uses a high-performance NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM to give customers blazing fast access to multiple programs and apps at once. The Ultra Low Power GeForce® GPU enhances gaming, web, and multimedia for a more realistic, responsive experience.

The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 provides solid uptime with a 1530 mAh Li-polymer battery for up to five hours during Internet browsing with WiFi, up to four hours during web-streamed video and up to 4.5 hours during 720p video playback.(1)

Sharing Digital Media is Easy with clear.fi
Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 comes with Acer clear.fi, which connects with any other DLNA-compliant device to quickly and easily share and enjoy digital media. It automatically detects clear-fi-enabled devices on the wireless home network (smartphones, notebooks, HD media players, etc.) and gathers and organizes media files by type (video, music, photo, pre-recorded TV).

Priced Starting at only $329.99
The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100 is available in the U.S. now at national retail stores and will be available in Canada next month. The Acer Iconia™ Tab A100-07u16u with 16GB of memory(2) has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $349.99 U.S and $399.99 CAD, while the Acer Iconia™ Tab A100-07u08u with 8GB of memory(2) has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $329.99 U.S. and $349.99 CAD.

While its now available in the US and will be popping up in retail stores slowly over the coming days it will be available in Canada in the next few week or so.

Play Google Videos on Rooted Android Devices

Brandon Orndorff
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0
Play Google Videos on Rooted Android Devices

When Google first released movie rentals on Android devices it was stated that rooted devices will not shave the ability to play these rentals. Just like all other features that manufacturers, providers and developers try to block or lock down the Android community has found a way to get around it.

“This bypass doesn’t affect the actually DRM licensing, it will still generate a proper license key, you will still be limited to the normal viewing times, you will still have to pay to rent movies, etc. Don’t ask, because it’s not happening. It just bypasses/disabled the root check.”

I would like to stress again that this is not a way to get free movies and/or change anything in the way the app works it simply bypasses the lock out for rooted devices.  If you hold a device with the Google Movie app on it thats not rooted beside one that is the movie app will function exactly the same.  Sorry for stressing this but people have been complaining to us about the fact that they still have to pay for the movies.  I know right I thought we made it clear enough above the download link.

UPDATE: So Google recently updated Google Videos to Google Movies this year at Google I/O.  What this did was allow for rooted devices to stream content without the need of a modified APK.  The issue previously was that publishers didn’t want their content copied and Google may have convinced them that rooted users aren’t the ones causing this problem (this is an assumption shared with some of the community).  At any event something went right and it seems that we aren’t going to need to worry about modified APK’s and that Google has taken care of this issue.

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