Cognition S2 Installation Instructions

Your Phone must be rooted with Clockworkmod in order for the ROM installation to work Properly.  Please be sure to follow the directions completely to avoid any issues.

Cognition S2 Installation Instructions:
I recommend backing up all off your apps and settings using Titanium Backup.  You can get the app from this article on android advice.

  1. Download the cognition s2 file (download link)
  2. Place the zip file on your phones internal sd card (do not rename it)
  3. Reboot into Clockwork mod Recovery
  4. Select Install zip from SD Card
  5. Select Browse for zip on SD Card
  6. Select the zip file you placed on your SD Card earlier
  7. Wait for the ROM to Flash
  8. Enjoy Cognition S2!

Features of the Cognition S2 ROM:

  • Flashable via ClockworkMod Recovery
  • /sbin cleanup on boot, and data permissions to fix bootloops and other wacky stuff
  • overclockable to 1.5ghz (defaults to 1.2ghz on boot, oc with setcpu)
  • clockworkmod recovery 4.0.0.5
  • init.d support
  • based on XWKE7 (will only base on proper Kies Release)
  • rooted / deodexed
  • sip wifi/3g
  • accurate battery mod
  • extended power options (no header)
  • extended notification bar toggles
  • disable battery full notification/vibration
  • ad blocking via hosts file
  • tun support
  • htc headset support
  • no ascending ringtone
  • tv animation (disables smooth brightness changes)
  • aosp wifi/signal icons
  • stay awake dev option
  • default install location option
  • twlauncher defaults to page 4
  • custom launcher layout and wallpaper
  • enabled hidden wallpapers
  • added Google Talk w/AV
  • removed bootup sounds
  • removed lots of bloatware (let me know about missing features)
  • allow calendar week to start on any day
  • updated system apps
  • hacked camera (by Potatoman, silent edition)
  • fixed deodexed browser (by LitePro)

While we are huge fans of CyanagenMod we have to give Cognition its due respect.  We have tested and confirmed that this ROM works and has very few bugs.  Please let us know what you think so that we may improve on articles like this in the future.  We would like to give a special thanks to designgears over at XDA for this ROM, the one who actually created the magic that is Cognition.

How to Root HTC Sensation 4G

These are the easy to follow instructions for rooting the HTC Sensation 4G.  While we have had great luck with this method please be aware that you follow these instructions at your own risk.  The HTC Sensation 4G is currently one of the most popular android phones of 2011.

Your device must also be s-off in order for the instructions below to work.  Most of the Sensations are s-on although once we have found a way to turn s-off on all sensations we will add that to these instructions.

Root Instructions for the HTC Sensation 4G:

  1. Download and install “Revolutionary” (found at http://revolutionary.io/)
  2. Finish using Revolutionary to unlock the bootloader then continue here
  3. Enable USB Debugging mode on your phone (settings … applications … development … check USB Debugging mode)
  4. Make sure USB debugging is enabled
  5. Make sure you have an SD card formatted and in the phone
  6. Transfer the APK on the phone and install it (download the apk here)
  7. Open the APK and press the root button
  8. Wait a few minutes and the device will reboot, be patient it can take a while (10 minutes or so)
  9. Make sure the Superuser app is install and working
  10. Congrats your HTC Sensation is Rooted!

Root for Asus Transformer

There is finally a very easy root method for the Asus Transformer.  Thanks to all the developers over at XDA for the transformer 3.1 rootkit.  We have as alwasy just consolidated the thread to allow our visitors to easily understand and use these methods.

Root Instructions for the Asus Transformer:

  1. Download and install the drivers for your Device (download location)
  2. Download the transformer 3.1 rootkit (download link)
  3. Plug your Device into your computer via USB
  4. Reboot your Transformer
  5. Boot into apx mode (press and hold volume up + power)
  6. When asking for apx driver browse to the “usbpcdriver” folder in the root kit
  7. Run root.bat (gives permanent root)
  8. Run cwm.bat (only if you want clockworkmod)
  9. Reboot Device (hold power button for 10 seconds)
  10. Put Transformer in Debug Mode (Settings -> Applications -> Development -> click USB Debugging)
  11. Run root_app.bat (this installs SuperUser and SU)
  12. Enjoy your rooted Asus Transformer

Do Task Killers Really Work?

Well not to start off too blunt but “NO” Task Killers on your Android Device do little to nothing to improve your phones performance.  Almost every user of an Android Device that I know either has or has used a task killer for clearing memory on their phone.  There are even others that have had their carriers install task killers before they leave the store with the promise of increasing battery life.  Android like any other operating system will take care of these “running applications” for you.

One of the great things about Android is the ability to run multiple apps at one time.  Some of these apps are in the background while you are using something else.  While its true that these apps that are “running” are taking up memory they aren’t actually running as you would think.  The apps in the background are actually paused until you come back to them.  What this means for you is the apps are taking up space in memory but not actually doing anything to eat battery life.

Lets take a look at an example where you would like so many others worry about running out of memory.  You open up an app and play your favorite game.  Then you decide you want to get onto the internet and look something up.  When you leave the app it pauses.  No resources are being used by this app besides memory space at this point.  So after getting on the internet you find some great videos and forget about your game.  Later on in the day you have opened 50 other things and closed them and you have no memory left at this point.  What android will do is now remove this game or other app you had running from memory to make room for the newest one you want to run.

Just keep in mind that Android is smarter than you think and is designed to function in a way that it doesn’t need you or a task killer to figure out what to close to free up room.  Also there is no need to even think about battery when discussing whats in memory because it doesn’t effect the battery at all.

Don’t you think at this point if a Task Killer was that important that the Android OS would just include it?

 

“Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™” App on Android Market

Sony now offers their cloud music service on the Android Market.  While many others have been promising these cloud music services Sony has delivered and made it available now.  Below is the official press release on Sony’s new “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™” App.

“Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™” App Now Available on Android Market

Listen to over seven million songs at anytime and anywhere

TOKYO, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Corporation (“Sony”) announces the immediate availability of the “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™” App on Android Market in the U.S., France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand(i).
http://m.qriocity.com
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110615/AQ20272)
The cloud-based, digital music service gives music lovers streaming access at anytime and anywhere(ii) to an ever expanding catalogue of currently over seven million licensed songs from major labels including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Music as well as leading independent labels and major publishers worldwide.
Users can now enjoy the service on Sony Ericsson’s Android-based mobile devices including Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ PLAY, Xperia™X10, Xperia™X8 and Xperia™ neo as well as Android-based third party devices(iii). Users can also continue to access the service on a wide variety of internet-connected Sony devices including 2010 and 2011 models of network-enabled BRAVIA® HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc™ players and Blu-ray Disc Home Theater systems as well as the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and personal computers including VAIO®(iv) personal computers.
“‘Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity’ offers extensive breadth of content, easy music discovery and personalization through a synchronized music experience across a variety of compatible home entertainment and portable devices,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “‘Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity’ for Android is the next evolution of the service which enhances the value proposition for our customers.”
Powering the back-end of the service are Omnifone and Gracenote. Omnifone provided its award-winning platform services to develop and deliver the service across a range of device platforms as well as licensed the service with rights holders around the world to provide a global catalogue of over seven million tracks, while Gracenote’s music identification and discovery technologies and Global Media Database create a rich experience for subscribers, letting them enjoy their existing digital music collection and discover new artists and albums.

 

Safe Browsing for Mobile Web

Lookout has announced that their mobile security app will introduce Safe Browsing.  This Update will make Lookout’s app the best app for securing your Android Phone.


Lookout Mobile Security QR Code
Scan to Download Lookout Mobile Security


What Safe Browsing will do is automatically scan URL’s looking for Malware and prevents phishing attacks.  If anything is found or seems off the app will popup a security warning before the page is loaded.  You will however need to be a premium user to take advantage of this great new feature.

Please take a look at the official press release below:

Lookout Introduces Safe Browsing to Protect Users While Surfing the Mobile Web and Announces Strategic Relationship with Sprint

Safe Browsing Instantly Protects Smartphones against Malicious Sites, Phishing Scams and Drive-by Downloads

SAN FRANCISCO–June 15, 2011–Today, Lookout Mobile Security, the leader in mobile security, introduced Safe Browsing to protect against online threats when surfing the Web from a mobile device. With Safe Browsing, Lookout extends the security it already provides to millions of people so they can confidently surf the web, email, text and enjoy social networking from their phone or tablet without worrying about malware and phishing attacks. Safe Browsing automatically checks every URL a user visits to prevent phishing sites from stealing personal data and malware from being installed on a device.

With Safe Browsing, customers can feel confident that they can safely access personal information including financial accounts, social networking and donation websites on their mobile device. Safe Browsing examines every website in real-time and automatically warns against phishing attempts and unsafe sites–guarding users from identity theft, financial fraud or malware. On a mobile device, because of the small form factor, people are three times more likely to click on a suspicious link than if they are using a PC.

With this launch, Lookout and Sprint are announcing a relationship to deliver Lookout’s award-winning protection to give Sprint customers the ability to download an application to help protect the important information stored on their smartphone or tablet. Lookout Premium not only includes the new Safe Browsing, but also privacy protection with Privacy Advisor, the capability to remotely Lock and Wipe a device, and enhanced backup and restore for photos and call history. Sprint customers can easily download the Lookout Mobile Security application from the Android Market by clicking on Lookout Mobile Security within Sprint Zone or the Sprint Tab in the Android Market. Customers can find Sprint Zone as an icon on their device. Lookout offers customers both a premium and free or trial version of the application.

“Wireless is rapidly becoming the dominant computing platform, and Sprint is dedicated to helping its customers find the best- apps to enhance their mobile experience,” said Fared Adib, senior vice president-Product, Sprint. “Lookout not only delivers a stellar user experience, but will give Sprint customers confidence to do more with their wireless device by protecting it.”

The Lookout Mobile Threat Network protects more than nine million Lookout users daily from downloading or accessing bad applications and will now protect users from phishing attempts and malware sites, safeguarding phones and privacy. Without impacting the performance of mobile browsing, Lookout’s Safe Browsing reviews every website in real time before the site loads to confirm it is safe. If a user unknowingly clicks on a link to a bad site, Safe Browsing will block access to the site automatically.

With Safe Browsing, users can:
• Safely surf the web, email, text, bank and use social networking sites from their smartphone or tablet
• Click on links without worry – from Facebook, email, text messages and more
• Stay protected from the latest online threats with real-time cloud-based protection

“With new devices and quickly evolving 4G networks, it is even easier for people to use their mobile devices to stay connected while on the go, but consumers need to have the confidence to safely surf the Web,” said John Hering, CEO and founder, Lookout Mobile Security. “Safe Browsing leverages our global threat detection network that already protects millions of users from malicious applications. By extending protection with Safe Browsing, mobile consumers can feel safe surfing the web, accessing email and entering other personal information on their mobile device.”

Safe Browsing is available as part of Lookout Premium. Lookout is dedicated to protecting users around the world by providing essential security for mobile devices. Available on more than 400 mobile networks in 170 countries, Lookout protects over nine million consumers around the world.

For more information on Lookout, visit www.mylookout.com

 

CyanogenMod7 for Droid X

Even though the Droid X has a locked Bootloader, CyanagenMod7 can be ran on it.  This does cause you to be restricted to Motorola’s kernels but still works just the same. @cvpcs states:

Note: this was done using my recently new-found-knowledge of 2nd-init, which I will describe later in a blog post (don’t want to get into it here). This still runs on top of the original motorola kernel though. I repeat, the bootloader is still locked, and you are still forced into using moto’s kernels, but that doesn’t really prevent us from doing all that much.

Currently there will be a lot of bugs but for those of you interested in testing they will be looking for beta testers in the next week or so.

Right now what works is the radio, WiFi, USB, charging, sensors, lights, vibration and bluetooth.

What doesn’t work or is untested is the GPS, 3G/Data, camera, camcorder, bluetooth and all audio.

We look forward to seeing the progress on this project and will keep you informed as updates are brought to our attention.

Motorola Xoom Custom ROM

Motorola Xoom Custom ROM
Motorola Xoom Custom ROM

After a long wait the first custom ROM for the Motorola Xoom has been released. The ROM was created by XDA forum member bigrushdog.  Based on the stock 3.1 Verizon 3G image, the rom adds many new features for Xoom owners who want extra features and functions from your device.

Some of the Motorola Xoom ROM features include:

  • Tiamat 1.4.4 stock GPU
  • Root access with SU and superuser
  • Desktop UA string
  • Gingerbread style CRT Screen Off Animation
  • Call setting with SIP and SMS capabilities enabled
  • Supercircle 100 point battery mod
  • Wifi Ad-Hoc mod enabled
  • USB Mass Storage Enabled
  • Quickboot
  • Estrongs File Explorer
  • Modified Flash (to work with Hulu)

This is of course the first of many we foresee although with this set of features we can assume that building on this one will be a popular choice for Xoom owners.  For those of you outside of the US, this is accepted gratefully due to the lack of the 3.1 update at this point.

Install Instructions for the Motorola Xoom ROM can be found at:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=14567558

 

Risks of Installing Android Custom ROMs

We would like to start by saying that we are advocates of custom ROM’s.  We always install custom ROM’s on our devices and probably always will just for the fact that it improves the battery life and keeps the phone up to date.

This being said there are things that may deter some people from using custom ROM’s.  Since there are risks we would like to make you aware of what these are.

Why not to install an Custom ROM on your Android Device:

  • Something could go wrong – since you have to flash the custom ROM’s to your device (installation process) there is always a risk of Bricking your phone.  This rarely happens and is usually due to a user being impatient during the flashing process.
  • Data Loss – when you install a custom ROM it will generally wipe your entire device and you will lose any information that is not backed up off the device.  There are many options for backing up your device to remove this downside.
  • Chances of bugs – while stock ROM’s can and usually do have bugs you are relying on third party developers to fix them and cannot simply complain to your phone company.  Bugs are usually fixed quickly but can still occur just the same.
  • Voided Warranty – since some phones don’t have a backup of the stock ROM your phone company and/or manufacturer may not help you in the event something goes wrong.

This article is of course just here so that everyone is aware of the risks involved although as stated before we recommend the custom ROM’s

 

Why install an Android Custom ROM?

We will start by explaining what a custom ROM is then why they are so useful.

  • A stock ROM is the Android Version that has been created by the phone manufacturer and carrier that comes on your phone when you buy it.
  • A custom ROM is its own standalone version of the Android OS including the kernel (the brain makes it all work) with apps, services and everything else needed to operate the device.  The difference here is it usually has someones preferences and features not included in the stock ROM.

Why should you use a Custom ROM?

  • Updated more often – custom ROM’s are usually updated with bug fixes and new features all the time.  This is mostly because the dev that creates the ROM has no restrictions like the manufacturers and carriers do.  Other people use these ROM’s and test them regularly reporting issues within the developer community allowing real-time fixes and updating.
  • Better Performance – almost all custom ROM’s are faster and more efficient using less memory because carrier apps and other additions are ripped out.  Developers also generally optimize the kernel to provide much better battery life than a stock ROM.
  • Keeping Android Version Up to Date – you can easily upgrade to the current Android OS even if your carrier doesn’t plan on it.  Leaked ROM’s are found for almost every device and ROM’s from other phones are sometimes ported over to your device.

We always use custom ROM’s if only for the fact that we can always keep up to date on Android OS and improve the battery life of our devices.  We recommend that any user that has the option to unlock or already has an unlocked bootloader install custom ROM’s to improve their device.

Also not mentioned above most custom ROM’s allow you to install apps to the SD card which is not available in stock ROM’s.