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HD2 keeps active with NoDo ROM, shows no sign of slowing down (video)
No thanks to Windows Mobile 6.5, the HTC HD2 is managing to keep spry as it's approaching retirement. Rather than relegating itself to playing shuffleboard with the codgers, it's been dancing to the tunes of Windows Phone, Android and Meego. Now the HD2 is learning NoDo's moves, and from the looks of its demo video, the phone is quite a performer -- take a peek after the break. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without a jolt from the WaterBear development team, which bundles the 7392 security update, an HD7 registry key and some language fixes. If this is new territory for your HD2, it'll require a little assistance from HardSPL (for unlocking), MAGLDR (the bootloader), and the proper radio file, but it seems like a worthwhile pursuit. After all, there's no sense in keeping this handset cooped up in the old folks home -- it's bound to rile up the nurses. [Thanks, Ehsan]
Eee Pad Transformer gets overclocked to 1.4GHz, deemed less than stable
While many of you continue your quest for an Eee Pad Transformer, some folks, predictably, have already figured out how to overclock it. Netarchy over at the XDA forum posted a custom kernel allowing hackers to crank the tablet's clock speed to 1.4GHz, the same peak reached by the ViewSonic G Tablet. Beware, though, that performance at that speed has proven unreliable, so for now the dev recommends a more modest 1.2GHz to avoid data loss, a meltdown, and "injury of assorted puppies." Par for the course, really.
XDA Developers trump AT&T, release HSUPA support for Motorola's Atrix
We've known AT&T intends to enable HSUPA support for its mighty Atrix soon, but if you want it now (and we mean now), two restless XDA contributors are delivering some instant gratification for your upload woes. Today, dew.man and NFHimself released a modified radio file that allows Atrix owners to send data properly -- a feat iPhone users simply take for granted. This mod requires that your device be rooted, but reactions in the forum are ranging from ecstatic to elated (and everywhere in between). Of course, you could wait for AT&T's official release, but where's the fun in that? Hey, it's your phone, so take ownership already! Everything you need to know is in the source link below.
Motorola Atrix root found to be signed, hacking might not be so easy
That the Atrix got itself rooted before it was even available made us wonder just how... receptive it would be to the caresses of the hacker community at large. Sadly we're finding it's perhaps a bit more frigid than its friendly demeanor might have lead us to believe. User adlx.xda over at the xda-developers forums has found that the phone's system files are not encrypted, but they are signed. This will make the process of replacing them and loading custom builds and the like rather more complicated -- but surely not impossible. [Thanks, chaoslimits]
Notion Ink apps ported over to Viewsonic G-Tablet, promise not to brick it too
A few lucky souls managed to get their Notion Ink Adams early -- only to have them brick themselves. The rest were delayed and, well, it's all a bit of a mess. Now there's another way to get a taste of Ink but on some currently available hardware. User gojimi over at the inimitable xda-developers forums has ported seven applications from the Notion Ink suite to Viewsonic's G-Tablet, including the Calendar, Keyboard, QuickOffice, and the Browser. Some don't run perfectly and we have to say that's something of an unfortunate target, but gojimi does indicate it should be easy to move them to any other ROM. So, you know, make it happen!
Honeycomb for Nook Color released for download (update: video)
Android Honeycomb on a humble e-reading tablet? Why yes, it's not only possible, it's downloadable. Deeper-blue, the chap who's been spending the past few days porting the Honeycomb SDK over to the Nook Color, has today decided to release his latest work out to eager users and fellow coders. He's enabled the accelerometer, touchscreen, buttons, graphics acceleration, and wireless connectivity, but other things like sound remain on the to-do list. Hit the source link for all the code and info you require to be among the first to run Android 3.0 on their tablet. Update: Video walkthrough after the break! Update 2: Sound has now been enabled! We've updated our source link to point to the latest build. Thanks, Ibrahim! [Thanks, Forrest]
Android Honeycomb port for Nook Color gets graphics acceleration, first demo video
Can't wait until February 2nd to see more of Android 3.0 in action? That's not a problem, as today we've got a whole 129 seconds of video showing Google's latest mobile software doing its thing on the Nook Color. The OS was ported to B&N's tablet on Friday, when we were promised further work would be taking place over the weekend to enable hardware acceleration of the GUI, and what do you know, that goal has been achieved with plenty of Sunday to spare! Most core functionality is still not available, but the delicious Honeycomb interface is very much in effect. Jump past the break for the eye candy feast. [Thanks, Jules]
HTC HD2 can now dual-boot Windows Phone 7 and Android, promises to love them equally
You've seen Windows Phone 7 and Android both ported to the stately HTC HD2, now how about having them on the same device at the same time? Well, not literally at the same time, that'd be all sorts of confusing, but the restless souls over at xda-developers have figured out multiple ways to install both WP7 and Android on the HD2 while using the same SD card. We've looked at them and none of the methods seem particularly trivial or, you know, easy, but then what would be the point of a dual-boot solution if everyone could just up and do it? Detailed instructions await at the source link. [Thanks, engadgeteer]
Galaxy Tab gets 1.2GHz overclock, very scary warning
It's here, what looks to be the world's first attempt at overclocking a Samsung Galaxy Tab. User Bauxite at the always happening xda-developers forums has posted the way to boosting Samsung's hunk of burning Android up to 1.2GHz -- along with some seriously stern warnings: THIS KERNEL MAY NOT WORK ON YOUR DEVICE, MIGHT DESTROY YOUR DEVICE, MIGHT PUNCH YOUR CHILDREN, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY THIS KERNEL, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK Initial user reports are generally positive but, given the risk and the complexity here we think we'll be staying at the stock 1GHz speed. For now, anyway. [Thanks, Alain]
Nook Color gets overclocked, further blurs the line between tablet and e-reader
First, they ported Ubuntu to the Nook Color, and now the intrepid hackers at the XDA Developers Forum have overclocked its stock 800MHz processor to run at speeds up to 1GHz. The mod allows users to have their cake and eat it too, as the custom kernel ups the speed of the CPU while running it at a lower voltage, which means longer battery life -- though we don't know exactly how much longer. Apparently, the developer who wrote the code found that the system became unstable at the 1GHz level, but there were no such problems at 950MHz and below. Hit the source link to download the kernel and see for yourself what a supercharged Nook Color can do.
Holy reverse KIRF Batman! Meizu M9 ROM ported to HTC EVO 4G
Some industrious hackers have created a port of the Meizu M9 ROM for the HTC EVO 4G, bringing a little KIRF flavor to Sprint's favorite jumbo phone. The port is still in the developmental stages, but most of the M9 functionality appears to already be working, with only the port from GSM to CDMA and tweaks to screen resolution left to do. After a little spit-shine to make sure the build is stable, EVO owners can finally see what the Meizu M9 fuss is all about without having to actually buy one. Of course, why you'd actually want to do this to your perfectly functional Android phone is a question that may never truly find a legitimate answer.
CyanogenMod now supports WiMAX on EVO 4G
Do you own an EVO 4G? Do you like CyanogenMod? Do you want to live on the bleeding edge? Well, it's your lucky day. After weeks of hard work, those crazy hackers over at #TeamWin have just served up the first public release of the CyanogenMod WiMAX Alpha, bringing the sweet nectar of Sprint 4G to the custom ROM universe. Of course, the usual caveats apply: it's an alpha, there are some bugs, and controlling the 4G radio still requires some magic incantations -- but it might be a small price to pay to enjoy tasty custom ROM goodness on your EVO.
Nexus S overclocked to 1.2GHz, runs too damn fast for its Bluetooth to work
Even at its default 1GHz speed, Samsung's Hummingbird is one of the finest mobile processor around, but are you really going to complain about getting the option to crank an extra 200 milion clock cycles out of it? Morfic over on the xda-developers forums has delivered a kernel permitting Nexus S owners to achieve just that, although he still has to fix an issue that disables the phone's Bluetooth capabilities.Still, if you value ludicrous speed over wireless peripherals, the source link is your friend.
Droid Incredible takes a stable bite out of Gingerbread (video)
Android 2.3, get your Android 2.3! A Gingerbread ROM for the Droid Incredible that's been cooking on xda-developers for a couple of weeks is finally looking ready for mass consumption. It hit version 4 overnight, fixing a few niggling issues and enabling the 8 megapixel camera, which leaves only its video recording and GPS functions on the to-do list. Otherwise, it's looking like a very slick implementation of Google's latest OS, and it's particularly pleasing to see how its responsiveness has improved between builds. Hit the source link for more info, though don't expect to find out why HTC, Verizon et al can't do things this quickly themselves. [Thanks, Stuart]
Samsung Galaxy S receives Gingerbread port right from the Nexus S source (video)
Hold on to your hats, people, there's a wind of awesomeness coming through. The Nexus S is no longer the only Gingerbread game in town, courtesy of supercurio over on the xda-developers forum, who has ported the hot new phone's Android 2.3 install over to its Samsung forefather, the Galaxy S. The port is described as being unmodified from the Nexus S original, although quite a few basic functions like voice, WiFi, and GPS (insert joke about Galaxy S GPS woes) aren't yet operational. All the same, we agree with supercurio that it's looking "super smooth" and look forward to seeing him and the rest of the xda crew polish this stock Android baby off in short order. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nexus S has been rooted, let the madness commence!
Our good friends at xda-developers haven't kept us waiting long. Root access on the Nexus S has been achieved on the phone's day of release, and full instructions for replicating it are available at the link below. The Nexus S is the proud and so far only carrier of Google's latest and greatest Android software, so you're basically getting unrestricted access to the very best Mountain View can offer. Hit that source link. Do it. [Thanks, Brad] Update: An Android team member has written in to remind us that the Nexus S, like the Nexus One before it, is designed with a user-unlockable bootloader out of the box -- it's not a magic trick. Good to know they're keeping the tradition going.
Gingerbread ROMs start cooking for HTC EVO 4G et al; keyboard ported for rooted Androids
You can have your doubts about when your phone maker will finally get around to delivering an Android 2.3 update (March if you're with HTC, June if Samsung, 2017 if you're unfortunate enough to own a Sony Ericsson), but the smartphone dev community doesn't work that slowly. The guys who build custom ROMs just for the sheer pride of it have already begun work on delivering Gingerbread to owners of HTC's EVO 4G, Droid Eris, and Wildfire. It's all in the very nascent stages and warnings abound that you should only install these ROMs if you intend to contribute to the development process, but it does give us hope for a consumable new OS in the not so distant future. One thing that does look ready to be gobbled up, however, is Gingerbread's new software keyboard -- you'll find the download and installation instructions at the Droid-Life link below, just remember to bring your rooted Android phone along. [Thanks, Jacob]
Toshiba TG01 slowly, surely gets hacked to run Android
It's easy to forget about the TG01 nowadays, but bear in mind that Toshiba's WinMo beast from last year was the first production phone in the world to use Qualcomm Snapdragon silicon. Oh, and it was under 10mm thick and featured a 4.1-inch WVGA display at a time when such specs were basically science fiction -- so you've got to give credit where credit's due. Anyhow, the phone's far from obsolete -- apart from that little WinMo issue, that is, so the good folks on xda-developers have started the time-honored tradition of transplanting Android onto it. Important stuff still isn't working (the lack of calling capability is a big one for us, personally) but we're guessing it's just a matter of time before we see a solid, usable build in the wild now. HD2, watch your back!
Nexus S poses for Mr. Blurrycam, flaunting those signature curves
That fine bastion of cellular modding prowess known as XDA-developers received some particularly savory snaps this fine Thanksgiving morn -- spy shots of Samsung's elusive Nexus S running an operating system that looks uncannily like Gingerbread, which it calls "Android version 2.3," and sporting a new back cover that would look perfectly normal on the original Samsung Galaxy S, if not for the extra curves. XDA's source also claims it has a 720p video camera, though other specs are still a little shaky. To be clear, this is most definitely the phone that Eric Schmidt showed us at the Web 2.0 Summit, though the rear cover looks much further along -- assuming Samsung hasn't scrapped it for a dual-core version, we wouldn't be surprised if we saw it again in person quite soon. Hit up our source link for some shots of a green-and-black operating system running on that AMOLED screen. [Thanks, Sid]
T-Mobile G2 overclocked to 1.4GHz, starts blitzing benchmarks (video)
Well now, that didn't take very long. T-Mobile's G2 (aka the HTC Vision) has been let off its leash, and there's no getting it back now. XDA-developers member coolbho3000 has posted his overclock module, which takes an already fast phone and make it considerably more perky. He started at a modest 1GHz, but kept on pushing up to 1.42GHz -- though there's potential to go even higher. All this despite T-Mobile's attempts at preventing hacking, but certainly seeming to allow for a fair bit of tweaking. You can download all you need at the source link, or if you'd rather just live vicariously there's video proof after the break. [Thanks, Brandon]
