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HTC Spark leaked in the wild, shows off plenty of WP7 goodness
Well, it was only a matter of time -- first the leaked press shots of this elusive HTC Spark (although possibly misidentified as the Mondrian back then -- note the shinier earpiece in the leaked AT&T ad), and now the real thing is in the hands of some lucky hardware tester. Fortunately for us, this guy also happens to have a naughty friend over at xda-developers -- you'll see in his photos that HTC Hub is alive and well on this 8GB handset, but otherwise, there's not much info coming out of here. Regardless, feel free to head over to the source link for more Windows Phone 7 eye candy -- you'll need to register first, though, so we've grabbed a few shots below to get things going. [Thanks, Adam]%Gallery-103794%
Confirmed: Droid 2 hack brings FM radio, in one ear and out the other
When we heard that the Motorola Droid 2 was the latest Android handset to nab the ancient magic of frequency modulated audio using Droid X files, we just had to give it a try, and sure enough, if you've got root, the FM Radio app can be yours with a quick download and just a few lines of code. Before you run off to void your warranty, however, you should know it's got a fairly desirable feature missing -- it only plays audio out of the right earphone. But hey, if we're going old school, we might as well go all the way, right? Excuse us while we go listen to some glorious monoaural sound. Files and instructions at our source links, immediately below.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has been rooted, all is right with the world
Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 has been out and about for some time, facing off against the competition and predictably getting ripped to shreds. Now it has reached the next natural step of its evolution: receiving the root treatment by a bloke at xda-developers. Users Jerpelea, biktor_gj, and Bin4ry over there have posted step-by-step instructions on how to locate your device ID, re-flash your phone, and then enable superuser abilities. It all looks particularly straightforward, as far as these things go, and so if you're looking for a bit more control this weekend don't hesitate to click on through.
EVO 4G loses 30fps limit thanks to devoted community (video)
Whatever the reason HTC instituted that 30fps cap on the EVO's graphical output, the issue has just been remedied by -- surprise, surprise -- coders over at xda-developers. We've come across video evidence of the EVO 4G rolling along at a swift 54fps average clip, and another motion picture reel shows the positive effect this has had on the touch-tracking of the handset. Check them both out after the break and hit the source to get educated on how to make this happen on your own EVO. You should be warned that there are still some issues to resolve before the whole thing's buttery smooth, but hey, it's still a lot better than waiting for HTC to do it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Hacker cons HTC Touch Pro 2 into providing multitouch, other WinMo devices too (video)
Never, ever doubt the skill and determination of the guys over at xda-developers, capable of cracking any device and bringing you fresh ROMs to brighten up your stuffy gadgets. This latest bit of wunder-code isn't a full new image, rather a tiny WinMo app that does something magical: enables multitouch on single-touch resistive screens. How? Sadly developer OndraSter isn't saying just yet, but it relies on leaving one finger in place and moving the other, so perhaps it detects a jump in touch position and treats it as a pinch gesture. In the videos below it's shown working in Opera, but should work anywhere, and while the developer filmed these on an HTC Touch Pro 2 he says this will work on just about any WinMo 6 or 6.1 device. The app has sadly not been released to the wild just yet, but we hope OndraSter drops some binaries soon before he starts a riot among Windows Mobile users with more than one finger. [Thanks, Wes]
Nexus One steps up to 720p HD video thanks to latest hack (video)
Just more evidence that rooting is the only true path of the geek. The indefatigable coders over at xda-developers have just pushed out a download that allows the Nexus One to start shooting video at 720p resolution. You'll need to have at least CyanogenMod version 5.0.8test3, but once you get your house in order, you'll be enjoying one of the big touted features of the latest handsets on your five-month old Googlephone. Pretty neat, and what's even better is that work is already underway to improve audio and the fps rate, as well as making the code compatible with Android Froyo, it all just requires a bit more tinkering. So, hit the source link to get the download or join us after the break for a quick sample video. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Leaked Windows Phone 7 ROM filename suggests an HTC Mondrian?
The lads and lassies at XDA-Developers made an intriguing discovery this week: a leaked 100MB file that might be the first Windows Phone 7 ROM actually destined for a device. What's more, it could possibly reveal details about a phone we barely knew existed -- the filename references an "HTC Mondrian." At best, the contents might reveal wonders beyond imagination, including full specs, bundled apps, even the tools needed to properly shoehorn WP7 onto your existing HTC handset. At worst, the community might never open the blasted file, or discover it's all a clever hoax. There's really no indication either way, so we prefer to dream. If you think you've got what it takes, try cracking the ROM yourself (registration required) at our source link.
Latest Windows Phone 7 emulator ROM unlocked, has Office and other goodies
So the ROM included with the Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools refresh that was launched this week (to get it up to speed with the final release of Visual Studio 2010) has already been unlocked and torn apart over on xda-developers, and as you might expect, there are quite a few changes and additions in here versus what we've seen in the previous release. The most notable change appears to be the inclusion of Office, but we've also got dialer and in-call user interfaces, call history, call notifications (using Windows Phone 7's standard notification paradigm, of course), and a method for uninstalling apps. Clearly, we're still a long way from going final with this thing -- and fortunately, Microsoft has given itself basically the rest of the year to get it good and solid. Andale, ladies and gentlemen.
Resistive HTC devices can have (pseudo) multitouch, too
"Multitouch on a resistive screen?" We must be joking, right? Not at all -- if we've learned anything from our encounters with a little firm named Stantum, resistive multitouch is not only possible, but potentially preferable to its capacitive counterpart. Of course, that knowledge doesn't help you any if you're currently stuck with single finger commands, but if your phone is made by HTC and running Windows Mobile, you may one day get to see what two digit input feels like. Adel Al Zubeir figured out that when two fingers are placed on a single-touch screen, the digitizer reads the spot between the two... and with a little bit of math, he cooked up a program that can figure out the relative position of both fingers to allow vaguely useful pinch-to-zoom and other dual-touch gestures. Sadly, you can't just drop this onto your phone to instantly enable the tech a la Cyanogen, but if you develop for WinMo, you can start building functionality into your apps with the beta SDK at our source link. Early proof-of-concept video after the break. [Thanks, David C.]
Home Tab Mod 1.7 for Sense 2.5 breathes new life into Windows Mobile (video)
Ready to customize your custom Windows Mobile skin? HTC's already thoroughly tricked out Sense UI has received the modding treatment courtesy of Co0kieMonster and his team over at xda-developers, and user feedback has been exultant about the results. What you're getting with the Home Tab Mod, and particularly in this latest version 1.7, is a litany of custom arrangement options to suit all tastes. Whether you want your weather and expandable appointment list front and center or you prefer extra quick links to your favorite applications and notifications of new calls, messages or emails, you'll find a layout to suit you. There are even options for loading up the lock screen with Sense elements, if that's more to your liking, and we've grabbed a video walkthrough of the new UI after the break. To get on board, you'll need a HTC device with Sense 2.5 and the clicking power to hit up the source for the download and full instructions. [Thanks, ran]
Jaxbot's Windows Phone 7 Series Theme now available in beta (video)
Even if your handset of choice won't be eligible for upgrade to Windows Phone 7, there's no reason you can't enjoy the look and feel of Microsoft's latest and greatest with a well-executed skin, right? Looks like Jaxbot's Windows Phone 7 Series Theme is available in passable beta form -- great news for any and all of you jealous WinMo 6.5 users who might be reading this -- and it can be had right now (as in now!) at the XDA Developers forum. Want to see it do its thing? Peep the video after the break.
Windows Phone 7 Series themes for WinMo abound in dev forums
We know that it ain't always practical or desirable to put money down on a phone every time a new OS or interface comes out -- so what is a gadget hound to do when they realize their hardware won't be supported by Windows Phone 7 Series? Well, if you're anything like these enterprising individuals you roll your own. Both Jaxbot and LeSScro, members of the XDA Developers forum, have skins in the works that mimic the new OS on WinMo devices with varying degrees of success. The work of the former is still pretty slow and buggy but it does offer some functionality -- including info on live tiles and the ability to see upcoming appointments on your lock screen. The latter theme, on the other hand, sports time, date, and notifications on the lock screen, profile settings, transitional animations, a handful of hubs (including games, media, and Office), and an apps launcher. Check out the source links for more info -- but not before checking out the demo videos after the break. [Thanks, Geever]
HTC Desire ROM makes Sense on the Nexus One
It's no secret that the HTC Desire is the exact same hardware as the Nexus One with a Sense-based Android build on top of it, so it shouldn't be any surprise that an enterprising hacker has already started porting the Desire's ROM over to Google's baby. Interestingly, the system file is a little too big for the Nexus One's internal storage, so some rearranging was necessary, and not everything works yet, but it's a start -- and apparently Flash 10.1 is included and enabled, so this one should be a hot ticket when it's released. [Thanks, Thalib]
HTC HD2 plays Tekken 3 using FPSECE emulator
Not much to say here other than there's a PlayStation emulator for the HD2 and it bloody well works! The original gangster of consoles, already emulated on other WinMo devices such as Toshiba's TG01, has made its way to HTC's finest thanks to version 0.10 of the First PlayStation Emulator for Windows CE. You can hit the read link to find out how to get it up and running on your own handset, and then we'll naturally expect you to come back and tell us how good it felt to play Final Fantasy VII in a whole new way. The more impatient among you will already be watching video of the HD2 running Tekken 3 effortlessly after the break, so go join 'em already.
HTC Hero gets a leaked Android 2.1 ROM with Sense
We just saw some leaked shots of a Hero running Android 2.1 with HTC Sense a couple days ago, and now it looks like you can get in on the action yourself, thanks to a leaked ROM now up on XDA-developers and AllDroid. Installation appears to be pretty straightforward, but there are some steps involved, so make sure you backup and set aside some time to get things right -- and let us know how it all goes in comments! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google Maps Navigation hacked for extra-American use
Guess what, prospective Milestone owners, the Droid's one major advantage over its Euro cousin has just been coded out of existence by those proactive, un-American XDA Developers. The free Google Maps Navigation service, whose US announcement was so shocking as to decimate the stock prices of satnav purveyors Garmin and TomTom, has now been ported to work outside the land of the free as well. Not only that, but you can use the app on other Android devices, meaning your old G1 can get a breath of fresh air for absolutely free. That is if you don't count the time it takes you to learn how to insert all the code properly and the risk of bricking your device in the process. But we know our readers eat iron nails for breakfast and fashion elegantly optimized code before lunch, so we expect all of you to be using this by day's end, you hear?
"WM7 Titanium Project" adds glory, glitz, glamor to 6.5
Commercial and grassroots efforts to reskin Windows Mobile are nothing new, but we were particularly taken aback by the "WM7 Titanium Project" that's coming together over on xda-developers (where else?) with the goal of crafting a Windows Mobile 7-like experience from a device running 6.5. Of course, no one's exactly sure what version 7 is going to look like just yet, but that's not going to stop folks from taking a stab at it -- and we've got to say, when random individuals can make WinMo-based user interfaces look this good in just a few weeks' or months' worth of fiddling, it really does make you wonder what the hell Microsoft is doing up in Redmond with its gobs of money, talent, and time. Unfortunately, the skin's only compatible with WVGA devices running cooked 6.5 ROMs right now, which limits your selection pretty significantly to say the least -- but WQVGA is in the works, so stay tuned. [Thanks, Mikeo]
Ports of Touch Viva's new TouchFLO 2D appear for older HTC devices
With HTC's Opal will come an entirely new flavor of TouchFLO, so it seems, with leaks of the updated skin already leaking out onto -- you guessed it -- xda-developers. The name "TouchFLO 2D" is being thrown around on the interwebs, and as the name implies, the package looks like a flattened version of the TouchFLO 3D we're now well acquainted with that's presumably been optimized for use on devices with lower resolutions, meeker processors, or a combination of the two. That makes it a prime candidate for adaptation to older phones, of course, and that's where the whiz kids at xda-devs come into play: without so much as an official reveal on HTC's part, it's already been verified for use on a who's who of handsets from the past couple years ranging from the original Touch to the TyTN II and pretty much everything in between. As usual, proceed with caution -- but if you take the plunge, do let us know how it treats you, alright?[Thanks, Ivan F.]
Touch Cruise latest HTC device to fall to Android
With all these HTC models getting their brains rearranged to run Android, we're starting to wonder: just how necessary is the Dream? Don't get us wrong, we're pretty amped to see what kind of amazing hardware HTC's crafting to officially debut the consumer-ready cut of Android to the world, but there are plenty of very capable handsets already in the field -- and the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro should both be more than willing to donate their bodies in the name of science when the time comes, too. The latest model to get an Android port is the Polaris, also known as the Touch Cruise in production trim. At this point, the ports are still pretty raw and the level of functionality or spit and polish probably isn't what you're used to with the native WinMo installation, but they're getting there -- and considering that Android itself still has plenty of work remaining, it's an impressive feat and a promising sign of things to come for owners of older devices. Let us know how it goes if you're brave enough to give it a shot, y'hear?[Thanks, smith]
WinMo 6 ROMs for HTC Star Trek bring it out of the graveyard
HTC's Star Trek can now be safely categorized in the "classic" file, but it'd be a big mistake to put this interesting footnote in HTC's history out to pasture just yet. The handset, after all, ranks among the smallest Windows Mobile phones ever made, among the only clamshells, and arguably, among the most attractive (alright, maybe that's a bit of a stretch). But with that stale Windows Mobile 5 build on there hastening its death, what's an owner to do? Turn to the wizards at xda-developers, of course, who've come out swinging with a number of different Windows Mobile 6-based ROMs for a variety of Star Trek flavors, including the Cingular 3125 likely owned by many American customers, and it's all available for download. Always fun to see new life breathed into perfectly decent hardware, ain't it?[Via pocketnow.com]
