Topic - xda-developers

If you are lucky enough to own a device that features the innovative Samsung S-Pen device, this application could be of use. When you want to use your fingers to type, you may prefer a particular type of keyboard, but when using the S-Pen, you want another type of keyboard such as Swype. XDA Recognized Developer LegendK95 created an app that automatically switches your keyboard depending on the state of your S-Pen, in the phone or in your hand. In this video XDA Developer TV Producer TK revie...

Here at XDA, we love devices, and we love to see what we can do with them. We love playing with different devices so much that sometimes we import them from China, like the Meizu MX. In this episode of Unboxing the XDA Way, XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler unboxes the Oppo Find 5. This device was just released for purchase yesterday in China. This device is quite fast, and the 1080p screen is something to be admired AdamOutler starts by doing what he does best: tearing the device apa...

In an move unheard of from OEMs, Sony has released an official Alpha build with the source code! A lot of other great news stories hit the Portal here at XDA this weekend. Jordan reviews all the important stories from this week. Jordan talks about the official Jelly Bean 4.1.2 for the Samsung Galaxy S II I9100. In Windows RT news, Jordan talks about the whitelist tool that allows flash for certain sites. Also, a Windows RT jailbreak tool lets people installed non-Microsoft executables. Jordan...

Here at XDA, we take the responsibility of carriers and OEMs to provide timely updates to their devices (and to honor their GPL requirements) seriously. There are those who do a good job (Samsung is one of them), those who don’t always do a good job (HTC, Motorola, LG), and those who do a terrible job (Huawei, ZTE, Rockchip to name a few). But there is one who right now is doing a terrific job, and that is Sony Mobile. Back at the end of 2012, we selected Sony Mobile as our OEM of the Year fo...

There is nothing better than a good story line. When it comes to good story lines on XDA, few are better than the Verizon locked bootloader debacle. It’s always big news when one is unlocked, and it’s always tragic when one is re-locked. This happened recently with the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II. First, it was unlocked by XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler. A few months later, Verizon pulled a slick one and locked it back up. Now, there is a new way to unlock the Verizon bootloader...

A lot of great news stories hit the news portal at XDA-Developers.com this week. Jordan brings us some of the highlights, such as learning Android development in Android. Jordan talks about the other videos released this week on XDA Developer TV. XDA Developer TV Producer TK released two app reviews this week, one for KeepScreen and one for Spy Camera OS. Additionally, this week Jordan talks about learning ADB and the contest for the next XDA merchandise. Finally, Jordan talks about XDA addin...

Sometimes, you want to take a picture of the dust on the ice machine at a grungy restaurant. Sometimes, you want to take a picture of a cute animal. Sometimes, you want to snap a picture of your friend with guacamole on his face or parsley in his teeth that they don’t know about. In any of these scenarios, having the shutter sound would raise suspicion or startle someone. There are many other legal reasons why today’s app is useful. XDA Senior Member jimmod creates an application for these sc...

Recently, we reviewed Screen Standby. This app turns your screen off, but doesn’t put your device to sleep. This allows you to stream movies to another screen without killing your battery keeping the screen on. However, what if you want the opposite? If you are playing Ingress and while running around collecting XM your screen turns off, this app will help you. XDA Senior Member elesbb fixed an abandoned app to help you select apps that will keep the screen on. In this video XDA Developer TV ...

Imagine you’re at a club, and you are chatting up this beautiful creature who you fear might just be humoring you. You keep asking her for her number, and finally she relents, but you find it strange that she reaches for her phone. After tapping on the screen for a few seconds, she says she has a game for you, and if you “win” her number will be revealed. She asks if you have a piece of paper so she can give you her number, to which you whip out the requisite tools and await her number. 00 84...

Android gaining X11 support is one of the stories from this weekend on XDA-Developers. You can also make your voice heard and vote on the next XDA cases. However, other big stories occurred this weekend. XDA News Specialist Jordan covers some of the highlights, including the first “user-friendly” version of XBMC for Android. In learning news, Jordan talks about free Android tutorials. Also, be sure to check out Jordan on last Friday’s XDA Developer TV video. Finally, check out our article sho...

As always, we’ve brought you some great developments here at the portal lately. From WP7 & Android triple boot for the legendary HD2 to the untethered webOS port for the Nexus 7, we’ve seen plenty of hacks and ROMs to satisfy our geeky sides. Now, it’s time to take a break and have some fun with a simple game. Not too long ago, we went snowball fighting on our Android devices, but today, how about something a bit more challenging for our brains? You’ve been cordially invited to play ‘Who Want...

Another wonderful International CES has passed us by. The event was filled with many exciting displays, like the Intel Ultrabook Tree, but most important were the announcements made by many manufactures. Some announcements are still years out, embodying nothing more than an idea. Other announcements having working prototypes, while still others are in the final stages before release or have been released. While the exposition portion of CES with flashy booths, models in revealing clothing, an...

When XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler released the bootloader unlock for the Verizon Galaxy Note II, most assumed this heralded the end of unlock struggles with the device. However, users have been heading back to the forums in a small panic because the bootloader managed to re-lock itself. Always ready to jump on such a matter, AdamOutler has already released a fix. A symptom of the re-lock is users getting an understandably frightening message saying to return their devices to Veri...

Jelly Bean 4.2.1-Based AOKP for Nexus Devices. That and more news happened this week at XDA-Developers. Jordan reviews all the important stories from this week. Another story talks about Super Backup for your all-in-one needs. Additionally, Jordan talks about finding UART on Qualcomm variants of the Samsung Galaxy S III. Additionally, this week Jordan released three other videos, one is a Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL Hands-On, one is a discussion on Nvidia’s CES releases, and the last is a rec...

At the 2013 International CES, graphics powerhouse Nvidia released three excellent technologies. The first was its gaming device based on Android called Project Shield. The second was the next generation Tegra processor, the Tegra 4. It features 72 GPU cores, 4+1 CPU cores, and the ability to work with 4G LTE. Finally, they released the Grid, as someone said, making cloud gaming “a thing.” XDA News Specialist Jordan was on site, and got a chance to talk with the people a Nvidia about their te...

If you haven’t heard, and we’re not sure how you haven’t, there has been active development towards an open source bootloader for Samsung devices. In a nutshell, it involves loading the open source bootloader to an SD card, and using some hardware hacking skills to boot from it. All of this had to start somewhere, and among the first things required is finding the UART. It is now possible to identify it on the US variants of the Samsung Galaxy S III. If you hadn’t guessed, this bit of hardwar...

At the 2013 International CES, manufacturer of the year Sony released two phones. The phones are similar and share similar names. These devices are called the Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. The Xperia Z is water and dust proof while the Xperia ZL has a hardware camera button. XDA News Specialist Jordan was on site and got a chance to get his hands on the Xperia twins. Jordan sat down and talked with the folks and Sony. In this video, he shares what he learned and shows off the devices. Check it...

How to increase touch screen responsiveness on the Microsoft Surface is one of the stories from this weekend on XDA-Developers. Also, you can calibrate Windows 8 touch screens with more accuracy. However, other news items happened this weekend. XDA News Specialist Jordan covers some of those stories. He talks about cleaning bloatware and adding some Android 4.2 apps with PalaTool. In XDA news, Jordan talks about his Huawei Ascend Mate Hands-on video. Also, Jordan mentions securing Android dev...

At the 2013 International CES, Chinese manufacturer Huawei (which we were constantly told was pronounced “wah-way”) released two phones. The most interesting phone is the Huawei Ascend Mate. This device packs a 6.1-inch HD display, an 8-megapixel camera, a 4050 mAh battery, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a quad-core processor. This huge device garnered a lot of attention. XDA News Specialist Jordan was on site and got a chance to get his hands on the Ascend Mate. This device has the potential to...

Back from International CES, XDA News Specialist Jordan is here to cover all the news from XDA that you may have missed. He talks about unlocking the bootloaders on the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, and Nexus 10 without using Fastboot. In other XDA Developer TV videos from this week, Jordan released a recap from the press events of International CES, XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler made a video on Hacking the Galaxy Camera, and XDA Developer TV Producer TK put out an app review of Kii Keyb...

As hard as many people try, there is currently no better way to input text into your computer than a standard keyboard. Mobile devices have unfortunately eliminated the click clack of the hardware keyboard. Some applications have been released to improve the keyboard, from gesture input and continuous dragging typing, to smarter and smarter predictive text. XDA Forum Member kiideveloper offers another Android keyboard, one that combines a lot of functions. In this video XDA Developer TV Produ...

Recently, XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler got a hold of a Samsung Galaxy Camera. First thing he did was unbox it, then he tore it apart, and finally he rooted it. For your normal user that is plenty, but AdamOutler wanted more than an Android Camera. In this video, AdamOutler talks about some of the hacks that are working on the Samsung Galaxy Camera. He talks about installing a VNC Server on the Galaxy Camera and using a tablet as a remote viewfinder and controller for the camera. ...

In case you haven’t noticed, the industry event known as International CES is going on this week. Over the past couple of days, XDA Developer TV Producer Jordan got a sneak peak on what to expect from some of the industry’s largest players in the television, audio, computing and mobile device segments. In today’s episode of XDA Developer TV, Jordan talks about what he has seen and what to look out for over the next year from these companies. He talks about what is coming from AudioVoxx, Netge...

Entropy Seed Generator is Not All It’s Hacked Up to Be according to XDA news this weekend. However, other exciting stories appeared this weekend as well. XDA News Specialist Jordan covers the highlights, including rooting the Kindle Fire HD with Mac or Linux. In XDA news, Jordan talks about the shipping of our branded cases. Also, Jordan mentions the story talking about using the Original Xbox controller on Jelly Bean. Pull up a chair and check out this video. Links to stories mentioned: Entr...

Canonical announcing Ubuntu for phones was our biggest story this week. However, there were many more stories that happened this week. Some of those are covered by XDA News Specialist Jordan. He talks about untethered webOS port for the Nexus 7. In other XDA Developer TV videos from this week, TK released an app review on SendIt. In CyanogenMod 10.1 news, Jordan talks about the unofficial release for the Nook HD+ and the Samsung Galaxy Fit. Also, Jordan mentions the accidental Jelly Bean leak...

Not too long ago, we talked about an FTP server to transfer files from your device and computer. Also we’ve talked about WiFi Explorer, which accomplishes the same goal in a different way. So why do we keep talking about something as simple as moving files around? Well the fact is that sometimes your files are somewhere else, and you need them on your device. Sometimes you want to share a file with your friends as well. XDA Senior Member crazyfool_1 offers up a simple file transfer app to hel...

If you visited the Ubuntu home page early this morning, you couldn’t have missed the countdown timer that promised something, “So close, you can almost touch it.” Most assumed it to be about a fully touch-optimized UI for the next version of the popular Linux distribution, but it turned out to be something even more significant. In an announcement earlier today, Canonical unveiled Ubuntu for phones, a fully working Ubuntu distribution meant for existing and future mobile handsets. If you are ...

Depending on which part of the world you reside, 2012 is now but a memory. While there have been various ups and downs, one thing is certain: Despite the lack of a Mayan Apocalypse, it was quite the eventful year. What’s even more important than the road already traveled in the world of mobile technology is what is yet to come in 2013. While the progress of our favorite mobile operating systems and their development communities are still very much to be determined, one thing is already known:...

External Mics on Galaxy Devices are just one resistor away and many mores stories are covered by XDA News Specialist Jordan. He talks about Sony releasing a beta flash tool for Unlocked Xperia devices. In other news, the infamous HTC HD2 is now running Windows RT! In CyanogenMod 10.1 news, Jordan talks about the CyanogenMod 10.1 release for the HTC One X+ and the Nexus 7 3G getting an official release. Pull up a chair and check out this video. Links to stories mentioned: HTC One X+ Receives V...

Revolutionary SD Card Bootloader Work-in-Progress for Galaxy S III, Galaxy Camera and how to easily compile CM10, CM10.1 or AOKP on Ubuntu 12.1 are just two of the stories this week, from the XDA Portal. In other XDA Developer TV releases, Jordan talks about XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler‘s Best Hacks of 2012 video and XDA Developer TV Producer TK’s roundup of the top apps of 2012. In CyanogenMod 10.1 news, Jordan talks about the unofficial release for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. A...

Recently, XDA released its Holiday Guide. One of the lists was the Android Apps and Utilities of the Year. Additionally, XDA Developer TV Producer Jordan highlighted the Top XDA News Stories of 2012 and XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler reviewed the best hacks of 2012. In this video, XDA Developer TV Producer TK reviews XDA’s Top Apps of 2012. The applications include Apex Launcher, XenoAmp, Solid Explorer, Mobile ODIN and Minimal Reader. TK shows off the applications and gives his th...

Since the beginning of the year 2012, XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler has been pulling devices apart and making them beg for mercy. Additionally, AdamOutler and other great minds from XDA have been hacking the “unhackable.” In this video, AdamOutler covers the viewer-voted Best Hacks of 2012. This includes, Exynos Abuse by alephzain, UnBrickable Mod by Rebellos and AdamOutler, Root All The Things box by AdamOutler, Verizon Galaxy Note 2 Unlock by Ralekdev and AdamOutler, and the Ope...

XDA University is live! XDA University is live! That and many mores stories are covered by XDA News Specialist Jordan. He also talks about Android code disallowing teleporting goats. In other news, you can now unbrick your Samsung Galaxy Ace with an all-in-one package! In CyanogenMod 10.1 news, Jordan talks about the unofficial releases for the LG P350 and AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II. Also, Jordan mentions the HTC One XL getting an official Jelly Bean 4.1 update. Pull up a chair and check out...

ArchLinux on the Transformer TF300T is only one of the stories this week on the Portal at XDA-Developers. Our friend Jordan quickly recaps all the news before the world ends. Jordan talks about the dangerous Exynos 4 security exploit. In other XDA Developer TV releases, Jordan talks about XDA Senior Moderator jerdog‘s Sony Xperia S video, XDA Developer TV Producer Jordan’s Top Stories of 2012 video, and XDA Developer TV Producer TK’s review of WiFi Mouse. In CyanogenMod 10.1 news, Jordan talk...

Typically, this is the part of the App Review video description where I come up with some premise about how the App will make you rich, popular, stronger, or just make your life easier. Honestly though, I’m not going to waste your time with that. I will just say that this App is very different. You aren’t flinging birds at pigs, you aren’t trying to figure out what word will get you the most points, you are just touching your Android screen to move the mouse cursor on your computer. XDA Senio...

Recently, XDA named Sony as OEM of the year. From being the first non-Nexus device to be supported in Android Open Source Project to taking over the community build themselves, Sony has given back to the development community. XDA Recognized Developer, News Writer, and Senior Moderator jerdog got his hands on the Sony Xperia S. He talks about the device and how it compares to other devices. He shows you what comes in the box of an Sony Xperia S package. Finally he shows you how to root the de...

Android 4.2.1 landed on the the Asus Transformer TF700 and more, this weekend at XDA-Developers. Our friend Jordan takes the time to round up those stories that we may have missed. First he talks about increasing the video bitrate on the Google Nexus 4. In other news you can now share apps across multiple users on the Google Nexus 7! In CyanogenMod 10 news, Jordan talks about the CyanogenMod 10-based ROM for the LG G2x. Also, Jordan mentions the HTC HD2 getting Android 4.2. Pull up a chair an...

Recently, resident hardware hacker, XDA Elite Recognized Developer, and XDA Developer TV Producer AdamOutler got his hands on a Verizon variant of the new Samsung Galaxy Note II. He assembled a team of experts including Recognized Developer Ralekdev and fellow Elite Recognized Developer Rebellos. With a group this talented, they had the bootloader unlocked in no time. Why does Verizon even try? This exploit involves installing Revision ROM as an Odin package, running CASUAL to exploit, and fl...

A little over a month ago, the Big Android BBQ event happened and XDA was in attendance. XDA Developer TV Producer Erica was there with her camera, recording all things exciting and interesting. After sifting through hundreds of hours of video, Erica presents a video detailing all the fun at the Big Android BBQ. Erica interviews many people including, XDA Elite Recognized Developer supercurio, Recognized Developer and AOKP creator Roman Birg, Creator of Awesomeness Tha Phlash, Recognized Deve...

Android 4.2 for the Motorola Xoom, and more this weekend at XDA. Our friend Jordan takes the time to round up these important stories and serve them up to us in bite-size pieces. First, he talks about the Galaxy Note II‘s multi-window functionality being ported to the Galaxy S II. In other, news you can now pre-order XDA gear! In CyanogenMod 10 news, Jordan talks about the unofficial release for the Droid RAZR M. Also, Jordan mentions the HTC G2 / Desire Z getting a CyanogenMod 10.1 build as ...

There was a lot of great news this week at XDA, starting with the report of the new Google Now updates. Jordan covers many other stories as well. Jordan talks about the many different rooting articles. First, the Odin root method for the Verizon Galaxy Note II. Second, was the story on the application called Root Transmission. Third, was the video covering three ways to root the Samsung Galaxy S III on XDA Developer TV. In other XDA Developer TV releases, Recognized Developer Benjamin Dobell ...

Sometimes you just want the simplest web browsing experience. Sometimes you don’t need any fancy add-ons; you just want a program that will load requested web pages without fancy trinkets like gesture controls. Sometimes you don’t want your browser sending your every move to advertisers. Sometimes you want an app that sounds slightly dirty, even though it isn’t. XDA Forum Member aminaked offers up a simple web browser app to help you just surf the web. In this video XDA Developer TV Producer ...

The last time we brought you news of a Google Now update, it added more sports teams and public safety announcements. Since then, Google Now has continued to improve and impress pretty much everyone. Now, an update was published that adds many new features. Here is a list of What’s New from the Google Play Store: For Android 4.1+ (Jelly Bean), Google Search keeps getting faster, plus: New cards: - Events nearby - Suggestions to help with your research - Boarding passes from Gmail (United only...

Today on XDA Developer TV, XDA Recognized Developer and XDA Developer TV first timer Benjamin Dobell gives us a tutorial on USB logging. Dobell is responsbile for Heimdall. Heimdall is an open source cross platform flashing utility much like Odin, but better. Heimdall lets you flash ROMs on Samsung devices, only Heimdall runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X. In today’s video, Dobell introduces himself and his Heimdall suite. He then he shows you how to log the USB connection of a flash download o...

In this episode of XDA Developer TV, we show you how to root your Samsung Galaxy S III. The popularity of the Samsung Galaxy S III and its variants have produced a few rooting methods. There are many features you can gain by rooting your device. We present three step-by-step instructions on how to gain root access on your Samsung Galaxy S III using tools from the XDA Developers Forums. The first process posted by XDA Recognized Contributor mrRobinson works for the AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint US...

The HTC HD2 lives on, and more, in today’s news round-up with Jordan. In this episode, Jordan talks about the HTC HD2 getting a Windows Phone 8 port. In other news, Jordan talks about the HTC Desire HD getting a source-built 4.2.1 ROM and kernel. Jordan also talks about adding your own toggles in Android 4.2 Quick Settings. Jordan talks about being able to restore the internal SD card after a bootloader unlock on the Galaxy Nexus. Also, Jordan mentions UnBrickable SD for the Samsung Galaxy Ca...

It is Friday, and Jordan is here to round up the news stories from this week on XDA. Jordan talks about HoRNDIS, which allows you to tether on a Mac easily. In XDA-specific news, Jordan talks about developers discussion forum being trialed in the Note II forums. Jordan mentions the three videos posted this week on XDA Developer TV. The first video released this week was by XDA TV Producer TK and talked about rooting the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The second video was by Elite Recognized Develope...

There’s still a little over a month left in 2012, but we’ve already had quite the eventful year. This year saw the launch of Android 4.1, Android 4.2, and several flagship devices. We featured plenty of ups, plenty of downs, even more downs, and few stories that made us all ask if the whole world around us had gone slightly mad. On the XDA Developer TV front, we saw various XDA Unboxings and a series on app production by XDA Elite Recognized Developer AdamOutler. We were kept up-to-date on th...

The one thing every smartphone user worries about is how much battery he or she has left. When users do forget to worry about their battery, the battery usually cuts out during an important call, pivotal point in a game, or during your favorite YouTube video. XDA Forum Member fonter offers up battery management app to help you save your battery. In this video, XDA Developer TV Producer TK reviews One Power Guard. TK shows off the application and its functionality, and talks about his thoughts...