Liam Spradlin - 68/99 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Besides being an avid Android fan and blogger, Liam is a photographer with a degree in both Anthropology and Sociology. He can usually be found reading through blogs, taking photos, or studying ancient pottery. Liam has been known to leave on international trips at a moment's notice, and can't resist a new challenge.

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Jan

[Download] BurritoRoot 2 Gives Root Access Back To Kindle Fire Users After 6.2.2 Update

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, Kindle Fire, News

Last Updated: January 19th, 2012

Justin Case has done it again, bringing root access back to users of Amazon's Kindle Fire who accepted the recent firmware update to version 6.2.2. BurritoRoot 2 is an easy-to-use exploit that only requires adb (Android debug bridge) and a few moments of your time. Users looking to root their device after Amazon's latest firmware update can grab BurritoRoot 2 using the download mirrors below.

To use the exploit, just download the file and run the following commands from adb:

adb push BurritoRoot2.bin /data/local/

adb shell chmod 777 /data/local/BurritoRoot2.bin

adb shell /data/local/BurritoRoot2.bin

adb root

adb shell id

<if uid = 0 continue, if not start over>

adb remount

adb push su /system/xbin/su

adb shell chown 0.0 /system/xbin/su

adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su

adb remount

adb install Superuser.apk (skip this step if its already installed)

For more information, check out Justin's original thread over at XDA.

Jan

Amazon Kindle Fire's Firmware Update (To 6.2.2) Breaks Root, Adds Full-Screen Browsing

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, Kindle Fire, News

Last Updated: January 19th, 2012

In a familiar turn of events, Amazon has pushed out another root-breaking firmware update, bringing the Kindle Fire's firmware up to version 6.2.2.

Shortly after Amazon's last Kindle Fire update, our very own Justin Case made quick work of gaining root access for the Kindle Fire once again, releasing BurritoRoot, a tool that made rooting the Fire quick and (relatively) easy. Unfortunately, Amazon's latest update keeps BurritoRoot from doing its job, but it appears to bring about at least one useful change.

The only visible improvement is a full screen toggle button added to Amazon's Silk browser. Amazon's support documentation doesn't include information regarding 6.2.2 just yet, but when it does we'll be here to update with a full list of changes.

Jan

[Quick Look] Game On Allows Users To Share Game Data, Skip Over That Unbeatable Level With One Click

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

For some gamers, a savegame file can be an indispensable resource, allowing the user to skip past a frustrating boss battle or jump over a brain-busting puzzle.

Bringing that concept to your Android device, Made in Brooklyn has introduced Game On, an app that allows users to share progress in popular games like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and over 60 others.

The first thing to know about Game On is that it's still in its beta stage, meaning some users may experience instability or other issues. The second thing to know is that root access and busybox are required for Game On to function, so stock users are left out for now (MiB says a non-root version is in the works for the first half of 2012).

Jan

Motorola Mobility Cleared Of Apple's Infringement Claims By ITC, Faces Other Battles

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Legal, Motorola, News

International Trade Commission Judge Theodore Essex decided in Washington today that Motorola Mobility did not violate three of Apple's Patents, as the Cupertino tech giant had claimed. Two of the patents related to touchscreen features, including multi touch, and a device's ability to recognize various types of manual input, like sliding and pinching gestures. The third, as Bloomberg explains, "is for a way to add components without having to run an installation program or rebooting."

This case comes as one of many in a long saga of attacks on Android for alleged patent infringement, part of an effort by Apple across four continents to prove that Android copies pieces of the iPhone's functionality.

Jan

Sprint VP David Owens: Sprint Won't Be Releasing Any More WiMax Smartphones, And Don't Expect Any Windows Phones In The Near Future Either

Posted by Liam Spradlin in 4G, News, Sprint

It would appear that Sprint plans on going full speed ahead in focusing on product development for its 4G LTE lineup this year. David Owens, Sprint's VP of Product Development made clear at CES Wednesday that Sprint "won't be introducing any more WiMax smartphones," adding "April, May, June, July, August, those will be very aggressive times for us." This may be a hint that we could begin seeing LTE devices as early as April, which is great news for customers holding out for a new device (like Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which is poised to be Sprint's first LTE device).

While Sprint doesn't plan on releasing new WiMax smartphones, the carrier evidently plans on selling WiMax hostpots (like the Sierra Wireless hotspot we saw at CES) alongside LTE devices.

Jan

[Update: Install It Manually] Motorola's Xoom Update Is Ice Cream Sandwich (IML77) – Rolling Out Now To Testers

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, XOOM

Well, it's official - the "project" Xoom owners have been waiting for is an update to Ice Cream Sandwich, meant as a soak test, expected to last through the weekend. Moto has begun pushing the new software as of 9pm PST. An anonymous tipster has provided us with shots of a private section of Motorola's official XOOM support forum, which confirm that the update is going live to those lucky enough to join the test group.

As you can see, Moto has indicated that they do in fact plan on releasing this software very soon, unless "there is some extremely serious issue."

While Xoom Wi-Fi owners lucky enough to participate in Motorola's project test out Ice Cream Sandwich for the tablet that launched Honeycomb, other users can look forward to an update to Android's latest and greatest iteration any time now.

Jan

T-Mobile Turns Attention To Network Quality After AT&T Deal Falls Through

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, News, T-Mobile

Following the collapse of T-Mobile's planned $39 billion deal with AT&T, the magenta carrier has turned its attention to network quality and performance to draw new customers. Chief Executive Philipp Humm provided comment on the situation Wednesday:

We have a very clear spike on value compared to everyone else. Now it's about bringing the quality phase alive. That's something that during the transition phase kind of suffered.

Magenta lost more than 467,000 contract customers over the 10 months it worked with AT&T on the ill-fated takeover, focusing not on network enhancements, but instead on completing the deal. Humm noted that T-Mobile will have a more clear business plan later this month, but said that the company may consider asset sales.

Jan

[Update: Video Added] CES 2012: AR.Drone 2.0 Comes With Enhanced Stability, Beams 720p Video, And Makes Piloting Intuitive

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News, Parrot

The Ar.Drone, an awesome quad-copter by Parrot which we took a close look at back in September, just got a major upgrade. Parrot has unveiled the Ar.Drone 2.0, which brings many revisions (enhancements) to the original concept.

Update: Here's a look at the Ar.Drone 2.0 in action. Watch it flip!

One of the most notable improvements is that the drone's onboard camera can now beam 720p HD video back to your device. Parrot's new control app also makes it easy to record and share flight video. This app, by the way, supports iOS and a wide, wide range of Android devices including phones and tablets.

Jan

[CES 2012] T-Mobile Serves Up A Slew Of Announcements – Introduces Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, Bobsled Messaging Enhancements, And Expanded 4G Network

Posted by Liam Spradlin in 4G, Galaxy S, Galaxy S Blaze 4G, News, T-Mobile

Last Updated: February 22nd, 2012

At CES today, T-Mobile, in an effort to outline "the company's ongoing efforts to fuel consumer adoption of mobile data," revealed a handful of announcements, ranging from the introduction of a new 4G-capable device, to Bobsled Messaging, to expanded 4G networks.

You may remember that T-Mobile announced updates to its Bobsled Messaging service back in October. Well, T-Mo today announced further enhancements, including free unlimited messaging to Android users worldwide. Bobsled, for those who don't know, is essentially a service which allows users to communicate using mobile devices (through messaging or calling), regardless of platform or network, requiring only an internet or data connection.

Jan

AT&T's Samsung Captivate (Finally) Gets Updated To Gingerbread

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Captivate, Gingerbread 2.3, News

More than a year after Android 2.3 Gingerbread made its debut, the Samsung Captivate (AT&T's Galaxy S clone) is finally getting its share of the goodness.

Users will need to install the update manually, using Kies Mini. Luckily, Samsung has provided a helpful set of instructions here.

While the update may be a little overdue, it's definitely good news for stock users who want to be one step closer to the latest and greatest iteration of Android.

via Unwired View