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May

Google Creates Dedicated Developer Page For Glass System Images And Kernels - XE5 Image And Pre-Rooted Bootloader Already Posted

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Development, Glass, Google, News

Shhhh. Listen closely. Do you hear that? It's the sound of thousands of developers and modders salivating. Though the system images for Google Glass have been available for some time (thanks in no small part to this humble establishment), Google has decided to take the guesswork out of backups and modifications for their wearable tech. The Google Developers website has a brand new Downloads section for Glass, complete with the latest factory image (XE5) and a bootloader. The latter even comes pre-rooted - because Google knows its audience.

Google has also posted the source code for the current Glass kernel to its corporate Git hub, GoogleSource.com.

May

[Updated: Q&A] Dan Rosenberg Has Unlocked AT&T Galaxy S4's Bootloader, But We Won't Get To See How For A While - Here Is Why

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in AT&T, Development, Galaxy S4, News, Samsung

It was only yesterday that Cyanogen definitively confirmed AT&T's treacherous move to lock down the Galaxy S4's bootloader, but there is light at the end of that tunnel. No thanks to AT&T but to security researcher extraordinaire and a person I admire Dan Rosenberg, a.k.a. the magician, a.k.a. the root whisperer.

Dan, who is responsible for numerous root and unlock exploits, tweeted this photo of his Galaxy S4 earlier today:

There are no instructions or blog posts explaining the unlock at Dan's blog yet - these should be coming in the future. When, you might ask? This part is not decided just yet, for a good reason (put down your pitchforks).

Apr

Cracking Glass – Saurik Posts Account Of Google Glass Root, Controversy, Exploits, And How To Crack Your Own Glass

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Glass, Google, News

Several days ago, something happened that sent a not insignificant ripple through coverage of Google Glass: someone "jailbroke" the device.

Saurik, who posted the above photo to Twitter, had modified Glass' software "while in the Bay Area after picking it up from Google's headquarters in Mountain View."

Understandably, this idea was a bit bedeviling to the press – ostensibly, Glass is a relatively limited platform for developers, who can only write apps using a web-based API, allowing software to be integrated with the device over the internet. Eric Schmidt's words regarding the relative closed-ness (or at least, less-than-total openness) of Glass' platform to start were still wet on the page.

Apr

HTC One Developer Edition Pre-Orders Open Up To U.S. Customers For $649

Posted by Cody Toombs in Development, HTC, News, One

Do you have an extra $649 burning a hole in your pocket? Do you have a hankering for a carrier and bootloader-unlocked HTC One? If so, we've got some news for you. HTC just opened up pre-sales for the HTC One Developer Edition to US customers.

Specs:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor
2 GB RAM
64 GB of storage
Front-facing stereo speakers
Two dual-membrane microphones for recording
Multiple frequency compatibility:
- HSPA/WCDMA: 850/1900/2100 MHz
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- LTE: 700/850/AWS/1900 MHz (US)

Back in March, HTC announced plans to sell a limited quantity of the unlocked HTC One. While this isn't the cheapest way to get the flagship device, Developer Editions are completely contract free and won't bother you with those pesky carrier-imposed lockdowns.

Mar

HTC Announces One Developer Edition For The US

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, HTC, News, One

In a post to its official blog today, HTC asked developers "what could better than the HTC One," quickly following up with the answer: the same phone. Okay, not quite the same phone – this one is shipped with SIM and bootloader unlocked.

Positioning the device as "a modern platform to build and test your apps," HTC reminds potential buyers of the One's Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB RAM, 64GB on-board storage, HTC's open APIs for low-energy Bluetooth, Infrared, and "more," along with its dual speakers and microphones.

For those wondering, the developer edition will support the following frequencies:

HSPA/WCDMA 850/1900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
LTE 700/850/AWS/1900 MHz

^{Unfortunately, the real Developer Edition won't come with a see-through back}

HTC says the Developer Edition of the new flagship will be available in limited quantities to US customers "when the HTC One is released in the United States," costing interested parties $649 a pop.

Dec

[Download] Full RUU For The EVO LTE JB Update (3.15.651.16)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), News

Nearly a couple weeks ago, the Jelly Bean (4.1.1) update to the Evo 4G LTE ~~XL BBQ~~ began to roll out. By now, we think it's safe to say that most or all of you have it. If you don't, however, or if you've already updated, flashed another ROM, and want to get back to stock, then maybe I can interest you in a nice RUU?

As a side note, if you're HTCDev unlocked, you'll need to relock your handset or you'll get an error while trying to run the .exe. More information on relocking the bootloader can be found here.

Dec

Galaxy Note II Developer Edition (16GB) Shows Up On Samsung's Site, Proves Its Existence

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Note II, News, Samsung

One of the biggest frustrations of dealing with Verizon, if you're someone who likes to tweak their phone, is that the carrier insists on locking the bootloaders on its phones that otherwise would not be locked. Samsung has offered Developer Editions of its phones in the past, including the Galaxy S III, largely to avoid that problem and appease the dev crowd. Today, that tradition continues with the Galaxy Note II which has now appeared on the company's site in a similar hacker-friendly model.

Samsung hasn't announced pricing or availability for this model just yet, but if previous patterns hold, you can expect this to take a bit of a toll on your wallet, as it's going to be sold off-contract and unsubsidized.

Nov

[Exclusive] How To: Unlock The Droid DNA's Bootloader

Posted by Justin Case in Development, DROID DNA, News

When the Droid DNA was first announced, we were all surprised to find that the bootloader was unlockable at HTCdev.com. Because of this, the device actually got root, recovery, and custom kernel days before the official release. Unfortunately, by the time the device became available in retail channels, Verizon pulled the plug and it was no longer unlocked through official means.

Thankfully, there's another way (isn't there always?). The softmod below will effectively change the carrier information, allowing it to once again be unlocked via HTC's official tool.

Before we get started, special thanks to Sean Beaupre, who stepped in at the last minute and made this release possible.

Nov

Nexus 10 Toolkit Now Available: Get Your Tweak On The Easy Way

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus 10

A few days ago, developer mskip released the Nexus 4 toolkit, which simplifies the unlock/root/recovery/etc. process on the device. The same dev has now released the Nexus 10 toolkit, which does essentially the same thing, only for Google's first 10" slate. These toolkits really take the work out of doing a number of otherwise potentially tedious tasks:

FUNCTIONS OF GOOGLE NEXUS 10 TOOLKIT V1.0.0 [20TH NOVEMBER 2012]
* Install correct adb/fastboot drivers automatically on Windows xp/vista/7/8 32bit+64bit
* Backup/Restore a single package or all apps, user data and Internal Storage
* Backup your /data/media (virtual SD Card) to your PC for a Full Safe backup of data
* Unlock/Re-Lock your Bootloader
* Root Stock Jelly Bean builds (upto 4.2.0 JOP40C)
* 1-Click For All to Unlock the Bootloader, Root, Rename the Restore File and Flash Custom Recovery
* Perform a FULL NANDROID Backup of your system (Boot, Cache, Data, Recovery and System) via adb and save in Custom Recovery format on your PC which can be Restored via CWM Recovery
* Pull /data and /system folders, compress to a .tar file and save to your PC
* Dump selected Phone Partitions, compress to a .zip file with md5 and save to your PC
* Install BusyBox on your phone
* Extras, Tips and Tricks section available to all ToolKit Donators
* Auto Update ToolKit to latest pushed version at startup (donator feature)
* Program up to 10 Quickpic slots and run them very quickly (donator feature)
* Mods section to automatically perform certain tasks on your phone
* Download Google Stock Image directly to correct ToolKit folder for extracting and flashing (no need to move it manually anymore)
* Flash Custom Recovery or Google Stock Image to phone
* Rename the Recovery Restore File present on some Stock Roms
* Boot into CWM Touch Recovery without Flashing it
* Boot or Flash .img Files directly from your PC
* Install a single apk or multiple apk's to your phone
* Push Files from your PC to your phone
* Pull Files from your phone to your PC
* Dump selected LogCat buffers to your PC
* Dump BugReport to your PC
* Set Files Permissions on your phone
* Open new Command Prompt for manual input
* Reboot Phone to Fastboot Mode or Android from fastboot mode
* Reboot Phone to Fastboot Mode, Recovery, Android or Download Mode from adb mode

The ToolKit.exe and ModsSection.exe files may be detected as malicious by some anti-virus software.

Nov

Motorola Adds Electrify M To Bootloader Unlock Program - No Developer Edition Required

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Electrify M, Motorola, News, US Cellular

Following the ATRIX HD, the recently announced Electrify M destined for U.S. Cellular is Motorola's newest member of the bootloader unlock program. The Electrify M is basically the RAZR M with minor visual tweaks but, unlike its Verizon sibling, won't come in a separate, more expensive developer-friendly flavor. Instead, like the Photon Q on Sprint and the RAZR i/HD outside of U.S., it's unlockable out of the box.

An unlocked bootloader means Electrify M owners will have full blessing of US Cellular and Motorola to customize software on their devices and flash custom ROMs, in exchange for losing the warranty, of course (in case there is any confusion, Motorola specifies: "Once you get the unlock code, your device is no longer covered by the Motorola warranty; in other words, please don't blame us if things go wrong, even if they appear unrelated to unlocking the bootloader.").