Exclusives - 3/7 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

[Update] Exclusive: First Images And Details Of The Verizon HTC Incredible 4G Surface

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Exclusives, Incredible 4G, Leaks, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Up to this point, the only thing we've know about the HTC Incredible 4G is... well, not much. There have been rumors here and there, but nothing all that concrete about the device (aside from a potential launch date). Thanks to a trusted source, however, we now not only have more information about the device, but some images to go along with it.

^{Smile for the blurrycam!}

Specs:

4-Inch display [unconfirmed - the tipster couldn't reliably measure the device, so this is an estimate]
qHD resolution
1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor (we suspect it's an S4, but haven't confirmed at this time)
1GB RAM
8GB built-in storage, microSD card slot
8MP rear shooter with zero shutter lag, VGA front camera
NFC
MHL
Beats support (no headphones included)
LTE
Android 4.0 with Sense 4

Update: Looks like a leaked press shot hit the web this morning, as well.

Apr

[Exclusive] Pantech Burst Rooted, And The Process Is Stupid-Easy

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Burst, Exclusives, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

At CES this year, Pantech announced the Burst, its first smartphone to run on AT&T's LTE network. At a measly fifty bones with a two-year contract, its 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage give this little device quite a bang for the buck.

As such, quite a few people may be temped to scoop this little guy up, but there's one major drawback for many users: lack of developer support. It's no secret that some Android devices are much more supported than others by the development community, and a not-yet-rooted Android device is very unappealing to many people.

Mar

[Update: Changelog Added] Exclusive Download: Android 4.0 (Build 3.11.605.22) With Updated Radios For The HTC Rezound

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Exclusives, Leaks, News, Rezound

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Ice Cream Sandwich. It's more than a buzzword in the Android community right now - it's what most users are waiting for in one way or another. Some are waiting on the update to roll out to their device, while others are still waiting to find out if their device will even get the update. For HTC Rezound users, however, the wait ends today - as long as they're willing to flash a leaked firmware, that is.

This is a release candidate for the OTA and by no means a final version.

Update: Here's the changelog:

Features/Enhancements
1. Android OS 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
2. CMAS support added
3.

Jan

[Exclusive] Developer Codes Left In Retail ZTE Avail (AT&T) Offer Quick And Easy Root Access

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Avail, Exclusives, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

New root methods show up all the time, so it's not a huge deal that a rather unknown phone on AT&T is now rooted. So why are we posting about it? Because the root method used is, well... interesting.

It was uncovered by our own Justin Case from TeamAndIRC, and while a big part of the process will look very familiar to some of you, there is one step that induces a wait, what? moment.

Before you get started throwing commands at the little guy, though, you need to grab this file. After that, commence command throwing.

adb shell rm -r /data/local/logs (if this command gives you an error, do not worry, it is precautionary)
adb shell mkdir /data/local/logs
adb shell ln -s /data/local.prop /data/local/logs/loglast1.tar.gz

Dial *983*7668# on your phone.

Jan

PR-ASUS-Eee-Pad-Transformer-Prime-front-Amethyst-Gray_thumb1

[Update: Works On The OG Transformer, Too!] Exclusive: 'NachoRoot' Brings Root Access To The Transformer Prime, Even With The Newest Firmware

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, Eee Pad Transformer, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Exclusives, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Update: We're getting reports that NachoRoot also successfully roots the original Transformer, which, until now, has been unrootable on the latest firmware. Simply follow the directions listed below!

Transformer Prime - two words that we've heard quite a bit over the last week or so. Root - a word that we hear on a daily basis in the world of Android. What do you get when you put the two together? Transformer Prime root. That's right -- the TP has been rooted by none other than our good buddy Justin Case. And we have the details for you right here.

Dec

[Exclusive] TacoRoot By Justin Case And Reid Holland: A New Temporary Root Exploit For All HTC Devices

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Exclusives, HTC, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Our own Justin Case has been collaborating with Reid Holland (erishasnobattery) on TacoRoot – a tool that should root just about any HTC smartphone – for some time now, and with the recent additions to HTC’s official unlocking tool, they’ve decided to release it.

At the moment, it’s quite gnarly – it’s only a temporary root for now, and there are various issues with it (see below). That said, it’s incredibly useful for downgrading phones like the myTouch 4G, which can’t be unlocked or rooted with the most recent version of their software. Besides, who could say no to a universal HTC root tool?

Dec

[Exclusive] How To Easily Root The Amazon Kindle, Regardless Of Its Software Version

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Amazon, Development, Exclusives, Kindle Fire, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Update: Justin has repackaged the Kindle Fire root app apk, removing encryption and open sourcing the file.

Update: BurritoRoot may not work on version 6.0 firmware. If you're having trouble, update your firmware and try again.

On the historic date of December 20th, 2011, Amazon pushed out software version 6.2.1 to its Kindle Fire. The update was fairly minor -- its main additions had to do with improved scrolling and WiFi passwords -- but it brought about one devastating change: it broke all previous methods of root.

Seeing the issue, our own Justin Case got right to work; and after a night's worth of coding, with a group of fellow devs helping him through the testing process (namely, Vashypooh, Trevor Eckhart, and IOMoster), he developed a new method to root the Kindle Fire -- a method that works not only on software 6.2.1, but on all currently known versions of the Fire's OS (future updates make break this).

Oct

[Updated] Exclusive: Gingerbread Build 2.11.605.5 For The HTC Thunderbolt, Fixes Several Issues From Official Gingerbread OTA

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Exclusives, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Update: Well, what do you know -- Verizon just updated the support documentation for the Tbolt to reflect the newest build... and it just so happens to be 2.11.605.5. Yep, the exact same as this build. Looks like this is the official OTA, folks. Check out the full changelog here.

Thunderbolt owners have been waiting a long while to get Gingerbread -- too long, considering this phone was once Verizon's flagship. We've seen several leaked builds come around, all of which experienced a variety of problems. The most recent leak seemed to be the most stable so far, but it was still chock-full of annoying little bugs.

Oct

[Exclusive] Ice Cream Sandwich Will Finally Bring Native Screenshot Capabilities To Android

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Exclusives, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

In what will probably be the last melting drop of the Ice Cream Sandwich leaks (oh the puns), we wanted to highlight one highly desired little feature ICS is finally going to bring to Android after all these years - native screenshot capabilities. If you thought 2 years was a long time for Apple to implement copy/paste... let's just say Google definitely has that record beat.

Update 10/18/11: Confirmed during the ICS unveiling:

Users of some Samsung, HTC, and other devices have already been enjoying this feature for some time thanks to manufacturer additions, but based on what we've seen so far (and we've seen quite a few things), the Galaxy Nexus will be able to take screenshots without the need for any external apps, root, carrier mods, or other nonsense - support for it is now baked into the core of ICS (I wonder if it tastes like caramel).

Oct

[Exclusive] The Ice Cream Sandwich Gallery Is Likely Getting A Built-In Photo Editor; We've Got The Feature List

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Exclusives, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Google is working on building a photo editor into the Android Gallery. That much we're certain about - we've got the icons for it. It's not 100% confirmed that this will actually ship, or if these features or icons are final, but do you really think they'd do all this work and throw it out?

With the disclaimer out of the way, here's the icons and descriptions, ripped right from Ice Cream Sandwich's creamy center.

Update 10/18/11: Confirmed during the ICS unveiling.