As anyone who has spent some time with any recent HTC-made Windows Mobile phone ought to know, HTC has a serious knack for taking mobile OSes and customizing them - and there’s no better OS for that than Android. After cranking out the Dream and the Magic with only limited modifications, all signs indicate that HTC is going all out with the tweaks on the upcoming HTC Hero.
Over the past few weeks, a build of the HTC Hero ROM has been floating around, albeit closely guarded, amongst the developer community. A hacker going by the name of Haykuro would port it to the G1, then demonstrate the new features on video. Eventually the build leaked without without Haykuro’spermission, and it spread like wildfire. It’s a buggy beta build and lacks some of the features we’ve already seen (like the Rosie UI home screen), but it’s relatively functional and gives us a sneak peek at some of the cool things to come from the future HTC Android devices.
One of the great things about Android Market is that you can see what everyone has to say about the applications they’ve downloaded. Very useful in figuring out if you should really download that app called “Alien Blood Bath” or just avoid it all together.
The system, however, is slightly flawed. It appears that no one is really moderating these comments, and they usually end up turning into heated debates on the most futile of topics. So, rather than let these little gems go to waste, we’ve run into the middle of the battle, and emerged somewhat unscathed with loads of half-baked comments for everyone to enjoy. Read More
It’s only been a day since Google began selling G1s without firmware restrictions for developers, and someone has already managed to tear out the unlocked bootloader and get it up online. In other words, anyone carrying a modified G1 (Note: You MUST be running a modified version of RC30 for this to work. If you’re already on the official release, you’re out of luck for now) can now enjoy the unrestricted bootloader.
So what does all this mean, exactly? For the time being, not a whole lot. This allows G1 owners to flash their devices with unauthorized (or “unsigned”) firmware builds, which is something that is still at a fairly early stage. That said, it shouldn’t be too long before we start to see some awesome alternative firmware builds (even non-Android - think Linux, or if you’re looking to commit an act of heresy, Windows Mobile.) start to stem from this.
It didn’t take long before people started hacking away at the T-Mobile G1, the first phone to ship with Google’s Android platform, and now it looks like Google wants to make it even easier. Starting today, Google is offering a development version of the G1 that is both SIM and hardware unlocked, meaning no more nagging at T-Mobile and waiting for ages to receive an unlock code. The bootloader on this version also doesn’t restrict the device to officially signed firmware builds.
To nab one of these, you’ll need to register as a developer on the Android Market site, pay the one-time $25.00 registration fee, and slap down $399 big ones for the hardware.
It was only a few weeks ago that Opera Mini 4.2 was unleashed on the Google Android platform, and yet another browser is now surfacing by small software company kolbysoft. Steel is based off the same open-source WebKit components that the default Android web browser is based upon, so there is similar functionality between the two.
Feeling as if your G1 is a little bland in the animation department? Want those fancy sliding animations generally reserved for Google’s demonstrations? Worry no longer - afbcamaro from XDA Developers noticed that you can use a development package from the Android SDK that allows for you to access some fun features (such as sliding transitions) that didn’t make their way in to the end product.
What you need:
T-Mobile G1
APKInstaller (download it from the AndroidMarket), Development.APK (Download link), and a MicroSD card.
Whenever the G1 vs iPhone debate gets underway, iPhone purists are quick to flag the G1’s lack of multi-touch input support. Turns out, it might just be able to handle it after all -on the hardware end, at least. Whilst tearing his G1’s workings apart line-by-line, a crafty coder going by RyeBrye came across an interesting artifact. It seems the driver for the Synaptics touchscreen has some code commented out; after recompiling the kernel with said code back in, he was able to track two finger presses at once.
So if the hardware supports it, why no multi-touch on the G1? Patents, presumably. While this in no way actually enables to you to do any kind of multi-touch funnin’ immediately (nothing made for the G1 is currently coded for use with multi-touch, afterall), it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Though we probably won’t see any official support for multi-touch on the G1 any time soon, someone with a bit of spare time to tinker will probably figure out a way to make use of it before too long.
It was only a few days ago that we tore into the 20 dollar IM+ application for being overpriced, buggy, and lacking anything that justified that 20 dollar price tag. At the tail-end of that review, we expressed our hopes that an IM app done right would come along soon. Enter Meebo for Android, brought to you by the same people behind the awesome browser-based IM application of the same name. It’s got a clean interface, is dead simple to use, and best of all: it’s FREE. Game over, IM+.
IM+ is an application created by ShapeServices, which aims to replace the instant messaging application that comes out of the box with Android. Hoping that there were some differences between the 7-day trial and the paid version, we bit the bullet and plopped down the 20 dollars (well, $19.95) on this app to see how it really is, so you wouldn’t have to. The verdict? Save your cash. Read More
Update: Though this guide is written for updating to RC29, it should work for any official update. We have tested it up to RC33.
If you’re constantly glancing at your G1 to check if T-Mobile has graced your handset with the oh-so-slow-to-roll-out RC29 update (”By November 11th”? Pah!), you might be glad to find out that there’s now a way to expedite the process. All you need is a computer, internet connection, a way to transfer the firmware to your Micro SD card and half a brain.
Mandatory warning: Updating firmware can be a delicate procedure, so continue at your own risk. Always back up everything. Unless you’re able to check the hash or otherwise verify a firmware’s source, downloading it is your own risk and not the responsibility of anyone else. Whenever possible, download it directly from Google (as you will in this tutorial). Also make sure that your battery is charged so as to keep it from fizzling out mid-update, and that you don’t have the G1 hooked up to your computer while updating.
While it’s by no means playable at this point (unless your favorite hobby is watching sloths tend to a patch of growing grass), the Android Market has now seen it’s first video game emulator: AndroidBoy. As you may have guessed from the tail-end of the name, it’s a Game Boy emulator, supporting games from both the original Game Boy and 1998’s Game Boy Color.
The interface needs some remodeling, and the key mapping is going to need some work as well - but the first emulator on any given platform is always an important landmark, and things can only get better. As the legality of emulators is somewhat dubious, some questioned whether or not such an item would be allowed in Google’s Android Market. AndroidBoy’s success in making it to the market is a great sign of things to come.
I wonder when the Apple App Store will get an emulator? Oh wait, that’s not going to happen.
With the doors to the Android Market open to developers as of yesterday, the applications have begun pouring in. To celebrate, we decided to take a look at some of the notable applications lurking about in this first batch. Notable, mind you, doesn’t necessarily mean the best. A few were highlighted for their greatness. Some were noted because we just like the concept. And the others? Well, they were just too weird not to mention.
Title: Twidroid Summary: One of the first, and best Twitter clients out there for Android so far. Twidroid does what you expect it to, and has some great features in the works, such as photo uploading and background updating so you can always get the latest tweets. Replying to your fellow Twitts is a breeze as well, just press the direct or public reply button.
The Good: Easy to use, clean interface.
The Bad: The photo feature isn’t quite ready for the masses, but they decided to leave it in there anyway. Sometimes gets stuck loading tweets.
Worth the download? Definitely. If you use Twitter and don’t want to do it through the web interface, this is the best alternative so far. Read More
