Android: General Chat

[Eames]

Well, if you're interested in learning more I think this thread can come in handy in the future. Think of a ROM as basically the OS of your phone.

Massive amounts of geek speak I don't understand, plus huge potential to **** up and brick my phone with the added bonus of a voided warranty?

Nope. Won't be doing that then.

The chances of messing up your phone are pretty much nil if you follow the instructions (which usually just boil down to "run this file. ok now run this file"). There'll come a point where you'll become fed up with your stock ROM, and if your warranty is already up, why the hell not? Rooting your phone is akin to getting administrative control over a computer. You're no longer restricted by the shackles of your OEM.

Might try after the 12months is up. Before then? No chance.

[darrenm]

If the wife's S3 was mine, it would be running a custom ROM by now.

 

Rough guide for anyone who already knows a bit about how PCs work.

 

The bootloader is like the BIOS. As long as you have that you're OK as you can use that to load something else like a recovery program to get going again. If you're ever involved in flashing the bootloader, take extra care.

 

Then there are separate partitions on the internal flash memory (hard drive) which are designated for different parts. The kernel is the lowest, cleanest bit of machine code that is booted, and that's what this Linux thing is that everyone bangs on about.

 

The system partition is basically the operating system. The equivalent of c:\windows on windows, or something like /usr on Linux (except in Android it's mounted at /system).

 

Then you have a /data partition which is the equivalent of something like c:\users, where it holds all of your installed apps and any saved data. If you do a data wipe at any time, it essentially just formats the /data partition.

 

Then finally you have other areas where other images get written to such as the modem code, which is low level machine code that operates the actual phone part (GSM, 3G, HSPA etc).

 

When you get a ROM you normally get a zip file in a format that an Android recovery program (installed in the recovery partition) can extract and flash. There are files in it that tell the recovery what to write where and how. Normally though the recovery is locked to only be able to flash signed update zips, so will reject anything from outside either Samsung or HTC etc.

 

So you then have to get a different recovery on there, generally a Clockworkmod recovery is the best one, but again to get then on there you have to flash it from the bootloader, and everyone apart from Samsung and Google lock their bootloaders so you can't flash anything non-official.

 

In the end, they're very similar to modern PC operating systems. If you root an Android phone, then install Busybox, then open a console on it, you'd feel very comfortable if you know something like Ubuntu already.

 

Ramble over. Just watch out for your bootloader. Even if you accidentally bad-flash that, you can normally debrick by using a JTAG, but it then gets a bit in-depth.

[CVByrne]

Can I get an answer from everyone on a simple question.

 

 

Why is Android dominating the smartphone space and about to dominate the tablet space too? 

[CVByrne]

That's a good post darren 

[Anthony]

Because people are now used to smartphones and are demanding more. iphones are good 'first' smartphones, but over time the restrictions become dealbreakers.

[Keyblade]

 

 

 

Well, if you're interested in learning more I think this thread can come in handy in the future. Think of a ROM as basically the OS of your phone.

Massive amounts of geek speak I don't understand, plus huge potential to **** up and brick my phone with the added bonus of a voided warranty?

Nope. Won't be doing that then.

The chances of messing up your phone are pretty much nil if you follow the instructions (which usually just boil down to "run this file. ok now run this file"). There'll come a point where you'll become fed up with your stock ROM, and if your warranty is already up, why the hell not? Rooting your phone is akin to getting administrative control over a computer. You're no longer restricted by the shackles of your OEM.

Might try after the 12months is up. Before then? No chance.

 

 

Yep, good plan. S'what I did too.

[limpid]

As I posted on OT: Watch the permissions for the updated facebook app. I'm not comfortable with FB being able to overlay anything on the screen so I've removed it.

[b23avfc]

Well thanks to the amazing android system, some clever hacker probably just freaked the air traffic authorities out.. Try hacking a plane with an apple product

[darrenm]

Can I get an answer from everyone on a simple question.

 

 

Why is Android dominating the smartphone space and about to dominate the tablet space too? 

Because opinion filters down from the techies. Hardly any techies like the Apple stuff because they're generally well informed about what stuff can and can't do.

 

That combined with the 'openness' of the platform. Every company needs a modern smartphone OS. Either they invest the time and money into developing their own, or they use something ready made and incredibly easy to customise to their own corporate branding.

 

Samsung with the Galaxy S, S2 and S3 have really driven adoption, with HTC becoming less of a market force.

 

Samsung are now in the position that Nokia could have been, about to have more control over Android than Google, and that worries me. And I think it also worries Google.

[limpid]

Well thanks to the amazing android system, some clever hacker probably just freaked the air traffic authorities out.. Try hacking a plane with an apple product

I'm not sure, with the extra height of the iPhone 5, I reckon you could lever the cockpit door open with it.

[b23avfc]

 

Well thanks to the amazing android system, some clever hacker probably just freaked the air traffic authorities out.. Try hacking a plane with an apple product

I'm not sure, with the extra height of the iPhone 5, I reckon you could lever the cockpit door open with it.

 

 

Ha a size joke... you are kidding surely

 

[limpid]

Of course I'm joking. The iPhone would be useless in every way.

 

I'll tell you what though, I can see why Apple think that that phone could be mistaken for an iPhone. It's almost identical.

[Dodgyknees]

How much do you think I would get if I sold an S3 and how much does the Nexus 4 cost?

[b23avfc]

Of course I'm joking. The iPhone would be useless in every way.

I'll tell you what though, I can see why Apple think that that phone could be mistaken for an iPhone. It's almost identical.

I get enough grief from airport security as it is.. I'll stick with my iPhone. Still works a treat for me

And less chance of google harvesting my data via my smartphone. Less not zero.

[Keyblade]

For Eames and anyone else who's interested.

 

[Dodgyknees]

For Eames and anyone else who's interested.

 

 

Trying to watch but he sounds too much like Kermit.

[Dodgyknees]

Because people are now used to smartphones and are demanding more. iphones are good 'first' smartphones, but over time the restrictions become dealbreakers.

 

This is very true, Iphone was my first and I had it all the way up to the 4s, then I started feeling frustrated with it (that's for another topic) so my upgrade came and I chose the S3 and I love it, I have so much more freedom and choice.I gave the 4s to my partner, she loved it, then she started seeing the annoyances and has her eye on my s3 because it "does more"

 

I'd only have an Iphone now if I had two phones, I would never switch back and not have some kind of Android device like my s3.

[Stevo985]

Rough guide for anyone who already knows a bit about how PCs work.

 

The bootloader is like the BIOS. 

I got this far before I got lost.

[Dodgyknees]

Not just me then Stevo lol

[CVByrne]

 

Can I get an answer from everyone on a simple question.

 

 

Why is Android dominating the smartphone space and about to dominate the tablet space too? 

Because opinion filters down from the techies. Hardly any techies like the Apple stuff because they're generally well informed about what stuff can and can't do.

 

That combined with the 'openness' of the platform. Every company needs a modern smartphone OS. Either they invest the time and money into developing their own, or they use something ready made and incredibly easy to customise to their own corporate branding.

 

Samsung with the Galaxy S, S2 and S3 have really driven adoption, with HTC becoming less of a market force.

 

Samsung are now in the position that Nokia could have been, about to have more control over Android than Google, and that worries me. And I think it also worries Google.

 

 

 

I'd agree with that. I also think the price of Android phones is a factor. Plenty of people got new phones in 2010/2011 that were mid range android phones and once used to the OS they simply stuck with them.

 

I remember reading an article in the Economist about how high brand loyalty is in the phone industry. People stick with phones they know. I have a friend who sticks with sony phones because he's always had sony phones. Going to android he bought an Xperia.

 

So when the smarphone explosion happened people just bought phones from their familiar manufacturer. Nokia though, as you said shot themselves in the foot and Samsung moved into the vacant space by making 3 consecutively superb phones and backed them with huge marketing campaigns.

 

It will be very interesting to see if there is large interest and growth in smart watches. But the 2 companies who will inevitabley do best from them are Samsung & Apple with integration with their phones and other hardware.

 

Personally, I wouldn't want to take my Tag Carerra off my wrist for a smart watch. It's not as seamless a transition as replacing a dumb phone with a smart phone.