Updates on the rooted Desire

I mentioned yesterday that I was using an HTC Desire. Some quick pointers;

1. The image I used has the option to underclock and do various other things; don't use them, they caused my phone to be incredibly unstable.
   
2. You can install Wavesecure as a system service, allowing you to enable the GPS tracking remotely.

Using an HTC Desire

After mucking around with CM6, I decided to spend some more time with HTC Sense UI.

I like it; it feels polished, gets useful stuff done without getting in the way, and appears to be more stable than CM6. I've been plagued with random reboots while the device is locked and I'm sleeping, and this isn't great for me.

So, I pulled out a HTC Desire, switched on, and ran through the OTA upgrade, only to discover that it cannot be rooted. So, I had to follow this route to downgrade, and then used the unrevoked method to install a custom recovery, Clockworkmod. I then applied a pre-rooted image, from XDA-Developers. This is a good, stable combination which I'd highly recommend!

PS. unrevoked have released a version that can downgrade from the 2.2 upgrade. Much easier.

PPS. The compelling things for me in the HTC mods are

• Corporate directory integration
• A much better dialler with T9 lookups
• Some pretty, useful and pretty useful widgets
• A better launcher

 

Hacking your Android phone

So if you read the previous post I wrote on Android, you'll know that I managed to get hold of a Nexus One, which is unfortunately not available except through Vodafone. The device came with Android 2.1, which I was pleasantly able to upgrade to 2.2 with an OTA upgrade by doing a "Check for Updates". Android 2.2 is blazingly fast, introduces some new features and is generally pretty stable and robust.

 

But, I was bored with it - it felt like there was much more tweaking that was possible, and I wasn't seeing it. My device was rooted, by following this post. That was required primarily to buy paid apps from the market (in retrospect, if that was the only reason, I should have used appbrain.com, which allows you to buy apps). I had heard about Cyanogenmod before, but frankly didn't have the cajones to try it.

 

Well, I've tried it, and it is the best OS to mate to amazing hardware. It is supremely flexible, and allows me to customise almost every aspect of the device. I'd highly, highly recommend it! Note to HTC users, there is a lot of goodness in the Sense UI which is now available on almost all their devices. Be warned, naked Android is not as pretty as what you have. Check the Cyanogenmod Wiki for a how-to relevant to your device.

 

If you own a HTC Desire (which frankly I would leave with Sense, and just root), you're in trouble if you updated to 2.2; you won't be able to root, and hence, no custom recovery and therefore no new mod. Downgrade to 2.1 and use the unrevoked method.

 

PS. If you're new to Android and don't like the battery life you're getting, download Screebl Lite (and then reduce your screen timeout to the lowest you can) and JuiceDefender from the Market. They'll do wonders. When you root your device, get SetCPU and change the CPU clock speed to underclock when the screen is off, and overclock when on. Works great!

 

PPS. I'm not going to paste links to apps, they change too often.

 

PPPS. The full list of apps that I have on my device as "must have's" are;

1. 1Password - popular Mac password manager port for Android
2. 3G Watchdog - check your data usage and whinge when you hit particular limits
3. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 - self explanatory
4. Adobe Reader - self explantory
5. AK Notepad - to take notes :-)
6. AndFTP - ftp client
7. Antennas - check to see how rubbish the mobile networks are
8. Apps Organiser - best way to organise apps, I would die without this; organise and then create category shortcuts on your home screen(s)
9. Astro File Manager - self explanatory
10. Autostarts - tells you what apps are being called on which system event hooks
11. Battery Left widget - nicest looking battery life estimator I could find
12. Beautiful Widgets - nice looking clock and weather widgets
13. Better Keyboard - stock Android keyboard is rubbish
14. Bluetooth File Transfer - should be in the base OS, but isn't - go figure
15. ConnectBot - ssh client
16. Documents to Go - view Microsoft docs on your mobile
17. DroidStats - analyse your SMS and calls
18. Earth - self explanatory
19. Factbook - CIA-backed DB on various cities and countries
20. Feedr - RSS reader
21. FeedSquares - another RSS reader (but pretty)
22. Fring - used to be useful, now only as a sip client
23. Goggles - Google's LBS demo app
24. Google Sky Map - pretty nifty, lets you know what's up!
25. Google Translate - self explanatory
26. Handcent SMS - much better than the stock messaging / SMS app
27. Here I Am 2 - tells your mates your exact GPS co-ordinates
28. IM+ - multi-IM server client
29. IMDB - because looking up movie information is important on a Friday/Saturday night
30. InstaFetch - Instapaper client
31. JED - I have new shareholders :-)
32. JuiceDefender - monitors and optimises battery by cutting features (e.g. 3g radio)
33. LauncherPro - MUCH better than the stock launcher, very customisable and fast
34. Linkpack for Android - to compare sizes
35. Brut Navigation (Maps and Navigation) - enable Navigation outside the US and UK - get from here
36. MarketEnabler - allow you to buy apps from anywhere
37. MyBackup Pro - self explanatory
38. NubDial - T9-style predictive dialler
39. ONN - for kicks, fun client
40. Paypal - nothing really useful
41. Phonalyzer - similar to DroidStats, but with graphs
42. Places Directory - tell you where to go close by
43. Pure Calendar widget - allows you to see your calendar in a variety of forms
44. Quadrant Standard - to compare sizes
45. RealCalc - for when the stock calculator doesn't hack it
46. ROM Manager Premium - because you never know when you want to try another ROM ;-)
47. Root Explorer - similar to Astro, nothing that I need more, not sure why I bought it
48. Route Recorder Free - tells you where you've been (Zen!)
49. Screebl Pro - Pro version of the screen saving tool mentioned earlier
50. SDMove - move apps to the SD card
51. SendContact - send business cards to people
52. Shazam - tells you what music is playing
53. Ookla Speed Test - to compare sizes
54. SystemPanel Lite - quick system-wide info tool
55. TaskManager - tells you what is running
56. Titanium Backup - best backup tool ever
57. Trackball Alert Pro - flash different colours LED / trackball on particular system events
58. Vibrate During Meetings - self explanatory
59. Visual Task Switcher - pretty, not essential or important
60. WaveSecure - great tool, gives you the ability to remote wipe and manage your device
61. Wifi Analyzer - lets you feel like you have a very expensive spectrum analyser (when you don't)
62. XE Currency - again, I have shares in foreign currency :-)

The best phone I've ever used - period.

I mentioned previously my experiences with an iPhone; in essence, I hated it. I had played around with Android on a Motorola Milestone, and thought that was pretty awesome - although the Milestone had its own issues. I got my hands on a Google Nexus One - fortuitously it appears, as Google is no longer selling them.

 

Its only been two days, but this is, without a doubt, the best phone I've ever used.

 

• Its blazingly fast
• It gets its updates directly from Google
• You can unlock the bootloader

 

Mine is already rooted (because I want to run market-enabler, the tool that allows me to buy apps outside of the US), running Froyo, aka Android 2.2. Major highlights for me include the ability to run Flash and the fact that its so much faster than Eclair, aka 2.1. The battery life for a phone with this type of screen isn't bad (it lasts me one full business day), but thats not enough, so I have ordered an extended battery.

 

Useful links;

How to root your 2.2 Nexus One

Make sure your Amonra recovery doesn't get destroyed on every reboot

Popcorn Hour A200 metal case

 

The Popcorn Hour A200 is a great device; its smaller and cheaper than the C200, with no sacrifice in functionality. I just didn't like its cheapish plastic case. It worked perfectly, but looked very unimpressive compared to both the C200 and the A110. Popcorn Hour France sells a metal replacement unit, which I bought and tried out - it works exactly as advertised, and makes the device look more solid.

 

Doesn't play any differently of course, but it is a nice accessory. Recommended!

Why I need a 500mm lens

I was lucky enough to attend two FIFA 2010 soccer World Cup games; I tried using my Nikon 18-200mm VR lens, which is a great lens but nowhere near close enough. I did also use a Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens for some reasonable stadia and scenery shots, but what I really wanted were some close ups of the players (as more than just humanoid shapes), and some of the on-field action.

 

I've decided that the newly updated Sigma 50-500mm optically stabilised lens will be a good purchase; combined with a pair of Nikon 12x50 Action EX binoculars, I should be ok :-)

 

Hello Nexus One

I really, really hated using an iPhone. So much so that I begged and pleaded, and will be getting my hands on a Google Nexus One shortly. Details to follow shortly :-)

 

Major plus in its favour is that it gets its Android updates straight from Google. So no lengthy delays in OS updates, and I avoid the deadly Android fragmentation. Now that is a good thing.

 

I may still end up buying an HTC Desire, which is the non-Google version of the Nexus. But I'll avoid that for as long as I can, and buy a device on contract when I have to return this one.