Sunday, March 24, 2013

Android Central

Android Central

From the Android Forums: Unlocking and root

Posted: 23 Mar 2013 03:48 PM PDT

unlocked

Justiceanthony asks in the Android Central Forums:

Hi all,
I'm new here. I'm looking to buy a new Note 2 for the third time (yeah, I lost the first one and gave the second to my girlfriend). Someone is selling one to me here in Ghana , and it was previously locked to O2 (UK network), it's now been unlocked and my question is whether it's been automatically rooted since it's unlocked. I wouldn't mind a rooted phone since I would like a little more "freedom" . thnx to you all.

First things first -- welcome to AC justiceanthony!

Now to the question. No, SIM unlocking a Note 2 (or any Android phone) does not automatically root it. SIM unlocking is a built-in tool that uses a key to activate. It's done outside of any modification to the firmware, like rooting. Having said that, sometimes the opposite is true, and a root method that unlocks the bootloader will also SIM unlock the phone.

This begs for an explanation about the different uses of the word unlock and root. Lets do that.

Root: Rooting an Android phone is simply adding a file to the system that allows other apps to elevate their permissions and read, write, and execute anything on your device. In this case, anything means anything -- if it is user editable or actionable, you can do it with root. This is both powerful and dangerous, so be sure to get all the answers and be clear on the subject before you do it.

SIM or Network Unlocking: This allows a phone bought for use on a particular network to be used on another network. If you buy a phone designed to only work on Orange (or AT&T for an American example), to use it on any other network, you will need to unlock the SIM programming. This is what Justiceanthony has done in the example above, as he wants to use an O2 phone on his carrier in Ghana. It's done without rooting or modifying any firmware in your phone or tablet.

Remember, the networks have to be compatible. A phone with radios designed for one carrier may not provide 3G or 4G service on another, and sometimes they won't work at all.

Bootloader Unlocking: All Android devices ship with a locked bootloader. Some are very easy to unlock, like Nexus devices, some need a little hacking to unlock (like most Samsung devices), and some are encrypted and designed to be very difficult to unlock (hello, Moto). Bootloader unlocking allows you to flash (write to your phone's "hard drive") images files that haven't been signed with the official key from the folks who made it. A locked bootloader can flash a new recovery provided in an OTA update because the recovery was signed with the right key. It will fail to flash a custom recovery like ClockWorkMod. An unlocked bootloader will flash anything that fits, as long as you tell it to. Once a custom recovery (or sometimes a "Super" boot image) is flashed, you can install and erase custom built system firmware at will. Again, this means you need to do your homework before you start fiddling with things. Use the forums. Read, ask questions, and read some more.

Have a question you need answered? (Preferably about Android, but we're flexible.) Hit up our Contact Page to get in touch!

Apps of the Week: Hi-Q MP3 Voice Recorder, NCAA March Madness Live, WeVideo and more!

Posted: 23 Mar 2013 12:49 PM PDT

Apps of the Week

Weekly app picks. You want 'em, we got 'em. We're a little short on app choices this week, but we think the ones that are here are worth mentioning. As a good follow-up to last week's post we have another voice recorder, and March Madness is on so we've got something for the basketball fans as well.

Hang around with us after the break and see how we did with this week's picks.

read more

International roundup: New Sony phones, our HTC One review and Galaxy S4 chips

Posted: 23 Mar 2013 11:44 AM PDT

HTC One Xperia SP + LGalaxy S4 Nexus 4

In the week that we reviewed the new HTC One, there was quite the gathering of stories from other major manufacturers. Samsung dropped a Snapdragon 600-shaped bomb on chipset-conscious UK fans. Sony finally took the wraps off its interesting new mid-ranger, the Xperia SP. And the LG Nexus 4 showed its face once again in the UK and Germany.

Check out some of the bigger international Android stories of the week after the break.

read more

First generation ASUS Padfone gets bumped up to Jelly Bean

Posted: 23 Mar 2013 04:50 AM PDT

ASUS Padfone

While we may be waiting on the arrival of the new ASUS Padfone Infinity, it could be easy to forget about the first generation Padfone. The one that started it all for ASUS and their phone/tablet hybrid range first properly appeared back at MWC 2012, but ASUS sure hasn't forgotten about it. An update is now available for the device which bumps it up to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. 

Currently, two variations on the update are out in the wild, a worldwide version and a Chinese version. There are a few ASUS specific improvements bundled in, such as improved File Manager, camera functions, scrapbook functions and supporting NTFS and EX FAT format SD cards. But, ultimately the headline is all about Jelly Bean, and the improvements it brings along such as Project Butter and Google Now. 

It's a hefty update, weighing in at 579MB, and download links for both versions can be found at the source link below. 

Source: ASUS

Samsung rumored to have full-sized octa-core Galaxy Tab 3 Plus with a Super AMOLED HD display in the works

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 05:07 PM PDT

Samsung

Raise your hand if you didn't think Samsung had a high-end 10-inch tablet in the works for this year. We all knew it had to be coming, and a source tells SamMobile that it should have the specs that put it at the top of the tablet heap for a while. The rumored Galaxy Tab 3 Plus will have an octa-core Exynos 5 CPU, a Super AMOLED Full HD display of either 10.1-inches or 11.6-inches, and dazzle our eyes with a high-resolution screen. Currently there are two supposed prototypes floating around out there, and the screen size has not been finalized.

Samsung killed it with the ultra-high res PLS display on the Nexus 10, but plenty of folks out there prefer the deep, wet blacks and saturated colors of AMOLED. If this rumor turns out to be true, those folks (myself included) might be buying a new tablet this summer. 

We'll keep our ears open, and if anything develops from this we'll let you know.

Source: SamMobile
Posted by at 5:50 AM

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