Android Portal

In the last night a user of XDA-Developers figured out how to get a root shell on their device running Android. For more information on how to get a root shell on your G1 see this forum post on android-dls.com. The root shell is very interesting on the device because you can now change any setting which is normally restricted. For example you can now modify the “etc/hosts” file to point the device to YOUR update or market page instead of the official ones. Just edit “/etc/hosts” and replace the respective entries with your appropriate server IP.

After a year of tinkering, Ben Leslie at http://benno.id.au/ succeeded in getting Android to run on his Neo1973. Earlier efforts proved fruitless since Android is compiled for the ARMv5 instruction set while the Neo1973 only supports ARMv4. Now that Google has decided to release the source code, it’s possible to recompile the OS for different architectures, at least if you’re as determined and skilled as Ben. Check out his blog to learn about the changes he made to the source.

On a related note, OpenMoko Wiki user Seanmcneil3 has enjoyed similar success in his quest to get Android running on the newer Freerunner handset.

In case you’re one of the users anxiously awaiting firmware revision RC29 but haven’t seen an over-the-air update yet, despair not, because there’s an easy process to update the phone using the MicroSD card. You will need the firmware from Google (https://android.clients.google.com/updates/signed-kila-ota-115247-prereq.TC4-RC19+RC28.zip) and the installation instructions from androidcommunity.com. A word of warning: T-Mobile would rather you’d leave it alone and wait for the OTA update, because manual updates may brick your phone.

Pointing a camera at the screen of the phone is a rather ugly way of capturing the screen, but thankfully that’s not your only option. To take a proper screenshot you have to install the Android SDK, put the phone in debug mode (Settings/Applications/Development), connect it to your computer using the USB data cable, launch DDMS from within the SDK’s “tools” directory, select your phone from the list of devices and click “Screen Capture” in the Device menu. Full instructions are available at skilltech.blogsport.com.

T-Mobile UK is launching the G1 Android phone with the help of advertising powerhouse Saatchi & Saatchi. The launch campaign shows Android-style icons in real life situations. Hardly ground-breaking stuff, but interesting visuals nonetheless. The accompanying viral campaign will feature Google Mobile maps pins appearing on the web.

Source:
http://www.saatchi.com/worldwide/newsdetail.asp?nid=211

Game Publisher EA Games just unveiled titles tailored for Android based devices. EA will deliver the first game this November. It’s one of the all time classic games, TETRIS. Later in November they plan to make “Bejeweled” and also Monopoly available through the EA Mobile Website. But we expect that EA will also publish games via the Android Market to reach all the devices natively through the “Android Market” Application.

It’s no secret that Motorola has been investing heavily into Android, recruiting a team of over 300 developers recently. Techcrunch provides an interesting perspective on their broader strategy.

Yesterday WhitePages released an application that will probably prove very useful for Android users: Caller ID. Similar in function to the Caller ID feature on landlines, this app looks up information about the caller in a matter of seconds and can display the name, address (including a Google maps link) and enable the user to add this information to the phone contact list. The application is available from the Android Market for free. Check out the video demo below:

Citing unnamed company sources DIGITIMES is reporting that Asus is currently working on an Android-based handset. The device is supposed to be launched in Taiwan as early as Q1 2009 and may be introduced to other markets shortly after. Details on the specifications or pricing of the phone are not available at this point.

So far only Windows Mobile-based handsets have been sold under the Asus label, but the company has built non-WM phones for other brands, so there’s a chance this Android phone will carry a different brand name outside Taiwan as well.

As of yesterday, 27th Oct., the Android Market has opened its gates for developers to sign up. The registration fee is $25 which is needed to confirm the registration. Android Market enables developers to easily publish and distribute their applications directly to users of Android-based phones including the new T-Mobile G1. It states that it is an open service that makes it easy for developers to distribute applications to handsets. The Market will include a rating and comment system for submitted applications so that a developer has a good overview what happens with his or her application. We think that the Market is the best place to make some dollars with custom developed software, because this service will enable developers to reach any Android-based handset. Let’s see and hope that the Android Market will grow like the AppStore from Apple did in the past.