yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Topics] Sirandar:
I am curious how a big company like Samsung managed to cut through the crap and make an uncrippled phone.

Back in 2009 I got a Samsung SGH-F266 from Bell and while it was cute and stable in was so crippled and locked down after using it for a while I ended up hating it more than any phone, except one Motorola phone in 2004 which shouldn't have even passed basic QC testing let alone get released into the wild.

The SGH-F266 wouldn't even turn on properly without an active sim card. It wouldn't let you assign your own MP3s to ring tones to protect ringtone businesses. You couldn't even transfer an image from your computer to use as a background on your screen .... only pictures taken with the phone could be used. The Media Player app played tracks nicely but finding them was another matter as the phone directed you to payed on-line services by default .... finding and playing your own track took about 10 click wait clicks, while connecting to paid music took one. This phone was designed for the phone carriers not me.

I thought Samsung was going to be dead in the water at the time and swore I would never buy a Samsung phone again. Frankly I gave up on "smartphone"model almost altogether as I thought it would be quite impossible for any company to cut the crap.

Then my Goddaughter showed me her HTC Legend phone and Android and within a couple of minutes I saw the future of mobile computing. It was almost 100% cripple free .... I had a HTC Desire Z in about a week and I really liked it. It was almost 100% cripple free ..... HTC and Google made a phone for me instead of the carriers. Sure Bell forced a lot of crapware down my throat that forced me to root my phone, but the end product was a phone that I used until it died and had no urge to upgrade.

Sadly HTC is crippling their phones again by not supporting removable storage but I owned a HTC One S for a while and it was a good phone.

Then finally I got over my distaste for Samsung and got a Galaxy3S. I really can't find the slightest evidence of crippling on this phone. Even locked I can remove or disable any crap I don't want thanks to Google and Android 4.11 (Bell must be pissed). It supports removable storage and battery. It isn't rooted and I believe the boot loader is locked but for actually using the phone I have had no desire to root or unlock.

How did Samsung change their corporate mentality so much. Greed? Foresight? Blackmail of the carriers?.... Surely Google and HTC played their part too and perhaps they started it.

I hope this isn't a temporary bubble that breaks as soon as a new monopoly emerges.
[General Topics] immortalneo:
Wow.. that was a lot..

Thanks for sharing, but why share at all? :rolleyes:

View attachment 1883371

"To err is human, to forgive is divine"

Sent from my SGS II
[General Topics] bbrad:
Samsung doesnt lock there boot loaders the carrier does. Samsung phase a great dev community due to there phones Being so open. So theres really no sighn of being crippled :p for example I have cspire so all Samsung phones there is just stock samsung :D
[General Topics] zelendel:
But they are with the Exynos chip which they refuse to release proper documentation for and is causing developers to leave the brand in hords. Many are moving to Sony or the nexus due to samsung going back on their word.

As for the OP. Samsung didnt do a bad job with the s3 minus some coming with the exynos chip.
[General Topics] sy224048:
Updates and better support. Support doesn't have to be good, but it's certainly better than HTC's and their crap. They get updates out, and the only others who do that are Google and Sony.
[General Topics] Finefeather:
Well I have 2 Samsung products: Galaxy Tab 10.1 P7500 and Galaxy Pocket S5300 and I have had not one problem with them.

I have installed many ROMs in them and they are both very good...and all working great.

I think the problems lie in those who just have no idea whats going on and think they can mess around with their phones.

Smartphones are mini computers and should be treated with care and if you are going to start upgrading...rooting..romming etc you should try to get a better idea of what you are up to.:laugh:
[General Topics] SyrStorm:
Commercials play a big part in it too and making the people wait in anticipation and big unveilings help too. How you advertise it play a big role
[General Topics] iXanza:
Samsung is by far the only company I know (Aside from the nexus lines) to release 2 major upgrades for their phone. I.E. The Galaxy S2. It started out with Gingerbread but it has official samsung support up to 4.1 now and they're going to stop after 4.2. No other company has done that IIRC, most only go up 1 major upgrade then focus on their next phone.

However the downside and the downfall of Samsung in the open source world is that the Exynos chip they use so much is pretty much closed source and this cripples developers. So much so that the CyanogenMOD team has almost completely dropped support for Samsung phones because of this.
[General Topics] redpoint73:
As someone that has been hanging around here for a while, and using HTC phones since the Windows Mobile days, will know that HTC has been locking down their phones in one way or another since before Android was even a mainstream mobile OS. Back on WinMo, you had to HardSPL your phone to put custom ROMs on it. HTC keeps ramping up their security measures, and what you see on the latest devices is not a drastic departure from what happened in the past, but just another iteration or evolution of it. The OPs Desire Z was far from an open device, and it took a while until S-off was achieved.

HTC was a big innovator in the early days of Android, making the first Android phone (HTC Dream) and the first Nexus phone. Samsung mostly played it safe in the early days, but eventually saw the tide was coming, and rode it, investing heavily in Android. A lot of what you see as the open nature of Samsung devices is inherent in Android. Probably more a case of Samsung following Google's requirements, and copying what the competition was doing on their devices; rather then some kind of altruistic awakening.

As far as features, what one person may consider "crippling", may not mean the same to another. Obviously, the intention is not to cripple the device. HTC (or Apple for that matter) would argue that most people value slimness and smooth design over SD slots and removable battery covers. Of course, not everyone will agree. And some of what HTC is doing might just be categorized as being a copy cat to many of the things that Apple has done to the smartphone.

Sammy has simply decided to take a different industrial design philosophy. They don't push the envelope in this category, although they do leave in a lot of features like the OP points out. But to me, their physical designs are uninspired and a bit bland, relying heavily on cheap looking/feeling plastics.

In the end, its just different approaches on how to design the same type of product. And Samsung's success probably has more to do with the fact they were a much larger company to begin with, with a huge advertising machine.
[General Topics] Sirandar:
Redpoint 73 ....What a great post

From the OP

It drove me crazy trying to unlock my original Desire Z ..... I was on the bleeding edge as an end user. I have no desire to unlock my Samung S3 because Google had the balls to put in a working system to disable, hide or remove stuff the carrier forces on the phone... what a novel concept ....:)

Another interesting thing that happened as Android got established is that using cheap long distance calling cards actually got feasible because the dialing pause and wait codes started to work properly. Now I have one button call of my bro in the states and can talk for an hour for a buck instead of the 100$ the carriers charge.

I would argue that not having any kind of removable storage is crippling. Not supporting either USB to Go or microSD severely limits the user and forces use of on-line services which cost money (bandwidth) to use. Text and data files are fine for Dropbox ...... music and pictures are nowhere near as convenient as having them on a microSD card, unless you actually like the idea of syncing. Apple Phones and HTC phones are crippled for music and pictures and I think that that is part of the business model.
[HTC Desire X] xpirt:
Hey people!

Here the HTC Desire X Wiki page:

http://xdaforums.com/wiki/HTC_Desire_X

You can edit it and make it bigger! ;)

xpirt
[General Questions and Answers] Scatrix:
Almost one year ago I broke my SGS2 by trying to root it. I had to go to a guy who told me that it already was rooted. After he repaired it I asked him if it is rooted and he said it is. Now when I try to open applications such as ninjamorph, framework, busybox it says I don't have root access. I even used root checker and it said the same.

So I have created this topic to find out how to give it the root permission.
[General Questions and Answers] immortalneo:
Wrong section mate. :rolleyes:

Post questions in the 'SGS2 Q & A Section'. Please report ur thread to the moderators. :)

As for ur issue, just root it again. :D

"To err is human, to forgive is divine"

Sent from my SGS II
[General Questions and Answers] Scatrix:
I report the thread by sending a pm to an admin?
[Motorola Droid RAZR] shakti15:
From where i can buy PORTABLE external charger or back external battery cover for XT910 India .

Thanks
[Motorola Droid RAZR] L7iharsha:
Buy Portable Charger From Motorola

Hi,U can't change battery as it was non-removable so u cant changer battery door Kevlar its not replaceable.instead of it u can buy Motorola Original Portable Chargers. Check tHis http://www.motorola.com/us/consumer...WER-PACKS/m-Power-Pack-Overview,en_US,pd.html
[Motorola Droid RAZR] shakti15:
Nice but This is not available for india.
[Motorola Droid RAZR] L7iharsha:
u can buy from ebay :)
[Motorola Droid RAZR] romdroid.:
did u just miss the huge thread about this question? http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1812751
[Motorola Droid RAZR] shakti15:
It will b costly to buy from ebay in India. Anu other option?
[Motorola Droid RAZR] L7iharsha:
instead of using duplicate ones its better to use portable chargers :) u can buy from ebay usa for cheap
[Motorola Droid RAZR] neo.ank:
Buying an original one will definitely be expensive(though still recommended). Even if you buy it from some international re-seller(cost+duty+shipping).

Best bet is to go for generic ones as they are cheap and easily available.

Or Try this..

Motorola OEM P893 Universal Portable battery pack fits any Micro USB
[Motorola Droid RAZR] L7iharsha:
100% agree with u and the charger will cost approx 3k including shipping and customs to india my frnd bought for razr hd me too thinking to buy it
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] melissa422:
Q] Did Husband root my phone and help getting it back to normal.

First off...Let's just say I have not had good luck with rooted phones. My husband has rooted my phones in the past and eventually I end up with more problems than what stock gave me.

He said he manually upgraded my phone to Jelly Bean(this is about a month or so ago)

To prove to me he didn't root it, he showed me it was not rooted on Rootchecker lite.

At first he had issues getting the gps to work, etc. Then he told me it was all set. However I cannot screen shot(power and volume down)

I want to put the phone back to how it was..Which is normal, before he manually upgraded. Now that Jelly Bean is OTA, I'd rather go that root. He tells me the Jelly Bean he put on mine is an earlier developer version. Anyway here is the info on my phone. Please help me figure out if its rooted and how to get it back to normal. When I wrote him and asked him, "Since you didn't rom my phone, I can just factory reset and it will go back to normal right?". He basically wrote me back from work saying he will not take responsibility if I screw my phone up. UM HELLO. I did nothing to the phone..he did. :P

Here are the specs. This is from Sprint

Model- Number

SPH D710

Android Version: 4.1.2

Baseband version

S710.10 S.GB08

Kernel Version

3.031-950738

se.infra@SEP-93#3

SMP PREEMPT Fri Feb 8 22:14:54

KST 2013

Build Number

JZO54K.SPH-D710.GB08

Hardware version

D710

Software version

GB08

Kies shows me that I do not have a supported version to update anything.

Thanks in advance..
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jdsingle76:
First things first, if you are on stock try power and the home key for screenshot. And if you use a root checker, it will tell you if you see rooted or not. What I can tell from the info provided is that there is a more current version of jb than what you are running now. If you are on Sprint, it's GB27, Boost is GC01, VM is GB28. You can use PC Odin to flash the latest stock, unrooted, restore, from Rwilco12's repo. Simply use Google and the search function read, read, and read, and it's pretty straight forward. If you get stuck, let us know :). But from the language of your OP, you know what you're doing! Good luck :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] gamepro602:
First sorry for your bad luck on rooted phones, you kinda have to know what your doing:o

Looking at the software version, he installed a jb leak GB08 , but the official number should be GB27

Laughing at you while eating Jellybeans
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] melissa422:
So I would have to use ODIN to get the latest version of JB?

Yes I know some stuff. Last time he rooted my phone, I went and unrooted it. I think he tends to get me the unstable ones.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] gamepro602:
Well jb leaks are stable for the most part (maybe a couple bugs here and there) and yes you can Odin to gb27 just make sure its a restore and no root

Laughing at you while eating Jellybeans
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jdsingle76:
That's the easiest way, since you said that Kies is giving you issues. That will get your the latest, unrooted, stock, there is.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] melissa422:
I've tried that too with power and home screen. It does not work.

The root checker said it wasn't rooted.

Thanks for your help. I will let you know if I can handle it. :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] leaderbuilder:
Well it looks like you were/are on a leaked build. I had issues with GPS on all JB builds unitl the GB27 build - the one that turned into the actual realease build.

If you wish to get to stock (rooted or not - you have the option to download and flash either), go herehttp://www.sxtpdevelopers.com/showthread.php?t=166 grab the appropriate One-Click. There are four versions - Stock wipe data(restore), Stock preserve data, Stock Rooted wipe data(full restore) and Stock Rooted preserve your data (no data).

Insturctions are very simple but explicit.

This will give you Stock ROM, Stock Kernel, and Modem. All in one shot. After install you should also update the PRL and Profile (System Settings>System Updates>...)

I'd at least go for the stock rooted. - benefits of having a rooted phone are too numerous not to. But that is your choice.

Good luck
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] melissa422:
Crap..I forgot. Odin only works on PC huh? I have a macbook air.

QUOTE=jdsingle76;40287945]That's the easiest way, since you said that Kies is giving you issues. That will get your the latest, unrooted, stock, there is.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jdsingle76:
[/QUOTE]

Hmmm, yeah, well in that case try Heimdall. Not as common, but works with Mac. Again it's in the threads:) Google Heimdall for Mac. Same principle, works the same, pretty much.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] PanchoPlanet:
Try this, it explains how to get what you want.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=39692230

Pp. ;)

Sent from a jelly bean shooting Epic. In your eye ....... phone.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] MsFidget:
The screen shot is really touchy- it doesn't always happen the first time. It just took me three tries to get one, and it's the same on all the jellybean builds I've tried- GB08, GB27 and GC01. Good luck to you. :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] graydiggy:
You have to hold them for a few seconds. It works every time for me on GB27.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jdsingle76:
Yeah, if you don't hit them exactly at the same time, you'll be adjusting volume or seeing your power menu :) but like Gray said, just give it a free sec, or if you want to stay rooted(which I recommend, you can always download Tdunham's All in one Mod, that has screenshot option in the power menu :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] RayTrue04:
If you're seeing volume slider you're doing it wrong. On jellybean volume down plus power button was removed. Now it's just home + power button.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jdsingle76:
Lol, no, I am aware of that. I misspoke, thank you for catching me on that. I meant to point out that if you're not hitting the home and power at the same time, it will show power menu or go home. Thanks again for pointing that out. My error(I said it right in my head, does that count? Lol) :thumbup::beer:
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] melissa422:
Thank you all with your patience with me. Have seen some stuff on here where newbies get chastised for not knowing things. :) You can't learn without asking questions, right? :)

Hmmm, yeah, well in that case try Heimdall. Not as common, but works with Mac. Again it's in the threads:) Google Heimdall for Mac. Same principle, works the same, pretty much.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jdsingle76:
[/QUOTE]

You are most welcome. Hope you were able to get it figured out :)
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ravitomar:
Three days back i have taken my s3 to service centre, since i taken it back, while charging the charger getting hot ( previously it was fine) & other problem is with the phone getting very hot after a little use ( only by playing engry birds for 5 min or surf for only 2-3 mins), during this time battery is not so hot but the bottom portion ( whr sim & sdcard placed) is so hot. That time battery temp is also 42-44 c. I did factory reset also. Whats the problem?
[Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] JJEgan:
Return to the service centre .

jje
[MDA II, XDA II, 2060 General] menace:
I have an Imate and I've been trying to play yahoo dominoes on it since I got the thing :lol: . Is there a java environment that i can download somewhere that will get it to work? I tried netfront v3.1 trial but it doesn't work :(
[MDA II, XDA II, 2060 General] Rudegar:
http://msmobiles.com/news.php/2209.html

comming soon

or try to see if you can get ewe to work

http://www.ewesoft.com/Downloads/Downloads.html

but it's not an easy thing to unless you read and spend some time at it

pocketpc is ms and they are not the biggest JAVA fans out there
[MDA II, XDA II, 2060 General] menace:
ok i installed Ewe and couldn't get it to work with yahoo dominoes. Now I can't uninstall it . It doesn't show up in my add/remove programs. Does anyone know how to uninstall Ewe ?
[HTC EVO 3D] hungry_doctor:
I dont know why, but on newer version of CM10.1 I have video problems only in youtube app. Can someone told me what is the problem?
[HTC EVO 3D] brittonx:
It is a problem with that ROM. I'm on the 04/08/2013 version and am having the same issue. I also have the issue playing videos from the gallery.
[HTC EVO 3D] hungry_doctor:
Thanks. I thought it was the problem of my phone or youtube app.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Please Read: Im relying on you to help me test and bug report. Most of these apps im theming i dont even use. if something from the "whats included" list below isnt working, please let me know. Also, for notification icons, if i have missed any in apps that ive already started theming, please let me know. They arent easy to locate since i dont use the app itself. thank you.

==WHATS INCLUDED==

*100% Source Built - No apktool reverse hacking/engineering (f*ckery)

*ZipAligned and Optimized

*BakedROM Soft keys - all credit TeamBAKED

*Pulldown Clock and Date Holo Blue

*Black semi-transparent windows, dialoges, notification tray, QS tiles

*Black backgrounds

*Calculator buttons

*Dialer/in call dialer

*Notification icon tinting - removed

*Custom signal cluster, wifi icons

*misc themed framework images throughout

*Themed Widgets

-power widget

-apollo

-aosp music

-tunein radio

-news/weather (genie widget)

-google music

*Slightly Altered App Icons

-gallery (??) -calculator

-downloads -clock

-gmail -email

-youtube -aosp calendar

-g plus -g music

-maps -places

-g settings -camera (??)

(??) = Seemes to work with some ROM/Gapp packages, but not all.

*Colored Notification Icons

-misc. framework icons *-misc. in app notify icons

-playstore -email

-mms -phone

-missed call -voicemail

-upload -download

-gmail -talk

-twitter -tunein

-screen shot -facebook

-aosp calendar -apollo

-g music -g+

-tweetdeck -seesmic

-instagram -pintrest

-whatsapp -tapatalk

-aosp music -pandora

-fb messenger -iheart

-snapchat -tango

-yahoo mail -spotify

-dropbox -tumblr

-google vioce

==INSTRUCTIONS==

1) Make sure you are on the system default theme

2) Apply AOSP Awoken

3) Apply again - Wallpaper will take afterward (small, yet annoying bug)

4) Everything should take, however a reboot couldn't hurt

5) Enjoy

If you choose to support my work and recieve auto updates, then get it from the play store. Search AOSP Awoken

Free version here - updated 4-23-13 - (same as paid):

http://jayrthemer.net/JayR/theme-chooser/com.aosp.awoken.jayr.free.apk

I will add more as time allows of course. if you find issues, post them up. Same with requests. Enjoy.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Changelog --

1.3

new signal cluster

wifi icons

old progress horizontal themed

holo progress bar indicators themed

new unlock handle note this will not work on all roms

check boxes

radio buttons

1.2-

-New dialer/in-call dialer (screenshot in OP)

-New notification icons

*spotify

*dropbox

*tumblr

*google voice

1.1-

--new notification icons --

misc notification icons from framework

*pandora

*facebook messenger

*iheart radio

*snapchat

*tango

*yahoo mail
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bigblue4life:
First. Grabbing it now thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Youre welcome, let me know how it does for ya
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] zeus.k1987:
Looks good. Gonna try it now.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Thanks man
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bigblue4life:
Simply put, I like it. Nice and clean and very smooth.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Awesome thanks for the feedback. My goal with this is not to get too over the top with ui design, and also not take too much away from the stock layouts/elements. However i like darker elements jere and there and also a bit of color to notification icons. I have a few things on my to do list for this but requests are completely welcomed as well. Thanks again
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
this is something ive been working on as well. wont be available for a while, but what do you think..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Damn.. No love i guess
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] speedracerbubba:
It's a nice dark theme but I always find myself going back to stock because it's much easier to see at a glance.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Fair enough, thank you for the input :)

signatures are stupid and lame...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] charlie95113:
This is too dope you should put it in the main theme section also...that's where I'm always at and I'm always looking for something new to wow me away ..I'm currently on hue 2.7 I'll sport yours and see my choice but I'm liking sofar
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Comet1966:
Is it possible to make a stock theme with more signal bars? I hate having 4 I want 7, but I don't know how.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
Small update here, check post two for details, playstore version will appear soon, free version link to version 1.1 is live. thanks
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
how did you like the theme? and where is the main section you refer to? sorry i dont use xda much.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JayR_Themer:
After browsing some info about about paid themes and playstore links the op has been modified to remove my direct link. I dont want any trouble so i choose to comply. You can find it on play by searching the theme name. That is if you choose to purchase it. Never expected, always appreciated. Free version will always remain current with paid version. Thank you.