Android: ZTE Blade

[Bikerdude]

Well I have finally jumped on board the smart phone train... Im only a years or so late, but with good reason. just like with version Of never roll out a version of windows until service pack 2 of said OS has been released. And the Same logic applied to Android, in that I waited untill 2.2 was out and by then phones have matured enough and become cheap enough for me to try my toes in the water as it were.

 

Well i picked up a second hand Orange branded ZTE Blade, from cex for £62, 2GB micro SD £5 and micro USB cable £3. Well I went from knowing bugger all about android under the skin, to flashing my phoen with the latest version of android. All the apps to do the job were as follows:-

 

De-orange-ify the handset

• unlock the phone - BladeUnlock (free app for the Zte, super secure local app that generated an unlock code from the IMEI ID of the phone - took all of 10 seconds)
  
• Root the phone - UnivrsalAndroot (now a single click app, very user friendly - backsup up original rom before flashing new one etc.)
  
• update Android - clockwordrecovery3.0.1.4 (CWR) (essential rom flash & backup tool, hardest part was making a cup of tea while I waited for it to flash Android 2.2)
  
• use CWR to flash generic ZTE rom to phone.
  
• remove unwanted system apps and features - RootUninstaller (use to remove annoying google apps Im never gonna use, but more importantly remove the calender/contacts feature/ability to sync with google ...Hurrah!!! (why you ask, well I have not interest sharing my personal details with a faceless corp that proven they cant be trusted)
  

or

Upgrade the handset to Android 2.2

• unlock the phone - BladeUnlock
  
• Root the phone - UnivrsalAndroot
  
• update Android - clockwordrecovery3.0.1.4
  
• remove unwanted system apps and features - RootUninstaller
  

 

Now at this point I have a generic copy of Android 2.2(froyo), but some of the Orange/ZTE apps were rather usefull (such as the touchpal multi-layout keyboard), so I went and found a copy of the apps from the original ZTE rom on the MoDaCo forums and reinstalled said apps etc. I have now got a bikerdude flavoured Android 2.1 and 2.2 roms for my phone that I can swap between using CWR and back my settings with Titainium backup (which you need root access to use btw) I am now installing the Android Dev kit, Java JDK and a remote control util made by the boys over at the XDA forums so I can then remotely control the phone, how cool is that. Also I had been waiting for an app thats been in development for a year or so to mature to full release status, said app will allow me to sync my contact and calender with Micrsoft Outlook.

 

 

if anyone is thinking of doing the same I can make a vid of the process..

 

Edited March 18, 2011 by Bikerdude

[Komag]

Holy crap that all sounds complex! I'm impressed. I'll probably be getting an Android phone later this year, I'll have to learn some more at that time (but I guarantee I won't be doing that level of customization)

[stumpy]

only problem with mobile phones is that everyone in the world knows exactly where you are to the nearest millimeter, tracking device built into phone so the line service you use know who to bill for the calls made, only the tracker can be followed by anyone with the right equipment, and if you haven't changed the default password for the mailbox and text messaging then they can remotely hear and read that, as all phones default passwords are the same.

[Sotha]

Heh I'm a happy owner of Samsung Galaxy, which I got for a reasonable price when the newer model came out.

 

There is no return to ordinary phones once you've had a smart phone in your pocket.

 

I've not done and will not do any rooting or hacking for the phone. After I downloaded a few apps, the phone is perfectly functional enough for me.

[Bikerdude]

[*]only problem with mobile phones is that everyone in the world knows exactly where you are to the nearest millimeter

 

not if you turn of the GPS and location based settings, and I imagine there must be quick access app or widget for that

[Bikerdude]

I've not done and will not do any rooting or hacking for the phone. After I downloaded a few apps, the phone is perfectly functional enough for me.

There are only 2 reason for rooting I can see...

 

1. the ability to uninstalled unwanted pre-installed and some google app's along with some of the google apps that run in the background (which I have already nuked) and free up some storage space at the same time. With basic amount of apps & services running Ive currently got 330MB free out of 416Mb, which aint half bad.

2. to flash the phone with custom roms, because the operator cant be bothered - so in my case upgrade the phone from 2.1 to 2.2 and/or 2.3.

 

Its so easy now, that its just click and wait, no programming knowledge required.

[Sotha]

Yeah, a newer version of android would be fun since the manufacturer, samsung, offers no updates. But then again I suppose some newer version features may require new hardware support?

 

At any rate a I love this phone. Probably could not live a day without it.

[Shadowhide]

It can call,send SMS's ,receive message's !

 

38mb of memory with flash card on 256 mb inside !

 

camera with 2 megapixels !

 

support of mp3 and mp4 exactly will not leave you indifferent !

 

here the picture of my gorgeous phone

 

 

 

[Shadowhide]

ah yes,2 buttons (2 and 5) not work after my phone fall in water,but it's ok !

[7upMan]

What I really dislike about the three big smartphone OS's is that they allow the manufacturer to spy on you and install and uninstall software without you knowing about it. This is also the reason why I'd never ever bother with an Amazon Kindle. I have a Samsung S8000 Jét with TouchWiz OS, it's got GPS, a good camera with LED light, micro SD card and resistive touchscreen. The OLED display is really really shiny. There are no news so far that TouchWiz allows spying and hidden un/install of apps.

[STiFU]

I am running win mobile 6.1 on my old Samsung Omnia, which apparently sucks, regardless of the many interface mods I installed. I am still waiting for the "Andromnia" project to reach a usable state, i.e. all important features are supported. This projects ports Android to the Omnia, as the name suggests...

[Bikerdude]

Yeah, a newer version of android would be fun since the manufacturer, samsung, offers no updates. But then again I suppose some newer version features may require new hardware support?

There are stable unofficial roms for this Phone sotha, if you have a fast enough internet connection we can video conference and I can walk you through the upgrade..

[Sotha]

There are stable unofficial roms for this Phone sotha, if you have a fast enough internet connection we can video conference and I can walk you through the upgrade..

 

Thanks for the offer but I think I am perfectly happy with what I have now. No need to repair something that is not broken.

[Bikerdude]

Thanks for the offer but I think I am perfectly happy with what I have now. No need to repair something that is not broken.

Fair enough, but be aware that you maybe on Android 1.6 and the new version 2.2 is a vast improvement if your handset as the memory and cpu to cope.

[OrbWeaver]

Yeah, a newer version of android would be fun since the manufacturer, samsung, offers no updates.

 

I upgraded my Galaxy S to Android 2.2 fairly recently, using their ghastly .NET bloatware Kies. The manufacturers release their updates some time after Google, but it does happen.

 

What I really dislike about the three big smartphone OS's is that they allow the manufacturer to spy on you and install and uninstall software without you knowing about it.

 

Care to provide a citation? I've never heard of anyone having apps forcibly installed on their Android phone without their permission.

 

This is also the reason why I'd never ever bother with an Amazon Kindle.

 

I agree with you there. I'm not paying for any device which allows the manufacturer to remove content I've purchased, with no warning or refund, simply because some Bible-thumping dickwad in the US complains that it's "immoral".

[Sotha]

I upgraded my Galaxy S to Android 2.2 fairly recently, using their ghastly .NET bloatware Kies. The manufacturers release their updates some time after Google, but it does happen.

 

Interesting. I gave it a try. Horrendous program, like Samsung New PC Studio.. Both programs say that my phone is not supported by the program.

 

I guess no updates for me without hacking the phone..

[7upMan]

Care to provide a citation? I've never heard of anyone having apps forcibly installed on their Android phone without their permission.

 

I could only provide a quotation from the German computer magazine c't, which is the most reliable source for any IT info. They said that all three smartphone OS's have the capability to remote install and uninstall of applications. At least Google (recently) and - IIRC Apple - have demonstrated this ability by remote deleting apps they considered rogue. You know, even if this did happen with the best intentions, this always leaves me with a bad feeling, because a manufacturer takes control of your device, most of the time without you knowing of it.

[Bikerdude]

Don't quote me, but with the right app (I think super manager) I believe can lock apps and the root permissions so they can be blocked from even root user deleting or uninstalled said locked app without a prompt asking for a pass/pin set by the user.

 

But the other option, is to flash a custom rom with ALL the Google stuff removed, then just install Google maps from from an .apk file. I believe its the Google framework services .apk file and the vendor .apk(marketplace) that give Google the relevant access to remote-remove apps. Be aware though this way you wont have access to google marketplace and have to find and install apps manually (which isn't that hard just not as convenient)

Edited March 19, 2011 by Bikerdude

[PranQster]

Don't quote me, but with the right app (I think super manager) I believe can lock apps and the root permissions so they can be blocked from even root user deleting or uninstalled said locked app without a prompt asking for a pass/pin set by the user.

Super Manager is pretty sweet.

AVG has their Antivirus Pro app which can, among other things, lock installed apps with a password (on non-rooted phone), task killer (minimal), data backup, app backup, block and report spam and scam SMS messages, wipe personal data, track phone in google maps if it is stolen/missing.

 

But the other option, is to flash a custom rom with ALL the Google stuff removed, then just install Google maps from from an .apk file. I believe its the Google framework services .apk file and the vendor .apk(marketplace) that give Google the relevant access to remote-remove apps. Be aware though this way you wont have access to google marketplace and have to find and install apps manually (which isn't that hard just not as convenient)

One downside to removing default apps is that if certain apps are missing from the phone at update time, official updates will fail (even if the phone has been un-rooted). One example of this on Verizon's Android phones is their "Visual Voicemail" app. If the .apk file for that is missing from the Android system directory, or if it has the wrong checksum value (needs the version installed with the last system update), the update will fail.

I had tried replacing my deleted visual voicemail .apk file with the most recent one from the market. That did not work because the original from Verizon's release of Android 2.1 still needed to be on the phone, apart from the market update. I had to have a friend with the same phone, Droid X, email me the vvm.apk file from his 2.1 phone before I could do the 2.2 official update.

I had also tried overclocking the phone to 1.3GHz... that was neat, but it had no appreciable performance gain.

Eventually I un-rooted it. The combination of "Android Assistant" and "Juice Defender" does a pretty good job of keeping extra apps from running in the background and maximizing the battery life (Juice Defender turns off services like GPS, WIFI, etc. while the phone's screen is off).

 

"GO Launcher EX" is the most awesome desktop launcher out there! I think it supports up to 33 or so desktops, can do 5x5 icon grid on the desktop, and a scrollable (3-desktops wide) quick-launch panel at the bottom.

Edited March 20, 2011 by PranQster

[PranQster]

Also the Google marketplace, market.android.com, can be used on any computer to send apps to your phone. Just login to your google account, go there and choose to remote install to your phone. This is handy if you want to save some battery life on the phone. It is also good if you are going to install many, many apps without having to use the phone to browse/search for them.

[Bikerdude]

I knew about browsing AM on the pc etc, quite handy that. but I have got one step further- i can remote control my phone like remote desktop and than make changes etc without having to put up with the tiny screen/ and interface.

 

Regarding Juice defender, does it also cut down on background apps running..?

 

[update] there is now juice defender beta, but it dosent have gingerbread support yet (Im running a Cyanogen 2.3.3 Rom on my phone)

Edited March 20, 2011 by Bikerdude

[PranQster]

I knew about browsing AM on the pc etc, quite handy that. but I have got one step further- i can remote control my phone like remote desktop and than make changes etc without having to put up with the tiny screen/ and interface.

 

Regarding Juice defender, does it also cut down on background apps running..?

 

[update] there is now juice defender beta, but it dosent have gingerbread support yet (Im running a Cyanogen 2.3.3 Rom on my phone)

 

Cool about the remote control/vnc.

Juice Defender does not do background app killing. I had used a combination of Super Manager and Startup Manager before. They helped with preventing certain apps from auto-starting, but never did the job 100% reliably.

[lost_soul]

I was recently given an older Treo 650. Apparently you can get it to run Linux from an SD card, but it only has 32 megs of RAM. What I would really like to do is use it as an alarm clock and have it play some music in the morning. I couldn't care less to have a cell phone. The thing that really sucks though is most of the programs are shareware/payware. I can't even find a decent media player to do this simple job that isn't shareware.

 

This is why I personally wouldn't shell out for one of these mobile devices unless it has a thriving supply of free/open source software. I'm used to PCs, where I can always get free tools to do just about any job I want... and yes, I consider playing an Ogg Vorbis file at 7:30 A.M basic functionality.

Edited March 28, 2011 by lost_soul

[Bikerdude]

getting linux working on that old palm device would be some feat.