Blog Category: ROMs & Kernels

You know what the best thing about the new Google Edition phones is? It uses existing hardware with the best of Google’s pure Android variant. Simply put, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition is pretty much just a regular international variant of the Samsung Galaxy S4. In the same way, the HTC One Google Edition is pretty much the same as the international variant of the HTC One. The only difference is the fact that the Google Edition variant is pretty much running a different ROM.

As a community, we are pretty much experienced in installing custom ROMs into our devices. The Google Edition is just another ROM to be installed into our smartphones. As luck would have it, the avid developers of XDA and the leak crew at Sammobile have found the ROMs we need to have a taste of...

Google really shook the market with their latest announcement for the mobile industry. Rather than introducing a new Nexus smartphone as a successor to the aging Nexus 4, the company designed a new radical program that bridges the gap between Google’s ideal software and their OEM Partner’s ideal hardware.

The new Google Edition smartphones, namely the Stock Android loaded Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, are the first smartphones in this program. Apparently, Sony is also looking at a Google Edition device, but that is news for another time. For now, let’s evaluate this Google Edition smartphones and figure out if we really should be excited for it, and if we really should get one.
A Dream Finally Fulfilled?
As a community of Android users who love to Root our devices as well as install custom ROM, this is like a dream program...

After owning a Galaxy S III for a while, rooting is simply not enough anymore if you want to have the best experience. Sure, you can install lots of new stock ROMs, but why settle for stock when you can get optimized stock?

There are a lot of custom ROMs for the Galaxy S III that relies on the optimize stock experience, but there is one that combines amazing look and feel with the stability of a stock ROM. Let’s go meet the Purelook HD for the Galaxy S III.

Themes
Purelook HD showcases three different types of themes to choose from. You have the basic stock experience which is a direct look and feel port of the Galaxy S4 to the Galaxy S III, an Xperia look and feel, as well as a fully transparent operating system.
The Galaxy S4 look is very...

When it comes to custom ROMs, you are not sure what you are going to get until you really try it. As with many other things in this world, some things just work for you, while other things just don’t. Still, there are those that work best for a lot of people, and that kind of choice is really worth looking at.
 

Wanamlite is one of those custom ROM ‘dynasties’ in a sense that it is a custom ROM that has been developed for more than one type of smartphone. These kinds of Custom ROMs offer a bit more confidence since they really know what they are doing.
I am not saying that trying out a custom ROM from a first time developer is bad. There are some pretty good gems out there waiting to be discovered. For me though, Wanamlite does...

Custom ROMs are the only way to go if you really want to get the best of the best out of your device. Even without the custom ROM enhancements, simply having a custom ROM with built in root access is a tremendous help in protecting yourself from viruses and unauthorized root access.
One of the most popular custom ROMs for the Samsung Galaxy S3 is not a full custom ROM. It is actually a ROM based on Samsung’s own official stock ROMs. Today’s custom ROM allows you to experience all the benefits and features that were built in with Samsung’s Touchwiz interface as well as several tweaks, mods and themes that make the experience unique.
The Omega ROM series is a series of ROMs that were built not only for the Samsung Galaxy S3, but also for other devices such as the...

Swapping Internal and External Memory on Android Phones

Plenty of times, we find ourselves trying to save cash and buy the lowest memory option for our device. On other countries, the lowest memory option is the only option possible. For some, they just feel that the memory options could be better.
Internal memory is something we can’t normally increase without a significant hardware change. Lucky people who have ended up with broken devices sometimes end up with a motherboard of a larger capacity version of the smartphone.
Many of us want that too, but risking breaking your motherboard for a one in a million chance of a free upgrade isn’t quite worth it. We still want a larger internal memory though.
Why increase the internal memory?
Having an external memory for files, music and videos is all good, but the internal memory is what really...

How to reinstall stock firmware without flashing by using KIES

A lot of people these days like to play safe with their ROMs. While they like keeping their devices rooted, they also want to be able to use a very stable ROM. Of course, there are also moderately stable custom ROMs out there for your device, many developers tell you one thing when you ask for a stable firmware – “If you want completely stable ROMs, then use the stock ones”
Flashing Stock ROMs through the OTA can sometimes result in some issues with the installation. After all, you are trying to force the update on the device itself. If something goes wrong, what can we do to fix it? OTA updates do not offer a way to reinstall but Samsung developed a program that will allow you to do that without...

Backing up the EFS on Samsung Devices

We learned on our previous article that the EFS folder is a very important folder to back up regardless if you plan to mess with it or not. There have been horror stories of those who simply failed at flashing their smartphones a couple of times and ended up losing their IMEI.
Before you start messing with your device in any way other than the normal operation, one must back up all the things you can back up. Today, we learn about actually backing up the EFS folder.
Preparing for Backup
Power Levels
Before you back up your EFS folder, there are some things you need to get your hands on. First is to have your Samsung smartphone on full power, making sure there would be no interruption in the process.
Backup Program
Another thing you need is an EFS...

Getting to know your EFS folder on Samsung Devices

Common Files We Back up
I am sure you have heard of critical things you need to do when you mess with an Android device right? One of the things that always come up is to back up your devices.
Backing up data usually involves making sure those contacts, calendar entries, memos, messages and special media that you may have kept within the internal memory are kept safe. The general rule when flashing and rooting is that often times, you may have to end up wiping all your internal memory data.
Some people tend to take this further and back up the internal data of apps, which is only possible if you have root access on your device. This is especially useful for those who like to play games as well as flash custom ROMs.
There...

Making NFC work even locked

If you have been more active at using your NFC chips and tags so far by following our extensive list of guides and ideas, you may have encountered a little road block that prevents you from fully enjoying the experience.
As many may have noticed, you would need to unlock the device to be able to use the NFC tag. This is highly inconvenient because it doesn’t work even with unsecured lock screens such as the default swipe lock screen.
Some tags could have been so much more useful and convenient if you don’t have to go through that process. It will certainly add a new level to the speed of task management. The problem is, this issue that we face is actually something built to protect us users.
You see, to prevent malicious NFC tasks and codes to...