Run Android ICS Ice Cream Sandwich on your computer PC using WindowsAndroid

The Android platform has come a long way since the first Android phone was released in 2008, but it still primarily remains a platform for mobile devices, smart TVs, in-vehicle entertainment systems and a few small computers like the Raspberry Pi. Having access to Android on your PC can be quite useful considering its huge app ecosystem.

Back in 2011, we covered BlueStacks that allows you to run numerous Android apps in full screen mode on yoru PC but if you want to use the complete Android operating system on your Windows computer, emulation is the answer. WindowsAndroid is an Android emulator that allows you to do just that, bringing you the full Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich experience within Windows, complete with apps, widgets and settings. Keep reading to find out more.

While you can run Android on Windows using the official Android emulator that comes with the Android SDK, its installation process needs quite some configuration to begin with, and the experience it offers is quite slow on most computers. WindowsAndroid offers a much snappier experience, comes with some pre-installed apps and allows you to add more to the system. Do note that Play Store in not supported, and apps are pushed to the system through a secondary method.

When you run the app, the familiar ICS lock screen pops up. Grab the lock with your mouse and drag it to the edge of the circle to unlock the OS. When unlocked, you move directly to the home screen as it appears on Android tablets, with the clock in the center and app drawer on the top-right. Just click and drag the mouse left and right to switch between the home screens. Just like the default ICS home screen on your Android phone or tablet, you get a total of 5 home screens, with a few shortcuts and widgets already added to them.

Custom apps can be installed by placing their apks in the data/app folder of the directory where WindowsAndroid is installed. Placing the apks in this folder will automatically install the apps, and you just have to restart the application once for them to get loaded.

The app seems to be in its early stages at the moment, and crashed a lot during our testing. However, the speed benefits it offers over the official Android emulator make it very promising, if the developer can iron out the the stability issues..

Download WindowsAndroid [Mirror]

How To Install Leaked Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean ROM On Sony Xperia S

The Xperia S was Sony’s flagship device in its NXT series and while one would have expected Jelly Bean to have hit the device way back, it’s still been a seemingly endless wait so far. However, there’s finally some good news in this regard, albeit not from Sony itself.

You can now install the leaked 6.2.B.0.68 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware on your Sony Xperia S, thanks to XDA Recognized Developer DoomLoRD. While this firmware was originally meant for developer (brown) devices, DoomLoRD was able to successfully modify it to boot on productions devices. However, being a leak, you shouldn’t expect everything to work flawlessly. If you still wish to given it a shot, you can install it right away.

As mentioned earlier, this build is primarily meant for development purposes to offer developers a way to test their works for Jelly Bean on the device before it’s officially released. This build is pre-rooted with busybox installed, but the kernel that it comes bundled with does not contain a custom recovery. The device will be able to detect GSM/HSPDA networks, but will not be able to connect to them so yes, the phone function is broken for now, so install it only if you just want to temporarily get a taste of the official Jelly Bean ROM running on your phone.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery installed. If you do not already have this, or are unsure about how to achieve this, this ROM is not meant for you.
• Running stock .55 ICS ROM or one based on that firmware.
• Leaked Jelly Bean ROM for Xperia S (Download it from the XDA link at the end)

Instructions

1. Begin by downloading the ROM and copying it to your phone’s SD card.
2. Now reboot the device into recovery by powering it device off and then turning it back on while hitting the ‘Volume Down’ key a couple of times as the device boots up.
3. To be on the safe side, make a backup from recovery.
4. Navigate to ‘mounts and storage’ and make sure that /system partition isn’t mounted. If it is mounted, make sure to unmount it.
5. Go back and perform a full wipe data/factory reset, followed by wiping cache, and then wiping dalvik cache from the advanced menu.
6. Next, select to install zip from sdcard,  then choose zip from sdcard by selecting the ROM’s zip file you copied to the phone earlier.
7. Once the ROM is flashed, simply reboot the device.

The first reboot may take quite some time, but that’s nothing to worry about. For updates and queries related to this Jelly Bean leak, head over to the XDA forum thread at the link provided below.

[via XDA-Developers]

How To Root Sony Xperia Z Easily Step by Step Process

The Xperia Z – Sony’s flagship behemoth of a device running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on a gorgeous 5″ 1080p full HD screen – has been rooted before its actual launch. Sony’s new range of Android devices are becoming more and more developer-friendly, with Sony allowing official bootloader unlocks and releasing kernel sources to the developers to support third-party development.

This rooting method comes courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer DooMLoRD, who remotely achieved root access via teamviewer without even getting his hands on the device. Planning on getting an Xperia Z for yourself? Here’s how you can root the device in a few very simple steps.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Unlocked bootloader. You can unlock the bootloader of your Xperia Z from the Sony Mobile website.
• Firmware version: 10.1.A.1.350. Do not proceed with this guide if your device has a different firmware version.
• Modified CF-Auto-Root kernel
• Insecure stock kernel

Instructions

1. First of all, download the modified kernel and insecure stock kernel files from the link above, and rename the modified kernel to ‘mkernel’ and the stock kernel to ‘skernel’.
2. Copy the files to the folder where you have the fastboot file.
3. Reboot the device into fastboot mode by powering it off, and then holding down the ‘Volume Up’ key as you plug in the USB cable.
4. Once the device is connected in fastboot mode, open a Command Prompt window and navigate to the location of the kernel.
5. Now enter the following commands:
   

   fastboot flash boot mkernel.img
   fastboot reboot

6. The phone should start rebooting now, and you should see an indication on the screen, telling you that the device will reboot in 10 seconds. Once it boots up, disconnect the USB and hold down both ‘Power’ and ‘Volume Up’ keys till the phone vibrates thrice. The phone is now powered off.
7. Now reconnect the device in fastboot mode and enter the following commands:
   

   fastboot flash boot skernel.img
   fastboot reboot

8. Lastly, download Busybox installer from Play Store and use it to install Busybox to ‘/system/xbin/’ on the phone.

For updates and queries regarding this rooting method, head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

How To Root Samsung Galaxy S III Mini I8190 Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean With Odin

Did you buy yourself a Galaxy S III Mini thinking it would have nearly the same internal hardware as the popular Galaxy S III, only with a smaller, more easy-to-use form factor?

Well, if you made that mistake, there’s not much you can do regarding changing the hardware but fret not! The Galaxy S III Mini is still a very capable smartphone, and you can take it to the max by rooting it. As ever, we’ve got the complete rooting guide right here for you, so read on after the jump to get started.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process. Also, note that rooting your device WILL void your warranty.

Requirements

• A Windows PC since ODIN – the tool we will be using to root the device – doesn’t work on any other desktop platform.
• At least 50% battery charged.
• ODIN 3.04 | Mirror
• ODIN-flashable rooted stock ROM
• Samsung USB drivers.
• Utility software for extracting contents of compressed (ZIP) files. We recommend free and open-source 7-zip.

Instructions

If all goes well, your personal data will not be wiped as a result of flashing this ROM. Still, we recommend taking a backup in case something goes wrong.

1. Unzip the contents of the ODIN 3.07 and rooted ROM ZIP files.
2. Launch ODIN 3.07 using the EXE file found inside the extracted folder.
3. Turn off your Galaxy S III Mini.
4. Press and hold Volume Down + Home + Power buttons until your device displays a yellow triangle. Go into download / ODIN mode by pressing Volume Up when you are given the option.
5. Once in download mode, connect your S III Mini to your PC via USB. ODIN should indicate under the “Message” box that it has successfully detected your device.
6. Click on ‘PDA’ and choose the TAR file found in the extracted contents of the rooted ROM ZIP file.
7. Leave all options as they are and click ‘Start’ to begin the rooting process.

It will take a few minutes for ODIN to flash the pre-rooted ROM to your device. While that happens, do not mess around with your device, disconnect it from the PC or let it get powered off. We also recommend not using your PC during the process to ensure everything goes smooth.

For queries and more information, please visit the official thread over at XDA-Developers at the link below.

[via XDA-Developers]

How To Root Verizon Galaxy Note II SCH i605 On Android 4.1.1 With Odin

Despite a lukewarm response from several critics – mostly due to its confusing, half-smartphone / half-tablet size and design – the Galaxy Note II has sold over 5 million units within two months of its launch.

If you happen to own the Verizon Wireless variant of the device, you’ll be interested to know that the developer community has achieved root access. Find out how you can root your Verizon Galaxy Note II after the jump!

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. Mobilecruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process. Also, note that rooting your device WILL void your warranty.

Requirements

• Verizon Galaxy Note II running stock Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. This method is NOT meant for other Galaxy Note II variants.
• Windows PC (since ODIN – the tool we’ll be using for rooting your Note II – is Windows-only).
• ODIN v3.07 | Mirror
• Samsung USB Drivers (Don’t worry about the GSIII part in the file name.)
• ODIN-flashable stock rooted ROM | Mirror
• A utility for extracting compressed zip and 7z files. We recommend the free and excellent 7-zip.

Requirements

1. Install the Samsung USB drivers if you don’t have them installed already. Also, if you have Samsung Kies installed, make sure to fully close (exit) it before proceeding.
2. Extract the contents of the downloaded ODIN package and the stock rooted ROM file.
3. Launch the Odin3 v3.07 exe file from the extracted folder.
4. Shut down your Galaxy Note II.
5. Press and hold Volume Down + Home + Power buttons until you see a screen with a yellow triangle.
6. When given the option, go into ODIN / Download Mode.
7. Connect your Galaxy Note II to your PC via USB. ODIN should show your device as successfully detected.
8. Uncheck ‘Auto Reboot’ option from ODIN. Leave everything else as it is.
9. Click on PDA and then choose the file extracted from the downloaded stock rooted ROM package.
10. Click Start to begin the process. Go grab a cup of coffee / tea while ODIN works it magic.
11. After a few minutes, ODIN will prompt you to pass or reset. At this point, you need to pull out your battery and then put it back in.
12. Press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons to go into recovery mode.
13. Choose ‘Wipe cache” from the recovery options.
14. Reboot your device.

If you followed the steps correctly, your Verizon Galaxy Note II running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean will be rooted.

[via XDA-Developers]

CF Auto Root Brings Easy Rooting To Nexus 4 Nexus 7 Nexus 10

If you’re an Android enthusiast and haven’t been living under a rock, you must have heard about the famous CF Root kernels that XDA Elite Recognized Developer Chainfire has been releasing, especially for Samsung devices.

These kernels simply rooted your Android device once flashed and installed a custom recovery, keeping the rest of the firmware totally stock. Recently, Chainfire moved on to CF-Auto-Root that skips, even ditches, the recovery from the mix to keep the experience as close to stock as possible. Considering the popularity of this method, it is no surprise that it now supports the latest Nexus devices, i.e., Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10. How does it work, what changes does it bring, and how can you use it to easily root your device while keeping everything else purely stock? Let’s find out.

How To Flash TWRP Touch Recovery On Google Nexus 10

As Nexus 10 fans will know, the recently released tablet was rooted recently. Installing ClockworkMod Touch (CWMT) Recovery was part of the rooting process covered here at AddictiveTips, but CWMT isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea.

The other, popular touch-based alternative to CWMT is Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP), which was developed with touch input in mind (unlike CWMT, which is essentially the standard CWM with larger input targets and touchscreen support). If you wish to install TWRP on your freshly-bought Nexus 10, follow our step-by-step guide after the jump!

How To Root Google Nexus 10 Easily On Windows Linux Mac With Superboot

One-Click root for the Nexus 10 has finally surfaced thanks to the efforts of recognized developer, ‘paulobrien’ of MoDaCo.

Superboot is the famous no-nonsense script that has rooted the likes of the Nexus 7, HTC One X, Galaxy Nexus and many more Android devices. Earlier, we covered a manual root method for the Nexus 10. The method is quite straight forward, but if you’re unfamiliar with ADB or other common requirements of conventional Android hacking, we’d suggest you go with Superboot. As always, the script is meant to be run on Windows, Linux and Mac.

Now, if you’ve been modding Android devices for a while, you should know that Superboot simply pushes a custom boot.img file onto the device that automatically installs su binaries and the Superuser APK upon the first boot.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk.  MobileCruze Net Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements :

• Superboot r4 for Nexus 10.
• Nexus 10 with an unlocked bootloader. For instructions on unlocking the bootloader, refer to our Android bootloader unlock guide.
• Android debugging enabled in Settings > Developer Options. Can’t find Developer Options? Here is a quick tip on how to unhide Developer Options in Android 4.2.

Instructions :

1. To begin, download Superboot from the link above and extract the contents.
2. Put the Nexus 10 in bootloader mode. Power off the Nexus 10, and volume down and volume up keys pressed, hold down the power button to do so.
3. Connect the Nexus 10 to the computer and follow the instructions for your respective OS.

Windows

Run ‘superboot-windows.bat’ file.

Mac

Open a terminal window, navigate to the extracted contents and enter the following commands:

chmod +x superboot-mac.sh

./superboot-mac.sh

Linux

Open a terminal window, navigate to the extracted contents and enter the following commands:

chmod +x superboot-linux.sh

./superboot-linux.sh

That’s it! Your device should be rooted and you should find a Superuser icon in your app drawer when your device boots. If you want to install ClockworkMod recovery on the Nexus 10, see Step 4 of the manual root method mentioned at the beginning. Additionally, you can also see our guide on installing TWRP recovery on the Nexus 10 .

For updates and queries related to this script, head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

How To Root Google Nexus 10 And Install ClockworkMod Touch Recovery

Google Nexus 10 rooted! Google seems to be churning up some very effective and potent Android devices this year with the likes of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, both of which have already gained root access.

The Nexus 10 was not going to fall behind and why should it, it’s Google’s most prized tablet to date with a screen resolution and ppi density that out-specs Apple’s 4th generation iPad. If you are one of the lucky few who have ordered the Nexus 10 or have already got your hands on one, you can thank XDA-Developers forum member ‘Kidgoo’ for testing and coming up with the root method, and recognized developer, ‘Chainfire’ for the SuperSU zip and binaries.

The rooting method, while not that lengthy a procedure, is not exactly the most convenient either. You will be required to use command prompt or terminal, so in case that is not your cup of tea, wait around for a simpler, automated procedure. For now, this method can be performed on Windows, Linux and Mac.

Before we begin with the method, please note that the official ClockworkMod recovery for the Nexus 10 has been causing the device to reboot in roughly 20 seconds when in recovery mode. Thanks to the efforts of XDA-Developers senior member ‘damien667’, there is now a fixed recovery image available for the Nexus 10 that has eliminated the reboot bug. For now at least, we will recommend you use the modded recovery and not the official one, till the latter is fixed. What’s ClockworkMod Recovery, you ask? View our comprehensive guide on what is ClockworkMod recovery and how to use it.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Nexus 10 with an unlocked bootloader. Refer to our Android bootloader unlock guide for instructions on unlocking the bootloader.
• ADB with fastboot installed on your system. You should see our guide on what is ADB how to install it.
• Android Debugging enabled in Settings > Developer Options. Not sure how to? See our quick tip on how to unhide Developer Options in Android 4.2.
• CWM Touch Recovery 6 (modded).
• CWM flashable SuperSU binary package.

Instructions

The guide will take you through flashing CWM Touch Recovery on the device, allowing you to flash the SuperSu binary package. Additionally, instructions to restoring to a pre-root condition will also follow.

1. To begin, download the CWM Touch recovery and copy the file to the ‘platform-tools’ folder where fastboot.exe is. For your ease and convenience, rename CWM Touch recovery to ‘recovery’.
2. Download SuperSU binary package, and copy it to the root of the Nexus 10 storage.
3. Put the Nexus 10 in bootloader mode. Power off the Nexus 10 and  with the volume down and voume up keys pressed, power it on as it enters bootloader mode.
4. Time to flash the recovery. In Windows, open command prompt, switch to the path where ‘recovery.img’ is and enter the following command:

   fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

   For Mac, navigate to the file’s location in the terminal and enter the following command:

   ./fastboot-mac flash recovery recovery.img

   For Linux, navigate to the file’s location in the terminal and enter the following command:

   ./fastboot-linux flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.1.6-manta.img

5. Boot the Nexus 10 into bootloader mode, and once there, use the volume keys to navigate to ‘recovery’ and hit the power button to select it.
6. If you booted into the recovery just fine, now would be a good time to make a Nandroid backup from ‘backup and restore’ so you have a safe point to return to.
7. Navigate to ‘install zip from sdcard’ > ‘choose zip from sdcard’ and select the SuperSU zip file.
8. Once the package has been installed, simply reboot the device.

Now, when the phone reboots, check your app drawer for SuperSU. If you find it, you’re device has been successfully rooted.

Restore To Pre-Root Condition From Backup

If you want to go back to how it was before you rooted the device, or are stuck in that infamous bootloop and are unable to boot into CWM Touch Recovery (like in Step 4 above), there’s no need to panic. You can still restore the backup you made in step 5 of the above method.

1. Boot into fastboot mode.
2. Boot into the CWM Touch recovery you copied to the platform-tools folder using the following terminal command:

   fastboot boot recovery.img

3. Navigate to ‘backup and restore’ and restore the backup you made earlier.

That is it; once the backup is restored, simply reboot your device and cross you fingers. Things should go back to just the way they were.

For updates and queries related to this root guide head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

]]> http://mobilecruze.net/mobile-hacks/android-hacks/how-to-root-google-nexus-10-and-install-clockworkmod-touch-recovery/feed/ 0 http://mobilecruze.net/mobile-hacks/android-hacks/how-to-enable-usb-debugging-on-android-4-2-jelly-bean/ http://mobilecruze.net/mobile-hacks/android-hacks/how-to-enable-usb-debugging-on-android-4-2-jelly-bean/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2012 22:26:19 +0000 RoCkStAr* http://mobilecruze.net/?p=2140

How To Enable USB Debugging On Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Yesterday, Google started rolling out Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OTA Update to the GSM/HSPA+ version of Galaxy Nexus and later, factory images were made available to directly update the device to the latest version of Android.

While there were many welcome changes in this update, there was one that freaked out Android enthusiasts and developers who upon updating to 4.2 found the ‘Developer Options’ gone from the Settings. Turns out, Google decided to hide them in form of what is debatably a blend of an easter egg, a prank and a feature. Worry not though – we’re here to help you reclaim the developer options on your Android device running 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Developer Options include several features for app developers that help them build and test apps on their devices while controlling them from the PC via ADB. ADB also comes really handy for end users if they want to quickly access and run commands on their device from their computer. From ICS onward, the USB Debugging toggle could be found under ‘Developer Options’ in Settings but upon upgrading to 4.2, we found them missing. After a bit of asking around, we found the way to easily enable them, and here is how it goes:

1. Go to ‘Settings’ > ‘About phone’.
2. Repeatedly tap on ‘Build number’ seven times. That’s it!

 How To Enable USB Debugging On Android 4.2 Jelly Bean