Database Info

For those of you who want winmo on your G1 try this.

I looked up an article about a smartphone that runs on both windows mobile and andriod using a special bootloader called U-boot it is an open-source boot loader try getting this on the G1 then try to get windows mobile image or something on the g1 via this bootloader. the phone I am referencing this from is the Compulab exeda their article can be found here: http://i.gizmodo.com/5131507/compulab-exeda-a-stocky-phone-stuffed-full-of-features-and-oss
Use this bootloader then tell me how you will get windows mobile

wattt!!! so basically u saying hey i dnt know if this will work but kill your fone then tell me how it work out. Btw first the bootloader have to be ported to g1 hardware

ya that guy says here do this and let me know if it works . but if im reading this right a dual boot g1?

That's what it seems like. That could mean anything really... but it has an ethernet port! Can we say insta-router/modem? How odd and cool at the same time! But if it's truly a duel mode phone, WM on Android is just a tiny step away But then again... Since the phone itself is entirely different than the G1, how will it be ported? Just a bootloader isn't gonna do it. It will have to be modified completely. It's still better than trying to port from a TyTn or something else. U boot will have to support the G1's hardware or something extremely similar (a least a HTC phone). And the WM image could be gotten from anywhere but preferably from this phone, the exeda (may be the .nbf will leak sometime or it will get a downloadable update for WM).

LOL i meant dual boot as in the "linux" flavor for nokia i was thinking... sorry but as fast as android is advancing im ready to kiss WM goodbye. But sure people will either want to throw WM or possibly a dualboot on there g1's if it is possible

I've used u-boot on many different platforms... You guys have no idea what you're talking about. This isn't something you just "put" onto the G1... it would need to be written(ported) for the G1, bring up all the hardware, initialise RAM, etc... this would replace the SPL, not the OS, so you would also have to find a way to get u-boot to load wince (I've only used u-boot to boot linux, redboot is for wince).... this thread is like all the comments on the google apps store asking app developers to write flash for the browser...

I would love to get something like this, even wondered when they will come out with it. But I do think it will be something that will have to come on the phone, not as a 3rd party app. But I do hope HTC will bring out a hybrid like this. And a Ethernet port. Holy crap, I love that!!

i have a dream...
I have a dream that one day HTC will offer the drivers to the devices they sell.. that would make every developers live easier. If they released the drivers for all the hardware u could run any OS on the dream.
I would acctually pay for that

apatcas said:
I have a dream that one day HTC will offer the drivers to the devices they sell.. that would make every developers live easier. If they released the drivers for all the hardware u could run any OS on the dream.
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The problem is, HTC may or may not have the rights to release the code for those drivers, even if they wanted to. Many drivers come from hardware manufacturers (like Qualcomm, for example) and don't give clients like HTC the rights to distribute them except in binary form.
One day everything will be open-source. One day a carrier who advertises a phone as "open" will actually sell it as open, too.

I had my laptop dual boot with Slax and Win XP for about a week. I can't tell you how much I regret wasting the time to even set that up. Lets say you get the bootloader to work on the G1... Now tell me... what exactly are you going to use to control the capacitive touch screen and why? Can't we all just admit that Windows time is near its end and its only saving grace is to mimic what the open source communities are doing, or Apple if you want to refer to Windows 7... ick i say, ick.

True i am going to hijack this and wonder also why has no one looked into why we are only using 384mhz of the 528mhz that the processor can run at it was in another thread that no one commented on?

sino8r said:
That's what it seems like. That could mean anything really... but it has an ethernet port! Can we say insta-router/modem? How odd and cool at the same time! But if it's truly a duel mode phone, WM on Android is just a tiny step away But then again... Since the phone itself is entirely different than the G1, how will it be ported? Just a bootloader isn't gonna do it. It will have to be modified completely. It's still better than trying to port from a TyTn or something else. U boot will have to support the G1's hardware or something extremely similar (a least a HTC phone). And the WM image could be gotten from anywhere but preferably from this phone, the exeda (may be the .nbf will leak sometime or it will get a downloadable update for WM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good news I mentioned that the U-boot bootloader is open source

beartard said:
The problem is, HTC may or may not have the rights to release the code for those drivers, even if they wanted to. Many drivers come from hardware manufacturers (like Qualcomm, for example) and don't give clients like HTC the rights to distribute them except in binary form.
One day everything will be open-source. One day a carrier who advertises a phone as "open" will actually sell it as open, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
compulab has already made that dream come true with the exeda

damien667 said:
I've used u-boot on many different platforms... You guys have no idea what you're talking about. This isn't something you just "put" onto the G1... it would need to be written(ported) for the G1, bring up all the hardware, initialise RAM, etc... this would replace the SPL, not the OS, so you would also have to find a way to get u-boot to load wince (I've only used u-boot to boot linux, redboot is for wince).... this thread is like all the comments on the google apps store asking app developers to write flash for the browser...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can redboot be modified to run windows mobile???

qjsmartphone said:
compulab has already made that dream come true with the exeda
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Click to collapse
That's actually pretty slick. I wonder if a version will support tmo-usa's 3G band?

Here is what Rogers thinks about rooting.

Taken via Rogers Redboard Blog http://redboard.rogers.com/2010/redboard’s-faaq-frequently-asked-android-questions/
Android, one of the newest – and hottest – mobile operating systems out there today is also one of the most-talked about topics here on RedBoard. One report predicts more than 50 Android-powered devices will launch this year — up from 10 in 2009.
We’re big fans of Android at Rogers. We were the first in Canada to carry an Android-powered device and have this country’s largest selection of Android devices such as the HTC Dream, HTC Magic, LG Eve, Samsung Galaxy Spica and Google’s Nexus One with even more Android devices on the way, including the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.
We’re working hard to have real conversations about Android whenever possible – both online and in person – and thought it would be useful to answer some questions submitted by you, here on RedBoard.
1. Why should I care about Android?
Android is the operating system (OS) created by Google with which you can run programs on your smartphone. It is “open source” software, meaning that while Google has created it, other software developers – no matter their size – can modify the system or create add-on software programs that run on the OS called “apps.” The open-source aspect of the OS is driving many gadget-hungry consumers to Android-powered devices, causing handset makers such as Sony, HTC and LG to take notice and use the OS to power their products.
2. Why does it matter which version of Android I have?
The newer the version, the newer the features and functionality you can have. Just like how some software programs are written for Windows XP or Windows 7, newer Android-based apps – such as voice search or live wallpapers — are written for the newest Android OS, version 2.1. As the first to bring Android to Canada, we were also the first to learn just how much OS upgrades mean to our customers. This was a new challenge that we hadn’t dealt with before. As such, Rogers is working with handset manufactures to ensure an OS upgrade path on all all future devices.
3. Why does “rooting” an Android device void its warranty?
Rooting is when you wipe your handset clean of its existing operating system and install a new version. The problem with rooting is that handset manufacturers install and customize the OS to work specifically with their device so clearing it may make some features and functionality not work correctly. Furthermore, all handsets sold by Rogers are verified to work on our network before giving them to customers. In turn, it’s impossible for us to troubleshoot or provide technical assistance on a device that is no longer in line with that verification. That, in a nutshell, is why rooting voids the warranty of Rogers-purchased devices.
4. What sorts of things can I do with an Android phone — and what’s different from other smartphones?
Android phones aren’t for everybody. Some customers swear by their iPhone, BlackBerry or other smartphone. But here are some of the differences that will help you determine if Android is right for you:
The ease of personalization of Android phones – from colours to fonts to widgets.
The seamless integration with Google’s wide array of products such as Gmail, contacts, calendar, Picasa and maps. If you use your Gmail account on your computer to store important information, you’ll have the exact same access on the go.
Then, there are the apps. The open source community has embraced Android and as such, there are thousands of applications for download through the Android Market.
5. Are there places online that I can get tips for using Android to its fullest?
Not surprisingly, Google has a very thorough website dedicated to Android at http://www.android.com. There are also forums and blogs dedicated to Android, which you can find via an online search.
6. Does Rogers have any custom applications for my Android phone?
We recently launched the My Account app, which provides secure, 24/7 access to your Wireless accounts to view your balance, make payments as well as check airtime, messaging and data usage. It also lets you pay your bill right from your phone. Rogers SportsNet also has an app for getting the latest scores and sports news. While we can’t discuss plans right now for competitive reasons, we will be rolling out even more custom apps for Rogers customers in the near future.
7. How does Rogers define its commitment to the android community?
We understand that for Android users, the smartphone is more than just a device, it’s an extension of who they are. We’re listening to members of the Android community, and engaging with them (online and in person) to truly understand their wants and needs. That’s not limited to just users of the devices. We’re also working with software developers to ensure Rogers Android users have the best possible customer experience.
What kind of phone do you have? Would you consider an Android phone as your next device?
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Does not seem like they have a clue what rooting is.

Szadzik said:
Does not seem like they have a clue what rooting is.
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Click to collapse
Why? They have explained their point of view well and actually they're right. They can't be responsible for issues on rooted devices, because these issues may be caused by system customizations done by 3rd party. This is absolutely logical.

You can root your phone without actually changing the original OS. They're talking about not supporting various custom firmware, which is different from rooting.
Although with Rooting, you can make core changes that could effect functionality... But like any OS, I don't know if it really matters. I've cooked all of my Windows OS's on a range of devices and still always got warranty exchanges if needed. Just flash a stock firmware and call it a day.

player911 said:
You can root your phone without actually changing the original OS. They're talking about not supporting various custom firmware, which is different from rooting.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, but you don't root to not change anything, right? And they won't compare md5 of every file to see, whether you have changed somethin' or not. They don't give root to people just to be sure, that you have exactly what they have installed to you. If you have rooted, then they lose this sureness.
player911 said:
Although with Rooting, you can make core changes that could effect functionality... But like any OS, I don't know if it really matters. I've cooked all of my Windows OS's on a range of devices and still always got warranty exchanges if needed. Just flash a stock firmware and call it a day.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I think it would be nice if they would just erase all your data and install stock system. Then they would not waste too much of their time, but would be helpful.
Ahh and there is one more thing: when you flash roms, you risk hardware failure, especially if you aren't careful. It would not make any sense, if they would be responsible for such situation.

Rogers clearly does not have a clue what rooting is - what Rogers has described is installing a custom rom.
Rooting is not the same act as installing a custom rom - it's just giving yourself root access in the operating system.
Granted, that increases the amount of power the user has over the operating system - and honestly, I prefer that rooting be a little harder to do than just a one-click setup.
My reasoning behind that is simple - with great power, comes great responsibility.
Unfortunately, responsibility is a foreign concept to most consumers, especially when in over their heads trying to alter anything 'behind the scenes'.
That said, I can see why service providers would be disinclined to deal with the many problems that could arise due to root access.

Brut.all said:
Why? They have explained their point of view well and actually they're right. They can't be responsible for issues on rooted devices, because these issues may be caused by system customizations done by 3rd party. This is absolutely logical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As pointed out below Rogers explained using custom ROMs and not rooting. I have root and have not installed a custom ROM. I installed an overclocking app instead - does this mean my warranty has not been voided? According to Rogers it would not be.

This part made me laugh
Furthermore, all handsets sold by Rogers are verified to work on our network before giving them to customers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes we've seen that with the whole E911 patch fiasco that ensued with the "verified" rom from Rogers.

Szadzik said:
As pointed out below Rogers explained using custom ROMs and not rooting. I have root and have not installed a custom ROM. I installed an overclocking app instead - does this mean my warranty has not been voided? According to Rogers it would not be.
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Click to collapse
As I said:
Brut.all said:
And they won't compare md5 of every file to see, whether you have changed somethin' or not. They don't give root to people just to be sure, that you have exactly what they have installed to you. If you have rooted, then they lose this sureness.
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Click to collapse
You can't have a gun without a license even if you don't use it, but just like to have it. No one will waste his time to check, what you actually do with this gun.
And this a reason, why such point of view *is some kind of standard* in software world. We support users of our software, but if you modified something in it, then we won't even look into your problem - go and fix it by yourself, have luck.

Even with custom rom, if flashing back the original rom can still prove that same feature still fails, the warranty is not considered void, it could be a hardware problem.
Some providers do not know what they are selling and what they are providing.
Nomal people use the mass on top to think and the gap on top to speak, but unfortunately, some chooses to use the mass at the "bottom" to "think" and the gap "below" to "talk".

A quick comparison of "apples and others."

*****WARNING*****
THIS IS AN OPINION THREAD. YOU MAY OR MAY NOT AGREE BUT THIS IS ALL OPINION!!!
*****WARNING*****
I usually get about 3 questions per day about my phone (Captivate) and why I picked it over an iphone. I'm a travelling warranty rep and so I'm on my phone a lot, and come across dozens of people a day with my line of business. This is usually one of the more frequet questions, and I decided I would just post this on my facebook as well.
I want feedback on this little short story I wrote about why I picked my Droid device over an iphone, and I figured this would be the best place to put it. I want feedback! Yes I am a little biased, but not without valid reason.
If you can actually point out a valid legitimate claim that I am at fault on, then please do so. That may be a little hard to do as this is just an opinion thread, and boy am I full of them. Flame or follow, go right ahead.
-----------------------------------------
Here's a quick comparison of apple vs Android software.
When Apple releases a new OS, whether a minor update or an upgrade, you have to wipe out all of your data (or rather, it does it for you). Of course, you can just sync your phone with itunes and then do a restore. Sure, it's easy enough.
The next thing is though, that when you do sync with itunes, you have to resync every single file and piece of music, each picture, etc, all over again, even after you've done it once. Considering all of those syncs I've done on others phones have taken well over 20 minutes to sync, for just a couple hundred songs and maybe 50 pictures, it's a pain when you want to go back and add ONE thing and have to do it all over again. Fun, huh?
There are other ways to go about adding individual files and such to iphones, but that involves jailbreaking and setting up custom networking interfaces with your phone, which typical iphone users wont know how to do.
Droid really has all that to begin with. Want to add a file? Just connect the phone to your PC via USB cable (I had 2 included with mine) and tell the phone to mount the storage, I did this by dragging down the menu bar and hitting one button that said "Select to copy files to/from your computer." That makes it show up in the PC as a standard flash drive or removable storage device. Add files accordingly, without having to spend 30 minutes syncing just to get one file. Drag, drop, and you're done.
Next, is jailbreaking. apple programs all of their OS's to fix exploits that have to be programmed in order to jailbreak their phones. If you have the newest version of apple software on your phone, chances are you'll be waiting for quite some time in order to be able to jailbreak. Then, IF the jailbreak is any good (and you don't brick -- or kill) your phone, you can generally unlock it (use it on a different carrier, which is usually the sole reason to jailbreak it) assuming they ALSO have a working unlock for it. You may be able to jailbreak it, but you wont always be able to unlock it.
There's a similar thing you can do for Droid phones, it's called rooting the phone. There's a very large difference though, in what is actually done. Jailbreaking an iphone basically requires new code to be injected into the software in order to bypass restrictions that apple specifically put in place to keep "malicious" software off of their devices. In other words, according to apple, jailbreaking is malware (something apple is supposed to be immune to also according to them). Jailbreaking is frowned upon by apple because it gives you power over your device to do things they don't want you to. Of course, you have to basically bust it out of jail (hence the term jailbreaking) in order to do so to free it from its bonds of restriction apple forces upon its devices. Rooting a Droid phone is nothing more than enabling administrator mode on your device. Its basically if you log onto your computer, you need administrator privledges to be able to do certain things... this is root. Root is a Linux term, basically meaning root controlls everything. No restrictions. Logon as administrator, and that is the same as root pretty much. No needing to jailbreak, no bonds needed to be freed, nothing. Jailbreaking = your friend is in jail, and you have to bust him out. Rooting = You're a CEO and you just took over the whole company. Root is God mode, jailbreaking is rescue mode. Got the difference? Good.
So what about Driods? When you flash a new OS (install an updated/upgraded operating system), does it erase everything? Well, in the past day I've flashed 3 different OS's including having gone back to the stock ROM that AT&T included with all their phones, rooted, unrooted, updated and reverted several times today and I have yet to lose any information. I haven't synced, backed up, done anything to preserve my data, and I've gone from 2.1 to 2.2 to 2.2.1 to 2.2 to 2.1 back over again and haven't lost a thing besides the call history and my text messages. And if I REALLY wanted to, I could have backed those up as well.
So what's all this about OS versions and everything? Well, if you're an iphone user, your OS version probably wont be anything more than a number and a couple of features, unless you jailbreak. Minor bugfixes and such, fixing exploits so people can't jailbreak as easily, and maybe adding a couple shiney new features and that's really about it. The flavor is, well, apple pie. The next version of the apple OS will still be apple pie, maybe with a little more cinammon. The next version will be apple pie, maybe with more apple. The next version will be apple pie and it may even include a worm, removed (or maybe even left in there) with the next batch. It'll always be apple. With Droid, there's not so much apple. I had an OS earlier today that was strawberry. My next was chocolate. After that was grape, then orange, then a giant chewy moist brownie with vanilla ice creamed drenched in chocolate syrup and whipped cream. With apple, all you get is pie. With Droid, you get eclairs, ice cream and more, and you get it how you like it. How about some Gingerbread now? There may even be pickled herring for those that want it later.
---------------------------------------------------------
Remember this was just an off the wall comparison, I didn't go as far in depth and be as technical as I'd like to have, but I did have to be a little redundant as most all of my iphone using friends need things explained to them several times before they understand. If I missed any points, feel free to share. Sorry if I hurt your feelings over anything (this was an opinion thread, remember?)

I would enjoy an orange flavored one myself.

I'm enjoying my froyo (frozen yogurt for those of you that don't know...and if you don't........) for now but when i get the chance I'll probably enjoy a bit of gingerbread .

The best of 3 worlds
I´m enjoying my Windows Mobile Leo with the chance to use Froyo/Gingerbread and soon WP7 as well

dbzfanatic said:
I'm enjoying my froyo (frozen yogurt for those of you that don't know...and if you don't........) for now but when i get the chance I'll probably enjoy a bit of gingerbread .
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Click to collapse
That was my little bit about ice cream at the later part though I probably should have said yogurt.
Sent from my I-897 with GT-I9000 kernel and froyo stuff with gingerbread kb and other nifty little tweaks using XDA App

orb3000 said:
I´m enjoying my Windows Mobile Leo with the chance to use Froyo/Gingerbread and soon WP7 as well
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Click to collapse
I am glad to see some windows users are doing that as well, I had a windows mobile phone and I completely juggled the idea of going to linux on my phone for quite some time until I just ended up deciding against it (back when I hadn't even flashed my first ROM) because I needed it strictly for work. Now I have some room to play around. My biggest concern was the lack of functionality on my device, which is always the kicker. WSince I still have the phone laying around and it's still completely functional, I may have to try it now

I recently bit the bullet and goldcarded 3.14 onto my Leo, partly as I was fed up waiting for O2 to release it, and partly to dabble with Android again (I'd done it on my Blackstone and found it meh).
I run SPB MS on the Leo which I find the best interface.
Now I can easily flip between the two, still prefer WM but then SPB MS5 isn't out for consumers yet (dammit pull your finger out!).
Prefer huff n puff to angry birds, but AB has more levels.
So if I fancy playing any games or using any apps that are only available on android I can now use them, but as for it replacing WM as my main OS, it's still too "clunky" for my liking.
Either way, at least both started the year with working alarm clocks, unlike iphones

Sidekick LX 2009

Hi,
I have plans to buy a Sidekick LX 2009 for use in Belgium.
Now i have read about that when i root my Sidekick that i can use the GPRS network from all the world is this correct can i send emails and surfing on the internet with my Data plan ?
Thanks.
Greetings,
Rudi

There is a lot wrong with that question. First, the LX 2009 was not on android, it was on Danger's proprietary firmware. This means that it's not a rootable scenario, as there's no root to get. I believe what you're talking about it getting it Unlocked which would have to come from Danger/T-Mobile, but I'm not sure if they're still giving out unlock codes for that phone, as it's now old and no longer made.

I wonder if you are still reading this but I think this link may help http://wiki.sidekick.com/thread/4481508/Registering%2FActivating+an+unlocked+sidekick+3+on+other+networks
[email protected] said:
Registering/Activating an unlocked sidekick 3 on other networks
Feb 20 2011, 12:14 PM EST
after u by bass the screen by holding the button with the three bars and the L button holding at same time for like 2 sec after ur at the main screen hit the menu button thats the one with the three bars go to settings network options scroll down to network APN now click the change network apn and erase the tmobile one thats there leave it blank then hit the menu butten and click done with in a few seconds or instantly like it did for me it will activate and u make a new user name or use one u have if u do that is and my email started up and the download catalog worked and my sidekick 3 said i was registered text me at 9736104730 (im on att) or email me at [email protected] it took me like 6 days to get my phone to activate and i was getting mad and i did this by mistake and im glade it works now lol att pay as you go on sidekick 3 loving it.
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Click to collapse

Well that trick doesn't work. I wonder if we can flash the Sharp Jump (offered by Cincinnati Bell) firmware onto this device? Then someone would have an old copy of the Danger SDK lying around and it would become grey territory in terms of legality of the use of the SDK.

sorry to bump an old ars tread but my SK4G **** on me.... and back to the LX 2009 anyone know how to at least get internet running? apn settings are limited on this device and epc.tmobile.com is a no go

try unlocking the device. if tmobile wont give you the code, then find an unlocking service. ebay is probably cheaper than a regular service. either way, get the code and put a non tmobile sim in and unlock. then put your sim card back in, find the apn settings, delete whatever apn is there, and then put tmobiles current apn in. if that doesnt work, nothing will.

Danger-based Sidekicks ran everything through their proprietary Back-End Servers which were shut down back in May of 2011. After that time, NO Danger-Based Sidekicks have been able to access the internet. Sharp has since tweaked their remaining LX09 stock and re-marketed the devices (complete with an Opera Browser with Internet services and a non-Sidekick name) to other carriers (including Mobility Wireless and Cincinnati Bell). their tweaks were not made public to be applied to T-mobile branded devices.

ncmacasl said:
Sharp has since tweaked their remaining LX09 stock and re-marketed the devices (complete with an Opera Browser with Internet services and a non-Sidekick name) to other carriers (including Mobility Wireless and Cincinnati Bell). their tweaks were not made public to be applied to T-mobile branded devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone can extract the flash through a JTAG or other flash reader, then the Sidekick LX scene may explode; if the hackers can bypass legal measures.

Danger's agreement for developers was very restrictive.
To get any kind of modding started on the Hiptop, you would need some leaks directly from former Danger employees... Not only is that unlikely, the trail has gotten awfully cold. The Hiptop (and all its kin) has been pink and dead for a long time. Some ho killed it.

Agreed. Regardless, the LX is a lost cause now.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

Matarick said:
Well that trick doesn't work. I wonder if we can flash the Sharp Jump (offered by Cincinnati Bell) firmware onto this device? Then someone would have an old copy of the Danger SDK lying around and it would become grey territory in terms of legality of the use of the SDK.
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Click to collapse
do u have a copy of Danger SDK..?? is there any way i can get it?? i have a SHARP PV300(almost same as sidekick lx2009) but cannot install any new apps into it.. i just want to install a few apps in it. there is GPS on the device.. but it is useless as it comes without an application,.. is there any way u can help me..??

nitthin21 said:
do u have a copy of Danger SDK..?? is there any way i can get it?? i have a SHARP PV300(almost same as sidekick lx2009) but cannot install any new apps into it.. i just want to install a few apps in it. there is GPS on the device.. but it is useless as it comes without an application,.. is there any way u can help me..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The short answer is no.
There always were two different builds of Danger OS's. There was a developer build that was used by Danger employees and a production OS that required a developer's code to install 3rd party apps.
There's a good chance they still have two builds of the OS for your device. Sharp likely has a developer build they use in house--and you have a consumer version.
Because the catalog is dead and gone, I don't see any reason why they would have maintained the ability to "unlock" devices for devs. The whole dev code feature may have been deleted.
Even if there still is a way to unlock the device, I believe the developer codes were produced using a hash against the device IMEI. But, that doesn't help much because I don't know of anyone that ever cracked Danger's crypto method.
The Danger development website was capable of generating codes for approved devs, but it has been gone for years. So, you can't get the algorithm directly or produce more examples for evaluation...
And, you should be able to copy your device's location to the clipboard and use it in the browser. It's not completely worthless...

orange808 said:
Danger's agreement for developers was very restrictive.
To get any kind of modding started on the Hiptop, you would need some leaks directly from former Danger employees... Not only is that unlikely, the trail has gotten awfully cold. The Hiptop (and all its kin) has been pink and dead for a long time. Some ho killed it.
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Click to collapse
ROFL - great multi-pun replay!!!

It's great to see the old-school Sidekicks get talked about. I still have my SK3 and SK2008. The SK3 was a personal favorite of mine. As far as hacking them is concerned, I'm sure there's a way to root them as the basis for the OS was a Java VM running on Linux if I remember correctly. Microsoft would have to fork over the code for the open source parts of it. The SK LX 2009 was a new start for the Danger OS and ran NetBSD as the base of the OS. The old SK's are CHEAP to pick up nowadays given their limited utility, but they would be the ultimate hacker's challenge as far as modding and breaking into the OS. One guy managed to do it and got hired by Danger waaaaaay back in the earliest days of the Hiptop/Sidekick. Unfortunately, it seems his work isn't available to download anymore. HOWEVER, someone else used his work for the basis for trying to get Android running on the old Sidekick devices: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/android-beginners/acUqRd9ZuRY
It doesn't look like it got very far, but there's some interesting information there. Anyway, I'm rambling a bit here.

Yep. That was jgeorge...
He took over running the developer website after Danger hired him...
Ever wanted to have spell check and autocorrect running from a single dictionary across your entire device?
Gee. I bet Apple will market the heck out of that "new" feature next.
Yay.
Come to think of it, where is that feature, Google?
You going to let an old Sidekick trump you?
P.S. Real Sidekicks don't drop keypresses.

Does yours drop them too? I thought it was just mine. Though, the problem has largely subsided with the most recent ROMs like RAGE4.0 and GOv3.2Bulky (which I'm running now.). still, it hasn't totally been eliminated. This thing will show flashes of what made the old Sidekicks great, but the execution by Samsung and T-Mobile wasn't what it needed to be. Still, this device shows that Android is really Hiptop OS 2.0 (sort of). There's so much in Android that first was in Hiptop.
<sigh> I really wish MS hadn't bought Danger.
orange808 said:
Yep. That was jgeorge...
He took over running the developer website after Danger hired him...
Ever wanted to have spell check and autocorrect running from a single dictionary across your entire device?
Gee. I bet Apple will market the heck out of that "new" feature next.
Yay.
Come to think of it, where is that feature, Google?
You going to let an old Sidekick trump you?
P.S. Real Sidekicks don't drop keypresses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Microsoft wasted their money. But, Danger was doomed when the Hiptop 3 arrived. That design failed to innovate and move forward.
The Hiptop, Hiptop Color, and Hiptop 2 were all incremental improvements on the same core experience. At the time, it was ok because they met general expectations.
But, the Hiptop 3 needed to be something special--and it wasn't. That hurt.
The other problem was the closed platform. Danger had trouble getting development off the ground. The whole thing was a powered with a proprietary Java-based (aka slow) platform. They added MIDP support later, but that just encouraged quick and dirty ports--they needed native quality apps.
Danger's (Apple copied the idea) app approval process and catalog was a great idea to guarantee stable software and boost revenue. But, the closed platform also discouraged developers. Somewhere in the middle of the Hiptop 2's lifespan, Danger sued over Hiptones (a grey market app) and stopped giving most people dev codes. That chilled any enthusiasm that may have existed and effectively killed the device with most devs.
Microsoft still could have saved the platform. But, Danger shot themselves in the foot long before that by locking out devs and failing to innovate.

I agree it was a stupid purchase by Microsoft. $500 million was just ridiculous to spend. I really wonder what they thought it would get them. The owners of Danger made out like bandits presumably.
I've heard that things like more advanced Bluetooth profiles like A2DP were kept off the SK3 because of carrier requests. It was also very odd how long it took to add support for MMS to say nothing about the issue of locking down the ability to add your own ringtones. I know someone suggested to T-Mobile that they make dev keys available as a premium download in the Catalogue, but that went nowhere.
Speaking of 3rd party stuff, I wonder to this day what else could be put on an SD card to open up features besides just the themes. There had to have been more to that which could have been done to gain further access to the devies. I tried one time with a friend to hack into the SK3 with my linux desktop via USB, but that didn't go anywhere.

Well, T-Mobile owned half of Danger. Their "requests" and (shortsighted) hunger for a few dollars in ringtone revenue were very costly in the long term.
For years, there was a special T-Mobile flavor of the OS with missing features. That didn't end until the LX 09.
Many other features failed to appear bcause Danger wasn't taking the future seriously. For instance, the devs had software to store our emails on sdcard. The software was around forever and we all downloaded and used it, but it never made it into the OS... Somewhere around the release of the Hiptop 3, Danger stopped taking email seriously. Did they really think the LX 09 would attract a wide range of users with a dinky little mailbox?
We also had proof of concept for video decoding that ran all the back to the Hiptop 3. But, again, it went nowhere for years.
So many missed opportunities..

I made a few bucks back in the day by making themes and custom ringtones for the lx and lx09 I still have my 09 with like 100 custom ringtones and its unlocked but till I can find a way to override the danger server dependancy it will sit in its box in my closet gathering dust I loved that thing. I'm upset now that I sold my sk3 and sklx and only kept the 09 lol
Sent from my HTC Ruby using xda app-developers app

JB rant and options ?

I cannot believe the state of JB. Its beta software at best, IMHO.
Example, when typing in a gmail body, if you backspace, the cursor loses its position in the text. And there are issues with inserting new paragraphs and such. These are elementary programming bugs. How long did they test JB before they pushed it to the servers ?
Someone needs to push out an upgrade for JB ASAP. I suspect that ASUS pushed JB out prematurely to capture better Christmas sales. If they don't issue an update its going to backfire on them.
Is there an Android repository somewhere that has global updates, not just ASUS updates ?

I'm new to the whole Android scene. I'm an experienced Linux user.
Why is Android not rooted from the get go ?
Why does hardware come locked down ?
I think Android would be a lot better OS if Google et al opened things up and made it easier for developers to contribute to it, especially prior to the major releases.
Companies want to sell devices. Why do they need to lock the OS to the device ? They already have the OS locked to the device by only supplying proprietary drivers to the OS of their liking. I understand that you might get users harming the hardware by doing illegal things, turning up the cell radio transmitter power, anyone ? But short of that, how is a smart phone different from a PC or laptop where you can easily do what you want with the OS ?
I think JB would be a better product if it was more open and everyday people contributed to its development. Imagine how much better it would be if it followed the Fedora development process whereby a few rcs were released prior to putting it into "stable".
And we could spend our time logging and fixing bugs instead of fooling around with figuring out to unlock, root and flash devices. It would be a win-win for everyone. What Google is doing now is akin to if Fedora (Ubuntu) closed their development process.
I think that Google is afraid that Android is going to get forked in some direction it doesn't like. However, if they keep going the way they are, its almost certain that will be the case anyway.
/rant
I find the wireless router industry fascinating. What does Cisco have to lose by allowing users to flash whatever they want on their hardware ? They have the best of both worlds right now... sell routers locked down for the average person and yet everyone knows how to flash them to build super routers. I think this is the direct the open handset people need to go.