Related
Hey
The first (Android) smartphone with camera that can really compete with the digital cameras and no section for it?
Modding it would be great
Altek A14 Leo
Altek Leo Section
regarding the serious problems the Altek Leo has, as no google apps, not even market, no rooting published, no adobe flash, firefox will not install and so on,
a section would be useful for the distessed owners of this camera phone which
is more a fumble phone than a smart phone. Its advantages are a very good lens, an outstanding CCD chip, a xenon flash and professional camera software.
True, is buggy
I bought one actually and despite it being pretty buggy, I just absolutely love the camera.
Definitely needs some software love though:
1) Interface is pretty sluggish and 2.1 isn't helping, the latest android performance improvements would be nice.
2) Touch-screen is strangely inaccurate. Swype was a must for me.
3) Battery life is pretty bad (not certain how much a newer Android would help, but any amount of powersaving fixes would help).
4) Buttons/widgets to lock the screen (e.g. Extended Controls) don't work.
5) The camera button doesn't open the camera when the phone is locked (debatable I guess, but imo, the camera button should just open the camera, period).
6) Default alarm clock doesn't ring randomly.
7) Not to mention apps randomly crashing, strange animation bugs in the Album viewer, no google apps, terrible GPS, etc.
But despite those, I've managed to work my way round them and am in love with it.
Alex
I have one of these and I do like the quirkyness .
I would love to improve the experience by modding.
Quirkyness fits well
To continue the list (more than enough for a forum)
- Backups by Titanium, AVG or Nandroid do not work because i have no idea
how to root the Altek Leo.
- WLAN range is still very short and does not always an automatic reconnect.
- I could not manage to make any browser play flash files, but the moboplayer
plays flv files well.
- Apps like soundhound say the microphone is blocked.
About half of the apps i need are not available because they will not install
or they are exclusively available over google market and getting them from
file hosters seems a bit risky to me. Most of this problems seem to be caused
by the small software space of 120 MB for files and 83 MB for running
applications.
But i will keep the Altek Leo and use it because the camera prooved itself
as outstanding among mobile phones.
- I use the application stores Applanet, Amazone Appstore, Handango,
SlideMe SAM and the tools Memory Booster Lite, Android Tweak.
Does anyone discovered any other useful helpers for this half of an
ANDROID device ?
"We do not need any adobe flash, we have got a real xenon flash."
Where To Buy
Does anyone know where to pick up/order one of these units?
Here To Buy
Search at Ebay, you will need a Paypal account.
I bought mine from Wifigadget.
Eason of Yupitek provides International Customer Service,
have a look at the facebook pinwall.
Thanks for the tips! Really like Memory Booster and Swype.
If you're on a mac, the "missing sync" from markspace is well worth the buy - particularly given that there does not seem to be a way to add a Google account under accounts and sync - it's missing on my altek leo! Anyone elses too?
Also recommend "Lookout" if you're worried about virus from no easy way to get apks other than file sharing sites.
Despite the quirks, very happy with this all-in-one device - music player + phone + camera - 3 down to 1! Fantastic!
Vignette
Sidenote, 'Vignette' is the perfect app for this device.
It doesn't fix any of the quirkiness, but it's a photo manipulation tool which complements the fantastic camera perfectly.
You can take your pics and then touch them up making the phone a studio for all things photography.
You can purchase it from the AndAppStore.
By poor battery life, how many days do you get out of it?
root and market
Has anyone tried the Gingerbreak exploit? I heard it might work on older devices. Also, if you don't trust file sharing sites and want stuff from the market. You could try running an emulator and installing the Market on that, then sideloading the APKs. I haven't tried it myself yet, but it seems there are a lot of people doing this. Here's one HOWTO which is specific to Mac but I think it's prety much the same or at least you should be able to use the same system image. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1387830/how-to-install-android-market-app-on-the-emulator there are lots of other links if you google "android market emulator" I don't have the Leo yet because they're sold out in Taiwan, but I've got mine on order. I'm most interested whether the google apps work at all if they're sideloaded. I've just sort of bricked my older Cyanogen device. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Oh, here's a Windows specific link - http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/10004/accessing-android-market-from-android-sdk/
and be careful with Gingerbreak!
There's also UniversalAndRoot to try http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=747598
and SuperOneClick http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
Poor battery-life
@rocky7st
It depends on usage. Light usage is ok. Any sort of medium/heavy usage won't get you through the day.
I bought it from an ebay seller which sent me 2 batteries which was helpful:
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230614421067
It's is useful since it allows me to occasionally geek out with the camera, playing with apps or using the GPS (i.e. 2 hours straight) and and it'll completely run out of juice by late afternoon.
I usually wait till I get home to recharge it on those occasions, but it's been very useful to be able to switch to the backup battery if I'm out and about and I really need to use the phone.
@everyone_else
On the topic of side-loading apps, my gf has an Android phone with a market on it, so I use the "Astro" file manager which allows you to "Backup" the apks, and then I transfer them to my phone via email.
I've been unable to get my device to show up with adb, so not far enough to try SuperOneClick.
UniversalAndRoot says something like "unable to root"
Z4Root says "running root exploit" and does not progress..
That's bad news but good to know at the same time. Hopefully there will be a method soon. Still waiting on mine but I unbricked my older one. Seems to be an almost total lack of hands-on reviews (outside of a trade show) so I thought someone might be interested in this one. Also, I emailed the author to see whether and how he installed the Market app.
http://120x160.com/old-entries/216-hardware-review-altek-leo-a14-camera-phone
Cheers for the reply jackflap. Do you guys know anything about the Android 2.2 upgrade, I've heard Altek is meant to be releasing it next month.
Okay, I got SuperOneClick working so I have root. ADB worked in windows after installing the Altek software.
ADB in linux still cannot find the phone..
So I tried installing various vending.apk files but keep getting MISSING SHARED LIBRARY or out of date SDK.
@daktak I've been trying to develop for the Leo but have not been able to get ADB to work in windows. Where did you obtain the Altek software?
Hi All,
I am a complete noob here and non technical.
Recently bought an altek leo with the sole purpose of loading an app called Passport Photo Plus and using the device to create passport photopgraphs and to send by Bluetooth to a compatible printer.
We have been doing this on other android smartphones but wanted to use the altek due to its camera features.
It appears that our desired app is ony avaiable on Market.
Being non -technical we have tried and failed to find a way to install this app on our leo.
I'm sure there may be other apps available but we specifically want this one due to it's features.
Does anybody know if this can be done, and if so how? Can anybody point me in the right direction (in easy to understand non tech terms please!)
Would happily pay a small fee for succesful step by step instructions (not sure if I can post that here, if not please ignore / mods pls delete).
Many thanks in advance.
Hello everybody,
I just bought a Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 (unlocked LTE edition). I have to say that although I am quite an experienced Windows user, I am totally new to Android. So far I really enjoy this tablet and I am trying to use it as at least 70-80% as a laptop replacement (if possible).
I have some issues though and I would like to ask for your help:
1. Adobe Flash Player: I was reading that unfortunately Android 4.4 does not support flash player any more. Although I am also not a big fan of flash, it seems that is required quite often (e.g. for youtube videos, facebook games, etc...). I found on the XDA forum in another thread that it should be possible to use flash player with the Dolphin web browser. I would like to ask you if there is a way to install flash also on Chrome or Firefox.
2. Youtube: I often get the message that the content is not available on mobile devices. Is there any way to bypass this somehow? Also is there a way to always load desktop websites instead of the mobile ones?
3. RemotePC: I tried RemotePC which comes pre-installed with the device and I like it quite a lot (although it's a bit slow). However, I have not found a way to transfer files from my laptop to the Note. Could you please help me with that? Also, are there maybe any other apps which perform better than the RemotePC?
4. Media Player: Whuch media player would you suggest? Is there a media player such as VLC for PC which can handle all different video and audio files (MKV, AC3, AVI, etc...)
5. Rooting: I have read some stuff regarding rooting and it seems that it's really worth it. I would like to ask you if is it possible to root Note Pro 12.2 and if yes then how to unroot it in case I would need to use my warranty.
I know that these are quite a lot of questions and I would be really grateful if you could help me!
Thanks a lot!
elessar2014 said:
Hello everybody,
I just bought a Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 (unlocked LTE edition). I have to say that although I am quite an experienced Windows user, I am totally new to Android. So far I really enjoy this tablet and I am trying to use it as at least 70-80% as a laptop replacement (if possible).
I have some issues though and I would like to ask for your help:
1. Adobe Flash Player
2. Youtube
3. RemotePC
4. Media Player
5. Rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The problem with using Flash is that the -browsers- won't support it in KitKat. I can only get it to work with Dolphin. I use Lightning + for everything else, though.
2. Maybe this: http://imgur.com/zc2Kzan. Otherwise, I just watch the videos using Dolphin set to 'Desktop' mode.
3. To transfer files, I use either Ex File Explorer (free) or Solid Explorer (paid, but super awesome). I use a different program to connect to my PC remotely, though, and it is fairly quick: Real VNC Viewer which used to be $10, but is now free. I have TightVNC installed on my computer.
4. I use Archos or MX Player. Archos is beautiful, but you have to buy the codec pack to play everything else. MX Player comes in free and paid, but I don't care for the interface. The combination of both (I've not paid for the codecs) plays every file streaming from my computer. I'm sure if I pay for the codec pack, Archos will play everything.
5. I've rooted, and I'm 100% satisfied. I have a lot of apps that require root. I'm sure unrooting is possible, but I will never have the need. Plus, once you're rooted the Knox counter is tripped.
Perfect... Thank you very much for your help!!
I have another question regarding youtube... Is it possible to continue play the video in the background when I switch tabs or I open another app?
Also what is this Knox counter and what does it mean that it will be tripped? If I eventually root the tablet, do I have to re-install all the downloaded apps from the beginning?
elessar2014 said:
Perfect... Thank you very much for your help!!
I have another question regarding youtube... Is it possible to continue play the video in the background when I switch tabs or I open another app?
Also what is this Knox counter and what does it mean that it will be tripped? If I eventually root the tablet, do I have to re-install all the downloaded apps from the beginning?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are apps that can do that, yes. PVSTAR+ is one. I suppose with multi-window mode you could have YouTube playing in one window and doing other things in the other window? I've not tried.
I'm not sure what the Knox counter is, actually. I believe the original purpose was to show if the device's software had been modified. When you root, Knox shows the device was tampered with. When I rooted, I didn't have to re-install anything.
ExtremeRyno said:
I'm not sure what the Knox counter is, actually. I believe the original purpose was to show if the device's software had been modified. When you root, Knox shows the device was tampered with. When I rooted, I didn't have to re-install anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While the Knox counter will tell Sammy and everyone whether or not your device has been tampered with / rooted etc, its primary purpose is for the enterprise. The Knox partition (if you enable it) creates a "secure" work environment which is what many companies want with their mobile devices. Software policies can be easily put into place which read the Knox counter and if it has been tripped will treat the knox device as either 1) a typical unsecured device and let it on the network however the admins allow unsecured devices on, or 2) prevent the device from hooking up to the network even with a knox partition in tact.
Knox is Samsung's way of trying to break the Windows / iOS (and once upon a time BB) lock on the secure corporate / government world. I actually think the idea is brilliant as you have two partitions, one to install all your home crap on, and a tight secure partition strictly for work.
My thoughts exactly. Knox has nothing to do with the hardware warranty.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Hi,
Firstly I'm new to Android. I had an old Samsung Galaxy Ace (2.2) which was a piece of stink a few years ago. I moved over to Windows Phone for a bit buy I just killed my Lumia 820. So couple of days ago I grabbed a retail SIM-free 16 Gig Moto G from Amazon in the UK.
Inevitably this is stuffed full of Moto and Google crapware I'd like to get rid of so I'll probably unlock it, root it and install CM11 on it. I have very few app requirements - mainly an IMAP client, firefox, mp3 player, SSH terminal, calculator and offline OSM app. I don't want to sign into any accounts other than what I control (no google!) and will be deploying APKs directly. Few questions first:
1. Is there a known list of issues/bugs/problems with CM11 against this device? Can't find anything anywhere.
2. If I do this, can I get the existing moto firmware and bootloader back and lock it. If I have to do a warranty return due to a hardware problem I want to be able to return it despite the big scary warnings all over the Moto site
3. Is there a possibility I can brick the device or destroy the lowest level firmware/bootstrap. If so is there a recovery option for this. I don't want a paperweight?
4. Does USB OTG still work after CM11 update?
5. CM11 asks you to sign in looking at a couple of videos on startup. Do I need to do this?
6. Default CM11 after install - does it have a media player/music player or do I have to go find one?
7. Any gotchas I need to know about?
I've got a number of years experience with embedded ARM systems and known Linux inside out (including kernel) and write software for a living so this isn't something I'm going into blind so please don't hit me with the n00b stick.
chrissmeuk said:
Hi,
Firstly I'm new to Android. I had an old Samsung Galaxy Ace (2.2) which was a piece of stink a few years ago. I moved over to Windows Phone for a bit buy I just killed my Lumia 820. So couple of days ago I grabbed a retail SIM-free 16 Gig Moto G from Amazon in the UK.
Inevitably this is stuffed full of Moto and Google crapware I'd like to get rid of so I'll probably unlock it, root it and install CM11 on it. I have very few app requirements - mainly an IMAP client, firefox, mp3 player, SSH terminal, calculator and offline OSM app. I don't want to sign into any accounts other than what I control (no google!) and will be deploying APKs directly. Few questions first:
1. Is there a known list of issues/bugs/problems with CM11 against this device? Can't find anything anywhere.
2. If I do this, can I get the existing moto firmware and bootloader back and lock it. If I have to do a warranty return due to a hardware problem I want to be able to return it despite the big scary warnings all over the Moto site
3. Is there a possibility I can brick the device or destroy the lowest level firmware/bootstrap. If so is there a recovery option for this. I don't want a paperweight?
4. Does USB OTG still work after CM11 update?
5. CM11 asks you to sign in looking at a couple of videos on startup. Do I need to do this?
6. Default CM11 after install - does it have a media player/music player or do I have to go find one?
7. Any gotchas I need to know about?
I've got a number of years experience with embedded ARM systems and known Linux inside out (including kernel) and write software for a living so this isn't something I'm going into blind so please don't hit me with the n00b stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.Known issues for CM11 M5 here: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Known_Issues_page_for_falcon
2.You can relock the bootloader after flashing a stock ROM image.Anyway, if they want to deny you a warranty service, they will no matter what you do.
3.If you know what you're doing, you can't brick it by any means.Many ppl lacking the knowledge have got bootloops/bad fs on partitions and various other stuff, but as I said, it's mainly their fault.
4.OTG works on CM11, but it's buggy yet (kernel related), so it may be fixed sometime soon (it's in their known issues list).
5.CM(11) has Apollo as default music player, it's an OK one, but nothing that good.You can always get a Walkman port and use it.
7.hmmm.... don't go CM imo, just root the stock ROM and use it, it's way better than CM atm.Maybe someday CM11 will get better for the Moto G, but at this point it's not really worth it.
Thanks for your replies. I've unlocked and rooted it now. Decided I'm not concerned about the warranty. Spent the entire evening removing the Moto and Google crud from the stock 4.4.2 image it and it's working pretty well now. Will avoid CM11 until stable then will upgrade it.
chrissmeuk said:
Thanks for your replies. I've unlocked and rooted it now. Decided I'm not concerned about the warranty. Spent the entire evening removing the Moto and Google crud from the stock 4.4.2 image it and it's working pretty well now. Will avoid CM11 until stable then will upgrade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you might find this useful. http://www.stargw.eu/1e8e1f20e4441f57b
Sent from my XT1032
Hi, to all. Greetings from Argentina.
I want to change the Rom of my tablet and get out from Samsung's Jelly Bean, and I am thinking about going the custom rom way.
I own a N8010 from early 2013, and lately I don’t use it a lot, but suddenly the rest of my family (wife and children) want to start using it, and honestly I do too.
The main use would be:
Surfing the web (Firefox)
Play games
Read e-books
Listening music (local and streaming)
Watching Movies/Youtube videos (not a lot)
Take pictures and record videos (ocasionally).
All the online activities are done via WIFI (because it is an N8010, only wifi model).
I don't mind losing the following functionalities
S-Pen, and all the apps related to it
S-Apps
Samsung multiwindow
I almost don’t use Bluetooth at all, neither advanced networking, just wifi access.
I need (if exists) a rom that provides this key functions:
Multiuser
Posibility to move apps to sd card (without root or link2sd, etc.)
A friend of mine have an LG G Pad 7 with LG stock Kitkat and it does have those 2 options.
So, I want to ask you, which would be the best rom that can fulfill these requirments:
Stock Samsung Kitkat - I guess not
A custom Rom based on Kitkat?
A custom Rom based on Lollipop?
CyanogenMod 11? (I know it's Kitkat too)
CyanogenMod 12 ?(I know it's Lollipop too)
Thanks in advance, and excuse my poor english.
Plurit said:
Hi, to all. Greetings from Argentina.
I want to change the Rom of my tablet and get out from Samsung's Jelly Bean, and I am thinking about going the custom rom way.
I own a N8010 from early 2013, and lately I don’t use it a lot, but suddenly the rest of my family (wife and children) want to start using it, and honestly I do too.
The main use would be:
Surfing the web (Firefox)
Play games
Read e-books
Listening music (local and streaming)
Watching Movies/Youtube videos (not a lot)
Take pictures and record videos (ocasionally).
All the online activities are done via WIFI (because it is an N8010, only wifi model).
I don't mind losing the following functionalities
S-Pen, and all the apps related to it
S-Apps
Samsung multiwindow
I almost don’t use Bluetooth at all, neither advanced networking, just wifi access.
I need (if exists) a rom that provides this key functions:
Multiuser
Posibility to move apps to sd card (without root or link2sd, etc.)
A friend of mine have an LG G Pad 7 with LG stock Kitkat and it does have those 2 options.
So, I want to ask you, which would be the best rom that can fulfill these requirments:
Stock Samsung Kitkat - I guess not
A custom Rom based on Kitkat?
A custom Rom based on Lollipop?
CyanogenMod 11? (I know it's Kitkat too)
CyanogenMod 12 ?(I know it's Lollipop too)
Thanks in advance, and excuse my poor english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your questions:
There are no BEST ROM here.
Every ROM/Custom ROM has its own advantages.
Just try one & if it's good for you then stick with it.
If not, then try another.
"Every" Android version has multiuser ability as Android=Linux fork (At least Jelly bean is proven has multiuser, but without UI).
The only problem is the UI(User Interface) as not all Android version/ROM provide it.
I've tried multiuser in my GT-N8000 but then decided to remove it back to single user.
It consume my internal memory space too much.
Moving "apps" into microSD is a built in feature in Android, but not all app support this.
I also seen some ROM disabled it, so....again....try it yourself.
This built in "move to SD" feature has it own disadvantages though as some files are needed to be installed into internal memory it can cause the app size after moving it to SD will become slightly or significantly bigger around 10% - 40%.
And widget apps will be broken if you move it to SD.
By using ROOT,you can move it to SD without additional 10% - 40% size.
The method is called Mount Binding Folder.
Conclusion:
Read carefully before flashing any ROM
Avoid turning your device into an expensive paperweight
Try it & if it suits you, use it as your daily driver
If not, try another
If you have any questions, ASK
....Again....avoid turning your device into an expensive paperweight
Experienced heartbreak in purchasing slider & flip phones off of eBay, which worked for seller only days before, but then learning that Verizon will not activate any new lines for 3G, slider, flip, CDMA devices. This has always been a great way to give kids a first phone, a phone that will only do call & text. So, turned to old family inventory or new companies that specialize in a modern phone with internet or social media interaction. Enter Gabb Wireless or Pinwheel. Landed on Gabb Wireless, but my bride wants me to try to mod an old Verizon bone stock Galaxy S5. Of course...& I'm sure many of you have been there...some guy we know was able to do it with his kid's phone...so now I should be able to do it. Never mind this guy is a software dev and most likely using an iOS phone. So, gauntlet thrown down, challenge issued. I've been doing a lot of digging & don't know if this can be done with this build. Here's what we have:
G900V, bone stock Verizon
Build number = MMB29M.G900VVRU2DQL1
Security patch level = 8/1/17
Let me know if any other specs would be helpful.
Thank you kindly.
EternalWorth said:
Experienced heartbreak in purchasing slider & flip phones off of eBay, which worked for seller only days before, but then learning that Verizon will not activate any new lines for 3G, slider, flip, CDMA devices. This has always been a great way to give kids a first phone, a phone that will only do call & text. So, turned to old family inventory or new companies that specialize in a modern phone with internet or social media interaction. Enter Gabb Wireless or Pinwheel. Landed on Gabb Wireless, but my bride wants me to try to mod an old Verizon bone stock Galaxy S5. Of course...& I'm sure many of you have been there...some guy we know was able to do it with his kid's phone...so now I should be able to do it. Never mind this guy is a software dev and most likely using an iOS phone. So, gauntlet thrown down, challenge issued. I've been doing a lot of digging & don't know if this can be done with this build. Here's what we have:
G900V, bone stock Verizon
Build number = MMB29M.G900VVRU2DQL1
Security patch level = 8/1/17
Let me know if any other specs would be helpful.
Thank you kindly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you don't just go buy a burner flip phone from Walmart? I thought those could still be activated.
If not, you'd have to disable the portion of the kernel that handles data. Let's be honest, this is a ~10 year old device so you won't find much assistance unfortunately.
Oh yeah, forgot, this is Android 6.0.1.
As for the query, you're right...I could do the burner/fip/slider thing, perhaps...but, truly, it appears all carriers across the board are throwing off 3G devices as fast as they can. I did see some of the rough service basic phones have 4G capability, but can't justify price on those things. Tough balance to strike as we're doing some traveling where VZW is the only network that's really reliable...& trying to get a child the best camera possible on the devices we have, so they can take pics of stuff they may never see again. Old basic phones are pretty challenging to text on, too. Anyway, we have an old iPod Touch someone threw away, plus the S5. S5 has the better cameras. But it's one of the last builds they sold for Verizon...and I don't ever remember there being a way to unlock the bootloader on that build...the G900V. But, regardless, I still can't find a way to shut down mobile & Wi-Fi on it. I think they have a Verizon family app that will let you shut down the web, but it is extra per month, of course. Appreciate the feedback, for sure. This is just the DIY kinda life, I reckon: constantly trying to refurb, reuse the old stuff, fix stuff yourself, do without...all to live w/in your means & save dinero.
EternalWorth said:
Oh yeah, forgot, this is Android 6.0.1.
As for the query, you're right...I could do the burner/fip/slider thing, perhaps...but, truly, it appears all carriers across the board are throwing off 3G devices as fast as they can. I did see some of the rough service basic phones have 4G capability, but can't justify price on those things. Tough balance to strike as we're doing some traveling where VZW is the only network that's really reliable...& trying to get a child the best camera possible on the devices we have, so they can take pics of stuff they may never see again. Old basic phones are pretty challenging to text on, too. Anyway, we have an old iPod Touch someone threw away, plus the S5. S5 has the better cameras. But it's one of the last builds they sold for Verizon...and I don't ever remember there being a way to unlock the bootloader on that build...the G900V. But, regardless, I still can't find a way to shut down mobile & Wi-Fi on it. I think they have a Verizon family app that will let you shut down the web, but it is extra per month, of course. Appreciate the feedback, for sure. This is just the DIY kinda life, I reckon: constantly trying to refurb, reuse the old stuff, fix stuff yourself, do without...all to live w/in your means & save dinero.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean there is a way to unlock the bootloader if you look on XDA. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ootloader-using-dev-bootloader-kk-mm.3337909/ The Verizon S5 was the worst model out of all of the US carrier variants.
EternalWorth said:
This has always been a great way to give kids a first phone, a phone that will only do call & text. So, turned to old family inventory or new companies that specialize in a modern phone with internet or social media interaction. Enter Gabb Wireless or Pinwheel. Landed on Gabb Wireless, but my bride wants me to try to mod an old Verizon bone stock Galaxy S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this thread is almost a year old, and I'm sorry I'm late to the party, but I had the same idea!
My kids had been using Gabb Wireless for a while, and we were mostly happy with the service, but I wanted the option to install other useful apps on their phones without giving them access to the web. So, I bought a couple of old Galaxy S5 SM-G900V (Verizon version) phones, and I think I've succeeded in modifying them in a way that will prevent the kids from surfing the internet or installing their own apps. I thought I'd post my method here, in case anyone is still interested. Here's what I did:
Install Safestrap Recovery. (Follow this guide, up to and including the step where you install Safestrap. Skip the remaining steps in the guide.)
Boot into Safestrap Recovery and flash jrkruse's “slightly de-bloated” stock Marshmallow rom from here.
Use either ADB or Safestrap to remove any system apps that would allow kids to browse the web or download their own apps. (To delete unwanted system apps using Safestrap recovery, click Mount and make sure the system partition is mounted. Also make sure the “Mount system partition read-only” box is unchecked. Then go back and click Advanced > File Manager, and edit or remove system files as desired.) The web browser is already removed from jrkruse's rom, but I also removed the following apps:
from /system/app:
Gmail2
SamsungSetupWizard
SecEmail_K
InteractiveTutorial [This is the Samsung Help app.]
SamsungAppsWidget_Phone_Carrier_VZW
from /system/priv-app:
Velvet [this is the Google search app]
SamsungUpdates [this includes the Samsung Apps store and “Galaxy essentials,” which would allow kids to download and install their own apps]
GoogleOneTimeInitializer
SetupWizard
from /data/app:
com.android.vending-1 [this is the Google Play Store]
Edit the settings APK file to disable the option to remove the option to install apps from “uknown sources” (Settings > Security > Uknown Sources) so that users can’t enable that option. This will prevent kids from installing apps by sideloading (e.g. copying apps from a friend's phone via SD card.) Apps can still be installed via recovery or ADB, but most kids won't know how to do that.
To edit the settings APK properly, you could follow this guide, but I used a much hackier method and basically just sabotaged the security_settings_misc.xml file inside SecSettings.apk, so that the settings app crashes if the user tries to open and modify those settings.
I've attached my modified settings file. You can put it on the phone's SD card, then use Safestrap to copy it to system/priv-app/SecSettings. Save the original settings file first (or just rename it and change the filename extension) so that you can restore it later if needed.