Hey,
It occurs to me this might be the sort of thing that might exist buried deep in some developers tool kit.
I am often stuck wanting to know more about what exactly my phone is doing. An external device which could take reported data on what exactly different components of the software system - including the operating system of course, were doing, would be very useful.
Exactly what data they were transferring and where and when, in particular. The capacity to frankly break various parts by disconnecting them - task killer, basically, but one that that does not run on the phone under inspection itsself.
There is also the need for something similar for wifi, of course. Something which gives much more detailed information than signal strength... I have never been able to find that.
This seems particularly pressing from the standpoint of owning one's own phone, owning in the sense of frankly controlling it (which is what real ownership implies.) So not just having it rooted, but being able to see into the internal workings to determine what it is doing. The degree of technical knowledge to do things goes down greatly when you can really see in there.
It would help greatly reduce the impact spyware and malware, including frankly cyber weapons used by the authorities against their own people, giving a sort of very general and innate resistance. Something which sys admins, I hear, generally quite appreciate and make good use of. One, because the user can reliably and with fine detail monitor the behavior of the phone in various ways, and manipulate it. Secondly, and perhaps less importantly, no software running on the actual phone can ever really be that reliable in the face of being duped by talented malware engineers.
Related
You know what bugs me already for years is the following...
Mobile phones, which I paid a lot for, come with poor vendor roms, which are locked. They are mostly rich in bugs and therefore poor in bugfixes, support and updates.
xda-developers mod roms, cyanogenmod, android root and so on are such great projects...
The problem with those is, that
- warranty gets lost
- not available for all phones (there are for example no mod roms for Motorola Flipout, because the bootloader has been successfully protected my Motorola and no one could hack it yet)
- the developers have to waste time with working around the protections to mod the device
It is ridiculous, you paid the full price for the phone, but never get the right to fully use it's potential.
Let's compare it with buying a normal laptop. It's also a piece of hardware and mostly there is Windows preinstalled with a loads of bloated unwanted software. This might be ok for a lot of people. And the rest? They are free to install ANY operating system they wish.
On normal laptops there are not risks when messing around with new operating systems. Of course you need some knowledge and you may lose your data, if you do not know what you are doing. But since all my messing with operating systems for PC, I never damaged the hardware, simply it is designed in a way, not to be damaged by software, it's robust.
Mobile phone vendors claim, they lock us out, because we could potentially harm the hardware. Isn't it their task, just to develop robust hardware and allow us to install any software we want?
This petition would aim for:
- open bootloader by default
- root by default
- warranty for the hardware, no matter which software you used
- free to install custom roms
- robust hardware
I'd like to start a petition and perhaps some public awareness for this issue.
So, if you want to help with anything.... Like writing a petition, a more handy text then this, for example, would be needed.
Discuss.
Installing another O/S on your laptop is not likely to break it, if it does you fix it or take it to a computer shop. A computers warenty normally only covers the junk it came with. There is already a problem with self entitled gits who dont read properly, or make an effort to understand what they are doing who download a WP7 rom, try to put it on a sensation, and expect someone to come running with a new phone. I don't believe they should try to stop people from modifying their devices in any way they want to, but they shouldnt have to cover your fumbling around either. Any modification is rightly done at your own risk.
hungry81 said:
Installing another O/S on your laptop is not likely to break it, if it does you fix it or take it to a computer shop. A computers warenty normally only covers the junk it came with. There is already a problem with self entitled gits who dont read properly, or make an effort to understand what they are doing who download a WP7 rom, try to put it on a sensation, and expect someone to come running with a new phone. I don't believe they should try to stop people from modifying their devices in any way they want to, but they shouldnt have to cover your fumbling around either. Any modification is rightly done at your own risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with this.
One of the major issues with phone ROMs is that you do have the potential to completely brick your phone if you don't know what you're doing. Unrelated hardware failures (i.e. USB port loses power while flashing a new bootloader) may hard brick your phone to a state of complete uselessness.
Having super user access and root on a phone is another issue that the vast majority of end users do not want to have to deal with. UAC is enabled by default on Windows Vista and 7 because it provides robust protection for people who DO NOT know what they are doing. For day to day usage of a computer, users do not need an account with any special access privilege. Even if you do know what you're doing, its still SAFER to be on a non-admin account for day to day computer use.
hungry81 said:
Installing another O/S on your laptop is not likely to break it, if it does you fix it or take it to a computer shop. A computers warenty normally only covers the junk it came with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are also computers which come without any software, just hardware. If anything goes wrong, like defect harddrive, then it will be replaced, because of warranty.
Mobile phones are very similar to computers nowadays. But there are no decent mobile phones without operating systems available. This is also what I vote vor.
hungry81 said:
I don't believe they should try to stop people from modifying their devices in any way they want to, but they shouldnt have to cover your fumbling around either. Any modification is rightly done at your own risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, messing with software -> no more software suppprt -> but hardware warranty still ok.
Kagadar said:
One of the major issues with phone ROMs is that you do have the potential to completely brick your phone if you don't know what you're doing. Unrelated hardware failures (i.e. USB port loses power while flashing a new bootloader) may hard brick your phone to a state of complete uselessness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that this problem does exist right now...
But only because the hardware is not robust.
As far I know, (a while ago I informed myself about a few devices) it is not possible to brick Nokia S60 v3 devices. This is because the routine to flash the device is read only and can not be changed. No matter if you lose power during flashing or usb cable loss... You can always flash again. There is NO way to brick the device while flashing.
Apart from the flash routine which is hardly built into the phone, the rest of the phones software can be updated.
That demonstrates that there are no technical limitations to deploy robust hardware.
Kagadar said:
Having super user access and root on a phone is another issue that the vast majority of end users do not want to have to deal with. UAC is enabled by default on Windows Vista and 7 because it provides robust protection for people who DO NOT know what they are doing. For day to day usage of a computer, users do not need an account with any special access privilege. Even if you do know what you're doing, its still SAFER to be on a non-admin account for day to day computer use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also agree that it is saves not to use admin account for everyday use and that it's also a good idea not to have it enabled by default.
On computers you still have the option to legally use your root account. At the other hand with mobile phones this is completely unwanted and you need some kind of hack to do it. This is the difference. And this is what I complain about.
Yeah
I think just like apps there are some absolutely amazing ROMs that run better than the vendor ROMs. I think they should allow those changes to occur whether through a "vendor verified" developer or some kind of authorized ROM download channel through the manufacturer so you can get the style and type you want the most which typically runs much smoother without voiding the warranty. Great idea!
Lmao. Hell no. Carriers and manufacturers will try to start sellings roms like theyre crack. Ringtones anybody? Cmon. Only $3.
Anyways. I think the op doesnt know what hes asking for. What you want is a blank phone and you want the manufacturer to cover hardware no matter what is done with phone. Fair enough. I guess you want them to cover the phone if you burn through all your write cycles in the flash memory used because you have to flash anything you can your digital hands on. You do realize this will cause the price of parts to go up in the long run? And prices upfront will be more because they will calculate losses due to all the warranty claims. Should i keep wondering why insurance prices keep going up? Phones are built much, much different from computers. Pc's are generally modular and a single piece if defective is claimed to oem of that part. Not necessarily hp or dell. Phones usually only have one or two boards in them with all your components. So if you somehow manage to fry your wifi because you thought could improve reception or your bandwidth or whatever with something custom and it doesnt work, that whole board, system or maybe even phone depending on how its built now needs to be replaced.
I dont want to say it, but itis fair for them to not cover your phone if you went above and beyond. True, because we have become digital crackheads we usually become beta testers for their hw/sw but we also have the power of the coin too. You cant fault them if you wanted to improve their bugs/sw. You cant go banging on your drug dealers door either when he sells you some bunk cocaine and you go mix it with drano, just hoping for something and it backfires on you.
I voided my warranty.
Some interesting opinions. If this was made legal there would likely be restrictions placed on what can be changed, and it would likely end up regulated in some way.
The result would be third-party 'illegal' roms and commercially available 'legal' ones.
People like us would likely still be flashing illegal roms with modified clock-speeds etc ; )
I heard this was possible, could someone elaborate on how this is done? Thank you
Do *not* attempt to flash ROMs across devices. Each ROM contains a customized set of drivers and configuration settings specific to your phone. Even if what you suggest is possible (it shouldn't be, but sometimes the safeguards aren't as strict as they should be) and you'll wind up with a phone where the hardware buttons don't work, or the touchscreen is off, or the battery doesn't charge correctly, or... yeah, just don't. Unless the hardware really is the next best thing to identical (and I mean the actual, internal chips and such, not the look of the device's chassis) it is pretty much guaranteed to cause more problems than it will solve.
Anyone think that they could replace a obd2 ecm/ecu with an android phone?
therealmaximus said:
Anyone think that they could replace a obd2 ecm/ecu with an android phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may be wrong, but:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque
ive seen these, they just read parameters from the computer via the obd diagnostic port, what i meant was actually removing the the obd computer and using an android device to receive the incoming sensor data and use the data such as rpm, throttle position, and so forth to advance or retard timing tables and fuel tables to actually run the engine i have tuning software for my honda that i can run and retune my engine with but only from my laptop id like to be able to do this with an android device.
[A] 😉 let me know
That's an interesting question and not what I thought it was when I first read your initil post. Reading it literally you're asking about replacing the actual 'brain' that conductor that co-ordinates the entire ignition,fueling,emmisions and other secondary parameters that make the engine run in a harmonious symphony(oh, whatever happened to self metering by atmospheric pressure drop and contact breakers lol). I read it as taking out the OE ecu/ecm/powertrain module or whatever other term you use for it and replacing it with an android device. An interesting exercise but hardly worth the mountain range of problems involved considering you can go out and buy a custom fully programmable ECU anyway.
That is how it sounds though when you say replacing the ecu with an android device. i.e removing the ecu and putting in one running android or a piggyback ecu running amdroid....... i know, i'm being maybe a little too pedantic but it drew me in and made me read the thread and am definitely interested in finding out if there are any android apps that can reprogram or flash an ecu similar to the ones that run on windows.
I've mentioned in another thread I have a deep knowledge and experience in the car side of the equation but my knowledge of computers themselves ranks about 'interested in knowinf more but basically capable of using one n that's it' level. Or tge same as 99.99% of car drivers. They can drive but beyond that all they really know is where to out the petrol in although 100,000s of them will say they know all about cars lol.
In other words, I see know reason why technically there are no equivalent android apps/devices that can do what software packages running windows you use on a laptop. I'm in a similar but different position than you. I really want that ability to remap/flash new firmware onto ecu's except right now I don't have a laptop or desktop of any kind right now. All my online and computer needs are admirably dealt with on my Note 3 so i haven't bothered replacing either my pc or laptop when they passed on.
Was on ebay recently and seen very interesting and potentially useful software claiming to be able communicate fully with any obd1 and 2 ecus allowing you to reset, remap and 'chip' any ecus and also fully set up a new replacement custom reprogrammable ecu too although i am skeptical you could buy one that fully capable for £20 off ebay but they promise full customer support and the ability to download an entire remap for almost any make amd model so perhaps their claims are based on the abilitynof their product rather than merely sales rhetoric.
Anyway, what I mean is I see no reason why if windows can fully communicate with obd2 and android can also read current and pending dtcs, display freeze frame, live data and allow you, if you know the particular formula, to view data with custom PIDs then it seems possible that a software package written for android couldn't be capable of doing wnat these windows/mac programmes can do. I'm sure I've seen linux compatible software for desktops out there so surely an android version is poasible. BUT as i explained my knowledge of computer systems/languages is risible so there may well be a glaringly obvious reason that android is unsuitable (there's probably 1000s of 10 year olds laughing lije mad thinking is this guy stupid or what lol).
BUT if you ever come accross such an software package that runs on android let me know because if not it looks like I'm going to have to go buy this 20 odd quid ebay software AND a bloody laptop on top to bw able to use it
Hi xda,
So I'm trying to sell my used google pixel -- 120gb (mint condition.)
The thing is -- that It's essentially brand new in terms of usage, it sat on my desk used sparingly for many months due to getting busy with life and
purchasing two phones with only meaning to keep one. And now that I want to sell it, I want to be able to convey that in my Swappa posting that its essentially more 'new' than the manufacturing date may imply.
Is there any statistic that Android carries onto the hardware/bios of the phone that cant be wiped/reset without some difficulty, that can serve the same purpose of an odometer in a car? (Or another example -- when you sell DSLR's used on the open market they often post things like 'shutter click count' sort of stats, to indicate the 'mileage' on the body of the unit).
I've looked into battery cycles but so far found nothing solid, hoping more android pro's know something that can help~!
Also ive looked into battery specific apps, but most seem to ask for root access, and while I can root it, I think some sellers might not prefer it, especially if it'd be only for the purpose of finding one or two statistics. Any other way, or are such stats essentially meaningless on android?
thanks!!
you could just say that it hasnt been used much. honestly, whats more important is how much warranty is left on the phone, especially the pixel since many of them have hardware issues popping up.
The only thing I've seen that comes close to what you're asking for i had on my galaxy s6. It was phone info Samsung app and it gave all kinds of info about the device including how many times the charger had been plugged in as well as the headphone plug. Mine had been plugged in what seemed like a ridiculous amount of times. I think it was well over a thousand, not sure how that's possible. I don't have root now so I can't get that stat out of it anymore. Not sure if there is something similar for other phones.
Every android phone I've ever had from 2011 to 2016, whether it be samsung or LG, has had the same problem. That problem is the inability to use the sound device in many circumstances for 2 operations at once. Primarily I am talking about recording the sound from a device at the same time as using an app such as whats app or skype. As soon as any audio recording app I have used begins to record in an attempt to record a call, the microphone seems to stop working and the other person on the call cannot hear you. The same problem occurs when trying to record a video at the same time as making an audio recording. A message simply comes up on screen with words to the effect of, "the sound device is already in use", or something similar. I know there are ways to record calls with apps using the normal phone functionality, but it seems more difficult with apps. Ideally any app should be able to use sound devices at the same time so you shouldn't HAVE to find a work around or a specialist app as that takes up precious brain juice and time and effort and life is just too short for that. It should just work by default easily. You wouldn't expect the audio card on your pc to stop recording audio just because you were recording output sound so why should things be any different with a phone?
I can't help feeling this very annoying problem should have been solved years ago without having to go in to potentially time consuming shennanigans to get around it, (assuming there is a way round it at all!). Lets explore some possible reasons for this..
Is this a software issue that can be resolved some way or another involving rooting etc?
Is it another example nanny state nonsense trying to stop what it thinks might be excessive use of resources? The kind of nanny state rubbish which plagues android and tech in general these days like a horrible disease in the name of artificial intelligence (albeit dumb and rudementary), or for the supposed purposes "improving" device experience or resource management when most of the time it makes the user experience far worse and far more stressful with it's interference, (e.g turning down the sound to 'protect' your ears when plugging in at 3.5 jack etc etc)
Or is it an actual hardware issue? i.e the hardware is just incapable of multiple uses at once...
If it is a hardware issue, then why on earth has this not been fixed by now? Or are there now phones that don't have this problem any more? Is it a case that the corporate scum who make these phones just don't see it as worthwhile to put in better hardware to make these uses possible? Because they care more about saving a few pennies than making a good product? Or because the dumbed down sheeple won't use such extra functionality? Or both?
If there are phones which no longer have this problem, which are they? Because I would like to avoid this with my next phone which I will be getting sooner rather than later. I don't think I can bear yet another faulty phone with this problem, as that is how I see it, or at the every least a deep design flaw. Is this a problem that effects tablets as well as phones?
If the only solution is a work around, what is the easiest and simplest work around if one is required that would work on a general basis rather than a case by case work around. Is there light at the end of the tunnel on this with future designs and developments so we don't need to have work arounds in the near future?
Thanks in advance for the thoughts and insights.