How to apply a custom bootanimation on Samsung Galaxy Ace (Custom Roms)

Installing custom boot animations on A70 is very easy.

• Samung Galaxy Ace with any Custom Rom such as CyanogenMod
• Root Explorer
• Any HVGA boot animation (Important: Only use HVGA. Higher resolution one won’t work)

To show you what we are talking about, here is an example of a custom bootanimation:
Android Particle Ring by Dysgenic (Modified by aph):

Download

The Droids series by Dysgenic:

Download

Download

Download more @ xda-developers.com. Make sure it is in HVGA format.

Method 1

1. Connect your phone to your computer via USB and mount the storage card for file transfer.
2. Copy the bootanimation.zip file that you want to install, to your SD card.
3. Unmount USB storage and launch the file browser of your choice on your phone.
4. Browse to /system/media using a file manager like Root Explorer, copy the existing bootanimation.zip file from there and paste it somewhere safe on your SD card as a backup.
5. Browse to the location on the SD card where you copied the new bootanimation.zip and copy paste it to /system/media.
   If you are using Super Manager, you will have to enable its root function first from the settings. Furthermore, you may need to mount the /system partition as read-write first too upon entering it.

Method 2: Via ADB

1. Enable USB debugging on your device in Settings > Applications > Development.
2. Connect your device to the computer via USB.
3. Launch a command prompt/terminal window on your computer.
4. Navigate to the location where you have the bootanimation.zip file saved.
5. Enter these commands:

   adb pull /system/media/bootanimation.zip c:\
   adb remount
   adb push bootanimation.zip /system/media/

Whichever method you used, you should now have the new boot animation successfully installed on your device. Simply restart it and you should see it running upon boot.

Voila, you’re done. Flaunt your new boot animation to your friends. Tell us your favorite in the comments below and if we like it we will share it with our readers.

How To Take And Restore Nandroid Backups?

Nandroid Backups

Nandroid backups are nothing but a fancy name for ‘taking a backup of everything in NAND flash’. This is a great way to take a backup of your ROM’s before doing any changes to your phone and if it all goes bad, you can use ClockWorkMod to do a NANDROID restore and get your phone back to the time you did the backup. Both the backup and restore are handled by ClockWorkMod Recovery.

Some applications are also there which make backups but they only backup system and user applications with data, cache. This advanced root backup method takes a snapshot of your internal memory and its system partitions.

As a rule of the thumb, it is highly recommend to perform a Nandroid backup, before making any customizations to the ROM.

• Have the charging of phone to satisfactory level. More than half will do.
• Check that your SD card or external memory has sufficient space. If there’s 1-2GB free spaces then you are in the green to move  ahead.

How to make Nandroid backup?

• Reboot into the recovery by holding home key apart from power key during boot.
• After booting into the clockworkMod recovery, navigate to the “Backup and Restore“.
• Now select the “Backup”. This by default creates a Nandroid backup.
• The process will start and will take a few minutes to complete.

And you’re done. Your backup will be stored in “sd/clockworkmod” directory with the Timestamp as filename. You can leave it on the sd card or move it your computer.

How to restore Nandroid backup.

There’s two restore option, normal restore and advanced restore. Normal restore option restore boot, system, data, cache, SD-ext, files. The advanced option lets you select which item should restore. You can select either option according to your need.

If you moved your previous backup files to any other storage devices, such as a computer, copy them into your phone’s SD card “clockworkmod” folder.

• Reboot into the recovery.
• Navigate to “backup and restore”
• Select “Restore”.
• Now select “Restore or Advanced” depending upon your needs.
• If you have several backed up files, now select which file should use.
• Normal restore select “Yes – Restore”
• Advanced restore select which item should restore. Next select “Yes – Restore XXXX”.
• Wait while the process completes. You can track the progress at the bottom of the screen.

And you’re done!

FAQ:
Q. What things are left out in a nandroid backup? Are kernels included?
A. Yes.

Q. Can I restore a nandroid backup of Froyo while on Gingerbread?
A. NO. You will have to flash a froyo build first.

Q. Can I restore a nandroid backup of CyanogenMod 7 while on CyanogenMod 9 (Android 4.0) ?
A. Yes. This is beacuse CM9 for the Ace still uses the old 2.6 linux kernel (same as the GB kernel) because linux kernel 3.x of ICS is difficult to port to our device! Same goes for CyanogenMod 10.

Q. Can I restore a Nandroid backup of GB 2.3.3 (say) while on GB 2.3.7 or any other 2.3.x? If yes, what if I am on different kernel than the backup kernel, can i still do it?
A. Yes. Since kernels are included, yes.

Q. Suppose I am on 2.3.x based custom rom (say MIUI) and I restore a 2.3.x based CyanogenMod Nandroid backup, will I get my whole CM back or all my apps/settings of CM on MIUI?
A. You will get the whole of CyanogenMod back.

 

Getting Ready : Rock Your Ace! Part 2

With a lot of customizations possible in Android, users feel confused whether they should do something or not and sometimes following some instruction where something was assumed leads to Bricked devices. Not in this guide!

So now lets prepare your device to be applicable for a CyanogenMod upgrade.

Warning: All steps are mandatory. Do not skip steps.

First step:
The very first step requires is to move to a Gingerbread that is Android 2.3.x build. It might be a Stock Rom or Custom Rom, doesn’t matter. A lot of Indian users and other users across the world who have the latest Stock Rom should be already on Android 2.3.x. You can check the version by simply going to Settings -> About Phone. If you are already on 2.3.x, skip ahead to the second step.

What if you are not? Flash a firmware using ODIN. Here is the tutorial in detail (Note: Although the tutorial say upgrade, you can both upgrade/downgrade firmware using this method)-
How to flash firmware using ODIN? (Please note that you want to take a look at part 3 – Taking Backups before flashing to a new firmware)

Second Step:
Root Privileges are required for further actions to take place. We have already covered rooting in details. If you are not rooted, follow the tutorial below otherwise move to step 3.
How to Root ?  (simply follow the section for Gingerbread)

Third Step:
Now we need a way to install the build of CyanogenMod on to your device. For that we need a custom recovery. That’s where ClockworkMod Recovery v5 comes into the picture. But for v5 we need to install v4 first. We have covered the topics in detail in the following articles-
Install ClockworkMod Recovery v4

Now that you have installed CWM v5, go ahead with the installation of v5 using the following article-
Install ClockworkMod Recovery v5

FAQ:
Q. Can I use CWM v4 instead of v5 for upgrading to CyanodenMod. I am feeling lazy.
A. NO.

That’s it, no more fiddling with the phone is necessary. In the next part we will show how to take backups easily so that you can easily move to the new firmware with your precious data intact!

Prev: 1. Introduction
Next: 3. Taking Backups

How to Manually Deodex Any Rom on Samsung Galaxy Ace?

We have been encountering a lot of users asking us how to deodex their particular firmware. Manually deodexing a firmware takes a lot of time with modification of each app available on users system. Luckily there are tools available in the market which simplify the process a lot. If you are having a similar problem, follow this tutorial.

Requirements:

• You must be rooted.
• ADB

Download -> xUltimate

1. Unzip xUltimate v2.2. Launch “Main.exe”.
2. Now xUltimate should recognize the phone and make a connection. You will now see a list of options.
3. Run option 1. After option 1 is done, run option 2.6. This may take a while, so be patient.
4. Now run option 3
5. After you have run option 3, you MUST navigate to the xUltimate folder and find “origi_frame” folder, and delete “guava.odex“. This file interferes with deodexing process.
   Note: If there is no guava.odex, then simply continue to next step !
6. Now run option 4, and wait.
7. Exit xUltimate, and put the phone in USB mass storage then copy “done_frame”, and “done_app” to the root of the sdcard then put the phone in PC mode.
8. Open a command prompt, and do the following:

adb shell
su
stop
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
busybox cp /sdcard/done_app/* /system/app/
busybox cp /sdcard/done_frame/* /system/framework/
rm /system/app/*.odex
rm /system/framework/*.odex
mount -o ro,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
reboot

After the boot, reboot again in CWM and Wipe Dalvik Cache, reboot and ENJOY !!!

Notice : First boot will take a little bit longer than normal

Credits :
Rainabba, Mike919, toxman, teenfaces, Xeudoxus !

[via xda]

Related Articles:
>> What are the differences between Odexed & Deodexed firmware
>> How to Deodex Firmware on Samsung Galaxy Ace DDKQ6

Swipe to Remove Notification+Crt On+14 Toggles+Extended Power Menu [Mod] [DDKQ8]

• Crt Off Screen Animation ( No need to check ‘All Animations’ ) [No On Screen Animation]
• Swipe to Remove Notification (Swipe a notification Left or Right to Remove it, CyanogenMod style)
• Lidroid’s 14 Status Bar Toggles
• Extended Power Menus (Reboot+Recovery+Download Mode)

Here

1. Copy the Mod to ‘/sdcard‘
2. Reboot in ClockworkMod Recovery 4 or 5
3. Select ‘Install Zip From Sdcard‘
4. Select the
5. Reboot and you’re done.

Note: You Must be on Deodexed (& hence Rooted) DDKQ8 firmware for this mod to work.

Here’s Some Screenshots

Credits:
pratyush.creed
He further credits-
Lidroid for the toggles Source
Hansip87 For the Swipe to Remove Notification Source
RomanBB for Status bar Mods

[via xda]

Surveillance and Monitoring Apps for Smartphone Users

For smartphone users, playing sophisticated games of espionage may be easier than ever and this is due to the ever increasing number of surveillance apps. Most of the times, these apps are programs that are downloaded and installed on smart phones, iPhones, Android phones and so on. You then need an online account to access the information being captured by the app on the smartphone.

Few of the leading surveillance apps:

Most of these apps are capable of a comprehensive monitoring of the smartphone user’s phone usage. This includes emails, text messages, calls and even location. Most of them are popularly used by parents who want to keep track of their children and protect them. They are also used by employers who want to ensure there is no misuse of the phone privileges being accorded to employees. None of these apps are available on Google Play store.

• StealthGenie–this app can be downloaded and installed on the smartphone and left to run in the background. It will help you track location of the smartphone, listen in to the calls being made and received on the phone and even access the contacts list on the smartphone. It will cost around 25$ for 3 months which is the cheapest of the lot.
• Mobile Spy– a product from Retina- X Studios, this app can be installed directly on the phone and it keeps running invisibly in the background. The data thus recorded can be accessed online with the Mobile Spy account. This app also gives you the location of the phone. You can also exert remote control over the phone. The best part about this app is the fact that it will upload all data irrespective of the fact that the user may have deleted all logs. It costs around 50$ for 3 months license.
• Mobistealth – this app will help monitor calls, video logging and change in SIM card. There is also the very useful feature of phone wipe which will enable you to delete and wipe out all data on the phone should it be lost or stolen. The remote control feature of the phone can also allow the microphone to be activated and conversations can then be heard other locations as well. Unlike others a demo of this app can downloaded by signing up on the website.
• From the house of SPYERA comes the Spyera software that can be downloaded on to iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones. It allows you to intercept live calls, read the text messages of the user and read email as well. There is also the fact that there is total protection of privacy as far as activity logs are concerned. Thus only authorized people can access and use the data generated by the software. The app is not available in google play store though can be bought directly but will make a hole in your pocket the size of an asteroid. We won’t even mention the price.
• SpyBubble is the easy option of tracking the cell phone’s use and promises easy usage, URL usage tracking and photo tracking as well. This app costs around 40 bucks and too comes with a demo.
• mSpy is another specialized software that can be installed easily and enables spy calls, cell identity tracking and monitoring of tasks and web accounts too. The website offers an online demo and app cost 100 bucks for 3 month license.

Most of these companies offer monthly subscriptions. You can even opt for a 3 or 6 month subscription and annual packages too.

About the Author:
Cynthia loves to blog on latest mobile technologies. To know about her updates please click here.

Improve GPS & Sensor on CM 7.x on Samsung Galaxy Ace [Lagloose’s Patch]

Almost all the roms coming for Samsung Galaxy Ace are based on Cyanogenmod builds. One thing which irritates users on the roms based on CM is the slow GPS.
Lagloose on xda decided to something about it. In his own words:

The PFGPS Tweaks by PFittech didn’t really work for me. So i took a look at the GPS functions of Stock Samsung ROM to see what i can do. CM7 and Samsung use different ways to provide GPS funtions. While CM7 ‘directly’ accesses the hardware, Samsung does it via a running daemon (/system/bin/gpsd’). Obviously this works much better than GPS functions provided by CM7. So i decided to try the Samsung GPS functions in CM7 which worked very well out of the box. I always have a GPS-Fix now in less than a minute. This required a complete replacement of HW libs provided by CM7. This worked without any problems. All Sensors (at least for me) are working. More than that, i personally have the feeling that everything is a little bit smoother and faster. But that maybe a ‘Placebo’…

• It completely replaces the libs in /system/lib/hw with libs from Samsung STOCK ROM
• It installs ‘gpsd’ in /system/bin
• It installs a stock gps.conf in /etc
• It wipes your /data/gps directory to remove old xtra.bin files

http://www.4shared.com/zip/G6mCEPDh/cm7X_gpspatch.html

• No need to wipe anything. Just flash via CWM 5.0.2.6

Note: PFGPS doesn’t work with this patch So if you’ve already flashed PFIttech’s PFGPS tweaks, they will be uninstalled by my patch.

So what do you say, problem solved? Or no problem at all? Do let us know in the comments below!

[via xda]

Exclusive Interview with Slaid480

A few days ago, we featured the handover of device maintainer for CyanogenMod 7.2 for Samsung Galaxy Ace to Slaid480. Ace Tips managed to get an exclusive interview with the popular developer and we asked him a few questions.

Ace Tips: You seem to be popular in the xda community. Can give us some background on who you are?
Slaid: My name is Salah Abouabdallah, I live in Meknes, Morroco. I’m a student in High School and I’m 16 years old now.

AT: How did you first get into developing?
S: I had experience with Linux because I have run it on my PC for more than 4 Years. After I bought Ace (My first Android phone) I took some time to understand the Android structure and how it works with the Linux kernel before I started coding and developing for it.

AT: Did you have any previous experience developing for other platforms?
S: Yeah, especially developing for Linux as I had some knowledge in Java, C++ and C.

AT: Why did you decide to develop for the Ace in particular?
S: It was my first Android phone, so it was a natural choice. It was this phone that made me discover this great Open Source world. Although I will start some projects for other phones too, but I will never forget my lovely Ace!

AT: Do you enjoy being on xda, and why?
S: Yeah. Here in xda, there is great help and support for my device and this is what encouraged me to code for Android!

AT: What would you say is your best achievements in development so far?
S: Well, I have done a lot of stuff, including being device maintainer for CyanogenMod, working on AOSP for Ace, all of my scripts including SlaidyBoost and working with TeamCooper on their projects.

At last, we would like thank Salah for his precious time and we wish him a great future ahead. Sometimes people tend to undermine talent by age, but Salah has proved himself by getting recognition from the CyanogenMod community!

Slaid, our knight in shining armour!

Members of various forums rejoiced recently as Slaid480 is taking over as device maintainer for the Samsung Galaxy Ace.

As we featured recently, we questioned whether official builds for Galaxy Ace were worth it. We were quick to judge, however it seems that official Cyanogenmod has been brought back from the grave.
Slaid480 is well-known in the Galaxy Ace community from creating various scripts and sharing them at xda. His most recent project, called SlaidyBoost, was even featured in xda’s news portal.

At the moment, Slaid is only releasing his builds on his xda thread, however when he gets access to CyanogenMod’s buildbot, nightlies should be pouring out.
We wish him all the best, and thank him for taking such a big role in the Ace community.

Get great Android games for 1 cent!

Update: The Humble Bundle has ended. Check back for another bundle soon.

Cheep games often means bad quality, right? Well not this time!
Introducing the Humble Bundle for Android (and Mac and Windows and Linux) 2!

Humble Bundle is a collection of games for multiple platforms and you get to choose the price, from 1 cent to a billion dollars!

In the Humble Bundle you get;

Canabalt

Cogs

Avadon

Zen Bound 2

Snuggle Truck and Smuggle Truck

…and if you pay more than the average ($6.41 at time of writing) you get;

Swords and Soldiers

You get to choose where your money goes, and a proportion of profits go to charity.
If you spend more than $1 you get product keys to use on Steam as well!
These games are great, and they run on all platforms, however you have to be quick, as there is less than 8 hours to go until the bundle ends!

Check the counter to see how much time is left and grab the bundle from here!