Facebook App for Android, Coming Soon

Facebook has its official mobile apps for almost all mobile operating systems i.e iPhone, Windows Mobile, Symbian etc, but Andoid has been the only one left out.

That may be because of the past rivalry between Google and Facebook, but it looks like Facebook has finally decided to come out with an official app for Android.

This new Facebook Android app is expected to release somewhere in this this week and will use the new Facebook Stream API which provides access to news stream and status updates.

It will not be a full-featured Facebook app, like the iPhone one. You won’t be able to even check your Inbox, but all we can do is expect Facebook to add better access support and features as the time goes on.

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WordPress for Android

WordPress for Android just released in the Android Market. We knew WordPress was working on an Android version of their mobile blogging app after the iPhone and BlackBerry version.

Android version of WordPress was finally released today and is now available in the Android Market.

WordPress for Android Features

Features include the ability to:

• Configure and manage multiple blogs
• Comment moderation including the ability to reply to comments
• Create and Edit Posts including categories, tags and photos
• Create and Edit Pages
• Get notified of new comments in the Android notification bar

The current release v1.0 offers you enough features so you manage your blog and write posts while on the go. This release is pretty stable. I couldn’t get the screenshots up because of my Nexus One drivers are not working on Windows 7.

Download WordPress for Android

You can download this Android app by pointing your mobile browser here: Download WordPress for Android

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Motorola Droid 2 will Launch on 23rd August with Android 2.2?

THere has been so much speculation around forMotorola’s Droid 2 smartphone. Dubbed to challenge the iPhone with its features and quality, the Droid 2 has created huge interest from fans and critics alike on how it is going to perform when put against the iPhone 4. With Verizon wireless backing the Droid 2 as its official carrier, the competition is just going to get that little bit harder due to AT&T having the iPhone 4 supported.

News is over the web that Motorola Droid 2 will be launched by Verizon Wireless on August 23, 2010 and the big news is that it is going to haveAndroid 2.2 as its operating system. Currently no smartphone is shipping withAndroid 2.2 and the Droid 2 will be the first one to have Android 2.2 out of the box. It is also speculated that an August release date is chosen for the sole reason so as to ensure that it ships with Android 2.2 operating system. The original Droid is expected to see Android 2.2 in late July and the Droid X will get it in August. Both Droid X and Droid 2 have identical hardware specifications and the software running on both the devices will be the same as well come August.

Verizon Wireless hasn’t announced any official pricing details for the Droid 2, but it is expected that it will ship at $199 with a 2 year contract

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Pre-Order Droid X at Best Buy

Motorola’s flagship smartphone, the Droid X is now available for pre-ordering at BestBuy stores. TheAndroid running smartphone will be available for sale July 15, 2010 but users can get a nick of satisfaction by pre-ordering it at Best Buy. The best part about the pre-order deal is that users have to pay nothing in while pre-ordering and are guaranteed to receive their smartphone once it is made available (unlike the iPhone 4, where several users had their pre-orders cancelled).

Motorola’s Droid X is exclusive for Verizon Wireless carrier and one has to cut through a Verizon deal to get their hands on the Droid X. “With the buzz we’ve seen around the Android platform, Best Buy is confident that consumers will be thrilled about the Verizon DROID X by Motorola pre-sale,” said Scott Anderson, senior director of merchandising at Best Buy Mobile. “It has been a great summer for smartphones with the HTC EVO and iPhone 4 launches, and the addition of the DROID X adds another strong option for our customers to consider.”

Droid X is Motorola’s finest smartphone yet over Android 2.1, and features a 4.3-inch screen and 720P HD video support. The DROID X is available at Best Buy for $199.99 with 2-year activation.

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Bootloader Mode in Nexus One

Almost every Android phone has been rooted so far except the HTC Tattoo (or may be it has?). I have previously shown how you can get to the bootloader (recovery mode) in HTC Hero, now it’s Nexus One’s turn.

Nexus One users who are trying to get to the bootloader mode in the phone can try the two methods I’ve given below.

How to Get Bootloader Mode in Nexus One

Follow the steps below to put your Nexus One in Bootloader Mode.

Method 1

1. Turn the phone off.

2. Remove battery.

3. Plug in USB cable and wait for the battery icon.

4. When the icon appears, replace the battery.

5. Now tap the Power button while holding the Camera key

There’s even a simpler way than the method mentioned above.

Method 2

1. Turn off the phone.

2. Now press (and hold) the Trackball and turn on the phone.

These two methods should get you to the bootloader mode in Nexus One.

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Superboot ROM to Root Nexus One

GOogle Nexus One is rumoured to be released on January 5, in a special Android press event which is going to be held at the Google Headquarters in Mountain View.

Just a week before its release, Paul over at Modaco Forums has already managed to root the Nexus One and release a custom boot image called as Superboot.

This boot image is reported to work perfectly fine and gives the user full root access to the Android 2.1 running on your Nexus One.

According to Paul, this boot image needs no messing up with adb commands or anything else.

Superboot is a boot.img that when flashed, will root your device the first time you boot (installing su and the superuser APK). No need to flash the system partition, no need to use ADB, no messing with the contents of your data partition, no overwriting the shipped ROM on your device, just flash the boot image.

Download Superboot 1.1 to Root Nexus One

This boot image is available for download. You can grab it here: Download Superboot 1.1

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Superboot ROM to Root Nexus One

Surprised? We all are! Google Nexus One root is now available for download. The rooted ROM for Google Nexus One is already available for download a week before its official release.

Android 2.1 has already been out on the web, but Paul (MoDaCo) has managed to root Google Nexus One that he had and has released Superboot ROM for the phone.

Root Google Nexus One (Android 2.1) with Superboot ROM

Paul has given out instructions on how you can root your Nexus One with his Superboot ROM. I repeat like in all rooting tutorials, please apply that on your own risk.

Google is expected to release Nexus One on a special Android press event at the Google Headquarters on January 5.

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Google Nexus One Confirmed by T-Mobile

looks like the ‘confirmed‘ release date of the Google Phone aka Nexus One is really January 5. The news just got in that T-Mobile has confirmed of a Google Phone next month.

A T-Mobile spokesperson was heard reporting about an Android phone which they are planning to release, but they won’t provide any support for it, other than

billing, coverage, features and rate plans, as we have previously stated. All troubleshooting and exchanges will be managed by Google and HTC. Launch is ‘early January.’

Again, the date is not really confirmed of the Nexus One release but all we could see is that the rumours are adding up to the previous release date.

We’ll find out about it more next week!

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Genie Widget from Nexus One for Android Phones

The highly anticipated phone by Google is expected to release next month and looks like a Nexus One dump is already leaked in the wild.

Nexus one will be released for $199 on January 5th. These are just the rumoured prices, but somehow Retuers confirms it.

Someone has extracted the Genie widget and app and posted online. All users on Android 1.6, or higher could install and try it out.This is the news and weather application included in the Nexus One.

This is basically from the Android 2.1 on Nexus One, though I haven’t tried it on my HTC Hero (Android 1.5) yet, but hopefully it should work.

Download Genie Widget

You can download this widget from here: Download Genie Widget

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AychTeeSee’s Vanilla MoDaCo 3.0 ROM

In my ongoing ROM exploration, yesterday I found another ROM for the HTC Hero. So far, MoDaCo 3.0 is the only ROM that I have found stable and worth using. Infact, I’m using it as my primary ROM.

A developer at XDA Developers, AychTeeSee, has modified the MoDaCo 3.0 ROM and released a Vanilla version of it. This ROM is a modified version of Paul’s (mostly) without HTC features/bloat.

The developer has made sure to let the HTC features stay on the ROM without which the firmware would become unstable. As the developer has mentioned:

What Works:
-Everything in the MoDaCo custom rom. After installation, everything is shockingly stable.
-Unlike AOSP roms, all the hardware works properly and you get to experience vanilla Android.

What DOESN’T Work:
-Occasionally, you will get a force close issue for acore. Usually you can continue your work. But, it’s quite rare and for most people only occurs once.

Parts of Sense UI that haven’t been removed:
-Messaging: Although the Android SMS app works, you get force closes when you first start Android, and checking for messages doesn’t work.
-Toolbar and some sense menus: I’m in the process of fixing this now.
-Call dialogs still are in HTC Sense.

I’m going to give it a try now and hope it is functional as the developer as said. AychTeeSee’s Vanilla MoDaCo 3.0 ROM is said to run lightning fast, and saves a lot of memory.

Download AychTeeSee’s Vanilla MoDaCo 3.0 ROM

You can download the latest version of the ROM from the official post: Download AychTeeSee’s Vanilla MoDaCo 3.0 ROM

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Backup and Share: Mobile Backup Solution

Not many services offer free backup solutions, and that too for mobile phones. Here’s one service that looks promising and worth trying.

BackupandShare Mobile Solution is a backup and restore service that safeguards all data of your mobile phone including Contacts, Documents, Photos, Videos and Music.

This application copies your mobile phone’s data in a secure manner to BackupandShare secure data servers, and also lets you to restore the saved data on your phone later on when needed. Their free account gives your 1GB of space to backup your data.

If you lose your phone, suffer hardware failure, or upgrade your device, how much of that data would you be able to get back? This is where Backup an Share comes in handy!

BackupandShare Mobile Solution currently supports iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile phones. BlackBerry support will soon be added.

SignUp for BackupandShare Mobile Solution!

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How to Install Hik@Ri 2.0.1.4 ROM on HTC Hero

Yesterday I wrote a tutorial about how you can install Android 2.1 on your HTC Hero. I used Lox’s HERO21 ROM in that tutorial that ROM was slow and quite buggy, so here’s another ROM I tried by Hik@Ri.

This ROM looks much more stable and faster than the previous one I shared. Here’s the tutorial so you can also give it a try.

If you remember my previous tutorial on how to install a custom ROM on your HTC Hero, I’ll be following the same steps and guide lines in this tutorial too.

How to Install Hik@Ri 2.0.1.4 ROM on HTC Hero

Things You Should Know:

1. I’m using an unlocked HTC Hero running on MoDaCo 2.9 ROM and I rooted and installed a new recovery image using this tutorial.
2. Create a Nandroid backup of your phone before proceeding. This is will help you revert back to your old ROM when you want or if anything goes wrong.
3. A wipe has to be done while loading a new ROM, so again, backup your phone i.e contacts, apps, settings, messages etc. [How to Backup SMS on Android]
4. This tutorial is ONLY for GSM HTC Hero.

The Tutorial

Before you proceed, I hope you read the above lines that I wrote carefully and have rooted (and flashed a new recovery image on) your phone using this tutorial: How to Root HTC Hero and Install RA Recovery Image.

1. Download Hik@Ri 2.0.1.4 ROM from here.

2. Rename the ROM you just downloaded as update.zip

3. Now plug in your Hero to the computer and from the notifications, mount the SD card.

4. Copy the ROM file (update.zip) to your SD card. DON’T copy it into any folder.

5. Unplug the phone and turn it off.

6. Now turn on the phone into Recovery Mode by holding down Home and Power buttons to turn it on. Keep holding them until you see some text written in green.

7. In the Recovery Mode, select “Wipe” and then select Wipe data partition.

8. Once the wipe is completed, go to “Flash update image” and select Apply sdcard:update.zip

9. Confirm the installation and then sit back and watch while the ROM is being installed/loaded.

10. When completed, reboot the phone. Your new ROM should be up and running now!

NOTE: The first reboot may take time, so wait with patience. Even the first startup and the phone will be a bit slow, but should get normal in a few minutes.

Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for any damage you do to your phone. Please modify it on your own risk.

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HTC Expresso for HTC Hero Android 2.1 Leaked

HTC Expresso is the next update to the HTC’s Sense UI which will make its way to HTC phones like Hero and Droid Eris somewhere around the first half of 2010.

A system dump of HTC Expresso for HTC Hero with Android 2.1 has been leaked out in the wild and is available for download for developers.

This is not a phone ROM or firmware so please don’t try flashing it on your phone. We’ll have to wait for developers to come out with a HTC Expresso ROM for Hero. And like always, before doing anything, always have a Nandroid backup.

Download HTC Expresso for HTC Hero Android 2.1

This system dump is only for GSM-based HTC Hero. Developers can grab it from here: Download HTC Expresso

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Fix Dead Pixels in HTC Hero

Yesterday, I shared a web app that could help you fix dead pixels in your iPhone and iPod Touch screen. The good news is, you can use the same app on your Android phone i.e HTC Hero, Morotola Droid etc as well.

But we also have an application for Android phones to do the job and won’t require any web app. The app is available for free in the Android Market.

JScreenFix is a software solution that can fix most stuck pixels and improve the quality of images displayed on a screen.

If you have any annoying, brightly colored dots on your screen, run this application for 10 minutes and, in most cases, they will disappear! This application has got many positive reviews fixing most of the dead pixels people have.

Download JScreenFix

You can download this free application from the Android Market.

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How to Remove Google Account from Android Phone

One issue that all Android users are facing is that once you set up your Google account on an Android phone, there is no option to clear/remove the account.

You can’t change the Google Account in case you want to use another account on your phone. Yes, it’s kinda annoying and surprisingly, no one has added that option till now.

I faced a similar issue and after Googling for some tricks and playing with the options myself, I have come up with the following methods to clear your Google account from your phone.

How to Clear Google Account from Android Phone

One easy way that I have tested on my HTC Hero is to clear the data of the Google Apps app on your phone. It works, but remember, your contacts also gets removed. So make sure you create a backup somewhere.

Note: This is not a factory reset because this method does NOT clear your call log.

• Open Menu, and go to Settings.
• Select Applications and then go to Manage Applications.
• Look for the app “Google Apps” and tap it.
• Now tap the “Clear data” button.
• Now, in the Notifications (top of the screen) you will see a new notification.
• Tap “Your account must be updated”.
• Now enter your new Google account info.
• Reboot your phone and you’re all done!

Your new Google account should be up and running now. Now you just need to get your contacts back and your phone will be just like it was before.

Method 2

Another way to clear/change your Google Account is by changing your password from a computer and then reboot the phone. When the phone starts again, you will be prompted for the correct Google Accounts info. Change the info there.

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How to Install A2SD2 in HTC Hero with MoDaCo ROM

A2SD2 aka Apps2SD2 is an addon/tool for Android phones that allow you to install apps in your SD card. Unfortunately, by default there is no option in HTC Hero and (probably) other Android phones to install apps in your SD card.

The apps you install are stored in your phone memory and once it gets full, you can’t install any more applications.

MoDaCo ROM and some other custom ROMs available already have A2SD2 and all you have to do is enable and get it working. You can get the MoDaCo ROM on your HTC Hero by first rooting and then installing it.

How to Get A2SD2 Working in HTC Hero

Just follow the simple steps to get A2SD2 working on your phone.

• Backup your SD card on your PC.
• Boot your phone into recovery mode.
• Now depending on whatever recovery image you’re using, choose Partition SD (ext2)
• Reboot the phone now and transfer all your SD card files back to it.

Pretty easy, eh? This is one of the main advantages I found after installing a custom ROM on my phone.

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Send SMS from Desktop in Android

The PC Suite software that comes for Nokia, Sony Ericsson etc phones, they all have the option to let you send SMS from your desktop, but unfortunately, there haven’t been any such proper app to let you SMS from desktop for Android phones.

DesktopSMS is an application for Android that allows you sending text messages (SMS) from your computer through your Android phone.

Basically, this app is composed of applications. One is the client for the computer and a server app for your Android phone. You can easily access all your phone contacts on your computer and send SMS quickly and easily as it’s always easier to type with a computer keyboard.

Since this is a Java application, you can use it on any platform i.e Windows, Mac and Linux.

Related: Another application you can use for sending SMS through computer is Droid Explorer.

Download DesktopSMS

The server file should have been available in the market, but due to some reasons, it is not.

You can download the files for DesktopSMS from here: Download DesktopSMS

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HTC Sense UI Theme for Motorola Droid

The UI modifications done by HTC for their Android phones is by far the best one available till now.

Motorola Droid users who have been drooling over the powerful HTC Sense UI and wished to have it on their phones can now have it on their Droid.

This is not really the exact port of the Sense UI, but basically a theme that will skin your interface and as well as your widgets to match with that of the HTC Hero’s Sense UI.

Get HTC Sense UI Theme on Motorola Droid

Note: This method to get Sense UI on your Droid only works on ROOTED phones. tested with Android 2.0 and 2.01.

1. Download and install MetaMorph from the Android Market. It’s a free app!

2. Download HTC Sense UI like theme.

3. Copy the downloaded files to ‘AndroidThemes’ folder on your SD card.

4. Launch MetaMorph and select the HTC Sense UI theme.

5. Apply all the .APK files and enjoy the theme!

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Motorola Droid Worldwide Launch in February 2010

Motorola Droid, the phone to grab 25% of Android US Internet traffic, is currently only available to Verizon for $199. And all those around the world waiting for the phone are still left out.

But not for too long now. Today, through an internal (reliable) source at Motorola, I came to know that Motorola would be launching the unlocked version of Droid worldwide in the next couple of months.

Motorola would launch the Motorola Droid (unlocked) in February and as well as announce the Droid 2 aka Sholes. No news if it will have the final release of Android 2.0 because the current Verizon Droid runs on the pre-release Android 2.0.

Droid runs on the powerful ARM-based 550MHz processor and boasts of a 3.7-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen with 480×854 pixel resolution display. It also includes a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, 4x digital zoom, LED flash, video recording at 24 FPS, image stabilization and night shot support, 1GB internal memory etc.

Now the question is, will the Droid stand against all the other Android phones releasing by February which boasts the 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Google Nexus One, HTC Bravo, XPERIA X10 etc are all in the Android phone war!

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How to Sync Only My Contacts in HTC Hero

Syncing your contacts between the HTC Hero and Google Contacts is a piece of work in Android.

I never realized how useful it was until now when I have started using Google Contacts as my only contacts manager. It’s now way easier for me to sync my contacts in whatever cell phones I try and use.

Users who have their phone contacts in Google Contacts separated in a group called as My Contacts have some syncing issues with the HTC Hero and HTC Droid Eris. When you try to sync, instead of just syncing with My Contacts group, it also downloads all your Gmail contacts and all the other your account has.

Instead of a few hundred, I had more than two thousand contacts in my phone – which was quite annoying. After a couple of hours of messing up with the OS settings and Google Contacts, I was finally able to find a solution to this problem.

How to Sync Only My Contacts in HTC Hero

To sync only My Contacts group from your Google Contacts, follow the simple steps below:

• Open the People app in your HTC Hero.
• Go to the Groups section.
• Now press the Menu button and select Sync Contacts from the menu.
• Uncheck “Sync all contacts” and press the save button.

You should now only have your My Contacts group’s contacts in your phone.

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