Common Used Apps For Android Root

First we should make clear that what Android Root is and why we need root our Android phone.


As the definition from wikipedia says:Rooting is a process allowing users of smartphones, tablets, and other devices running the Android operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's subsystem. Rooting is often performed with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and hardware manufacturers put on some devices, resulting in the ability to alter or replace system applications and settings, run specialized apps that require administrator-level permissions, or perform other operations that are otherwise inaccessible to a normal Android user. Rooting is analogous to jailbreaking devices running the Apple ios operating system or the Sony PlayStation 3. On Android, rooting can also facilitate the complete removal and replacement of the device's operating system.

As Android was derived from the Linux kernel, rooting an Android device is similar in practice to accessing administrative permissions on Linux or any other Unix-like computer such as FreeBSD or OS X.

We can see rooting your andriod phone, you can gives you complete control over it for more fun.

Apps available that will root your android phone

There are a lot apps for rooting your andriod phone. But we don't need all of them, one easy use is enough. I will introduce two common use popular apps for you，you can pick one that one which you think is suitable for you

1 SuperOneClick

 you can see the clear instructions for rooting your phone, if you think it's fast ,you can't follow it, you can check the words instruction by google.

2 z4root

This is the instructions from youtube which teach yo how to root with z4root, you can see the comments below to check the advantage and disadvange.

SuperOneClick and z4root get its advantage and disadvantage,you can choose by your preference. you can download it at android market. During rooting, you also shloud obey android root guide:

• Root: Rooting means you have root access to your device—that is, it can run the sudocommand, and has enhanced privileges allowing it to run apps like Wireless Tether orSetCPU. You can root either by installing the Superuser application—which many of the below root processes include—or by flashing a custom ROM that has root access included.
• ROM: A ROM is a modified version of Android. It may contain extra features, a different look, speed enhancements, or even a version of Android that hasn't been released yet. We won't discuss ROMs in depth here, but if you want to use one once you're rooted, you canread more about doing that here.
• Flash: Flashing essentially means installing something on your device, whether it be a ROM, a kernel, or something else that comes in the form of a ZIP file. Sometimes the rooting process requires flashing ZIP file, sometimes it doesn't.
• Bootloader: Your bootloader is the lowest level of software on your phone, running all the code that's necessary to start up your operating system. Most bootloaders come locked, which keeps you from rooting your phone. Unlocking your bootloader doesn't root your phone directly, but it does allow you to root, then flash custom ROMs if you so desire.
• Recovery: Your recovery is the software on your phone that lets you make backups, flash ROMs, and perform other system-level tasks. The default recoveries can't do much, but you can flash a custom recovery—like ClockworkMod—after you've unlocked your bootloader that will give you much more control over your device. This is often an integral part of the rooting process.
• ADB: ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, and it's a command line tool for your computer that can communicate with an Android device you've connected to it. It's part of the Android Software Developers Kit (SDK). Many of the root tools below use ADB, whether you're typing the commands yourself or not. Unless the instructions call for installing the SDK and running ADB commands, you won't need to mess with it—you'll just need to know that it's what most of the tools use to root your phone.
• S-OFF: HTC phones use a feature called Signature Verification in HBOOT, their bootloader. By default, your phone has S-ON, which means it blocks you from flashing radio images—the code that manages your data, Wi-Fi, and GPS connections. Switching your phone to S-OFF lets you flash new radios. Rooting doesn't require S-OFF, but many rooting tools will give you S-OFF in addition to root access, which is nice.
• RUU and SBF: ROM Upgrade Utilities (for HTC phones) and System Boot Files (for Motorola phones) are files direct from the manufacturer that change the software on your phone. RUU and SBF files are how the manufacturers deliver your over-the-air upgrades, and modders often post leaked RUU and SBF files for flashing when the updates haven't been released yet. They're also handy when downgrading your phone, if a rooting method isn't available for the newest software version yet. You can flash RUUs right from your HTC phone, but Motorola users will need a Windows program called RSD Lite to flash SBF files.

Hope you root your phone successfully. If you run into any problem during rooting, don't be panic, there are always ways to solve it.

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How to root a android device?

                           
Some people want gets their Android smartphone to root for more choice and fun. We can do it easily actually. What I talked below is the simple but useful way to root your android phone. your phone try using this easy method which is completely safe and can be done in aboutfive minutes without the aid of a computer or anything apart from your android by downloading an app  called Z4Root

(download at http://handheld.softpedia.com/progDownload/z4root-Download-110178.html) .

If you need help here is a video guide on how to do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ZKxrM3ofo

If you can't understand the video guide then here are the steps for you to follow:

1) Download Z4Root from this link I just gave:

2) Click Z4Root  from your 'Downloads' folder and install it

3) Open the Z4root app once it's finish installed

4) Press on the option permanent root and wait for it to root your device

5) You now have a rooted phone :)，now enjoy your new android phone for fun.

Notice that there is a very slight chance that Z4Root may not work on your phone, in which case

look for an alternative way to root it like SuperOneClick. This method also works for nearly all Android phones :)

1 http://www.talkandroid.com/guides/beginner/android-application-guide/
2 http://www.androidcentral.com/how-uninstall-apps
3 http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/google-android/articles/37152.aspx

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New Google Tablet Set to Defend the Android Market

Google's 7-inch Android tablet is real — it's even being passed around inside the Googleplex.

That's what I'm hearing from Googlers who have seen the device. Backing up what's been rumored for months on CNET, Digitimes and other sites, I'm hearing that this device is aimed squarely at Amazon's [AMZN  215.24    -2.04  (-0.94%)   ] Kindle Fire (which runs Amazon's tailored version of Android). It's likely to start in the $200 to $250 range, have a higher resolution screen, and perhaps a camera.

Google [GOOG  603.66    -5.80  (-0.95%)   ] needs this tablet to defend Android. The arrival of Amazon's Kindle Fire blew a hole in the ecosystem, with Amazon setting up its own app store and its own look and feel for Android itself. If this 7-inch tablet is a hit, Google can argue that developers should still build tablet apps to Google's specs, not Amazon's.

When will we see it? The Google I/O developer conference on June 25 in San Francisco would be an ideal time to unveil it and maybe hand a few out to developers.

What does it mean for Apple? [AAPL  565.32   -5.24  (-0.92%)   ] My take is that it means very little. If Apple's iPad sales were going to get hurt by 7-inch tablet sales, the Kindle Fire would have done it already. Apple is aiming at the higher-end tablet customer, who so far seems to be the larger and more profitable group of consumers.

It's just as likely as not that a 7-inch Google tablet will actually help Apple. While there will be plenty of confusing options at the low end of the market, with the Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble's [BKS  17.04    0.60  (+3.65%)   ] Nook,BlackBerry's [RIMM  10.71    -0.38  (-3.43%)   ] PlayBook and now the Google device, there's just one strong tablet at the higher end: the iPad.

And don't forget: Apple is sure to unveil new iPad features with iOS 6 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in three weeks. That will make the tablet competition even more interesting.

From:http://www.cnbc.com

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Verizon taking 4 Android phones global this summer

Summary: Verizon will enable four Android phones in its line to work overseas. Only a simple OTA update for the phones listed is necessary, along with a global data plan.

If you own a Verizon Android phone and wish you could use it while traveling abroad an announcement just made by the carrier might be important. Verizon intends to roll out a software update for the following four phones that enable the ability to use the phone abroad:

• HTC Rezound
• DROID RAZR by Motorola
• DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola
• DROID 4 by Motorola

No date for the updates have been given other than “this summer” so owners shouldn’t have too long to wait. Note that once the phones have been updated, customers will need a Verizon global plan to use it overseas.

From:http://www.zdnet.com/

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Researchers Tackle Android Fragmentation, Find 4,000 Devices

Android fragmentation is always a hot topic among the Android faithful and detractors alike. But just how many different variations of the Google-based operating system are we talking about? New research found almost 4,000 distinct Android devices in the wild.

For the past six months, OpenSignalMaps has been collecting data about Android users who have downloaded its app. Of the 681,900 devices catalogued by the firm, researchers "spotted 3,997 distinct devices," OpenSignalMaps said this week.

"We've looked at model, brand, API level (i.e. the version of Android) and screen size and we've tried to present this in the clearest form we can," the company said.

Not surprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy S II - which hit 20 million in global sales back in February - was the most-popular device, with 61,389 owners downloading OpenSignalMaps in the last six months.

Overall, OpenSignalMaps catalogued 270,144 Samsung devices.

HTC was the second most-popular brand, followed by Sony and Motorola. Overall, OpenSignalMaps picked out 599 separate brands.

"While the number of different models running Android will continue to increase we've seen Samsung take the lion's share of the Android market, most of that due to the Galaxy product line," OpenSignalMaps said. "Testing on the most popular Samsung & HTC devices will get you a long way."

The customizable nature of Android naturally helped create the almost 4,000 distinct devices, but "one complication is that custom ROMs can overwrite the android.build.MODEL variable that we use for the device model," OpenSignalMaps said, prompting "a staggering 1,363 device models appear only once in our database."

Still, the company did spot some little-known devices, like a 10.1-inch Hungarian tablet called the Concorde Tab, a dual-SIM Indian phone known as the Lemon P1, and a Spanish entertainment tablet, dubbed the Energy Tablet i724. There were even two Fusion Garage-based tablets.

What about Android version? Android Gingerbread is still the dominant version of the OS, with 55.4 percent, down from 65.6 percent last year.

"One year ago the top two Android versions accounted for 90 percent of devices, now it's closer to 75 percent - a challenge for developers," the company said.

According to recent data from Google, 64.4 percent of all Android devices are running Gingerbread. Slightly less than 5 percent are running the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

A March report from IDC and Appcelerator suggested that Android fragmentation would drive developers away from the platform and contribute to its "slow erosion."

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt raised eyebrows when he appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and argued that Android is not fragmented but "differentiated."

For more, see Hey, Google: Here's What Fragmentation Means. Also check out PCMag's full review of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the slideshow below.

From:pcmag.com

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Dear Google: Android Needs Your Help

The search giant is ignoring its mobile OS, and the neglect is starting to show in poor apps and defecting developers.

Listen, Google, we need to talk. You seem to be ignoring our green robotic friend. I know you've beenbattling lawsuits, getting your self-driving cars licensed, and focusing on Google+, but it might be time to show Android that you still care.

Your neglect is starting to show for those of us who depend on Android. Lately, finding apps in the Google Play store has been harder than usual--even popular apps can be difficult to locate at times, and it's worse if the user is searching for tablet-specific applications. App makers are feeling lost, with no one to guide them through the perils of making an app that works on multiple Android devices. And sometimes it feels as if the carriers and device makers have more control over Android than you do; they dictate how the OS looks, what it can run, and whether a phone or tablet will receive an update to the OS.

What happened to you, Google? It has been nearly seven months since your last major Android announcement, and some of us in the community are worried that Android will go the way of Google Wave: You might stop work on the platform, and leave development to any interested parties. Your own CEO said recently that Android isn't a crucial component to Google's business strategy, which makes sense since Google makes more money off iOS than it does off its own mobile operating system.

But even if Android doesn't bring in big bucks, we all know that the OS is an important part of your business, and it won't do anyone any good if you let Android wither. So maybe it's time to rethink your Android strategy.

Where Are the Good Apps?

  

For starters, let's look at how you handle apps. Unlike Apple, you chose to let virtually anyone create an app and make it available for download via the Google Play store. Not only has this approach opened the door for malware in the past, but it has also allowed all sorts of terrible and useless applications to flood the store. Trying to find an app in the Google Play store is akin to                                            Searching for an app in iTunes   navigating New York's sewer system while blindfolded: People have no idea what they're going to find, and they might run across some pretty unsavory things. You're famous for your search capabilities, so why is it so hard to find anything of value in your app store?

Users hunting for Android tablet apps encounter even more trouble. Such apps are so few and far between that it's nigh impossible to find one. The iPad is so popular in large part because the Apple App Store contains tens of thousands of tablet apps that are easy to find. When users search in the App Store on iTunes, they can easily tell which apps work on the iPhone and which apps were designed for the iPad. In contrast, when users search the Web version of the Google Play store, they have no way to tell whether an app is optimized to work on a tablet. Even if users search the Play store on an Android tablet, chances are good that the app they download will just load the mobile phone version stretched out to fit on a larger screen.

Developers Face Challenges

Why do so few genuine Android tablet apps exist? One reason is that Android tablets aren't selling well. But it's also true that developers feel they aren't getting any support. Compared with the iOS and Windows Phone 7 software development kits, the Android SDK can be a pain because it utilizes Java. Although Java is a basic programming language that most people learn in Computer Science 101, it's difficult to work with, and it can prevent Android apps from looking as good as (or better than) their iOS counterparts.

Another headache for Android developers: They have to create apps that can run on more than a thousand different devices, all with different processors, screen sizes, resolutions, and versions of the OS. It also doesn't help that the Android Developers' forums shut down last August, leaving many developers with nowhere to go to find solutions to their problems. Most app developers aren't making any money off Android, and some developers have quit the platform, calling it "unsustainable." While Android is unlikely to run out of developers anytime soon (it still has the largest smartphone market share in the United States and most of the world, after all), we may begin to see a drop in the quality of apps as better developers abandon ship. We users would then have to wade through even more junk before finding an app that's worth downloading.

Customizations Cause Problems 

Even more frustrating is the fact that once we find a worthy app, we may not be able to download it. Lately carriers and manufacturers seem to be dictating which apps users can and cannot have on an Android phone or tablet. Take Google Wallet, for example: Users who are not on Sprint cannot install the Google Wallet app on their phones--even if they own a Nexus, which supports that near-field communication payment app. I don't like having carriers tell me what I can and cannot do with my phone, especially when it comes to apps.

Manufacturers may not have as much of a say when it comes to what we can install on our phones, but they do determine what we can and can't remove from our handsets. Ugly overlays and annoying bloatware plague nearly every Android device. Most of it we can't remove unless we root our devices. To push all these unwanted extras onto our Android devices, manufacturers tweak and alter the OS--distorting the way it looks and behaves. Carriers, too, play the bloatware game, sometimes going so far as to replace all of the Google services with Bing instead.

Even worse, these customizations make it harder to update phones and tablets to the latest version of Android. Even the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a phone that's supposed to have the most up-to-date version of Android, carries a different operating system depending on which version a person purchases. The Sprint, Verizon, and unlocked versions all receive updates at different intervals, and are all running different versions of Ice Cream Sandwich. I'm still waiting for the performance-enhancing 4.0.4 update to become available for my Verizon Galaxy Nexus. That update supposedly fixes several critical bugs--and it has been available for well over two months for the unlocked Nexus.

What Can Google Do?

Look, Google, I'm not advising you to try to control the types of Android phones and tablets that companies make. But you can take two steps to ease the burdens on app developers and make things better for people buying Android devices: Set a minimum hardware requirement for phones and tablets running Android, and play a larger role in distributing updates.

If you were to set a minimum hardware requirement for all phones and tablets, developers would be able to design their apps for those parameters and be sure that the apps will work on any Android device. The device makers, we hope, would still design phones and tablets that sit well above the minimum hardware requirements, and you could raise the requirements once every two years to match the hardware that most people were currently using. In this way, you would prevent manufacturers from creating cheap devices with ancient specs. This also means Android users wouldn't have to guess whether an app will work on their device. Tablet users would benefit too: Development teams wouldn't have to spend as much time fiddling with the various phone versions, and could spend more time optimizing their apps for Android tablets.

Hardware is one thing, but making sure that everyone is on the same version of Android will be a bigger challenge. Google, by working more closely with HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and the other major makers of Android phones and tablets, you can take a step toward a more unified Android experience. Become friends with the carriers and chip makers in order to ensure that an update will work on a carrier's network, so that they won't have to spend several months testing an update before finally deciding to roll it out. The biggest delays to Android updates come from carriers testing the updates on their networks, a process that they could expedite with your help.

Google, we all love Android and want the best for it. We just wish you showed as much interest in your own OS as we did.     

From:pcworld.com

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Evernote 4.0 for Android hands-on

The next step in the most famous note-taking application of all starts on Android with a fully upgraded user interface in Evernote 4.0. This upgrade takes the full functionality of the application and adds on a much-improved set of graphics and organization so you’ll have the ability to make your notes, drawings, and all manner of idea keeping right at your fingertips in a way thats much nicer to look at and interact with than ever before. Also added on to this version of the app is several navigation features including swiping between your home screen and note list.

 We’ve had our fair share of hands-on time with Evernote in the past, so we’ll just concentrate on the new features here. This version of Evernote is made specifically for the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich environment, taking many cues from Google’s own aesthetics in the vanilla version of that new version of the mobile software. This update is primarily for your smartphone, but some features flow on over to the tablet version of Evernote 4.0 as well.

This update brings on an updated notebook list which collect both your own notebooks and your shared notebooks, you’ve got new Action Bars all over the place for much easier methods for inserting all manner of media into your notes, and the whole interface is one whole heck of a lot more intuitive to use. Swipeable actions exist in several places, most notably on the notes and home screen as well as the Notebook to Tag to Place views – swipe around!

Have a peek at our collection of screen grabs here then head to the Google Play app store to pick up your own download of Evernote 4.0 for Android absolutely free – do it now! 


From: slashgear

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Google Shifts Tack on Android

Google Inc. GOOG +1.18% is shifting its strategy for its Android mobile operating system, in a bid to create a united front with smartphone and tablet makers to take on rivals like Apple Inc. AAPL -0.90% and prevent wireless carriers from controlling the devices

Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter. That is a shift from Google's previous practice, when it joined with with only one hardware maker at a time to produce "lead devices," before releasing the software to other device makers. Those lead devices were then sold to consumers through wireless carriers or retailers.

The expansion of direct sales marks a bid to exert more control over key features and apps that run on Android-powered phones and tablets, thus reducing the influence of wireless carriers over such devices, these people said. Wireless carriers typically handle marketing and sales of devices and thus can exert some control over the services that run on them.


The plan also aims to assuage concerns of smartphone and tablet makers that build devices using Android, many of whom are wary of Google because of its pending acquisition of device-maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., MMI +0.10% these people said.

Many manufacturers fear Google will try to boost Motorola's business at their expense, something Google has said won't happen. Under its new model, Google could give Motorola early access to Android software without putting other partners at a disadvantage, said a person familiar with the matter.

A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.

Android is the No. 1 smartphone operating system, but Google's model for the software has sometimes upset device makers that aren't chosen to work with Google on a lead device, said some industry executives.

Now Google will work with as many as five manufacturers at a time to create a portfolio of "Nexus" lead devices that include smartphones and tablets, said a person familiar with the matter. Google also plans to sell the gadgets directly to consumers in the U.S., Europe and Asia through its website, and potentially through some retailers, this person said.

The devices will run on Google's forthcoming version of Android called Jelly Bean, and it hopes to have the full portfolio of devices ready for sale by Thanksgiving, this person said.

Google also hopes the effort will help rev up sales of Android-powered tablets, which have lagged behind Apple's iPad and Amazon.com Inc.'s AMZN +0.65% Kindle Fire, said one person familiar with the matter.

Selling devices directly to consumers online is challenging, particularly in the U.S. Many consumers prefer to test phones or tablets in a store before purchasing. The cost of most smartphones is also subsidized by wireless carriers, which sell the devices with multiyear contracts.

The new Nexus smartphones are expected to be sold unlocked, meaning they would come without a wireless contract and can run on multiple wireless networks by inserting a SIM card. Selling an unlocked phone could cost $150 or $200 more than a contract phone, and consumers would have to buy a contract separately. Google in April began selling Samsung Electronics Co.'s 005930.SE -0.23% Galaxy Nexus on its website for $400, or about twice the amount it costs to buy the phone with a contract. Such an approach is common outside the U.S., however.

For Google, circumventing wireless carriers has many benefits, including preventing them from blocking certain apps. Currently, Verizon Wireless doesn't allow the Google Wallet app on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

A Verizon Wireless spokeswoman declined to comment.

Carriers also are sometimes slow to push through software updates to phones, and they preload apps of their own choosing on devices. By avoiding carriers, Google and its hardware partners can get devices to market faster, often by several months.

Rajeev Chand, head of research at Rutberg & Co., said Android has become a kind of "Wild West" in which app developers have struggled to make sure apps are compatible with hundreds of different Android-powered devices. Both device makers and carriers have left their imprint on devices, meaning the "consumer experience is highly variant," he said.

Mr. Chand said Google's shift appears to be a move "to create a more standardized experience for consumers and app developers," similar to that of Apple.

Google's current Android partnerships include Motorola, Samsung, Sony Corp., HTC Corp., 2498.TW -6.59% and Asustek Computer Inc. 2357.TW -5.16%

Asustek has been working with Google on a co-branded tablet that could be sold online to consumers, people familiar with the matter have said. Asustek previously declined to comment. Other partners include China-based ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co., which are becoming more important players.

Any manufacturers participating in Google's new Android program will each be able to have about a dozen employees working out of the Internet company's Mountain View., Calif., headquarters to get access to Android and work with Google programmers, a person familiar with the matter said.

While Google is adding a new revenue stream by selling devices directly to consumers, including a 10% to 15% operating profit per sale, according to past estimates by analysts, the company primarily generates mobile revenue from the sale of ad space on mobile websites and apps, including its search engine. The search engine is preloaded on the vast majority of Android devices.

Google also generates some revenue through sales of some mobile apps and digital media such as books, music and movies through its Google Play store on Android devices. But Google stands to generate a much higher cut of such sales if it sells directly to consumers.

The company has said it is on pace to generate more than $2.5 billion annually in mobile revenue, or around 5% of total revenue. That figure includes sale of ads on Apple devices, on which Google's search engine is preinstalled.

Mobile researcher Horace Dediu recently estimated that Google generates around $2 in revenue per Android device per year and that the vast majority of mobile revenue comes from ad sales on Apple devices. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.

The Chinese government is currently conducting an antitrust review of Google's Motorola deal, which both companies have said they expect to close this quarter.

Reprint from:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304371504577406511931421118.html

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T-Mobile to scoop Android 4.0 update to HTC Sensation 4G

After a number of delays and a bit of finger-pointing, T-Mobile is ready to issue Android 4.0 to the HTC Sensation 4G.

The HTC Sensation 4G is T-Mobile's next smartphone to receive Android 4.0.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

After a number of delays and just a bit of finger-pointing, T-Mobile finally is set to deliver Android4.0 to the HTC Sensation 4G.

As one of the carrier's premier smartphones of 2011, the HTC handset should only get better when it picks up Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3) on May 16. The details of the update are listed on T-Mobile's support page along with guidelines for performing the update.

As is the case with other Android 4.0 updates, the Sensation 4G will benefit from options such as resizeable widgets, face unlock, and home-screen folders. Given that we're talking about an HTC smartphone, the device will also see an update to the custom Sense UI, bring it to v3.6.

T-Mobile also plans to deploy the Android 4.0 update to its HTC Amaze 4G in the coming weeks. Although the carrier has yet to outline a specific date, I'd assume they want to make sure the Sensation 4G works well before proceeding with the next model. I'd look for some more noise on the matter in early June. 


Reprint from:http://news.cnet.com/

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