ROOTz

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note has been Rooted Before Its Release

2012-02-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

LOL! That’s all we can say right now for the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note. Although it’s slated to retail tomorrow, developers have already been able to root the device. This has led us to believe that while both Samsung and AT&T have been busy with the unit’s hardware, experts have been tinkering with the software of the device. With this new information, you may be excited to know that the root can enable you to enjoy your Galaxy Note to its full potential.

The party responsible for rooting this device is, of course, none other than XDA Developers. A developer from the site named Da_G has made it possible to flash the kernel via ODIN. As a result, this kernel has enabled custom boot animations, init.d and adb root scripts.

While you get to enjoy some things from rooting your Galaxy Note, you have to realize that there are some threats to your security; such as in the case of the recent Google Wallet pin issue. Moreover, you stand the risk of voiding your warranty or even bricking your device.

So make a wise decision if you really need to root your Samsung Galaxy Note; or any device for that matter.

Google Wallet PIN Warning to rooted phone users

2012-02-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

We have a warning today for people who user a rooted phone and who use Google Wallet, as apparently there is a vulnerability with Google Wallet PINs that if a simple .apk is installed on your rooted handset it can access your Google Wallet PIN info, and we have video evidence of that in action for your viewing consideration below.

According to the guys over at Droid-life, malware analytics group zVelo discovered the Google Wallet PIN vulnerability that opens up you Google Wallet application to intruders if you happen to lose your device or it is stolen.

Although the chances of your device falling into the wrong hands are somewhat on the low side, it is best to be aware of the vulnerability. ZVelo reported the Google Wallet PIN vulnerability to the Google guys before releasing their report, and apparently the vulnerability has been confirmed and has apparently come up with a fix by moving PIN verification into the secure element of the handset’s NFC chip.

For those that are into all the tech jargon and wish to read the report in its entirety you can do so by hitting up the zVelo website, and of course you can head on down below and mash that play button to check out a demo of the Google Wallet Pin exposure vulnerability.

If you have enjoyed this Evanino.com article feel free to add me to your circles on Google+ and I will of course add you back.

MotoACTV Rooted and Torn Down

2011-12-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

Just this past week I was speaking with my colleague Cory about how I’d wondered if anyone would take the time to root the MotoACTV, what with its 1.6-inch display and unique housing for Android complete with accessories: turns out that wonder / wish is now a reality, and the games have begun! Using developer Revolutionary’s “zergRush” exploit, we’ve got Android 2.3 with the instant ability to seek out apps on the Android Market and, of course, play Angry Birds. This watch is one of a new breed of tiny-screened Android devices with the added bonus of a touchscreen, so we’re excited about the future of teeny-tiny droid-ing, starting here!

We’ve got our own review of the Motorola MotoACTV as well as a separate review of the MotoACTV accessory suite, so feel free to figure out what this thing was meant for before rocking it out on the hacked up tip. Inside once you’re hacked you’ve got Android 2.3 Gingerbread running what they’ve got set up here: Honeycomb Launcher 1.8. It’s strange to be sure, but appears quite usable even at these early stages.

Now all we’ve got to do is decide what this device is most useful for: playing tiny, tiny games, or taking the place of our old tiny iPod. There’s gotta be some other awesome uses for this little monster, right? We’ll be testing it out over the next week to find out the best way to make this beast an ultrabeast, you can bet. We’ll make you proud, Gene!

Get all the instructions you need from the source here: CMV.ME and note that any modifications you make in this manner may well void your warrantee. Have fun!

How to Root Your Kindle Fire

2011-12-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

No Android device is really yours unless you have root access. Here's how to install the Android SDK and root your Kindle Fire.

Amazon's Android-powered Kindle Fire e-reader/tablet has arrived, which means only one thing: Eager Android enthusiasts everywhere will buy one and hack it so they can get superuser access, or "root" it. Root your Kindle Fire, and you can potentially install a custom Android ROM that lets you use your Kindle Fire as a full-featured tablet, install and use Android apps that require root privileges to add features and access your Kindle's system guts, and more.

(You can even add support for the complete Android Market, but that's a separate guide.)
Credit for this specific Kindle Fire root method goes to Android Forums user "death2all110." In order to perform it, you'll need the Android SDK and a special root app called SuperOneClick. Don't worry, though--we'll show you how to do it from scratch.

Step 1: Turn on your Kindle Fire and tap the top bar, near the battery and Wi-Fi icons; press More... from the drop-down menu, then Device, and tap Allow Installation of Applications to On.

Step 2: Download the Android SDK from the Android Developer site. Get the version with an installer app (installer_r15-windows.exe).

Step 3: Download the Java Development Kit (version 7, at the time of this writing). Make sure to download the appropriate version of the Java Development Kit for your PC--I'm on a 32-bit Windows 7 PC, so I downloaded the Windows x86 version.

Step 4: Install the Java Development Kit. Make sure you do this before you install the Android SDK. All you need to do is to open the installer file you downloaded (mine was called jdk-7u1-windows-i586.exe) and click through the installer wizard.

Step 5: Install the Android SDK. Simply open installer_r15-windows.exe and follow the instructions. Once the Android SDK is finished installing, the SDK Manager app will automatically open with a list of software packages you can download. Go ahead and install all the prechecked packages, but make sure that the Google USB Driver package (listed under Extras) is checked. You'll need this file to let your PC communicate with the Kindle Fire. Wait for SDK Manager to download install and all the packages, and don't panic if it asks you for permission to kill a server or process. Just click OK until it's all done with the install process.
Selecting packages to install in the Android SDK Manager.

Step 6: Now that you have the SDK installed, you'll have to make two quick modifications to it before you can root the Kindle Fire. First, open up your User Account folder in Windows (C:\Users\(Your Account Name), find the new ".android" directory, and find a file called adb_usb.ini. Open it up in Notepad, add a new line at the bottom of the document, and type

0x1949. Make sure that string is on its own line in the document, save it, and close it. Next, go to wherever you installed the Android SDK itself (probably C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk), and navigate to the \extra\google\usb_driver\ directory. Find the file called android_winusb.inf and open it in Notepad. There, you'll want to take the following lines and paste them immediately underneath the [Google.NTx86] and [GoogleNTamd64] headings in the document:
;Kindle Fire
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006&MI_01
Editing android_winusb.inf.

Save the file and exit Notepad. If Notepad doesn't let you overwrite android_winusb.inf when you're saving it, save the edited version to your desktop, and then drag the edited version over to the usb_driver directory to replace the old version with your edited version. Windows may ask you for Administrator permission to replace android_winusb.inf--don't worry, it's fine.

Step 7: Plug your Kindle into your PC. You'll need a micro-USB cable to do this, which the Fire doesn't ship with, so you'll have to buy that cable if you don't already have one that you use with your phone or camera. Windows will probably automatically attempt to install a driver for it, fail, and then mount it as a normal storage device. That's fine, though we may have to change something there later.

Step 8: Now that your PC and Kindle are connected, we're going to open up the Android SDK to make sure it recognizes the Kindle. Open up Command Prompt in Windows (Start Menu, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt) and navigate to wherever you installed the Android SDK.

Don't remember your DOS commands? That's okay--just open up the Command Prompt and type cd followed by the file path to the platform-tools directory (for example: cd C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools\). Once you're there, type adb kill-server, press Enter, type adb devices, and then press Enter again. You should see the Command Prompt return with "List of devices attached" and a string of numbers followed by "device"--that means the Android SDK recognizes the Kindle is attached, and you're ready to proceed to the next step.

Checking to see if the Android SDK can locate the Kindle Fire via USB.

However, if you don't have any devices listed, it probably means that Windows isn't using your Android SDK USB driver to communicate with your Kindle Fire. Go to Control Panel in Windows, open Device Manager, and scroll down the list of devices until you find your Kindle listed. Right-click the listing and select Update, then click Browse my computer for driver software, Browse, and navigate to the directory that holds the file you edited earlier called android_winusb.inf--probably C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver. Click Next; Windows should now switch over to the Android SDK USB driver for your Kindle. Go back to the Command Prompt; type adb kill-server, press Enter, then type adb devices, and press Enter again. You should see something show up under the list of attached devices.
Step 9: Now you're ready to root your Kindle. All you have to do is download SuperOneClick (and Microsoft's NET 2.0 Framework, if you don't already have it installed), install both apps, open up SuperOneClick, and click Root.
SuperOneClick in action.
Let SuperOneClick do its thing--the entire process takes a few minutes--and when it's done, go back to the Command Prompt, type adb kill-server, and press Enter. Then, just to be sure, click on the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon in the Windows Notification Area (usually a picture of a plug with a green checkmark on it), eject the Kindle, and unplug it.

Congratulations--you have root access!

ROOTz~

Root Uninstaller Pro v2.2 (2.2) Android Apk App

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Requirements: Android 2.0.1 and up
Overview: Don't like stock or system applications? It's for you. This application can freeze pre-installed applications on your phone and more.

Very fast and simple uninstaller tool on single click for uninstalling both SYSTEM and REGULAR applications.For ROOT+NAND unlocked devices
☆ Uninstall system applications
☆ Freeze or disable bloatware, stock and regular applications (keep updates)
☆ Defrost or enable applications (Free trial or PRO)
☆ Backup system application .apk to sdcard (that can reinstall later)
☆ Restore backed up applications
☆ Reset applications to fresh install state

☆ Delete definitively system applications
For NON-ROOT devices
☆ Quick APK list to show all available .APK files on SDCard
☆ Keep Market reference and can restore after factory reset/change devices
☆ Manage to clear data, cache (manually)
☆ Manage .apk files: delete, install, install as a system app (PRO)
☆ Single click to uninstall a listed applications (Batch uninstall).
☆ Rapid load application list
☆ Display application name, icon, package name
☆ Exclude system applications (that you can not uninstall)
☆ Filter by third-party applications, system applications, applications on sdcard. backup applications or frozen applications
☆ Support large screen (ex. tablet) views

Trial on Free version :
☆ Three times to defrost or restore apps for Free version

IMPORTANT***IMPORTANT***
☆ Make sure you app is granted by SuperUser
☆ If you CANN'T freeze/defrost, try to enable USB Debugging (HOME/Settings/Application/Development/USB Debugging)
☆ If you CANN'T restore backup app, try to "find apps on SD card" then long-press the app and select "install as system app".
☆ This application uses SDCARD to store data
☆ PRO and FREE version are fully compatible
More Info:

Code: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rootuninstaller.pro

Download:http://adf.ly/748627/http://filepost.com/files/d445dca9/Root_Uninstaller_Pro_v2.2.zip/

Lifehacker.com Updated Their Android Rooting Guide

2011-12-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

Lifehacker.com Updated Their Android Rooting Guide with New Phones, Gingerbread-Friendly Rooting Methods

If you've been itching to root your Android phone but have had trouble finding a reliable method, we've updated our guide to include new phones, notes for phones that have been updated to Gingerbread, and a completely new method for rooting stubborn Motorola devices.

We try to keep our rooting guide as current as possible, but unlike our other always up-to-date guides, it's very difficult to keep updated. There are a ton of Android phones out there, many of which have their own special rooting methods or notes, and since updates are pushed out on an individual basis, we can't possibly keep up with it all. We recently combed through the guide and fixed everything we could find that was out of date, much of which due to lots of new phones getting Gingerbread. We also added a new method for rooting Motorola phones like the Droid 3 and the Droid X, which no longer work with our trust SuperOneClick. Hit the link below to check out the updated guide.

As always, remember that this guide is a very community-driven project, since I am but one man and cannot research and test every phone out there. So, if you see a method that's still out of date or a phone that isn't on the list, please let me know by emailing me at whitson+rootingguide@lifehacker.com. If you can provide the current working root method, too, that would be extra awesome.

Photo by Andrew Mason.

The Always Up-To-Date Guide to Rooting Any Android Phone