Dina, Author at The Droid Guy

About Dina

Dina has written 90 articles so far, you can find them below.

MetroPCS: When Being Fifth In Line Ain’t So Bad

The title of this post may strike most of you as rather odd. Why would one give a tech post such a name?

The answer is simple enough. Do you know what company is the fifth largest mobile telecommunications network behind Verizon Wireless, AT$T, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile USA? The answer boys and girls is MetroPCS. Even I didn’t know that.

How many people even use MetroPCS? Well, that’s a tale for another day. Even if we were to focus on the fact that MetroPCS is a company that most of everyone knows nothing about you can’t ignore the fact that this is a company that has revenue of over $4 billion dollars. That’s a lot of cash for number five. How does such a small time company get so big? Some call it intelligence but the folks down south will tell you “it’s ma’s sweet lovin’”.

What telecommunications companies tend to do is sell phones that come with their services. Such is the case for MetroPCS. If one were to go to their website at this very moment you’d be met by a number of deals that are going to keep you stuck to the screen. That’s because no one else will give you a smartphone at anything as generous as $50. Yes, you read correct. But how is that possible? How can someone give away a smartphone for $50? That would be a very good question and the answer would be, “no one would give out a smartphone for $50 but the guys at MetroPCS would give you one for $49”. Insanity? I think so but it gets the wallet sleeping comfortably.

A 4G phone such as the LG Motion is being handed out ever so warmly to anyone willing to part with $49 and pretend to be badass with their new smartphone. But that isn’t the only deal that they have going for them. They also have a range of some of the best smartphones at very good prices. One of them would be the Galaxy S3 that they offer at the amazing price of $499 which some would call psychological pricing but I call a dollar cheaper than anywhere else. The LG Optimus also comes at the friendly price of $99. Can it get better?

However, all these deals come with a price. You cannot use any other telecommunications network once you have bought a phone from them. But it is worth it.

Verizon Introduces a Social Gaming Platform For Android Phones

It was recently revealed that US mobile telecommunications network Verizon will launch a social gaming software built into the smartphones that they sell. The platform that the portal will be running on is the ever popular Playphone.

The question that comes to mind when you find out about this is why didn’t Google think about it before? The answer might plague me a bit but I think it’s because Larry and Sergei were a bit too busy to notice that people used Android to do a lot more than just play Angry Birds. That’s not for me to discuss.

The truth of the matter is that anyone with a smartphone was, and still is, able to download the Playphone app from the Google playstore but Verizon did the imaginable. Yes, the imaginable. The Verizon team felt that it would be easier for the phone to come with the app pre-installed so as to make it easier for the user to start it up as opposed to buying it from the playstore and fumbling from one screen to another just so that you can try and set it up.

However, it is a lot more advantageous for the guys at Playphone than for the guys at Verizon. That’s because what the Playphone will do is basically to install the software into all the Verizon Wireless smartphones. People might not want to move to Verizon just because of Playphone but no matter what happens Playphone will see more action with Verizon than it ever did see. Another reason that that is highly likely is due to the fact that any Verizon handset will be forced to take in the software. This will be done by software updates that will leave your device plagued by a platform that many might not even want to use. That’s why Verizon Wireless’ software tends to get referred to as “crapware”. They do these things to themselves….

Via Forbes

Android Malware that Targets Activists’ Phones

Everyone probably knows what a Malware is. For those that do not have an idea just like I was a couple of weeks ago a malware is a malicious software that is used to disrupt operating systems and collect information or gain access to private computer systems. One can call it a ninja in your OS. It comes in, takes down every piece of security you have, collects what it came for and ruins everything. Why would an activist be involved with malware? That’s because people tend to put on a mask of Guy Fawkes and ruin whatever everyone has tried so hard to set up. However, this is not the case here.

What happened here was rather special. During a conference in Geneva that was focusing on the major global issue that’s Tibet. During the conference an activist received an email. On the email was an Android Package that was under the file name “WUC’s Conference.apk.”. You can imagine what happened to the activists device after. Well, I’m here to let you know.

While the activist was busy reading the contents of the email the malware would send a report to the command and control center where it would be directed on what to take out of the device. From there on the activist’s messages, call logs, and any other vital information would have been secretly taken out if the device and the device would be left for dead. Yes, after all that the malware would ensure you can’t use your device every again.

Malware is becoming an ever more prominent threat in the world. With the advent of smartphones companies such as Gamma Group are developing ways to hack into the systems and grab vital information for governments and the like. That is why mobile security is something that everyone needs to start preaching. Maybe instead of a gaming portal pre-installed into a device we would all be a lot happier with an anti-virus.

Via Informationweek

How Smartphone and Implants Can Save Your Life In

How many of the people out there have heard of a case where a person had a heart attack and no one knew what was going on? There must be thousands. All that is about to change thanks to the gadget in your pocket. Yes, I’m talking about your smartphone. You must probably be all wondering how that is going to work and no, it isn’t an app. Here’s the secret.

A group of nerds (yes, just calling it as it is) in Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland were able to develop a medical implant that is 14mm long. Now, what this implant does is measure protein levels, glucose levels, and so much more in your blood. Of course this means that it has to be injected into you. Once in your blood, the implant will feed information to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Okay, maybe they are a little more than just a group of nerds.

What has struck smartphone developers as brilliant is the fact that the implant comes with a battery patch that provides conductive charging through the skin.

How will this save your life? Well, whenever you’re about to have a heart attack a chemical called troponin is spiked in the blood. What the implant will do is read the troponin levels and send a message to your smartphone. Imagine how useful that could be. All those cases of unexpected heart attacks will be a thing of the past.

It can also be used to measure medication levels for diabetics and the like. What this implant does is offer an alternative to the usual needle poking to measure your insulin levels – definitely a friendlier deal. It has not yet been specified when the implant will start doing rounds in our medical field but it should start getting out there soon enough. Maybe one of you readers will be saved by the implant in later life. Let’s hope so. For your sake and for the sake of the inventors otherwise they will lose a good deal.

Via Dvice

Forget Scratch Proof Glass, Say Hello to Sapphire Glass for Smartphones

We are all used to those adverts on the telly that tell us about the scratch resistant nature of the smartphones that are out there. Everyone was told that the iPhone 5 is unbreakable until someone somewhere decided to test the theory. Only now do we figure that the Gorilla Glass is about as scratch resistant as your typical kitchenware glass. Well, all that is about to change.

Smartphone manufacturers around the world have claimed that they want to make a shift to Corning industry’s Gorilla Glass to the second hardest natural material known to man; sapphire. Why the sudden shift? As things stand, the market is evolving or else we’d still be in the era of Motorola’s supremacy. In order to keep the evolution at an exponential growth rate such things need to be considered. The companies aren’t looking to make phones that are indestructible but to make something that will last longer than usual.

However, evolution comes at a price. In this case the price is a bit too high. The price of Gorilla Glass per screen sized chunk is $3 as opposed to the $30 for sapphire. This is an obstacle that shall be overcome in the following ways. Raise the price of the smartphone and as the demand for the material rises hopefully the price will reduce.

Another factor that raises concerns is the fact that sapphire is a heavy material. All this talk of having the lightest smartphone in the industry will come to an end once the screens are made of sapphire. It will be back to stage one of trying to reduce the weight but just like the issue of price this is a hurdle that will be leaped over.

If you need to think about the superior strength of sapphire look at the glass covering the camera of the iPhone. Yes, that is sapphire. Now imagine that all over your iPhone and not just on the camera. Magnificent. It is expected that the use of sapphire for smartphone screens will be put in place as early as this year.

Via India Times

Bye Facebook, Start Getting Real Face-Time

Isn’t it annoying when you are trying to talk to someone but they have their face planted on a smartphone, or when you’re on a date but your date stops the conversation after every ten minutes to tweet about your hilarious joke.

All that is highly frustrating and it takes a special kind of patience to persevere through it. Yes, the world has become a place where face to face communication is slowly dying out. However, all that is about to change thanks to a toy that promises to ensure face-time is not cut-off to go to Facebook.

When I mentioned toy I meant just that. The toy is called Cell Lock-up. It is basically a prison cell complete with bunk beds and cell bars. It can lock-up up to six smartphones for up to 15 minutes and the voice of a warden calls the “sentence” out and the same voice raises an alert if someone tries to spree the smartphone to freedom before time is up. You can still charge your smartphone through the lock-up. This is allowed by a space at the back of the toy meant to run wires through.

However, when people hear toy they think that it is something meant for children. In a sense that is true because it is meant to ensure that smartphone addicted kids do not surf through the web during family time but it is a toy that can be used on anyone. If your husband is focusing too much on his emails rather than the dinner you prepared for him you can lock his cell up. Maybe the term “toy” is what might drive potential customers away. Let’s call it an accessory.

The “accessory” will take you back $20 which is a reasonable price to pay so as to enjoy actual face-time with someone. It might be a bit frustrating at first but the family will get used to the idea. This “accessory” will promote a traditional sense of time well spent. Give it a go.

Via DailyComet

The Secrets Behind Android Freeze Hack

Regardless of how shocking that sounds, it is the ultimate truth. By simply freezing your Android device, it is now possible to unblock it! This kind of information might not seem that much enticing to the ears of an ordinary user but trust me, hackers are having something to smile about. The authorities also have something to look out for as this technique can be used to reveal some concealed information in the devices. It is just amazing how technology can be used to change the lives of many.

The research paper which was dubbed FROST i.e. Forensic Recovery of Scrambled Telephones was conducted by Tilo Muller, Michael Spreitzenbarth and Felix Freiling researchers at Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany. They exposed the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to very cold temperatures of –10 degrees Celsius and discovered that the security encryptions of the handset could be easily bypassed. Before you begin the decryption process you need to freeze the Android device for about an hour, pull it out of the freezer and quickly remove and place back the battery while trying to reboot the phone. The idea here is that, once the phone is frozen, data in the ROM will take a little bit longer before it disappears. The data is then easily accessed by performing the above process.

The researchers claimed that they resorted to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus because the Smartphone was the first to embrace the version 4.0 of Android’s encryption disk. With their findings, they believe that the rest of the Android devices are also vulnerable to the same trick. This trick has been used before but has never been tested with Smartphones. Laptops and desktops were amongst the first gadgets to be unblocked using the technique. Since Smartphones by extension are just like the PCs, Tilo said that they thought it would also work and were more than glad it did work.

Via UCStrategies

Gaming: Unicorn Apocalypse Now a Real Game

The Unicorn Apocalypse game is now available to Android users in Google play store. Earlier on the game had featured in an Ad and people did not think that there was any possibility of creating a game out of the advertisement. Nevertheless the game is now freely available; it can be downloaded and installed in any Android device. For those who are into playing games, this game presents you with an opportunity of expanding your portfolio. Since the game has been recently released, one can understand why at the moment it still sits amongst the poorly reviewed games.

What exactly does the game intends to bring? The game promises plenty of fun and entertainment. Just as the name suggests, it involves a Unicorn. You use the unicorn to either cause or prevent the apocalypse. To play the game and earn points, you have to use the killer unicorn’s horn to stab the enemies as you jump around. To spice up the experience, the unicorn is supposed to run across a very fiery rooftop while at the same time avoid the burning flames. In real sense, you will encounter three bosses. Your obligation will be to use your ‘rainbow blast’ to shoot them down. Any unsuccessful attempt made at the bosses leads to your unicorn falling down into the fire pits. People are having difficulties going past the first boss which is rather shocking. The game actually makes it hard for you to figure that one out. The big secret is, you have to tap at the boss before you make any attempt of blasting them down. Interesting huh! Once the boss is successfully immobilized, as a player you earn points and move on to the next level.

The game does not promise to win any accolades but it is worth trying.

Via Phandroid

Rumor: Google and Motorola Team Up for Motorola X-Phone

What’s heating up in the rumor mill is that Google is planning to collaborate with Motorola to release the Motorola X-phone. As it stands now it is only a mere rumor and we cannot read much into it. The source of the leak is not accredited hence cannot be fully trusted. As this rumor take the center stage, in other related leaked information, it is reported that some images relating to the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S IV have also been leaked out. The same thing can be said about this second rumor, it is simply not worth the buzz as the source is not accredited.

According to the rumors, the image of the Motorola X-Phone has been made available for consumer to have a look at what they should be expecting. The rumor also tries to highlight some of the specs expected to complement the device. From the image one can only see the inscriptions ‘Motorola NXT’ and gather that the phone will be oddly shaped. Considering the history of the company, the pictorial presentation of the phone could be a possible reflection of the real device but we cannot say that with much certainty.

A look at the highlighted phone’s specs and one can only be tempted to believe that they are somehow true. The device is set to have two cameras; a 5 megapixel front camera and a rather surprising 16 megapixel hind camera. The AndroidWorld leak continues to say that the Smartphone will possess as a 4.7 full HD 1920 by 1080p display screen which they claim will be powered by the NVIDIA’s latest Tegra 4i quad core 2.3 GHz 4G LTE processor, and a 2GB of ROM.

Rumors will always be available for the eager consumers; it is upon us to choose what to follow.

Via Android Community

Neo N003: Cheapest Full HD 5″ Android Smartphone

Technology has its own side-kick. In most of the cases, awesome technological discoveries always demand some hefty payouts. This is the only limiting factor which separates doers from the followers. What if you can find a device which can meet all the ends? A device which is both cheap and has all the wowing features you’ve been looking for. Most people would die for such an occasion. You do not have to worry about that anymore as the Neo N003 checks on virtually all areas. Currently the Smartphone stands as one of the cheapest full HD devices in the industry.

As you should have expected, the device is China made. Over the years China has come to be referred to as the ‘world’s factory’ due to their endless supply of product. If you take a look at the market right now, almost everything you come across has the text ‘made in China’ somewhere around the product. It is this ability to continuously produce quality products and their advancement in technology which makes some of China’s products cheaper than their competitors. The country in heavily industrialized hence capable of meeting the never ending consumer needs.

The yet to be released Smartphone is expected to hit the stores retailing at just 899 Yuan. This is only a mere $ 145 price tag attached to the device. The price is fair enough considering the features it promises to bring forth. The Smartphone, in addition to the full HD 5-inch display is expected to possess a quad core Media Tek MT 6589 processor, a 13 megapixel camera and a 300mAh battery. At just that price range, this is expected to be the best deal you can ever bargain for. Let us cross our fingers and hope we won’t get disappointed.

Via Ubergizmo

Could HTC One Become the Best Smartphone?

HTC One is one beautiful device. When HTC announced it in Barcelona last month, many were surprised that the phone surpassed their expectation. The phone has a beautiful aluminum body and is the first smartphone to come with an ultrapixels camera. The fight for the tag of the best smartphone in the market, especially in the Android platform, is on, and HTC One is currently the holder of that title. Whether it will retain the tag for the rest of the year, that’s a story for another day.

Over the last couple of years, the fight for the smartphone market has been on overdrive and many companies, the most notable being Samsung, Apple, HTC, LG and Sony, have invested a lot in research and developments in an attempt to capture the market that is increasingly drifting away from desktop computers and laptops to smartphones and tablets. HTC is looking to overcome the market resistance that some of its products last year – the HTC One X, One X+ and Droid DNA – experienced in their quest to snatch the ‘best smartphone’ title from Samsung’s SIII and Apple’s iPhone 5.

Once you hold the HTC One in your palms, you will feel just how striking the phone’s design is, with more pixels in smartphone-size screen, far much better specs than those of its predecessors, an amazing camera and an impressive battery. HTC put a lot of emphasis on durability and reliability of the HTC One smartphone, and it just might pay off. The big question is, what will other companies do to outdo what HTC has put in HTC One?

Some of the core features that HTC expects will sell their flagship smartphone are BlinkFeed which introduces a whole new level of controlling your phone – with your eyes. The Blink user interface takes over from the standard Android home screen. Samsung is also developing its own version of eye-navigation, but we’ll find out the details tomorrow. HTC also introduced a completely redesigned look and clock widget, Sense TV, a new Sync Manager and zoe camera among others. W

HTC One has all it takes to be a market leader – the best smartphone in the market. At the moment, it is comfortable at its spot, but will it retain it?

Via Atlanta Black Star

Does ObamaCare let FDA Tax Smartphones, Tablets and Apps?

Everyone remembers how Obama fought for the healthcare reforms back in 2011. The nation stood behind him as he battled with the House of Representatives to ensure that people got they healthcare needed to sustain a generation and hopefully earn him another term. Well, he surely got the second term and everyone was happy about the fact that the healthcare reforms were finally here. Unfortunately, people were too impressed by the fact that an African American president was able to reform the country’s medical system that they forgot to actually read up on what is in store for them. Yes, this 2013 the nation will finally understand why some representatives were so adamant on tossing the bill out the window.

According to Marsha Blackburn who is the Tennessee 7th congressional district representative, under Obamacare every medical device manufacturers and importers must pay a 2.3% tax on the sale of a taxable medical device. That’s all well and good. I mean, not many people can say that they want to get a dialysis machine for their birthdays. But hold on for one minute. We’re not yet out of the woods. Further research showed the people in government something. Apparently, people download medical apps to their smartphones. Is there something wrong with that? There’s no foul in it but don’t the medical apps turn a smartphone into a medical device? There you go. That iPhone you hold in your hand deserves a 2.3% tax hike. Basically, the price of smartphones will increase so the government can add onto their salaries.

So how do they plan on doing this? We all know that taxation is the work of the IRS. However, in this case the IRS handed the authority to the FDA. Yes, the Food and Drug Administration. These people will now decide how much you are going to pay for any smartphone you choose to buy. This authority was given to them fully legally under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that defines a medical device as any instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro-reagent, or other similar or related article, including a component part, or accessory which is either intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease or intended to affects the structure of any function of the body of man or other animals, and which does not achieve its primary intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body.

By this respect then an app that measures how many calories you eat is not really a medical app but an app that clearly states that by doing such and such you can cure tinnitus is a medical app. Such apps are already up and running all over the app worlds. And what about the devices that they run on? Does that mean that they are only taxing apps or the devices? Well, the FD&C Act further states that any device that possesses medical software is a Class 1 medical device requiring premarket notification.

The take on this is quite problematic to those in the House of Representatives. Some people feel that it’s necessary due to the rising number of people who would much rather depend on their smartphones than go to the hospital for a diagnosis but does that give them the right to hike the price of the device itself? Well, it does. Under their legal guardianship we are obliged to obey. If we don’t like the taxing we could as well move to a country that doesn’t tax the apps.

Obama worked had to screw the mobile world over. Maybe you should forgo that Galaxy S4 this week. It’ll probably be more expensive than you had hoped thanks to Obamacare.

Via FoxNews

Rooting a Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 with Android 4.1.2 XXLSZ Jelly Bean

The international version of Samsung Galaxy Note is receiving Android 4.1.2 XXLSZ Jelly Bean update – if you have this phablet, you should already have it on your phone or at least have the notification if you have the ROM installed. This new update has completely revamped and revived the user interface on Note as well as added a ton of new improvements and features – even more reasons for their owners to want to stick to it or maybe look forward to an even better Note III in the future.

The new Jelly Bean update has also come with a ton of Premium Suite upgrades from Samsung which include Project Butter, Google Now, a new notification panel, improved battery management, dual homescreen modes, page buddy and more S Note and S Pen features among others. If you have already installed this update, you may be more inclined to want to stick to the stock Android rather than switch to a custom ROM. The good news is, if you prefer to install a custom ROM, you will find an even better one than the stock Jelly Ben – in my opinion.

The process

Installing a custom ROM on a phone these days is so simple – you just need to follow some simple instructions and use the right tools. To install the custom ROM on your Note, you will first need to root it if you haven’t rooted it yet then download and install ‘ClockworkMod Recovery’. You cannot install a custom ROM on your phone or phablet in this case without rooting it. Rooting it is simply removing the manufacturer protection to get the privileges to install the ROM. It is also possible to make a backup of your current ROM to restore it in a future date if you do not like the new custom ROM or if you encounter problems.

Disclaimer:

Tampering with the phone’s ROM is risky, no matter how simple it is. You could easily damage your phone to the point of no recovery. You will follow these instructions at your own risk, we will not be responsible for any damages that your device may incur. Also, this form of modification certainly voids your warranty. Note that this process is meant for the international version of the Note. You should NEVER try to install a wrong version of operating system on a device.

What you need

Once you weigh the pros and cons of installing the custom ROM and decide to proceed, you need to prepare and ensure you have everything ready prior to starting. Here are the things you need on your checklist:

Ensure that your device is rooted.
Download and install ClockWorkMod Recovery.
Setlle on the most desired installation mode. There are three ways to install the ROM:

You can root the device and install the PhilZ Kernel with ClockWorkMod Touch Recovery without bumping up the flash counter. This installation method does not void your warranty.
You can root the device and install the PhilZ Kernel with the ClockWorkMod Touch Recovery (via Odin). This increases the flash counter and voids any warranty you have on the device.
You can install the custom ROM on the Note phablet only – without applications. You can also choose to install the applications without installing the ROM.

Ensure that your device is fully charged. Installation SHOULD NOT be interrupted, especially by the device going off because of low battery power.
Turn USB Debugging on. On your phone, go to Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging and turn it on.
Proper rooting does not erase your files or data on the phone, but it is always advisable, as a precautionary measure, to back up any files and data you will need later such as messages, apps, contacts and other files on the main storage.

1: Rooting without installing ClockWorkMod Recovery

Download the ‘Update SuperSU v1.25’ Zip file on this link https://download.chainfire.eu/315/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.25.zip or here (https://d-h.st/tfu) and save it on the external memory card of your Galaxy Note.
When copying is complete, turn your device off and boot it into recovery. You can do this by pressing and holding the Volume Up and Home buttons together then pressing and holding the Power button as the device powers up until the screen turns on and the Samsung logo blinks twice. After this, release the Power Button hold but keep pressing the Volume Up and Home buttons until Blue text and a green Android bot on a black screen appear.
Navigate up and down the list of options using the Volume Up and Down buttons. Scroll down to the option ‘Apply update from external storage’ then press the power button once to choose. You will then navigate to the ‘UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.25.zip’ file, select it and confirm the selection if required to do so.
Wait for the installation to complete.
Select ‘Reboot System Now’ when installation is complete.
When the phone is booting up, it will display ‘Android is upgrading…’ message on the screen. Be patient and wait for it to complete.
When update is complete and the Galaxy Note is ready for use, open the App drawer and locate an application called ‘SuperSU’. Run it and if it asks you to update binary, do so.

Done!

2. Rooting the Note Using Stock Recovery

Download the PhilZ-cwm6-XXLSZ-OXA-4.63-signed.zip file from this link (https://www.mediafire.com/?6bxp34p353tf8ob). Do not extract it. Just copy it to the external memory card on your Note.
Follow the instructions given under method 1 above (from point 2 to 7) substituting the ‘UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.25.zip’ file on point 3 with ‘PhilZ-cwm6-XXLSZ-OXA-4.63-signed.zip’.

3. Rooting Galaxy Note via Odin

Rooting the Note using the Odin method is the most popular approach today to install an official firmware on a Samsung Galaxy device. This method will require a file with a .tar extension. Follow these steps to install the software:

Download and install all the Samsung USB drivers. You should also download Samsung Kies if it is not already installed on your computer. This installation may require you to reboot your computer. You can download USB drivers here (https://droidviews.com/2012/android-usb-drivers-samsung-motorola-sony-lg-zte-htc-asus-huawei-acer/)
Download the Odin v3.04 zip file here (https://d-h.st/XaC) on your laptop or desktop.
Download the PhilZ-cwm6-XXLSZ-OXA-4.63.tar.md5 file here (https://www.mediafire.com/?gup52876ps7j4gb) and save it on your computer.
Set your Galaxy Note in ‘Download’ mode. This means turning off the phone then pressing and holding the Volume Down and Home buttons then long pressing the Power button when the device is turned off until the screen powers on. A prompt will ask you to press the Volume Up key to continue. Do so.
Run the Odin program you downloaded. Ensure that the ‘F Reset Time’ and ‘Auto Reboot’ are checked before proceeding.
Connect your Galaxy Note device to the computer via a USB cable. Wait till the ID: COM port on the Odin program turns blue and displays ‘Added!’ message on the text box below it. If you do not see the ‘Added!’ message, check to ensure that the USB cable is properly attached and that all the drivers installed correctly and ‘USB Debugging’ mode is turned on on the Note.
Click on the ‘PDA’ button on the screen and navigate to your downloads folder then choose ‘PhilZ-cwm6-XXLSZ-OXA-4.63.tar.md5’ file.
Click ‘Start’ on the Odin program window and let the download begin.
When the process is complete, it will display a ‘Pass!’ message on the Odin program window and the Galaxy Note will reboot automatically.
You will see ‘Android is upgrading…’ message on the Note’s screen when the phone is booting up. Wait for it to complete installation and when it is ready to be used, open the App drawer and run the ‘SuperSU’ application. If it asks you to update the binary, do so.

Done!

That is all that is required in rooting your Note. You can however download the Root Checker application which is free on Google Play and run it to confirm that your device was actually rooted. Here is the link (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joeykrim.rootcheck) to the application

What to do if you do not see SuperSU app on your Galaxy Note

No reason to panic! If you do not see SuperSU shortcut on your App drawer, here is what you need to do:

Download the UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.25 zip file from https://download.chainfire.eu/315/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.25.zip or https://d-h.st/tfu and copy it to your device’s memory card. Do not extract the zip file, just copy it the way it is.
Boot your Galaxy note to ‘ClockWorkMod Recover’ mode by following the third step in the first method in this post.
Inside recovery, navigate the options using the volume keys and make selections using the power button. Scroll down and select ‘Install zip from SDCard’ then navigate to the location on the memory card where you placed the downloaded file and select it.
Confirm file selection by choosing ‘Yes – install UPDATE- SuperSU-v1.25.zip’
Wait for installation to complete then select ‘Reboot system now’

Congratulations, your Samsung Galaxy Note N700 is now running on Android 4.1.2 XXLSZ Jelly Bean official firmware.

Via IBTimes

Smartphone Battle of the Year: Samsung Galaxy SIV Vs HTC One

Before 2012, the smartphone market was not a front for battle for most hardware manufacturers. This is because most manufacturers made devices targeting specific user groups rather than a portion of the market. However, the battle for high end smartphone market and the best smartphone tag’ heated up in 2012, and it’s getting even more fierce this year. Samsung’s Galaxy SIII emerged as the mother of all smartphones last year, will it manage to earn the best high end smartphone tag this year when it releases their next flagship smartphone, Galaxy S4, tomorrow?

HTC’s One is quite an impressive smartphone. With a 1.7 GHz quad core Snapdragon 600 processor, a 4.7 inch 1080 x 1920 Super LCD3 pixels 469ppi display, an impressive HTC Sense 5 interface, a 4 megapixels Ultrapixels rear camera and 2 GB RAM and choice of 32 and 64 GB onboard memory, this passes as one of the most formidable smartphones from one of the most dependable manufacturers in the world. However, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is said to come with quite impressive features too – features expected to outdo those of the HTC One. For one, the processor is rumored to be either an Octa core Exynos 5 5410 processor, a 4.99 inch 1080 x 1920 PHOLED display, a possibly 3D still image and video camera and 2 GB RAM and a choice of 16, 32 and 64 GB onboard memory.

Since Samsung’s SIII beat HTC’s One X and One X+ last year to take the crown as the top smartphone in the world, the battle lines are drawn in the next round of the battle for the top smartphone. Based on what we know already, it seems that the battle has shifted from display technology to processing power and camera. Samsung Galaxy S4’s specifications have been literally confirmed by Samsung and if history is anything to go by, winning accolades as the finest smartphone in the market certainly has a great impact on sales, company name and of course, build reputation for the next gadget in the series.

Based on the features and specifications, the S4 may outdo the HTC One, but we have to wait and see if the SI4 will carry on the legacy of its predecessor, the S3.

Via Christianpost