CyanogenMod on Samsung Galaxy S and 3 Button fix

-

I did not brick my phone this time. And now I am on CyanogenMod 7 - with Gingerbread. It looks beautiful and is very responsive ( thanks to the Hardcore's Speedmod kernel ) - Samsung Galaxy S feels like a new phone once again.

Some of the SGS had the 3 button method ( Volume button  + Home + Power key ) to reboot into Recovery or Download mode disabled -  which is essential to install any kernels or ROMS. 

The trick was to enable the 3 Button Fix and it becomes easy to install ROMS. In my previous failed attempt I tried to accomplish the same using adb and bricked my phone. ( http://venkat2.blogspot.com/2011/09/android-adventures-how-i-bricked-my.html ) 

1. Root SGS

This is quite simple. Download SuperOneClick from shortfuse ( http://shortfuse.org/?page_id=2 ) and root the phone.

2. Enable the 3 button fix

If you can go to download / recovery mode with the 3 buttons you can skip this step. Use the below link and it worked without any hiccups : http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/fix-3-button-combo-download-recovery-mode-in-samsung-galaxy-s-gt-i9000/. Has links to Odin and a PDA file which will enable the 3 buttons.

There is a similar article in androidadvices.com - you can give it a pass.

One word of caution : ALWAYS read the comments before you get your hands dirty. I read horror stories of some Samsung Galaxy S 4G ( newer models ) that got completely bricked as this is not supported.

3. Now I can install ROMs using Clockworkmod. The instructions in cyanogenMod wiki were so straightforward it was as simple as installing Ubuntu ( from Version 6 I guess ) and the whole process was done under 2 minutes.

http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S

Here are some screenshots - I could not take the lock screen though - it came out blank. There are 5 "pages". The one in the middle is the landing zone.


To the left I put my "fun" stuff


Further left is google+, twitter and facebook.

To the right of my home is "work"


Yet to organize better. And guess what - the bottom tray - even that is configurable. The = sign is the calculator - yet another reason why android can never beat iOS. I can drag any app to this dock - something I could not do in Froyo ( don't know if this is a Gingerbread thingy or Cyanogenmod's gift )

And so far the phone responds really fast and had no app crashes. I doubt if there is any improvement on battery life - it is already visibly down ( had a 1.2 hour run today morning with GPS and music player on ), and was playing music at home through an amplifier after that. I saw a setting where I can switch the CPU for performance or battery.. right now it is in optimal setting.

And btw - these things void your warranty - but totally worth doing it. If you have a SGS and want it rooted just ping me - I can help you.

Finally - great work Cyanogenmod team - simply amazing.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shahul Hameed still lives...

-
Today I was listening to Thiruda Thiruda - A.R.Rahman's 3rd movie which whenever I listen transforms me to the slogging days of 12th Standard. However, I was listening to Raasaathi en usuru ennuthilla and remembered the voice - Shahul Hameed - the unfortunate singer who died so young in a car crash near Chennai in 1998 or around that time. I was appreciating the intense song the way Shahul Hameed had song with so much passion and life - I felt sad. How unfortunate - he could have been a great singer with his high pitch and powerful voice. However, he still lives on. 10 years down the line, a soul thought about him. Isn't that wonderful. Very few can leave a mark on the world they lived - it is easy for artists - musicians, painters, singers, dancers, actors,writers. What will people like me leave behind? Anyway, Shahul Hameed - your voice is immortal. Thanks for the great song. 
Read more

How to become a Java Developer?

-
Who is this post for? Anyone trying to switch careers ( I was in mainframes, asp then php developer then a swing developer before I switched to this web-app java development), or who is already in Java and wants to get to the next level. What this post is about? Few years back I was slogging on a swing app without knowing what the market was all about - though the swing app taught me the good and bad about Java - it did not help me in getting a job. This post is a guideline for that directionless soul... this.post : Heres some philosophy of mine. Ask yourself - how much did you spend last year on books on technology? If technology is your livelihood, think of it as an investment. You need to invest a lot ( and read a lot ) to get good returns. So do not hesitate to buy books, magazine subscriptions - its worth every penny/paisa/rouble. Lets start. Step 1 : Get to know Java's strength. Assuming it was me years ago, happily coding php in dreamweaver and nodding along with the posters
Read more

Who is lifting the world on their shoulders?

-
Image
Who is lifting the world on their shoulders? Politicians? Philosophers? Writers? Philanthrophists? None of the above. The right answer is - entrepreneurs / business folks - they are the ones lifting the world. They create new markets, promote new ideas, blaze new paths by fighting the system, fighting stereotypes, taking risks against all odds. In this post I will introduce you to "Atlas Shrugged" - a magnum opus by Ayn Rand.  This book glorifies the entrepreneurial spirit. The key players : Looters These are the scum of the society - apparently holding top positions. The top brass in the Government, the industry lobbying heads - they do not produce anything but they loot - from the business and from the public. They know only to take and not give anything. They outnumber and control the producers. Producers The producers are the entrepreneurs, the inventors, the innovators. They are the ones fighting the system to introduce new ideas and keep the world ticking and moving for
Read more