The CyanogenMod team made news last week when they announced that future versions of their venerable Android build would no longer include root-level access by default, a massive departure from essentially every other custom Android ROM. Some have questioned the move, claiming that removing root undermines the very idea of running a custom ROM. What [...]
Modded Android: A Space Odyssey
When I show friends and colleagues the things I’m able to do on my rooted Android device, many of them end up asking me to work similar magic on their hardware. I’ve always been happy to help out, and after a bit of research at home (how to get root, custom ROMs that are available, etc) I [...]
Sony Unexpectedly Leading Industry In Ice Cream Sandwich Support
Sony isn’t a company we often associate with developer-friendly practices, and yet it appears they are currently leading the mobile industry (aside from Google themselves) in terms of Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” support. Sony had previously released an unlocking mechanism for all of their “XPERIA” line of Android smartphones, something other manufacturers have failed to [...]
Google Wallet: Doomed?
One of the biggest new features of both Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” and the Galaxy Nexus was improved support for Near Field Communication (NFC). One of the most touted applications for NFC technology was Google Wallet, a project to replace your debit card with your phone. Leveraging the NFC hardware in the phone and [...]
Motorola RAZR Developer Version Announced, Promptly Disappears
Looks like somebody pulled the trigger a little early on this one over at Motorola. Reports are coming in that the Motorola site briefly announced a new “Developer Version” of the incredibly thin RAZR that features, you guessed it, an unlockable bootloader. Before the site was changed, readers were able to glean that the device [...]
Jailbreaking Is Not a Crime: Protect Your Rights
The 2010 ruling made by the Copyright Office which excluded jailbreaking devices from persecution under the DMCA is set to expire soon, an event that could prove extremely damaging to how you use the devices you own and even websites like The Powerbase. If jailbreaking becomes a criminal offense, than sites which talk about it [...]
OG Droid: One Foot In Your Pocket, One Foot In The Grave
If you own an Android smartphone and keep up with technology, you know all too well how fleeting the feeling of having a top of the line Android phone really is. Say what you will about the iPhone, but at the very least you get a full year before your hardware is obsoleted by a [...]
Getting Root: A Paper Map
[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ightening rips across dark clouds. The flickering glow fades as a 4g logo slips into view. The ominous advertisement spells out just how archaic your phone is and your heart bleeds while you wish you were somewhere else. Where once your pocket was filled with LTE goodness, and the display on your mobile device had an [...]
Root: HTC Doubleshot Mytouch Slide 4g guide
Before my phone arrived on the porch via UPS, I had been studying the rooting process. While most devices involve some work, and more often than not quite a bit of risk, the Doubleshot is quite easy to unlock. This is meant to be a simple guide on Root: HTC Doubleshot Mytouch Slide 4g and [...]
Carrier IQ: spying on hundreds of millions of phones, including yours!
Carrier IQ If you have a phone, this article is for you. Carrier IQ, a cellular software developer has been installing snooping apps on phones for some time. A proud banner displayed on their site counts furiously into the clouds with over 141 million devices INFECTED with their innocuous software as of this article. So [...]
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