You Want That!

Samsung Galaxy S VERY VERY Easy Root

Disclaimer:

Although the process went smooth for me and I experienced ZERO data loss and have had absolutely no issues….you move forward and follow the steps outline AT YOUR OWN RISK!  I am 100% not responsible if you brick your device, lose important data, experience monetary loss as a result of following this article or get into a fight with your woman because you screwed up your phone or are spending too much time on it. 

There are also other ways of rooting your phone as alternatives to what I’m posting here BUT this one doesn’t involve you having to connect your phone to your computer and do anything more complicated than pointing and tapping your phone screen.  For those wanting to go another route I’m providing a link to an alternative rooting method Samsung Galaxy S One-Click Root for i9000.

That said we can now continue…

What you need:

-  microSDHC Card.  If you can fit it into your budget I recommend getting a 16GB Class10 microSDHC.  It’s fast and has enough space to do what you need.  I’m sure you can get away with using a 2GB card but if you can, try to stick with at least a 6GB card when doing this.  The process copies files to the SD memory card that are used in the rooting process and if you decide to install any of the fixes provided by the tool, you might need more space.

-  One Click Lag Fix [Updated].  This is a freely available tool that can be downloaded from the Market.  For those using ATT, you’ll notice that ATT locked down your phone so you can’t install anything unless it’s sourced through the Market.  Because of this the good guys who developed the software have uploaded it to the Market…makes it readily accessible and can be installed on your ATT phone.   If you need more info on this tool please visit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=751864 .  If you have any problems resulting from following this how-to please head over to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=751864 and post your questions there or submit your problem reports.  This tool not only provides for an easy way to root your Samsung Galaxy S device but it also provides the following:
~  OneClickLagFix v1+:  There is a known issue with the way Samsung implemented the file system on the device.  This causes lag for some applications and it gets a bit annoying waiting for the device.  After you root your device, you can resolve the lag issue with this tool.  If you have any questions regarding this lag issue just visit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=751864 or do a search on the http://www.xda-developers.com forum and you’ll find more than enough information on the topic.  Again, this is NOT the only method to fix the lag issue, just a very easy one.
~  Captivate Jupiter Fix:  Please visit XDA-Developers for more information on this issue – http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=751864 or search at http://www.xda-developers.com.

-  Galaxy S Class Phone.  My phone is the ATT variant called the Samsung Captivate.  Tmobile has the same phone under the name of Samsung Vibrant.  If you have any questions as to the compatibility of this method with your device, please visit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=751864.

How-To:

-  Ensure your microSDHC card is in your phone.  Without the card this won’t work at all.
-  [Updated] Go to the Market app on your device and search for “One Click Lag Fix” and install it.
-  Open One Click Lag Fix and give it a moment to initialize.-  Click on “Root Device 2.1″
-  Once the process is done power off your phone.
-  Then, while holding down the Up AND Down volume keys, power on the phone.  This will put the phone into Recovery Mode.  I’ve provided an image below so you know when you’re in Recovery Mode. 
-  Once in Recovery Mode you can release the volume keys.
-  Use the volume keys to scroll up and down through the choices.  Go to “reinstall packages” and press the power button on your device to select it.  This will initiate a scan of your microSD device for the update.zip file that was stored on the root of the card by the OneClickLagFix app.
-  Once the process finishes, simply scroll up to the first option which will read “reboot system now”.  Please note that the initial boot will take some time so be patient.  If for whatever reason your device gets “stuck” with a black screen for more than 3-5 minutes just power it off and back on and then wait again for it to boot up…that’s what I had to do on mine.  Once the phone boots up you should have root access and be able to install apps from the Market which require root.  You still won’t have the ability to install apps from anywhere but the Market.  I might write an article on how to accomplish this later but for now you can search http://www.xda-developers.com or http://www.google.com.  There are plenty of articles out there on how it’s done and there is more than one way to get it done.

Hope this article helps you and I welcome feedback and suggestions.

Samsung Galaxy S Recovery Screen

Samsung Galaxy S Recovery Mode Screen CloseUp

Disclaimer:  I’m not responsible nor am in a position to provide support if you choose to use the information within this post or download files and something goes wrong.  Download and use any information within this post or this website at your own risk.  I nor YouWantThat.com is liable for any problems encountered or loss of data as a result of using the information and/or files provided on this website/blog.

I’ve looked long and hard for something like this and finally found a FREE solution that works.

This add-in is hard to find and might not be in development as the developer has pulled it from his website.  There are a couple of versions floating around the Internet but only one worked for me.

I’m using Outlook 2007 and I haven’t tested it on 2000 nor 2003 but since the add-in was developed for 2000 and 2003 and works on 2007, I’m assuming it’s okay for all three versions hence the title of the post.

What will this add-in do for me you ask?  Well, when you close Outlook if you have open messages that you still haven’t responded to or need for reference but didn’t want to flag, task them, etc…those messages will automatically open back up the next time you open Outlook!!!  I love this and YOU WANT THAT!!!  Don’t you? 

Right about now you’re probably asking yourself or me, how do I get it???  Well, click here Windows Manager for Outlook 1.0.0.2 and you’re welcome! 

To make this work you’ll have to read the file named “WinMan.txt” in the archive.

Although I’m not the developer, I would like to get feedback and hear how it’s working or not working for you.

HTC Touch Pro 2 (Rhodium)

HTC Diamond 2 (Topaz)

Introduction

You’ve probably heard or read about the HTC Touch Diamond 2 (Topaz) and HTC Touch Pro 2 (Rhodium) by now.   The two are HTC’s latest flagship Windows Mobile devices, and mark the third generation of HTC’s Touch line. I am doing the review of both these devices in a single post because even though they look very different, they are technically very alike.

To the experienced HTC owner it will come as little surprise that neither of these two devices bring a lot of new hardware to the table. They are still using the Qualcomm MSM7×00 series chipsets we have seen in every HTC Windows Mobile device since the HTC Touch Dual, which was released almost two years ago. Don’t let this deceive you though: HTC has definitely come a long way and … well, let’s leave the conclusion for the conclusion part of this posting, shall we?

The basics

Both of these devices come loaded with Windows Mobile 6.1, and the promise of a Windows Mobile 6.5 update when it becomes available. As someone who has already used Windows Mobile 6.5 extensively I can say this is definitely a good thing. Improvements in Windows Mobile 6.5 include speed-ups, more finger-friendly common controls and of course the much hyped new home screen (Titanium) and start menu (Honeycomb). However, chances are you will see little of this on these devices.

This is because these devices come with HTC’s own TouchFlo3D user interface, which also replaces most of the commonly used Windows Mobile screens and dialogs. Undoubtedly many of you are already familiar with TouchFlo3D and this is not news to you. However, these devices do not come with just TouchFlo3D, they come with TouchFlo3D version 2. A common complaint with the first version of TouchFlo3D was that you were “dropped” back into the default Windows Mobile dialogs frequently. This is no longer the case with this new version of TouchFlo3D. HTC seems to have put a lot of work into expanding the reach of TouchFlo3D, replacing and “shining up” many of Windows Mobile’s standard features. I would go so far as to say that your average user will now definitely spend most of his or her time in TouchFlo3D, and very little in the “old” parts of Windows Mobile, while the more advanced Windows Mobile user can of course still access the full array of options and features that Windows Mobile has to offer. This is however not an in-depth TouchFlo3Dv2 review, so I will not go into further detail about it.   Suffice to say TouchFlo3D has gotten much better, and I can say without a doubt…you WANT that!

Both of these devices are ARMed with a 528 megahertz processor, making them plenty powerful and responsive. While the user interface may not always be as fluent as, for example the iPhone, you can definitely notice that these devices are faster and more responsive than HTC’s last generation (mainly the original Touch Diamond, Touch Pro, and Touch HD). Note that I am comparing fully optimized and tweaked custom ROMs from the older devices to the stock HTC ROMs on the Topaz and Rhodium! The touch screens seem to have been dramatically improved as well, sporting the brightness we have come to know from the HTC Touch HD and a response of these resistive screens rivaling capacitive ones (but without any of the drawbacks of capacitive touch screens like having to use a conductive material to touch them). Unfortunately, you will still not want to use the screen protector that comes with these devices, but get a Brando (or similar) instead: HTC’s screen protectors are still very prone to scratching, even when using the stylus with minimal pressure applied.

Both devices have a zoom slider which can be used in the web browser (Opera Mobile 9.5 by default) to zoom in and out. This works fairly well, however it would have been nice if this slider was directly usable by other applications as well, which it seems it isn’t. Sadly, HTC isn’t big on publishing public APIs for their custom additions to Windows Mobile, but I am sure the folks at XDA Developers will figure out how to use it sooner rather than later.

Both devices also have very tiny buttons below the screen. In my opinion, they are too tiny, and seriously we could have done with more buttons on the devices. There is no camera button for example, a real miss – if not because you want to have quick access to the camera, then at least because you could have remapped this button to something else useful, like launching your favorite application.

Battery life for both devices seems slightly better than previous models, but not by a very large margin. I have only had these devices for a short time, so it is too soon to say anything worthwhile about this.

I will decline boring you with detailed hardware specifications of these two devices – if those are what you want, PDAdb.net has (mostly correct) listings for both the Touch Diamond 2 and the Touch Pro 2. Instead, I will focus on the things that got my attention or I was surprised with.

Touch Diamond 2 (GSM, EU-WWE)

The Topaz is meant to be the successor of the HTC Touch Diamond – possibly the cutest, tiniest, and slickest Windows Mobile device out there. The first time I saw (and played with) the Topaz with my own eyes however, at the Mobile World Conference 2009 back in February, the thought that immediately went through my head was “this is not a diamond!”. When I first laid my eyes on the original Diamond I immediately fell in love with it; when I saw the Diamond 2 I fell out of love just as fast.

For a “standard” non-keyboard “full screen” device it is definitely not bad, but it completely misses the style and finesse of the original Diamond. It can’t even match the Touch HD style-wise, though I will of course admit this is all very subjective. Though the device is actually only a few millimeters bigger than the original Diamond – even though it sports a much larger screen – it does feel a lot bigger both in your hand as well as in your pocket. The screen also seems to lay deeper below the glass, which just looks weird when you turn on the device. The back cover of the device no longer has the “Diamond edges” found on some of the original Diamond models. Though this does do away with some of the slickness, it’s actually a good thing. You couldn’t lay the original Diamond flat on a flat surface without it doing a little rocking back and forth but the Topaz you can.

However, my personal pet peeve with the Diamond 2 is the silver bar below the (too tiny) buttons. It doesn’t really add anything to the design and is pretty much wasted space. It also smudges even worse than the screen does, and will require constant cleaning.

On a positive note, the Touch Diamond 2’s 5 megapixel camera makes some of the best pictures I have seen a phone make so far. If this is important to you, this is definitely a plus! However, as is often the case with camera’s integrated in phones, it’s performance in low light conditions is nothing to write home about. It has improved significantly since the last iteration of the Touch line, though.

Most of this sounds very negative – don’t let that fool you. It is actually a very nice device, to me it just doesn’t feel like the successor to the Diamond.

Touch Pro 2 (GSM, EU-WWE)

Now, what you have all been waiting for: on to the powerhouse we call the HTC Touch Pro 2, AKA Rhodium!

As you may recall, the original Touch Pro was in fact nothing more than the Touch Diamond with a keyboard slapped on to it. This is not so with the Touch Pro 2 and the Touch Diamond 2 – you really notice the Rhodium is more aimed at the business and power users.

The first thing you will notice about the Touch Pro 2 is it’s look. It is simply the best looking keyboard slider phone out there. The chromed sides are a nice touch, but I can’t help but wonder how long they will last. The Sprint version of the original Touch Pro also had this chroming, and you can find many people complaining about the coating cracking and/or falling off.  So far there is not a single scratch on mine, but people do keep telling me I handle my phones with a completely ridiculous amount of care.

The back cover looks really nice.  Though it tries to imply there is a big-ass speaker beneath it, this is not actually the case – there are only two really tiny ones.  Yes, two – you can get stereo sound out of the speakers on this device. There’s also a mute button on the back, but we’ll get to that later.

The five-row QWERTY keyboard is a definite improvement over the keyboard on the Touch Pro. There is some spacing between the keys which makes it harder to accidentally press two keys at the same time, and the buttons themselves feel better as well. However, HTC did make the same mistake as they made with the Dream (G1): in normal lighting conditions, if the keyboard light comes on, the keys themselves become virtually unreadable. I know, this is not supposed to happen in daylight conditions, but for some reason it sometimes does, and sometimes doesn’t.

When the keyboard is revealed, you can also tilt the screen up. When I first heard this would be possible with Rhodium, I literally jumped for joy. Having used a HTC TyTN II – which could also do this - for almost a year, it was a sorely missed feature in the Touch Pro. This feature is great for watching video, and also when typing on the phone while having it on the table (as opposed to in your hand).  Yes, when doing the latter you will look like a giant using a leprechaun’s laptop, but it is a must for ultra-fast typing. The tilting mechanism is not nearly as sturdy as the one on the TyTN II though – this makes me wonder how long it will last – and it does not tilt as many degrees either.

A much touted new feature is “straight talk”.  Talking to sombody but want to switch to speakerphone? Just put the device on the table, with the screen down and the backside up and it will switch to speakerphone automatically.  You also have nifty mute button on the back, so if you need to say something to the guy next to you you’re able to easily mute the microphone.  It’s a pretty handy feature, all in all. The quality on speakerphone is good, but could have been better.

Of course I also have to make a note about the 3 megapixel camera, so here it is: it is mediocre at best. The quality is nowhere near the quality of the Diamond 2, which is obvious when you think about the 2 megapixel difference (even when megapixels are not the deciding factor).

Surprisingly, and unlike the Diamond 2 – and in fact all other Touch models up until now – the Touch Pro 2 uses a Broadcom Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM-Radio chip instead of the common Texas Instruments chip.  Why HTC chose this new chip over the chips they were already succesfully using is unknown to me, but let me assure you this new chip performs just as well – if not better.  One result from this is that the Rhodium uses the very extensive Broadcom/Widcomm Bluetooth stack instead of the normal Microsoft one.  What this means is the Rhodium is able to do pretty much everything that is even theoretically possible with Bluetooth, and it’s all a breeze to set up and use.  For example, you can use Personal Area Networking both in server and client mode, and even Dial-up Networking seems to be possible again. I am not a Bluetooth expert so I’ll leave it at that, but it does seem to have a lot more features than we are used to on the Touch series.

The Wi-Fi offered by this new chip seems to perform very well – I have not had a single issue with it. In fact, I am currently typing this on a laptop in a train, tethered over Wi-Fi through WMWifiRouter.  One thing I immediately noticed with that is the phone hardly gets warm at all! This is very surprising as this is a common issue with the “old” Wi-Fi chip.  But no, after an hour of Wi-Fi tethering the phone is still a cool 36 degrees Celsius.

While we are at the subject of heat, a common issue with the original Touch Pro is that it would sometimes get very hot at the top during a call.  This does not seem to be the case for the Rhodium, which is for obvious reasons a Good Thing(tm).

Also note that the Touch Pro will ultimately be available in several different models.  The current EU version is an MSM7200A based device, while the AT&T version will be an MSM7201A based device. The Sprint version will have the MSM7600 chipset, which supports both CDMA and GSM. However, right now it seems the GSM part will be disabled in this version.

Conclusion

Both the Touch Diamond 2 and the Touch Pro 2 are great new devices, well worth the purchase – especially if you are already a few generations behind on your phone.

However, I must say that I personally did not consider switching my current “private” phone – the Touch HD – for the Touch Diamond 2. In my personal opinion, the HD is a better device, at least until the Diamond 2 gets it’s Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade. Perhaps I should better compare it in this instance to the original Diamond, but if I did that, I’d still keep the original Diamond as well.

HTC Touch Diamond 2: you may want that!

The Touch Pro 2 however completely obliterates the original Touch Pro, and it didn’t take me more than a split second to retire the Touch Pro in favor of the Touch Pro 2 on my “business” line.  Not since the TyTN II have I been this excited about a phone.  The Touch Pro 2 is exceptional, the difference being that the TyTN II kept disappointing me while the Touch Pro 2 keeps amazing me.  It feels more like a TyTN III than a Touch Pro 2 in any case! The Touch Pro 2 is at this time, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best Windows Mobile-based device out there. (However, please keep in mind that I will be playing with a TG01 very soon!)

HTC Touch Pro 2: you most definitely WANT that!

Release dates

HTC Touch Diamond 2:

EU: Already available
US/AT&T: “Warhawk“, rumored to be released in August, 2009
US/Sprint: rumor is October, but roadmaps do not show this device at all
US/T-Mobile: likely to be released, date unknown
US/Verizon: unknown if it will be released at all

HTC Touch Pro 2:

EU: Already available
US/AT&T: “Fortress“, rumored to be released in June 2009 (seems unlikely now), has passed through FCC
US/Sprint: rumored to be released in June 2009 (seems unlikely now), has passed through FCC
US/T-Mobile: rumored to be released on July 22, 2009
US/Verizon: will be released, date unknown