Samsung Galaxy S III (GT I9300) The Wait is Finally Over!!

To root your Galaxy S3 go here

Author: Esteban Vega
Review:

       On May 5th, 2012, Samsung announced it's latest highly anticipated flagship smartphone- Galaxy S III - and had everyone across the map yearning for specifics (a release date for the US among other things).  Instead, as is the case with many soon-to-be-released high end devices we were forced to remain content with what we had....a few video reviews and hands on pics spread out across the blogisphere.  But after the enormously long lasting hype that surrounded the S III the wait is finally over! More than 9 million people have pre-ordered theirs, ridding the possibilities of missing out on first dibs to the Galaxy S II successor.  The Galaxy S II was named the most popular android device of 2011 and leaves huge shoes for the S III to fill which it will undoubtedly do.

Though the S3 is said to have produced mixed reviews it is hard to deny the power that results from the hefty hardware packed inside it.

Specs are as follows:

• 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm
• 133 grams
• Display: 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED (1280×720) Pentile (no Plus)
• Processor: Exynos 4 Quad @ 1.4Ghz for HSPA version
• 1GB of RAM
• Rear Camera: 8MP Autofocus, Flash, Zero Lag Shutter BSI Image sensor
• Front Camera: 1.9 MP HD, Flash, Zero Lag Shutter
• Video: Full HD 1080p Recording and Playback
• Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB
• 2,100mAh battery
• GPS with GLONASS
• 802.11n Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4
• microSD expansion
• 21Mbps HSPA, LTE supported
• Micro SIM

       According to a noteworthy attempt in the area of predictions the good fellows over at Android Authority came up with the following information: The Samsung Galaxy S3 will become available in the US over the next two months, from all major carriers, in an LTE dual-core version and the quad-core version on T-Mobile. Expect to pay $199-$299 for a two-year contract and about $700 for an unlocked model.


       Seeing how hard the HTC One X hit us- specs and all- we would be right to assume that if anything it'll be just about the only real worthy opponent to take on the Galaxy S3 and given the wide popularity generated by the S2 the odds are in Samsung's favor.  It has been reported that only the 16GB white version of the device will be available while the 32GB white version, as well as both variations of the blue model have been delayed.  Furthermore, it could be several weeks before any of the other models are released to the public.  Samsung also announced that a 64GB model would be released somewhere down the line.  No matter what, the US release of the S3 is still one of the highest anticipated events of the year.

      So ladies, gents and all faithful Android heads out there fasten your seat belts for a ride that will undoubtedly go down in history as another record breaking release from the world famous South Korean born electronics company.  Over and out!

source: redmond pie, Samsung)

How to Root your Galaxy Note (SGH-i717) w/o Boosting Flash Counter

    How to Root your Galaxy Note (SGH-i717) w/o Boosting Flash Counter

For all those who haven't yet gotten a full glimpse of what the world of flashing kernels to a Samsung android device looks like - or just flashing in general - then you will definitely learn something after reading this article.
      I'm sure you've heard of the Samsung Galaxy Note from AT&T as it is the one device that has boldly gone beyond the average 4.x inch screen with it's Super AMOLED capacitive, 800 x 1280 pixel, 5.3 inch touchscreen.  Like many Galaxy phones the Note is indeed an easy phone to root. However, Samsung has implemented what is called a flash counter into their devices that keeps track of the number of times that particular phone has been flashed.  So if you decide you want to root the Galaxy Note by flashing a pre-rooted kernel, you must be willing to accept an increase in number on the Note’s flash counter.  No one knows for certain what the flash counter will be used for, but there are fears that Samsung may use it to refuse honoring warranties after a phone has been flashed.  Understandably, then, you’d prefer to flash pre-rooted kernels to your Galaxy Note without increasing its flash counter.

      Thanks to XDA Developers member mashi we are able to apply a new rooting method which doesn’t affect the flash counter.  The magic lies in a pre-rooted system.img.ext4 inside a pda.tar which can be flashed through Odin.  It is said that this method flashes the image directly–and the system partition is rooted permanently, too.

      If you want to root your Galaxy Note without being subjected to the flash counter, check out the guide below:

Requirements

• Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717 (AT&T).  Go here if you have a GT-n7000
• A computer running Windows
• Odin-flashable pre-rooted ROM for AT&T Galaxy Note SGH-I717 (att_note_root.zip, 535.5 MB, md5sum: 9c1dff3867e014774d776f45375956b5) — Download from here
• Odin3 v1.85 — Download from here (198 KB)
• USB drivers for Samsung Galaxy Note.  Install these on your computer. You can get them from here.
• Charge the phone’s battery to at least 70% or more to make sure it lasts throughout the entire flashing process.
• Disable system tools such as Samsung KIES, firewall programs, and anti-virus software to avoid interruption while you root your phone.
• Backup your personal phone data, files, and settings.

Warnings

• This rooting guide works only with the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717. Using this guide on a variant or on another device may cause damage.
• Follow these step-by-step rooting instructions at your own risk. We will not be held liable for any damage arising from the use of this rooting guide.

Instructions

1. Download att_note_root.zip from the link above.  Save the file to your computer.
2. Extract the content of att_note_root.zip.  You will get one huge file called att_note_root.tar. This is the file that you will flash through Odin3.
3. Download Odin3 v1.85 from the link provided above.  Extract the ZIP package.
4. Run the newly extracted Odin3 v1.85.exe executable file to launch Odin3 on your computer.
5. Enable USB Debugging on your phone. You can do that by going to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.
6. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note.
7. Hold down the Volume Down key and OK button (middle key) simultaneously, while tapping the Power button to reboot your phone into download mode.
8. Hook up your mobile phone to the computer using USB cable.
9. Once connected, the ID:COM box in Odin will turn yellow. This signals that your device has been successfully connected to your computer. If not, make sure the appropriate USB drivers are installed on your computer.
10. In Option in Odin3, make sure that only Auto Reboot is checked.  Leave the other options unchecked.
11. Click on the PDA tab and select the att_note_root.tar. style=”font-weight: bold;”>
12. Click the Start button in Odin3 to flash the ROM.  Your phone will automatically reboot.
13. Disconnect your phone from your computer once the phone has completely rebooted.
14. Verify successful flashing and rooting by checking for the Superuser app.  Optionally, you can also update the su binary at this point.

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717 by flashing a ROM through Odin but without increasing the device’s flash counter.






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Source:

How to Unroot your Galaxy Note (GT-n7000)

How to Unroot your Galaxy Note (GT-n7000)

DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any loss of data or any damage to your device in the following of this guide. Proceed at your own risk.

1. Download this file and put it on the root of your EXTERNAL SD CARD

2. Reboot into recovery - Shutdown your device completely, press and hold Vol Up + Power button + Home, releasing the power buttons once you see the Samsung GALAXY Note N7000 screen but continue to hold the Vol Up and Power buttons still until you enter recovery 

3. Choose apply update from external storage - Touch the screen as if you are using the phone to choose the options  

4. Choose CWM.zip and wait until CWM recovery appears -

 (From this point on, the volume rockers and power buttons do not work! It is now a Touch interface like how you would normally use the phone) 

5. Choose install zip from External SD

6. Select and install SU-Uninstaller-Signed.zip

7. Reboot

You are done and now your device is Unrooted

You can follow the King on Twitter, or like his Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Android, Google and the web.

How to Root Your Galaxy Note (GT-n7000) Without Boosting the Flash Counter

Credit goes to XDA member deathst for this method.  Go here for original thread

DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any loss of data or any damage to your device in the following of this guide. Proceed at your own risk.

Important Note: There are reports of Galaxy Note devices being permanently bricked due to some bug in Samsung’s ICS kernel. To counter this, the developer suggests that you do not take NANDroid backups or restore using one.

Step 1: Download the following files

• CWM.zip
• SU-Busybox-Installer.zip

Place all these files directly under /sdcard on your device’s internal memory.

Step 2: Shutdown your device. Once it is completely shut down, press and hold Volume Down + Power + Home buttons until you see a screen asking you to press to press Volume Up. Press said button to complete booting into Recovery Mode.

Step 3: Select apply update from external storage and then navigate to where you placed CWM.zip. Select it.

Step 4: Your device should now boot into Clockworkmod (CWM) Recovery.

Step 5: From CWM, choose install zip from sdcard > choose zip from sdcard > SU-Busybox-Installer.zip

Step 6: From main menu of CWM, choose reboot system now.

If you followed the steps correctly, your Samsung Galaxy Note International GT-N7000 will now be rooted on Android 4.0.3 ICS.

For queries and help with unrooting your now rooted Galaxy Note, please go here


You can follow the King on Twitter, or like his Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Android, Google and the web.

If you'd like to arrange to have a professional root your phone for you for a reasonably low price then please visit the King's official website for professional rooting services right here: www.androidrootking.net

[HOW TO] Root the HTC One X (All Versions)

Disclaimer: I will be not held responsible for what may or may not happen to your device by using this guide.  Please proceed with caution and follow each step very carefully. 

This guide is for the HTC One X on 4.0.3 and is known to work for AT&T, Rogers and other versions of this device.  (Win/Lin/Mac)

One X Review:

       The HTC One X is the latest stunner from the Taiwanese based smartphone supplier and comes shipped with the latest Android OS version 4.0.3.  There is a lot of talk surrounding the fact that HTC decided to release the AT&T version of the One X in the U.S. with a different processor than the European version. While the European version boasts an Nvidia Tegra 3, 1.5Ghz Quad-Core processor, the same model phone for the U.S. only sports a Dual-Core Qualcomm S4 underneath its hood.

       While the specs may deceive consumers there is more to be considered than just putting a Qualcomm up against an Nvidia Tegra and basing our opinions on which one has the most cores.  With that said it should be noted that Qualcomm is known for making a nicely equipped dual-core S4 processor, using more advanced Cortex “A15-class” cores compared to Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor that, while based on an older A9 architecture can carry a heavier load across when performing certain tasks like intensive gaming with rich graphics. 

       Though many people seem to have a word or two to say about the whole thing AT&T says the incompatibility between Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor and the LTE radio on their version of the One X or just LTE radios in general is the reason for the difference in processors.  Although their are many tests being done all over the internet between the two devices below are the results from a test done by Youtube member Josh Krek. As you can see the stat differences are minimal and notably in 2 out of 3 cases the AT&T version came out on top.  So what do we learn on that note?  More doesn't necessarily mean better and sometimes less is more. Have you purchased an HTC One X?  Are you one of those that just has to have root access and can't do without it?  Then follow the guide below to root your One X in a just few steps...