Tom's Two Cents » root

Things you can do once you root your G1 or DROID phone

Tom — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:52:37 +0000

Several people have asked me which Android phone I would buy if I were to buy one right now. Until yesterday that was an easy choice. I would buy the G1. They are cheap and easy to root. But now that the DROID has been successfully rooted, the decision is harder. I guess it depends on your carrier. Why do I only care about rooted Android devices? Here is a short list of the things you can do once you root your Android device (there are many more):

1. Performance enhancements: Rooted G1s can run at the full 512MHz (Stock G1s are underclocked at 384MHz because of battery life, and possibly to market the myTouch as “faster.” They actually have the same CPU inside.)

2. Wireless tethering: Your G1 can basically act like a wireless router, allowing you and anyone you approve to connect to the Internet via your phone’s unlimited data plan. (This works best with 3G connections). Here is the free app you need (only works on rooted phones): http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/

3. Google Maps Navigation on G1 (no more DROID envy!): http://lifehacker.com/5402207/get-google-maps-navigation-on-your-g1 (easiest method here: http://digs.by/lxn)

More reasons to root your Android device: http://lifehacker.com/5342237/five-great-reasons-to-root-your-android-phone
The Best ROM currently available: CyanogenMod. Instructions for rooting: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php/Main_Page

Upgrading Android G1 From Older CyanogenMod Versions to 4.2.3.1

Tom — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:47:51 +0000

I finally got around to upgrading to the latest Android CyanogenMod (4.2.3.1), and my G1 is noticeably faster now. Cyanogen must have done some serious optimizing, so this update is definitely worth the trouble. I’ll spare you the details, but if you are upgrading from a Cyanogen Mod version lower than 4.1.99, this update will put you back in compliance with Google’s Terms of Use. It was a pretty simple upgrade once I found the right instructions (there are lots out there).

Keep in mind that by providing these instructions I am not agreeing to provide you with technical support for the rest of your life. The instructions are for the G1 ONLY, so if you have a MyTouch or something else you will need to look elsewhere. Use at your own risk, blah, blah, blah…

Adapted From CyanogenMod Wiki:

This guide will tell you how to upgrade from an older version of CyanogenMod to the latest and greatest versions!

Download: Android 1.6 Recovery Image. Look for the 1.6 recovery image called “signed-dream_devphone_userdebug-ota-14721.zip.” FWIW, you won’t be able to download it from your phone because there is a weird popup license you need to agree to.
Download Cyanogen’s ROM (v4.2.3.1 – stable version, updated 10/31):
Download: http://n0rp.chemlab.org/android/upda…3.1-signed.zip
Mirror1: http://android.phaseburn.net/mirrors…3.1-signed.zip
Mount your phone and place BOTH the HTC 1.6 Image and Cyanogen’s ROM in the root directory of your SD Card.
Turn your phone off.
Hold the Home and Power buttons to get to Recovery Mode.
Perform a Nandroid backup if you’d like to (optional, but highly recommended).
When you are returned to the Recovery Mode menu, select the option “Apply any zip from SD”.
Select “signed-dream_devphone_userdebug-ota-14721.zip”, and then press the Home button to confirm.
Do not reboot your phone yet!
Once installation is complete, select the option “Apply any zip from SD” again.
This time, select “update-cm-4.3.2.1-signed.zip”, and then press the Home button to confirm.
When this is complete, reboot your phone.

Troubleshooting

The upgrade should leave your already installed applications and data intact. You have to open the Market to rebuild your application database, or you will not get application updates.
If you accidentally boot the 1.6 image it will install the HTC stock recovery. Booting back to recovery will show the /!\[] symbol. THIS IS NOT LOSING ROOT. You can still flash update.zip files from this recovery. Also, you can still flash a nicer (CM-1.4) recovery with fastboot, or flash_image inside the CM install once you get it installed.
On G1, sometimes one can’t get through the T-Mobile boot logo (there was a write-failed error message about radio right before reboot). Try the following:
- Wait long enough. Really long to ensure it’s not a regular (long) boot on upgrade.
- If after 5-10 minutes you are sure (same logo), take out the battery
- Wait around 10-15 seconds and put it back, holding Home + Back buttons to get into CM recovery
- Select Restore Nandroid backup
- Reboot
- Repeat the upgrade steps on this page from the beginning. For some reason it worked all fine with 4.3.2.1 on second attempt.

I finally got around to upgrading to the latest mod (4.2.3.1), and it’s totally worth doing, even if you have to reinstall your apps once more — but you probably don’t have to. Cyanogen must have done some serious optimizing, because my G1 is noticeably faster now. It was a pretty simple upgrade once I found the right instructions (there are lots out there).

How To Root Your G1 Android Phone (and why you might want to)

Tom — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:21:35 +0000

UPDATE: Here is a different set of instructions that is specifically for beginners, including an app that does most of the work for you: http://androidandme.com/2009/08/news/how-to-root-a-t-mobile-g1-and-mytouch-3g-android-phone/

Please note: I have recently switched from JF 1.5.1 to the latest Cyanogen ROM (v.4.0.2). More details are available here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=537204

With the G2 out and a total of 18 Android phones expected by year’s end, I am happier than ever with my G1. Why? Because I have root access and a second battery There are lots of forums and blogs that describe how to root a G1 Android phone, but first I want to focus on why you might want actually want to do it.

Others have compiled lists of pros and cons for rooting the G1 phone, but I want to focus more on the specific apps that make rooting the G1 totally worth it to me. Normally, Android only lets you copy/paste links, but the rooted G1 (running JF 1.5.1) has a nifty feature that let’s me copy text from anywhere. (I do this a lot, so this is one less reason to bring the laptop.) With a rooted G1 you can hold Shift, scroll anywhere on the screen, click the scroll ball once to start selecting, and click it again to stop the selection — it automatically copies your selection to the clipboard. It also has a the iPhone’s multi-touch feature for the browser, if you care about that kind of stuff.

Here are a few of my favorite “root only” apps:

Wifi tether (free here) — This is the single coolest reason to root your G1 phone. It allows your to use your G1′s data connection as a wifi access point. This is great alternative when staying in a hotel that charges for wifi. For those on a 3G network, this is actually pretty fast (a little less than DSL speeds). The G1 will prompt you when someone is trying to connect, so you can control who uses it. (It also works via Bluetooth, if you prefer that.) I’ve used wifi tether to create a mobile access point in the car. My wife used it to surf around on her iPod Touch on a recent road trip. Very cool.
Backup for Root Users (free on Android market) — Backs/restores all your apps and settings to your micro SD card. Even compatible with App2SD.
SetCPU (costs $0.99) — This app overclocks the G1 up to 528 MHz (384 is normal) when you are using it or when it’s plugged in, and can also “underclock” the processor down to 128 MHz when in sleep mode to save battery life. No reported problems with this level of overclocking. Very cool!
App2SD (costs $0.99) — This app partitions the micro SD card of your G1 so you can install and run apps from there. It seems to have some compatibility issues with JF 1.5.1, so unless you really need the extra space for apps, you may want to wait until the installation is a little easier. Here are some folks who seem to have figured out a workaround for anyone who is feeling adventurous.
JF Updater (free on Android market) — Since you can no longer receive OTA (over the air) updates, this app does the same thing for rooted G1s. When a new JF update is available, it will pull it down and install it for you.

So now do you want to know how to root your G1 phone? I thought you’d never ask! You don’t have to be super technical as long as you can follow directions. I like this tutorial best: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442480. Just be sure to use the latest version of JF 1.5.1 instead of the ones listed at the bottom of the tutorial (I prefer this link because it also includes a separate update for the G1′s radio: http://files.lucidrem.us/_fd.php?file=jf/USA/1.51/REM/update.zip). Oh, and there is also a small fix you may need to run if your browser multi-touch doesn’t work right off the bat.