Android hackers mull rooted mobe app marketplace

Android hackers are discussing the creation of a specialist app store, listing software for rooted handsets and other things that even Google won't allow. Google is the limp-wristed liberal of certification authorities, allowing just about anything into its Android Marketplace. But it's that "just about" that has annoyed some …

[YP]

screenshot

Not sure what you're using but I've been able to grab a screenshot on my HTC Sensation for months now, and it's not rooted. Maybe it's only on HTC's, but no reason why other manufactures can't allow screenshots to be grabbed.

[big_D]

Same here, and it is damned annoying, because it seems to turn itself on automatically sometimes and, being triggered by pressing the Home button, is a pain in the rear, when trying to exit a program! :-D

(Hint, tap the power button lightly to disable screenshot mode)

[Matthew 3]

Screenshots on Android: possible.

It's easy on a Samsung Galaxy S2. Home key and power button at the same time.

[goldcd]

You learn something every day.

Is there a manual for my phone anywhere - or have people just been randomly pressing buttons to see what happens?

It was only last week I found out I had a 'Siri-like' thing already installed (double home tap)

[Ammaross Danan]

Yep

"Is there a manual for my phone anywhere"

Yep. Usually comes in the box your phone came in. Mine's a couple hundred pages thick, so I tossed it back in the box like everyone else apparently. Samsung's Charge has a screenshot in it by hitting home and back at the same time (obviously doesn't work very well). ICS has screenshot built in and is easy to do, so such a feature app will be unnecessary moving forward.

[druck]

Back and Home on the Galaxy S (1) running 2.3.3

[Pete 6]

Works on the Galaxy Note too

Swipe the screen with your palm or double tap the screen with the S-Pen whilst holding the pen button.

[ElNumbre]

Honeycomb...

I thought it was standard on Honeycomb. My Eee(bygum) Transformer does it by holding down one of the menu buttons.

[scarshapedstar]

What about it?

Cydia is kinda different for a number of reasons:

1) iPhone apps that require jailbreaking are only sold on Cydia. Android apps that require rooting can still be sold on the Market.

2) Cydia is the only way to install third-party iPhone apps. Android has dozens of third-party app stores, most of which suck but that's another issue...

3) Cydia is installed by the jailbreak app. The Android root apps I'm aware of just enable root and any further changes are up to the user.

[Anonymous Coward]

YEAH, WHAT ABOUT IT?

the article is about .....

wait for it....

ANDROID !!!!

so i wasn't expecting any mention of Cydia or iPhones.

[dotdavid]

Screenshot

As others have said, some versions of HTC Sense (and presumably other OEMs' interfaces) let you take screenshots. Also the functionality is built into Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the latest release, although admittedly this is a bit of an academic point considering only one or two handsets currently run it.

[CDPlant]

Google Apps

"Google also turns a blind eye to the inclusion of Android Marketplace and other Google apps with the CyanogenMod distribution, though device manufacturers pay for such niceties"

Not exactly, they used to include gapps with CM but Google didn't like that and made them remove it from the ROM so now you have to download the gapps package separately and flash it after CM.

[jotheberlock]

Google turns a blind eye to GApps?

Not quite true. They specifically asked the Cyanogenmod team not to include Google Apps directly into Cyganogenmod (as is their right of course), which is why Google apps are a separate, optional part of the install.

[diodesign]

Re: Google turns a blind eye to GApps?

Thanks, duly noted.

C.

[Irongut]

"Notably they can't grab a screenshot, something that prompts tech journalists (among others) to immediately unlock (or "root") their handsets."

My Samsung Galaxy S can take screenshots and sometimes does when I'm trying to do something else. In fact I've only ever managed to take screenshots by accident.

If HTCs and Samsungs can take screenshots then most Android phones can.

[thesykes]

Xperia too

My Xperia takes a screenshot too, only it is less easy to do accidentally, as the option is included as the last in the list when pressing the power button, under Silent, Plane and Power Off.

[Gene Cash]

Screenshots

All you need is the Android SDK and a USB cable, rooted or not. The DDMS tool has a "take screenshot" option.

[Giles Jones]

So this is good control freakery instead of the supposed bad control freakery of Apple?

It's still telling people you can't do XYZ as it isn't acceptable. What happened to absolute freedom?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not saying I agree with it, but I think the general idea is that where clueless users are concerned, it's not a good idea to allow the user, possibly being misled by a scam, to do things that could compromise privacy and/or security.

[scarshapedstar]

What are you referring to

The emulators? I believe the threat of lawsuits had more to do with it.

[Craigness]

Freedom

Android phones are generally sold with no root access because it's safer for the users. Freedom for Android users, as regards this article, is being allowed to use any app store they want without jeapordising their warranty, and having the ability to root the phone.

Here's HTC's help page for unlocking the bootloader. Does Apple have something similar for the Jailbreak community?

http://htcdev.com/bootloader/

[Anonymous Coward]

So what's wrong with SlideMe?

[Anonymous Coward]

Umm, CyanogenMod wouldn't get the app revenue to support the project. That is kinda the whole point of their app store idea. Their cut goes toward CyanogenMod development, paying for servers etc.

That said if they're looking for ways to finance their current server load, that's going to go up significantly with the bandwidth an app store will consume.

[Paul Crawford]

NTP working?

One of the (many) things about Android that irks me on my HTC (android 2.3) is the lack of NTP for seconds-accurate timekeeping.

I mean, a *NIX-based device with a network connection and it can't be sett to better then 30 seconds? And the network operator's time-setting seems rare & crap as well.

Add to that the piss-poor lack of any bug-fixes or system updated by HTC and rooting is looking like possibly the only way to get my phone not to keep time, and not randomly crash while syncing data with poor reception.

[Paul Crawford]

Just checked it - slow by 55 seconds. A mechanical watch is better than that!

I could rant about the sluggish user interface, crashing friendstream app, etc..., but I think I'll take my dried frog pills and lie down now.

[scarshapedstar]

Yup

I never regret ditching Sense.

[.thalamus]

Kernel Bug

Thats a kernel bug.

Blame HTC for not updating the kernel regularly, because if they had updated to the latest 2.6.35 point version, that issue would have gone.

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git;a=commit;h=e97ee080621da3c7c393a6f44118e930949e2f9e

[John727]

Rooting

Screenshots aside, I would have thought that the more salient point, in favour of rooting, is to be able to replace your provider's spyware ridden build with something a little less intrusive. IMO, too much koolaid, regardless of which flavour, is bad for you.