Hasta La Gadget!

Can’t wait until February 2nd to see more of Android 3.0 in action? That’s not a problem, as today we’ve got a whole 129 seconds of video showing Google’s latest mobile software doing its thing on the Nook Color. The OS was ported to B&N’s tablet on Friday, when we were promised further work would be taking place over the weekend to enable hardware acceleration of the GUI, and what do you know, that goal has been achieved with plenty of Sunday to spare! Most core functionality is still not available, but the delicious Honeycomb interface is very much in effect. Jump past the break for the eye candy feast.

[Thanks, Jules]

Continue reading Android Honeycomb port for Nook Color gets graphics acceleration, first demo video

Android Honeycomb port for Nook Color gets graphics acceleration, first demo video originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 07:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  xda-developers  | Email this | Comments

Sony’s taken some strong steps against PS3 cracking in the past week — not only has it taken to the courts and won a temporary restraining order against Geohot and fail0verflow for cracking the console, but it also released firmware 3.56, which locked things down again. Unfortunately, that restraining order doesn’t mean anyone else has to stop a-crackin’, and wouldn’t you know it: 3.56 was cracked open in less than a day by KaKaRoToKS, who was behind one of the first 3.55 custom firmwares. Now that the 3.56 signing keys are out, we’d guess updated custom firmware is soon to come — and we’d bet Sony’s lawsuit will just inspire an entirely new wave of people to jailbreak once those hit the scene. Way to put that genie back in the bottle, Sony.

[Thanks, Tomi R]

PS3 firmware 3.56 hacked in less than a day, Sony’s lawyers look confused originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CVG, Edge  |  KaKaRoToKS’ github, KaKaRoToKS (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

You’ve seen Windows Phone 7 and Android both ported to the stately HTC HD2, now how about having them on the same device at the same time? Well, not literally at the same time, that’d be all sorts of confusing, but the restless souls over at xda-developers have figured out multiple ways to install both WP7 and Android on the HD2 while using the same SD card. We’ve looked at them and none of the methods seem particularly trivial or, you know, easy, but then what would be the point of a dual-boot solution if everyone could just up and do it? Detailed instructions await at the source link.

[Thanks, engadgeteer]

Continue reading HTC HD2 can now dual-boot Windows Phone 7 and Android, promises to love them equally

HTC HD2 can now dual-boot Windows Phone 7 and Android, promises to love them equally originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocketnow  |  xda-developers, vgeorom (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

HTC is legendary for its tacit support of the Android ROM cooking community. Motorola… not so much, thanks in large part to the company’s policy of locking down the bootloader as a means to prevent unapproved software from running on its Droid handsets. An annoyance recently exacerbated by a moderator of Moto’s YouTube channel who suggested that customers looking to install custom ROMs should “buy elsewhere.” Ouch. The resulting public relations kerfuffle then prompted Motorola to publish a clarification to its bootloader policy on Facebook:

We apologize for the feedback we provided regarding our bootloader policy. The response does not reflect the views of Motorola. We are working closely with our partners to offer a bootloader solution that will enable developers to use our devices as a development platform while still protecting our users’ interests. More detailed information will follow as we get closer to availability.

Obviously, we’ll have wait for said details to get official before calling this a shift in strategy. It’s certainly an improvement over Moto’s previous approach of lawyering-up with cease and desist orders. Perhaps Motorola is taking a cue from Microsoft who seems to have recently discovered that it’s better to embrace than to annoy a motivated hacking community — customers who tend to be a company’s most dedicated fans and evangelists.

Motorola ready to make sweet love to Android ROM devs and rooters? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Motorola (Facebook), Phandroid  | Email this | Comments

To be a jailbreaker means different things depending on the device that you’re busy hacking preinstalled walls from. If you’re fiddling with consoles, a legal team would come highly recommended, but if you’re tweaking mobile code, at least Windows Phone mobile code, you’re in for a much sweeter ride. The ChevronWP7 guys that brought us the first jailbreak of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 are currently in Redmond having a sitdown and a frank exchange of views with WP7 dev experience director Brandon Watson, and the amicable nature of their discourse has been evidenced by the image above. Microsoft is clearly taking a light-hearted and community-friendly approach to handling the (now inevitable) efforts at disabling limitations to its software and we can only congratulate its mobile team for doing so.

[Thanks, Tasos]

Update: Looks like Microsoft’s softie approach really is working. Shortly after the jolly news, notorious hacker Geohot announced on Twitter that he’s going to treat himself to a WP7 device; but before long, Redmond’s already reached out to offer him a free handset. Any bets on MuscleNerd hitting the tweet button next? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Visualized: the glamorous lifestyles of WP7 jailbreakers (update: Geohot crashes the party) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  istartedsomething  | Email this | Comments