Mike Southby

OpenDesire v4 comes bundled with Brut Maps, a change from previous versions which instead came with the genuine Google Maps app.

For those who are not sure exactly what the difference is, it’s actually quite simple; the official Google Maps app is only fully featured if you live in certain countries such as the UK or US.  Elsewhere certain features will not be available the most notable being navigation.  Aside from this, there are other more subtle difference too including alleged performance increases but personally having tried both, I haven’t seen any real difference in day to day use.  The full feature set of Brut Maps is as follows:

• Worldwide navigation using Google Maps directions
• Map tiles caching on microSD card
• Force-enabled multi-touch
• Force enabled Google Buzz feature
• Fix for map shift issue in China
• Option to hide zoom buttons
• Installation on non-rooted devices supported
• Can be run alongside genuine Google Maps

I do understand why this was included in the OpenDesire ROM but as I live in the UK and all the features of the genuine Google Maps app work, it’s not necessary and I’d rather have the genuine app instead; even more so as Brut Maps use the existing Google icon set but overlay a rather unsightly “Brut” logo on top, it’s really not a very well thought out icon.  I also think that unless you have a good reason not to (i.e. you need Brut Maps as you live in a country where Google Maps doesn’t fully work), it’s good to try and use as much of the original code as possible to ensure minimising FCs and other issues.

Thankfully removing Brut Maps and restoring the original Google Maps is a simple process (assuming you have adb correctly installed on your pc including the correct adb driver for your Desire, which if you have followed my previous guides you will have):

• Connect your Desire to your pc
• Open a command prompt and navigate to the /tools folder within the sdk by typing:
  cd\ [then press Enter]
  cd AndroidSDK\tools\ [then press Enter]
• Check your device is correctly connected by next typing:
  adb devices [then press Enter]
  if you device shows up correctly, then you’re good to go on to the next step
• Type the following:
  adb reboot recovery [then press Enter]
  once your desire and rebooted and is in recovery type the following:
  adb shell mount /system [then press Enter]
  adb shell rm /system/app/Maps.apk [then press Enter]
  adb shell unmount /system [then press Enter]
  adb reboot [then press Enter]
• Your Desire will now reboot and you can disconnect it from your pc
• Once your Desire is back up, simply go to the market and you will now be able to download the genuine Google Maps

Needless to say you can also use this method to remove other apps too, just substitute the .apk you want to remove in the steps above.

It’s been over a year now since Windows 7 RTM came to market, a year which unusually for a newly released Microsoft OS has been in the main, trouble free.  The transition for many business users from Windows XP to Windows 7 has been easier than with previous incarnations, certainly surprisingly simple considering there is a decade separating the two operating systems which let’s face it in the ever changing world of IT, is a huge gap.

Overall Windows 7 has been a massive boost for Microsoft generally with the latest figures telling us that more than 150 million licences have already been either installed or at least sold.  So what does this tell us (apart from the size of Microsoft’s bank balance)?  Well, importantly it means that Windows 7 has now effectively overtaken the installed user base of Windows Vista during its first year of sale which let’s face it is huge for Microsoft although for us; not at all surprising given that Vista is far from perfect (or even good actually).

I was an early adopter of Windows 7 and moved my primary machine to Windows 7 Ultimate prior to the official release (I was fortunate enough to be given an official copy by Microsoft prior to the public release date) and was genuinely surprised by the ease of installation compared to prior versions; things like driver installation and compatibility checks are now fully managed by the system.  Owing to Vista being – well – actually quite rubbish, I didn’t transition via Vista and came from using Windows XP on my machines.   Windows 7 is definitely the most stable and robust all round operating system I have used to date for my day to day use, both at home and work.

It’s not all great though, on my T61p battery life is not as good as it used to be and there are a few other areas which have been made unduly complicated compared to Windows XP.  But of course Windows 7 is designed appeal to all, including consumers who demand the fluid, GUI improvements and work arounds which I would historically have done manually via the command line; that’s not to say that this can’t still be done, in fact with PowerShell this is even more powerful than ever.  Let’s not forget that we are still in the infancy of the OS though, with SP1 under development and due to be released soon I am sure some of these annoyances will be addressed making the OS even better.

Of course in the meantime, now manufacturers have more experience of Windows 7 too, updating the BIOS to the latest version will undoubtedly help with any hardware issues such as the increased battery drain, and updating drivers will iron out any system glitches, although they are few and far between.

For sure though, Windows 7 is Microsoft’s most polished operating system to date (although I do still remember Windows 2000 fondly; it just worked!) and it’s safe to assume there will have been some questions raised in the Microsoft hierarchy as to why Vista wasn’t anywhere near as successful.  I’m sure some eye brows were raised.

I look forward to testing Windows 8 at an early stage – I believe the public release date is tentatively set sometime during 2012 – when it becomes available on TechNet, it is most likely to follow in the ilk of Windows 7 and will be Microsoft’s most ambitious project to date, really making full use of cloud and mobile computing whilst fighting off the ever nearer threat from Apple, Linux and most recently Google.

Microsoft finally seems to be heading in the right direction again.

Last update: 28/08/2010 18:15

Earlier today, HTC released via an OTA update FroYo, Google’s latest release of the Android operating system.  The release however was only targeted at those who purchased their handsets unlocked and devoid of any network operators branding.  Also, owing to possible concerns over bandwidth and server overloading the OTA update is being rolled out slowly so not everyone will have the notification to download just yet. So, that leaves those without an unlocked and unbranded handset left with Éclair (or Android 2.1) missing out on all of the FroYo fun.  However, there is of course a way around this; just follow this guide.

Caveat:  As is usual with such things, messing around with the ROM will void your manufacturers warranty so please be aware of this before proceeding, also whilst I have had absolutely not issues to date (and I have flashed the ROM many times now), should you encounter an issue part way through it is possible to brick your phone; so please ensure you understand these instructions before proceeding.  I will not be held liable for any damage you cause to your own handsets. For the purposes of this guide I am assuming like me, that you want to do a fresh install of FroYo and not an upgrade keeping all your current settings and apps in place, I choose to reinstall apps from the market afterwards.  Of course if you want to upgrade instead this should work also, although I have not tested it. This guide assumes that you have HBOOT 0.82 or below, if you have HBOOT 0.83 this method will not work and you will get an Error 140 during the RUU process.

Also worth noting that some of the newest Desires do not have the AMOLED screen anymore, but are shipping with SLCD which also have the 0.83 HBOOT, the update contains the screen driver for the AMOLED screens and not the SLCD screens, so if you follow this guide and perform the update, you’ll be left with a blank screen as the new driver is not compatible (if you have done this by mistake, there is a way back, but the fix is not for novices)

To find out which version of HBOOT you have you’ll need to reboot into FASTBOOT mode, turn your device off and restart with the volume down button pressed.  Also, please DO NOT flash this update if you are currently on Orange UK as the new radio contained within the update will cause you problems, instead you’ll have to wait for the official Orange update or delve into the world of custom ROMS (I recommend heading over to XDA Developers for further information). One final word of warning, by installing the official 2.2 update as in this guide, you will also upgrade your HBOOT version to 0.92 which means that you cannot ‘root’ your phone afterwards; of course this is not an issue if you have no intention of running custom software or messing around further with your device  Root will no doubt follow soon I would imagine.  In the mean time there is now also a way of downgrading your HBOOT, details can be found here.

Essentially, if you want the latest official Desire software as you would get ‘out of the box’ from a shop, this update is for you.  If you want a custom phone with the ability to access root, stop and ensure you fully understand that HBOOT will be upgraded before proceeding.

First of all, you need to complete the following important step:

• Read the above warning again and make sure you understand it; ensuring that you have the correct HBOOT version as reading some of the comments, some people have followed the guide with an HBOOT of 0.83

Next you need to set up ADB on your PC and ensure that you have the correct version of the USB driver (which if you have already installed HTC Sync, you should have) installed, to do this do the following:

• Download the latest Android SDK directly from Google by clicking here
• Extract the SDK .zip file to c:\AndroidSDK on your PC
• On your phone, click Settings>Applications>Development and ensure that USB Debugging is enabled
• Plug your phone into your PC via a USB cable (ensuring that your phone is on, obviously).  You should now get a popup telling you that new hardware device drivers are being installed; this might take a few moments to complete
• Open a command prompt and type the following:
  cd\ [then press Enter]
  cd AndroidSDK\tools\ [then press Enter]
  adb devices [then press Enter]
  you should see a serial number pop up, it’s the serial number of your phone.  If this is the case you can proceed to the next step

Next we need to create a goldcard by doing the following:

• Copy all of the data on your microSD card to a backup location on your PC
• Format the microSD to FAT32 format
• Open a command prompt one again and type the following:
  cd\ [then press Enter]
  cd AndroidSDK\tools\ [then press Enter]
  adb shell cat /sys/class/mmc_host/mmc1/mmc1:*/cid [then press Enter]
• You should get a long number something along the lines of 532600bd227d9c0347329407514d5420
• Goto this page and copy the number in the above step into the box and hit Submit, you’ll then be given another long number
• Go to this page and enter this new number into the SD Card Serial (CID) field
• Enter the other details and hit Generate Goldcard
• Check your email and save the attached goldcard image file to your pc, I usually save it to the desktop as you’ll be needing it shortly
• Download HxD Hex Editor from here and install
• Open HxD Hex Editor. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, you must run the application as administrator
• Go to the Extra menu and select Open Disk.  Under physical disk, select Removable Disk (your microSD card), uncheck Open as Read-only and click OK.  Note that you should select physical disk NOT the logical disk
• Go to the Extra menu again and select Open Disk Image.  Open the goldcard image that you received by email and saved above
• You should now have two tabs; one is your removable disk and the other is your goldcard image.  Press OK when prompted for Sector Size (selecting 512 (Hard disks/Floppy disks)) and click OK
• Click on the goldcard image tab.  Go to the Edit menu, choose Select All then select the Edit menu again and select Copy
• Click on the Removable Disk tab.  Highlight offset (line) 00000000 to offset (line) 00000170 (including the 00000170 line), then click on the Edit menu and select Paste Write
• Click on the File menu and select Save, accepting the warning
• You now have a goldcard

Now that you have your goldcard, you need to download a generic HTC RUU update in order to flash your phone with a generic, unbranded version of Android 2.1

You can download the file from here (1.15.405.3 European), here (1.15.405.4 WWE) or here (1.21.405.2 WWE) – NOTE: Some people are finding that they can flash the 1.21 ROM and then FroYo directly, whilst others are finding that they need to flash the relevant 1.15 ROM first, if you try the 1.21 first and it doesn’t work you’ll get an error so simply re-try with the 1.15 and go from there.

To flash the update, simply run the file you have just downloaded (note: once this file is running it’ll restart your phone in bootloader mode and your PC will attempt to install another driver, it’ll work but the software will time out waiting to recognise your phone as your PC will need to restart to apply the new file.  Simply leave your phone connected and in the bootloader and restart your PC, then run the file again and it’ll work!) – You will now have an unbranded, generic Desire (although in my case I still had the Virgin boot screen curiously).  To double check, go to Menu>Settings>About Phone>Software Information and check that Software Number is 1.15.405.3, 1.15.405.4 or 1.21.405.2 before continuing. Next you need to download the FroYo update file which you can find here [Mirror - the file has already been renamed to update.zip], once you have done this rename the file update.zip and copy it to the root of your microSD.  Turn your phone off then do the following:

• Turn your phone on whilst holding down the volume down button to enter the HBoot menu
• Choose the Recovery option by using the volume down button and the power button to select, your phone should then restart in recovery mode where you’ll be greeted with a red triangle and exclamation mark
• Press and hold the volume up button and press the power button once, then choose to apply update.zip at the next menu
• The FroYo update will now take place during which time your phone will reboot several times, the whole process takes about 10 minutes
• Once you have booted up into FroYo and configured your settings, copy your files back onto your microSD card and you are good to go!.

** Looking ahead, I will create a similar walkthrough when Gingerbread is released, if you want to be notified when this is published, please signup to my blog feed via Feedburner to receive email notifications **

** A big thanks to Timi for all of his help answering the comments below.  It’s great to see when readers get involved and share their knowledge and expertise **

Operator Specific Instructions:

Please read down through the comments below to help with specifics relating to your network, also for specifics relating to your HBOOT.  For example, Virgin have handsets with both 0.75 and 0.80 HBOOTs and the procedure will vary slightly for both in so much as you need a different RUU to debrand the handset before being able to apply Froyo.  Orange, Vodafone, 3 and o2 again have different combinations.  The comments below are based on your experiences in combination with using the above guide.

I appreciate that there are a lot of comments to read through, but hopefully you’ll be able to pick out what you need; if I can, when I have some spare time I will try and pick out all the various bits of information and update the post or create a new one so you can quickly find the specifics you need for your handset/operator.

Downgrading HBOOT and installing custom Froyo ROM

If you have come across this post looking for a way of downgrading your HBOOT and installing a custom Froyo ROM instead of the official OTA ROM as detailed above, I have a post detailing how to do that here.

I hope you find this useful.  Enjoy!

For some time now I have been using Google Apps as my main mail provider, I’d been a long time Microsoft Exchange user until I made the switch from Windows Mobile devices to Android.  It made sense to change my mail provision so that I could use Android in the manner it was designed i.e. with  Google Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Tasks.

Generally, I have been happy with the service (especially when you consider the Standard Edition is free and isn’t a noticeably inferior product to the Premium Edition) although I do acknowledge it has a few quirks, not to mention horrendous support from Google should you require assistance.  Of course aside from push email support via my Android handset, the Google Apps service also includes plain and simple IMAP support; it’s here that I encountered one of the quirks.

Ever since configuring the account on my machine, whenever sending an email using Outlook two copies of the mail appear shortly after in my Gmail sent items folder (although only one copy is actually sent to the recipient).  Now this may not seem such a big deal but it has a couple of issues; firstly over time it will fill up my quota a lot quicker, perhaps not a major issue for most people but if let’s say you are sending a 1Mb file attachment, you’re going to be using 2Mb of space.  Secondly, perhaps more importantly is that when you use the Gmail web client instead of Outlook, it’s going to really mess up your conversation thread as there will be 2 copies which can be a little confusing.

So how do you solve getting two copies of sent mails while using IMAP in Outlook?

It’s important first to understand why the two copies appear and not just accept that they do.  When you send an email through Outlook, Outlook saves a copy of the sent mail and transmits it to the server (in this case smtp.gmail.com).  When the email is sent from the server to its destination, Google save another copy of the sent mail automatically which is then of course – as you’re using an IMAP connection – synced back to your machine hence the two copies.

Of course Google should be smart enough to know that the mail is being sent from a dedicated client such as Outlook and check to see if a copy has already been saved before saving it again, but alas not.  So the solution is to change where Outlook saves its local copy of the sent mail; it’s not an ideal situation but it does stop your Gmail folder from becoming full of duplicates!

To make the change, go to Tools>Account Settings>Email and select the email account in question and then Change.  This will open a window titled Change Email Account.  Click the More Settings option at the bottom.

Click the Folders tab which will enable you to choose where to store a copy of all outgoing messages (remembering that Google is going to automatically store one for you in your Gmail sent items) and change the default choice to Save sent mail in the Outlook Sent Items Folder, this will save the duplicated copy in a local unused folder instead which of course can be cleaned up when required; or you can also choose not to have Outlook save a copy of sent mail at all (again remembering that Google will automatically place a copy in your sent items).