Take photos with your Bluetooth headset
The Android hacking and tweaking scene is a
source of constant amazement for what it produces.
A Chinese user has discovered that a
Bluetooth headset paired to a HTC One X (and, presumably, a HTC One S as well)
can be used as a remote camera button.
Remotely control your camera with a Bluetooth headset
No real setup is involved -you simply pair
your headset to the phone and then run the Camera app. You then need to press a
combination of buttons on the headset to take a photo - such as pressing the
volume button a couple of times. Not all headsets work, and you will need to
discover the button combination yourself as it differs from one unit to
another. The likelihood of this is the result of a bug in the software rather
than a hidden feature, so it may be removed with future updates. To see a video
of it in action visit: http://bit.ly/KVGDRT.
Manage files on your device
There are lots of file managers available
for Android, but surprisingly none that have implemented the common dual-window
display often found on desktop managers.
Solid Explorer is feature rich and looks great
Solid Explorer solves this and allows for
easy drag-and-drop moving of files instead of fiddly copy and paste moves. Add
in the fact it looks stunning and has lots of features, such as an FTP client,
support for SMB shares and Dropbox, and it could quickly become one of the most
popular file explorers. The current alpha version can be downloaded from:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537189.
Jargon Buster
Get up to speed on all the terms you need
to know when hacking your phone
OS
Short for ‘operating system’. Often the
Android ROM will be referred to as the OS - this just means the system files on
the Android device that make up your user experience, similar to Windows, Mac
OS X or Ubuntu on a desktop computer.
ROM
Stands for 'read-only memory’. In the
context of Android, the ROM refers to the files that make up the operating
system installed on your device.
Gaining root privileges allows for
replacement of the standard ROM with a custom one.
Root
‘Rooting’ your phone gives apps access to
parts of the OS that are normally hidden from consumers. This enables you to
run more powerful software and install custom ROMs on your phone.
ROM
Manager
An app available from the Android Market
that enables you to install a whole new version of your OS with a single click.
It requires a rooted phone to use and is ideal for those new on the scene.
Titanium
Backup
This app from the Market enables you to
back up everything on your phone - apps, data, settings and all. It means that
you can restore your phone to how it was, even after you’ve updated or changed
the ROM.
Unrevoked
Available from www.unrevoked.com, this is a
one-click tool that can be used for rooting many popular HTC smartphones.
ADB
Stands for ‘Android Debug Bridge’. ADB is
mainly used for software development, but it also has some uses for hacking
your phone. It can be used to push files onto the system folder, for instance.
Android
Debug Bridge’
Nandroid
You might come across the phrase ‘perform a
Nandroid backup’. This means using a custom recovery tool to make a back-up
image of everything currently on your phone: OS, apps, data, etc. It’s very
useful should you wish to restore your phone to its previous state later.
Radio
‘Radio’ refers to the software on your Android
device that deals with making phone calls and data connections. Updating your
radio version can bring better battery life and signal strength to your device.
Some ROMs require the latest radio.
Flash
The storage in your device comprises flash
memory, a type of solid-state storage. The terms ‘flash’ or ‘flashing’ mean
installing new software onto your device’s storage.
