What is recovery? [Android A to Z]

Android A to Z - Recovery

What is recovery?  In Android, recovery refers to the dedicated, bootable partition that has the recovery console installed.  A combination of key presses (or instructions from a command line) will boot your phone to recovery, where you can find tools to help repair (recover) your installation as well as install official OS updates.  Because Android is open and has the recovery source code available, building a customized version with more and different options is relatively easy as well.  Let's look at both options.

The stock recovery is pretty limited, but that's by design.  Its main purpose is to delete all user data and files, or to perform system updates.  Normally, both these operations are started from the running Android system, or you can do things manually and boot right into recovery yourself.  When you tell your phone to do a factory reset, recovery is what boots up and erases the files and data.  Likewise with updates -- when we restart to install an official OS update, it's done in recovery.  Recovery is also where we go to manually install official OS updates we've downloaded from the Internet.  It's very useful, but limited.

Custom Android recoveries offer much more.  They have been coded to allow for backup and restore functions, selective deletion of data so you don't have to wipe everything, and modified to allow update packages that have not been digitally signed by official sources.  You also can mount various partitions so that you can copy files to the SD card without having to remove it or reboot into Android. Anytime you see someone mentioning Clockwork or Amon Ra, they're talking about custom recoveries.  Because of the extra functionality built in, they are a pretty important tool for folks who want to hack their Android phone or tablet.  Recoveries aren't as pretty as a custom ROM and don't get the same love from users and bloggers that custom builds of Android do, but in the end they're even more important. Without them none of this custom ROM stuff would be possible.  

Previously on Android A to Z: What is a QR Code?; Find more in the Android Dictionary

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/v5qMsXtOIh8/story01.htm

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Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game

Sand Trap
Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/sand-trap-is-a-fun-physics-maze-game/

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SB XLVI Guide is your personal Super Bowl guide in your pocket

If you're heading to the Super Bowl this weekend, SB XLVI Guide will be your companion in your pocket. It's your guide to official Super Bowl events, a map of Indianapolis, a 3D map and seating chart to the Lucas Oil Stadium, and a reference for local restaurants and nightlife.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/_VLeFtAngew/story01.htm

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Whitepaper for Sony Xperia S gives us a detailed look at its specs

Android Central

While we're not expecting to see the Sony Xperia S until early March, we're gradually seeing more and more details on the device trickling out. British retailer Clove has received a copy of the Whitepaper for the Xperia S and within its 18 pages we get a pretty detailed look into its specs. 

The Playstation certified device will come pre-loaded with a copy of Need for Speed Shift, and will come bundled with a micro-HDMI cable.

The 720p display is protected by a "shatter proof sheet on scratch resistant glass." Disappointingly the on-board storage is listed as "1 to 1.5GB" although at least we do get microSD card support expanding this. Taking a look at the rear 12mp camera, we see it sports a 16x digital zoom, a f/2.4 aperture and the 3D sweep panorama mode previously found on the Xperia Arc S

Delving into the software, anyone who's ever used an Xperia device will be right at home. The Timescape application is still there, along with an "infinite button" which acts as a smart filter within Timescape. 

We've already seen mention of support for GLONASS, but we also see that USB tethering and WiFi hotspot functionalities come built in. 

If you're liking the look of the Xperia S, hit the source link to take a look at the whitepaper in its entirity. 

Source: Clove
More: Hands on with the Sony Xperia S

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/xc5D2qe66t4/story01.htm

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Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads

A few moments ago, version 2 of the Banshee music player for Linux was released, bringing with it a whole slew of new features, and the addition of an official -- but alpha-quality -- Windows build. The Mac OS X build of version 2 is due later today.

The most notable new feature is support for the Amazon MP3 store -- you can buy and download music from within Banshee -- but unfortunately it's only available in the Linux build at the moment (OS X and Windows support are planned, however). There have also been some significant improvements to artist, album, and queue interactions -- and yes, you can finally right click a track, album or artist and select 'play after' to insert it into the queue.

Beyond actual playback, the user interface has been tidied up -- it now looks a whole lot smarter -- and the Ubuntu One Music Store and SoundMenu extensions have been made official. For a complete list of changes, additions and bug fixes, check the change log.

When Windows support initially appeared in February, we found it rough around the edges and fraught with stability issues. With version 2, Banshee for Windows is still a bit unstable, but it's shaping up to be a good alternative to Winamp, iTunes, or whatever other music library manager you use. It's almost as attractive as its GNOMEish brother, too!

Download Banshee 2 for Linux and Windows (Mac OS X coming soon)

Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/banshee-music-player-now-works-in-windows-supports-amazon-mp3-d/

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Amazon Kindle Fire Review

Amazon introduced their first Kindle device back in 2007 when the dedicated eBook reader population was made up almost exclusively by Sony’s Reader line of products. The eReader population has grown to include more brands than I can count and in the last 5 years, we’ve seen the technology in this category evolve from e-Ink devices to [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/01/31/amazon-kindle-fire-review/

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Longform App Collects the Internet's Best Writing on Your iPad [IPad Apps]

Longform has long been an invaluable resource to everyone who's overwhelmed by all the good stuff there is to read. Longform's new iPad app packages the website's curated blend of old and new non-fiction writing into a mobile-ready interface. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3vEJXp4Ubeg/longform-app-collects-the-internets-best-writing-on-your-ipad

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LG Spectrum review

Let's just get this out of the way, shall we? If the LG Spectrum looks familiar, you're not imagining things. It may have been a highlight at the company's CES press event last month, but the handset bears more than a passing resemblance to its older, more excitingly-named sibling, the LG Nitro HD -- and, by extension, the globe-trotting Optimus LTE. Beneath their 4.5-inch IPS displays, you'll find virtually identical guts, including a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1,830mAh battery and 4GB of internal storage, coupled with a 16GB microSD. There are some important distinctions here, of course -- namely, changes to the phone's shell and, of course, a shift from AT&T to Verizon. So, how does world-weary Optimus fare from its jump to Big Red? Find the answer past the break.

Continue reading LG Spectrum review

LG Spectrum review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4iwzNmbNh9Q/

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Shocker: PS Vita downloads cheaper than boxed games

Digital copies of games that you download bypass the time-and-money-consuming manufacturing, logistics and retail processes. It's only natural that we as consumers expect some of that saving to be passed along to our own wallets. There's a fair chunk of evidence to suggest that downloading PS Vita games over PSN will result in a ten percent saving on the boxed edition (that you'd have to drive to a store for, and everything). Of course, it would be unseemly to point out that those few dollars will spell the death-knell for thousands of jobs, so we won't.

Shocker: PS Vita downloads cheaper than boxed games originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Or3cRLo1YJM/

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Don't Change Your Password [Change Your Password Day]

Today is Gizmodo International Change Your Password Day! Time to be responsible and come up with some 64-character string of random shit you'll forget. Or, you could just keep the password you already have and be fine. Let's do that. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mTv97wiCyaQ/dont-change-your-password

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