my Computer Quest: Samsung

Showing posts with label Samsung. Show all posts

20 July, 2018

How to Change Font in Android Phone (Huawei Mate 10, Samsung)

20-July-2018

After my Samsung Note 3 phone, I got a Huawei Mate 10 smartphone as my new daily driver. And it was a total change for me after using Samsung phones so long. (3310, xxx, xxx, Note 2, Note 3). And while custom ROMs is easily available for the Samsung brand, it is not the same case for Huawei Phones.

What's more, Samsung phones are sturdy and incredibly adamant and can take a lot of beating. They can be revived even after an apparent bricking. Not so with Huawei Phones. At this stage, they are still finicky and sensitive, that the slightest mistake or incompatibility will brick a Huawei phone, and render it useless.

Well, I got my Huawei Mate 10 phone at $0 cost, as I renewed my plan, and it so happened that it was on a Good Friday, I was just browsing on what's a possible replacement for my Note 3 phone, and there it was, presenting itself so clearly: a Huawei Mate 10 phone at $0 cost.

I grabbed it, and after 7 days of hesitation and restraint, I proceeded to root it. For the whole week, though, I was searching, browsing, and reading articles and forums, so I have had some good and bad points. But you know it. Being so acclimated to a rooted phone, owning a trendy and high-tech unit is pointless -- if it is not rooted! At least that is the case for me.

So I went on to root my Huawei Mate 10 phone, carefully, using ADB method, and I succeeded. Once TWRP is flashed and applied, the rest are just normal and stable flashing (Magisk, and Full OTA updates).

Then there was my passion for fonts that took hold of my attention and didn't let go, didn't let up until my eyes said 'enough'!

And no, it isn't that easy. You see, all that I ever have done is root the phone and ROM is still stock. So many of the apps still won't run as they would on Samsung phones.

Below is how I changed the fonts on my Huawei phone.

1. Use Launcher. I use GO Launcher Ex, and this to some degree gave some desirable font change effects.

2. Use Apps, like iFont, MWFonts, FontFix, TypeFace, Fontster. I use iFont primarily in my Samsung rooted phones, and they never failed to just use the selected font, standard or customized. I did use occasionally the other apps, but my de facto app is iFont.

3. Use ADB Method. This is opening up adb in PC, connect to your phone with elevated access, go to /System/Fonts, then change Roboto-Regular.ttf with the phone that you want. That means the current Roboto-Regular.ttf you rename first or back up, then the new phone that you want to flash, you rename into Roboto-Regular.ttf, then you flash it (copy into the /System/Fonts folder).

4. Use ES File Explorer
This is basically the same as method #3, but more manual. You copy the custom font to /System/Fonts folder. Then you rename existing Roboto-Regular.ttf. Then you rename custom font to Roboto-Regular.ttf. In this method, however, you have a chance to preview the new Roboto-Regular.ttf file. What's the importance of this? If you can preview the new Roboto-Regular.ttf file, you are sure that your phone will be okay. Otherwise, your phone will go into what is called soft brick. Don't risk it!

5. Use iFont
Specifically for Huawei Mate 10, which is running a stock ROM, just rooted, applying a new font results into a new theme, then you apply that theme. In my experience, this isn't working 100%. Sometimes it does, but most of the time, it doesn't. Because you apply the theme, then you reboot. it is just disappointing not to see the new font once the phone is booted up. So I stopped using this method.

6. MWFonts, Fontster, TypeFace, FontFix
For these apps, in Samsung or Huawei phones, Applying a new font works 100%, however, the selection is limited to their own font sets, no custom fonts. Only iFonts have that custom fonts feature. Or maybe for paid versions. I use mostly free versions.

What works for me:
I apply new fonts 2 times:
1. Use MWFonts, Fontster, TypeFace, FontFix - this goes to headers and titles.
2. Use ES File Explorer manual method. This goes into the text body.

By the way, when customizing fonts, which is just making them thinner, or fatter, or taller, or narrower, or shorter, I use High-Logic's FontCreator software on my desktop PC, then copy the modified .ttf file to my phone. That way I can do a font preview on my desktop and make comparisons. But the real test is when the new font is applied to my Huawei Mate 10 smartphone.

Hope you learned something new today.

Till then!

[Drafted on 01-Jun-2018]

15 January, 2015

Versatility of Graphene, Material of Tomorrow

English: Energy of electrons in graphene in the tight-binding model, http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.71.622 Deutsch: Energie der Elektronen in Graphen mit Impuls k im Tight-Binding model, entsprechend http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.71.622 Alemannisch: Ällägdronaänrgie im Graphen mid ämana Impulz k im Tight-Binding-Modell, ändsprächad http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.71.622 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BY NICK BILTON

Graphene is the strongest, thinnest material known to exist. A form of carbon, it can conduct electricity and heat better than anything else. And it is not only the hardest material in the world, but also one of the most pliable.

Only a single atom thick, it has been called the wonder material.

Graphene could change the electronics industry, ushering in flexible devices, supercharged quantum computers, electronic clothing and computers that can interface with the cells in your body.

While the material was discovered a decade ago, it started to gain attention in 2010 when two physicists at the University of Manchester in England were awarded the Nobel Prize for their experiments with it. More recently, researchers have zeroed in on how to produce graphene commercially.

The American Chemical Society said in 2012 that graphene was discovered to be 200 times stronger than steel and so thin that 28 grams of it could cover 28 football fields. Chinese scientists have created a graphene aerogel, an ultralight material derived from a gel that is one-seventh the weight of air. Sixteen cubic centimeters of the material could balance on one blade of grass.

“Graphene is one of the few materials in the world that is transparent, conductive and flexible – all at the same time,” said Dr. Aravind Vijayaraghavan, a lecturer in nanomaterials at the University of Manchester. “All of these properties together are extremely rare to find in one material.”

So what do you do with graphene?

Physicists and researchers say that we will soon be able to make electronics that are thinner, faster and cheaper than anything based on silicon, with the option of making them clear and flexible. Long lasting batteries that can be submerged in water are another possibility.

In 2011, researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois built a battery that incorporated graphene and silicon, which the university said could lead to a cellphone that “stayed charged for more than a week and recharged in just 15 minutes.” In 2012, the American Chemical Society said that advancements in graphene were leading to touch-screen electronics that “could make cellphones as thin as a piece of paper and foldable enough to slip into a pocket.”

Dr. Vijayaraghavan is building an array of sensors out of graphene – including gas sensors, biosensors and light sensors – that are far smaller than what has come before.

This month, researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, working with Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, said Samsung had discovered how to create high-quality graphene on silicon wafers, which could be used to produce graphene transistors. Samsung said in a statement that these advancements meant it could start making “flexible displays, wearables and other next-generation electronic devices.”

Sebastian Anthony, a reporter at Extreme Tech, said that Samsung’s breakthrough could end up being the “holy grail of commercial graphene production.”

Samsung is not the only company working to develop graphene. Researchers at IBM, Nokia and SanDisk have been experimenting with graphene to create sensors, transistors and memory storage.

James Hone, a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University in New York, said research in his lab led to the discovery that graphene could stretch by 20 percent while remaining able to conduct electricity.

Another fascinating aspect of graphene is its ability to be submerged in liquids without oxidizing, unlike other conductive materials.

As a result, Dr.Vijayaraghavan said, graphene research is leading to experiments where electronics can integrate with biological systems. In other words, you could have a graphene gadget implanted in you that could read your nervous system or talk to your cells.

When these electronics finally hit store shelves, they could look and feel like nothing we’ve ever seen.

Taken from TODAY Saturday Edition, April 26, 2014

28 March, 2013

GT-9103: SD Card Is Damaged!

Image via CrunchBase

28-Mar-13

I have a few items to write on, but I believe this one is quite urgent.

Two weeks ago, I sort of “tampered” once again my already-quiet Samsung Galaxy R. I searched for the latest Android custom ROM, which is 4.2.2. I found the one that is offered by Paranoid Android. I actually managed to flash that one properly, both the kernel and the Google Apps. These are the files: i9103-3.00-16FEB2013-192725.zip and gapps-full-4.2-20130308.zip. These are coming from Paranoid Android.

Of course, things don’t end there.

When I was installing those root apps, I came to the SuperUser app, and to my mistake, I selected the wrong option, when I was offered something like “usually for HTC phone”, and that broke my phone’s SD card.

A lot of apps don’t work after that: Camera, Wallpaper Changer, etc. I found that many things are so much dependent on the internal SD card. Anyway, I already have the other phone, my GT-I3100, so the impact isn’t that much.

Still, I can’t rest assured. I’m not convinced that nothing can be done with the “broken” SD card. Nonetheless, I am one step short of bringing that old phone, although unused, to Samsung Service Center.

I did try and try and try to re-flash the ROM, so that by any chance, re-installing SuperUser app, if I tap the ‘correct’ button, the SD card may get fixed all by itself.

Furthermore, within the last week, I noticed that my phone is showing some “inversion” in the display, like the upper diagonal half (top left to bottom right) getting inverted. The time showing 10:50 is upside down. Imagine that!

Bad becoming worse. Really no fix, I thought. I searched the web for help on the ‘Damaged SD Card’, and although it was consistently mentioned in the articles that I found not to do format, I still tapped on the ‘Format’ button in the suggested fix by the apps that identified the SD card as damaged. I was wondering, the one who developed the App isn’t the one who wrote the articles…?

Then my insatiable curiosity got me.

I said, there could be something offered by CM, the same 4.2.2 kernel, for my GT-i9103. So yesterday, I searched the web. Something came up. There were 2, actually. There was the kernel alone, cm-10-20121223-UNOFFICIAL-i9103.zip, and the pair: I9103DXLP6_I9103OLBLP6_XSP.zip and gapps-jb-20121011-signed.zip. Looking at the dates, I said, these are earlier released than the one from Paranoid Android. So I was asking myself, “Why didn’t I see these first?”

Anyway, I went to download the files, not knowing whether I should do flash using the standalone kernel, or the pair.

I decided to use the pair, but to be sure, in case something doesn’t work, I also copied the standalone zip file. True enough, there was an error thrown out with the pair, the main zip file. I proceeded to install the Google Apps from the zip file despite the fact that the main file didn’t install properly, and then after reboot, the phone was in a boot loop.

I now tried to install the standalone file, and it worked! Still, first reboot resulted to a boot loop.

I did another flash, and this time, using the standalone kernel file, and this went through without a problem, and the reboot also went through nicely, and when the phone came up, I entered all the necessary credentials, and the apps were installed back automatically.

But Play Store app was missing, and though I can search and “install” it using the browser, the app doesn’t show in the Apps list. It is nowhere to be found. So I thought, can I bring it up using the other half of the pair, just the Google Apps file?

And that I did. I flashed the GApps file, and after reboot, the Google Apps were in.

And guess what? The main reason for my posting this article is to say that after flashing the CM 4.2.2 kernel for my GT-i9103, the SD Card came back to life!

Also, the other reason why I would be more comfortable running CM codes is that there is a regular update, which I download and install now and then, sometimes every night (NIGHTLY builds). That is what I do with the GT-P3100 phone.

So now I have a CM custom Android 4.2.2 ROM running, with the Google Apps in, and the SD Card fully functional once again!

Hope this short post will be of help to somebody as well.

Till then!

13 March, 2013

Jelly Bean 4.2 on my Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Rooting my wife’s Note II LTE

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (Photo credit: phossil)

13-Mar-13

2 weeks ago, my wife got her Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE (GT-N7105) for her plan re-contract with Starhub. I would have to mention (again) that we got the Samsung Note 2 7.0 (GT-P3100) weeks before, from the yearly early re-contract privilege only available with SingTel service provider. I mean, Starhub used to offer the same perk, but this was taken out about 2 years ago. Business decision, I suppose.

Anyway, the point I wanted to make is this: now that my wife has her new phone, then I am already free to “take” the Tab for my own use. This action will leave 2 phones without lines: the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Galaxy R (GT-I9103). This would mean that our 3-year old girl would have, at any point in time, 3 phones to play with while at home, juggling between the 3 devices, until the batteries die out. She would then turn to her inanimate play things in her toy box…

2 weeks ago, it was Wednesday, and I made the decision, so I switched the SIM cards. I brought with me the Tab, but I grew restless. I knew I can do more with it. The trigger was pulled, and bang! I was searching for the ‘latest’ ROM, kernel, updates, etc. This is me, what I set my mind to do, it consumes me!

And with the internet littered with tons of pages of (sometimes useless) information, I found what I am looking for – the Jelly Bean 4.2 kernel for my new GT-P3100. Having had rooted and flashed ROMs on my Galaxy R phone, I thought to myself, “This should be a piece of cake.”

Then the dilemma came.

I started flashing the new kernel while at work, and it failed. Several times I tried, and still failed. And all the time, I would have to reset the phone to the root and kernel that works. I have a saving patch, I could say. It is well worth mentioning: the filename is “P3100XXCLL2_P3100XEFCLK1_P3100XXCLJ3_HOME.tar.md5”. And this has a very faithful partner, the rooting file: “CF-Auto-Root-espressorf-espressorfxx-gtp3100.tar.md5”. Of course, all the time, I am using Odin3-v1.85. So when the flashing fails, I resort to flashing with the ‘working’ ROM, then to rooting the phone.

And the whole day of Wednesday, I was flashing, until I got home, and even late at night, till midnight, I was flashing. Still fails. The time I came home from office, my girl did as she would always do before: ask for my phone, so she can play with it. Well, I had to admit my failure, so I quietly told her, “It’s not working.” And showing her the black, blank screen, she took my word for it and went on her way.

Thursday came, I since I didn’t have a working phone, I told my wife that I’d ‘borrow’ the old Galaxy R phone while I am ‘fixing’ the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 unit. I got 2 units with me when I went to work.

Having had no luck the day before, I decided to try something else, and since it is something that I really wanted to try out, I searched for ROM kernels that will offer over-clocking and under-clocking – of course, with Jelly Bean 4.2 as the base item. I could say I’m becoming overly-zealous, am I? Sure enough, I found some, till I settled with one that makes a high-pitched offer, which I took, like a fish swallowing the hook, line and sinker. I was getting too ambitious, I suppose.

And even this one failed. The whole day of Thursday, I repeatedly tried, of course, each time, my saving pair of working kernel and rooter would help me get back to my feet each time my Android phone falls. I ended the day with all attempts ending in failure.

Friday, learning from the past 2 days, I searched, and only then I realized, that the Wednesday flashing was using an ‘incompatible’ file – and not that I am blind to it. Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 were of 2 kinds, basically: one is GT-p3100 (3G + WiFi), and the other, GT-P3110 (WiFi only). And there is one more: GT-P3113. What I was using was one specifically meant for the GT-P3110, while my unit is the GT-P3100. Of course, I went with this because some guy in the forum said that “it should be okay,” reading from some other user’s query of using that particular file for flashing.

As for the over-clocked module, it was already highlighted in the XDA pages that it was not verified, and you would do it with caution; a caveat. Of course I failed, and I learned from it.

It was already about lunchtime when I found one file that may be the answer. And it is complicated by the fact that I have to download it, and then later on, to try and flash my device.

The download finished about half past 4pm, and that left me with no more time to try anything, so I just run my saving pair, flashing my device with the working kernel, and then I got it rooted. All that’s needed is to try the newly-downloaded kernel.

When I arrived home, I restrained myself by going through the usual things when coming home. So after simmering down, I set up my laptop, booted it up, and then let it idle for a short while. I took the USB cable, held the device and pressed Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously, I activated CWM Recovery, then selected install from zip file.

Did that installation work? You bet!

One shot. That’s all that was needed to install the new ROM, and to my pleasant surprise, the Android version is 4.2.2 – the latest!

And to attribute to the developers all the praise due them, I found it from the XDA forums. The file name is “cm-10.1-20130308-NIGHTLY-p3100.zip”, with the other file, “gapps-jb-20121212-signed.zip”, both installing without fail.

So now my Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 GT-P3100 unit is fully functional with Jelly Bean 4.2.2 installed.

-----

The other phone, the GT-N7105, since there wasn’t any issue I encountered when I rooted, I’ll just mention the rooting file I used is this, “CF-Auto-Root-SGN2.zip”.

-----

Caution: the zip files, while they all would be tagged as WinRAR archive files, are different – some aren’t simply compressed files. But you should know that already, don't you?

Till then!

04 February, 2013

Rooting GT-I9103 on ICS Android 4.0.4

English: Android Market on Samsung Galaxy S. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

04-Feb-2013

Sometime back in December 2012, after my Samsung Galaxy R phone lapsed on its 1-year warranty, my phone just hanged. If I recall correctly, my 3-year old girl was playing with it, and when I found it, it was already off – kids usually drain out the battery – so I didn’t think that there was a problem at all.

When I tried to turn it on, to check if the battery is dead, it turned on, but it stayed at the Samsung logo – it was stuck there, even after waiting for a considerable amount of time (5 minutes, I would say, is already a long time if we are talking of a normal phone, whatever brand that may be). I did what would be normally done: took out the battery, waited a couple of seconds (although recommended is 15 seconds), then put it back in and pressed the power button on, and voila! Still the same: stuck at the logo.

By then I knew that something else happened. Something has gone wrong.

“That was a rooted phone,” I thought to myself... now what?

I tried to go back to rooting the phone and searching for the same kernel that I used before, which are still in my laptop, did it many times, not once, but many times, and every time, it is a failure.

I then went to search in the web for possible solutions, or at the least, a newer version of the kernel, each time typing the phone model GT-I9103 as the selective search string.

I found several, tried again, failed, tried again, failed... many times... until one came out nice and completed the whole process of installing a kernel.

When the phone was finally working (again), I checked everything, still intact, but I noticed that something else is different – and that was when I found out that the kernel that revived my phone was ICS, Android 4.0. The original OS was Gingerbread, Android 2.3. I said, “What a jump!”

I was almost very happy, except that when I checked through my phone, I found that the root privilege was gone! “Should be easy,” I said, so I went right away to rooting my “upgraded” device. Easier said than done, and no matter what I did, I can’t root my upgraded phone. And after trying out so many times, I gave up. I settled with having just “an upgraded, albeit un-rooted,” phone.

Of course, a lot of those apps that I installed before which required root access don’t work anymore, so while the phone was working, it was not as before, it was not as when I had it rooted, and I have the complete control over it. Blast it!

With unsettled mind over my un-rooted phone, I have inside of me a resolve to look out for other means, other ways, other newer releases, someday, somehow, something that will give me back root access to my phone.

Yesterday, that day came!

In my random search, I chanced upon a page that tells about installing CWMR version xxx.xxx, followed by many other articles. I checked on that one, looked through the procedure, and I found that it is very identical to what I have been referencing before, but just that the version of code it is using is newer (supposedly newer). Basically, I found page for the exact search string I used: “root GT-I9103 ICS”.

Having found that, there is also the article on installing CWMR on GT-I9103.

These 2 I tried, and at first shot, I hit the mark. I rooted the phone running on Ice Cream Sandwich OS. But wait, there is more.

My initial version of ICS is 4.0.2. When I was done with the rooting, and also installing the new version of CMWR, I found that the ICS version is 4.0.4. Wow!

What more could I ask for? After rooting my Galaxy R phone, I also got an upgraded version of ICS.

I’m back!

And here are the pages that I referenced in my latest rooting adventure:
How To Root Galaxy R I9103 on Android 4.0.4 ICS
How To Install CWM Recovery v6.0.1.5 Touch on I9103 Galaxy R

As for this page, beware, not that it doesn’t work, but it is not in English! Bummer! Good thing I backed up my phone and it was a very simple recovery method of restoring the phone.
How To Install Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on I9103 Galaxy R

Till then!

I rooted my GT-P3100 – EASILY!

English: samsung-galaxy-tab (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

04-Feb-2013

A week ago, I went to the telecom service provider that services one of my mobile phones (I don’t use more than one; this line is used by one of my daughters). Since it is already one year, I am now eligible for a re-contract, which, primarily, is geared towards having a new phone, while all other things remain the same.

As I found out, the plan had a change, some that used to be free are now chargeable, some limits reduced, etc., etc. Anyway, bottom line is, we got a new phone. And it was a Samsung Tab 2 7.0, paying just a minimum sum, since my plan is a bare essential one, not having data at all. Just the basic set: phone line, talk time, SMS. No internet.

With everybody in the house having a mobile phone, except the 3-year old, our youngest thought to herself, and declared, that the new phone is hers. Who would argue with that?

The phone was broken in, and it was used, charged, installed with apps, recharged, played with, until I can’t hold on any longer, then on Saturday, I stole it away from my daughter while she was busy watching TV, and she didn’t notice that the Tab was gone, and that she had something else to busy herself with.

I took the Tab in the room, and went to search for rooting procedures. Found one that is for beginners, and I said, “What the heck. I ain’t a beginner!” and looked for something more complicated. I did find out, and when I checked through, it was way too complicated, so I went back to the beginner’s method.

I followed the procedure, downloaded the files, and without batting an eyelash, went straight away to rooting the device. I used Odin before, and I used Odin now. I am not new to the procedure, so I did as I can remember, and i believe I did everything correctly, but it hanged!

Before I started with the rooting procedure, I plugged in Tab in, and it was recognized by my personal laptop. However, when I disconnected my Tab, and put it to download mode, plugged it back in, Odin, or rather my laptop, don’t see it anymore. I almost panicked!

At this point, I did about 2-3x cycle of unplugging and plugging back, but still my laptop couldn’t see the Tab. So no choice, I needed to open it so I can take out the battery and hopefully, start all over again.

Problem!

The Tab isn’t easy to open up. The back cover is quite seamlessly attached to the body, without any nick or opening that is designed for taking out the cover. So I searched the web, then I found one on YouTube, and it was easy, so easy. But when I tried it myself, I had to give up – it isn’t easy after all.

A Chinese would say “Luckily,” but I ain’t Chinese, but I’ll say it anyway, “Luckily...” my work laptop was at home, and it will always be home when I am home, for such is the purpose if being issued a laptop, to be able to support even at home, even from home. I would recall that the other phones were rooted using the work laptop, while some others were rooted using the home laptop.

I took the cables and plugged it in my work laptop, with Odin already open and waiting. Boom! It was recognized ASAP. So I just searched for the same rooting procedure, downloaded the files, and went right to root my Tab 2 phone, a Samsung GT-P3100 unit.

How do I describe what happened next? It was a breeze! And with the initial problem that I went through, it seems that the quick rooting of the Tab was unbelievable, so much so that I can’t believe it at first. I had to install all those apps that is applicable only to rooted devices, and without a single complaint from the apps, my doubt was gradually replaced by a confirmation – the Tab 2 phone has been rooted!

Below is the link on the Rooting Procedure for Beginners, well, there will be times that it pays to go down low, again. Like this time.

Root Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

Till then!

my Computer Quest

20 July, 2018

How to Change Font in Android Phone (Huawei Mate 10, Samsung)

15 January, 2015

Versatility of Graphene, Material of Tomorrow