How to root the ZTE Blade (SMART Netphone)

Hi there, I've had a lot of inquiries regarding the newest android phone from SMART, the Netphone701. This includes how to root the device. But what is "rooting" actually? And what can you get from a rooted phone?


Well, rooting your phone simply means being able to have administrative access (and therefore, total control) on your android phone. It's like having administrator rights on your windows pc or superuser access on linux machine. Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers. It consist of a kernel based on linux kernel. So, if you are familiar with Linux OS, working with android shell is like working with linux. It's not always necessary to have root access, but besides being cool (especially for tinker fairies like me), it allows you to install useful applications not available on non-rooted phone. One such application I like is the Titanium backup. Well, it's just another backup utility but since it requires root access, it can do more than just secure your backup, that's a complete backup of your apps and application data. If you visit the market often, you might have stumbled upon a really cool app but, it requires root access. If you wanna try it, read on.

Disclaimer:
If you should attempt to follow this guide, please note that the author will not be held responsible for whatever abnormal operation (software / hardware) your mobile device might experience after tweaking it. The procedure involves using soft wares from android development communities and maybe considered unknown or untrusted by your mobile operator. Also, please note that this procedure automatically voids the warranty of your phone, so if you're completely unfamiliar with what are you doing, I suggest that you don't try it.


OK, let's get it on.
First, you'll need these soft wares (I recommend downloading them from the links below).


1) rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin & 
2) Superuser package
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/ZTE_Blade_(Gen2):_Root_and_Recovery
3) ZTE Blade Windows Drivers
http://support.zte.com.cn/support/uploads/ZTE_Android%20USB_Driver_For_Microsoft_PC.rar
4) Android SDK 
Just follow the procedure on how to install adb shell. Alternatively, you can just google how to get adb server running on your pc, after all, you don't really need the whole SDK package if you're not an android developer.Read more here:


http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

I suggest storing all the files in one location, preferably the \tools folder of the SDK path.
     C:\Program Files\android-sdk_r10-windows\android-sdk-windows\tools
Now we're good to go.It's a relatively simple procedure if you have your pc setup just right. I provided some screenshots for easy reference. Just click on the pictures to enlarge.


First, set your phone debugging and unknown software installation options from the settings page. Make sure both options are checked.

Next, verify that adb server is properly installed. On the command line, type:
>adb start-server
This should display the output that looks like this:

Verify that the phone is connected and recognized by your pc. To do this, type the following commands on the command line.


>adb devices


This should display the output that looks like this:

 

If the phone is connected and recognized by your pc,then run the following commands. Please look at the screenshot below for the summary and output of the following commands.

2)

>adb push rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin /data/local/tmp/

3)

>adb shell 

4)

$chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin 

5)

$/data/local/tmp/rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin

Once the exploit finishes, in terminal, run the following commands: 

6)

>adb kill-server 

7)

>adb start-server 

8)

>adb shell 

NOTE: As you enter the adb shell, you should see a "#" at the command prompt. If you see a "$", then the exploit didn't work, please repeat steps 2-5. Else, proceed to the next step.

9) 

#cd /system

10)

#ls

NOTE: If you see xbin at the output, perform the next command,if not, proceed to step 12.

11)

#mv xbin xbin.bak

12)

#mkdir /system/xbin

#exit

>adb push su /system/xbin/ 

>adb shell chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su 

>adb push Superuser.apk /system/app/

Below are some screenshots of what we've done so far. These will show the commands and the output. Click on the picture to enlarge. As you may notice, the windows directory is different, that's because I opted to install the SDK files to a different directory.Just make sure that the required soft wares are in the current directory in the command line as you perform the procedure. 

Congratulations! you're  done. You now have root access on your Netphone. Verify this by installing root checker app by joeykrim from the android market. 

Now you can install apps which require root access. Just be sure to allow the application as it requires root access elevation.You now have the superuser app installed on your phone, click on it to see apps with root access.

Here are additional screenshots before and after the rooting procedure.

Installed titanium backup which requires root access.

Enjoy your rooted Netphone, please follow & comment.
God Bless!

https://web.facebook.com/theengineerisin

SMART Mobile Eye Battery Replacement

It's a Saturday, another great day for a weekend project.

Lately, I've noticed that my "SMART Mobile Eye" is always turning off even after a full night of charging. After more than 3 years of good use, we'll it's very obvious that it needs battery replacement. I tried looking for a repair center but with no luck. Some people are not even familiar with the mobile eye. Well, what is a mobile eye anyway?

Mobile Eye is a Digital Life solution offered by SMART Comm. Inc., the Philippines' leading wireless service provider. Simply put, this gadget enables you to remotely monitor you household, business or anything you value the most just like a CCTV camera on your mobile phone. Anywhere you have a good 3G signal, ensuring security is just as simple as a video call. This device is very simple but it has a lot of cool features. One of the coolest feature I like is that you can pan & tilt the camera using the keypad on your mobile phone. This enables a wider range of view unlike expensive CCTV installations that only has a steady view. You can even use it like an ordinary phone because it has a built-in speaker and microphone. Another cool feature is it's infrared camera, yes, you can see everything it covers even in total darkness. It also enables you to record what it sees for a preset time of the day, stores it in a T-Flash memory card which you can download and view at a later time.As for me, I installed it a "strategic" location in our apartment just so I can monitor how my cute little girl is doing every time me and my wife is out. With the pan & tilt feature, I can adjust the view to cover almost 70% of our home. I can hear the conversations and even say hi to my baby. OK, I guess the next thing you want to know is "How much do I spend for all these neat features?" The answer, almost nothing. As I've mentioned earlier, It's just like another video call (which I usually use, so the standard rates apply) especially if your on a postpaid account. You can use any Sim card (postpaid or prepaid) provided by SMART for the device and you just have to ensure it doesn't run out of credit. I just have to load it Php 1 every month to ensure continuous service.

You can read more on http://smart.com.ph/corporate/newsroom/SmartUnveilsDigitalLifeSolutionMobileEye.htm

http://smart.com.ph/corporate/support/FAQs/MobileEye.htm

So, let's get down to the MacGyver stuff. Please be reminded that I'm not responsible for anything that might happen to your Mobile Eye if you should attempt to repair it. Moreover, SMART may void the warranty if you attempt to tinker with the device so if you think yours is still under warranty, I suggest you inquire with SMART first. As I've mentioned earlier, mine has more than three years of good service so I think it's way off the warranty period. Besides, I don't want any repair or replacement charges so I took the risk of doing the repair myself. And so,after a successful procedure (It's been doing OK for a month now), I thought of sharing what I've done on my blog, this might be be helpful for some other tinker fairies out there.

OK, here we go, below this is the mobile eye fully assembled.

Oh by the way, you'll also need a precision screwdriver, tweezers, side cutter and a soldering iron for the repair. On the picture, you can see the mounting bracket.It looks like an astronauts helmet showing the camera, the infrared LED's, the status light indicator & the microphone holes on the front and just on the left side is the speaker. OK, just look at the pictures for the tear down procedure.


First, remove all the screws. All screws are covered by a plastic sticker or a rubber stopper, just pry it using tweezers before removing the screws. There are four screws on top & four on the bottom.

After slightly opening the enclosure, you need to remove two screws just above the camera mounting  and the two screws on the infrared LED's to be able completely remove the enclosure and easily pull out the battery. Now you can separate the enclosure in half. Be careful in doing this to avoid pulling on some cables connecting the front LED's, microphone & speaker.

 

  

Now here is the complete tear down, you just have to gently pry the microphone, infrared LED's and the speaker from the enclosure. The battery is the circular pattern on the bottom of the camera assembly with the gray and white cable sticking out, we will pull this out later.

      

Now before pulling out the battery, disconnect it from the main board. Follow the gray/black connector and gently pull on the connector from the main board. Then pull the battery out from the assembly.

Okay, we're halfway done. Below is the view of the original battery and the replacement battery. 

So where did I get the replacement battery? After some googling, I discovered "Battery Zone" located in Farmers Center Cubao, QC. I brought the original battery and they offered me a replacement with the same specifications, it's around Php500. They will offer the option of reconnecting the connectors but that would take days (and a service charge) so I opt to do it myself instead. You may also try on "Battery Channel" stores located on some malls.

So now it's time to replace the battery. First you have to transfer the connector. You can use a cutter to strip off the covering of the old battery (note the polarity of the terminals). This will expose the small PCB with some electronic components attached to the side of the battery. Then, you can use the side cutter to pry off the metal connectors from the battery terminal.

 

As you can see, the original battery is really in bad shape. It already leaked and that's the reason why it will not hold any charge. A simple voltmeter test confirms this. Also, the terminals are corroded as well as the circuit board which I also suspect some damage. Anyway, I just cleaned it with alcohol.

After cleaning the battery circuit board, I'm just hoping that it was not damaged by the corrosion. And so, using a soldering tool, I soldered the circuit board (again, noting the correct polarity) to the new battery.  I just  secured it using electrical tape. Now here's the circuit board attached to the new battery.

Then, you just have to re-insert the battery to the main assembly. Then re-connect the battery cable to the main board.

As you may have noticed, the final assembly of the battery is a bit different from the original setup. After a quick test, it turned out that the battery circuit board is damaged by the corrosion and is not working properly. And so I thought of removing the circuit board and connecting the battery directly to the circuit board, and it worked just as well. The circuit board attached to the battery is just an added "protector" for the battery against over-charging or thermal runaway but the main board itself controls the charging so it's okay to remove it. Nevertheless, I recommend not always doing this if the circuit board is not damaged. As I've said, it provides added protection for the battery.

After re-assembling the unit, it's charging perfectly using the supplied charger, but a test call confirms all is working fine. Below is the unit starting up (white light indicator on) and charging (blue light indicator on).

The charging automatically stops after about 8 hours and the unit lasts  for up to one week on standby depending on how often it is used.

Now that was a lot of fun, and a lot of savings. If you have further inquiries, please follow me or you may send it on my profile email.I might be able to help you.

Have a nice day, God Bless!

https://web.facebook.com/theengineerisin