Cyanogen Mod & Pure Android, Why?

So last summer, I purchased a ZTE Zmax when my phone was stolen as it had a great recommendation from a nerdy friend in my speech class.  My first six months of ownership were amazing and I was extremely happy with the device except I desired root access which wasn't available.  Somewhere along the way, I installed an application that was a system optimizer and it ran and munged things up.  Then I found root and just waited for the time to wipe and reinstall.  This day arrived on Thursday and I started by rooting and installing a custom recovery partition.  Then I found an ADB command to turn off the write protection in the boot loader thus making the system partition writeable when booting a custom ROM.  Next I downloaded nandroid backups of the factory ROMs for this device and placed them all on the SD card.

Meanwhile, I had already used the recovery program to factory reset the phone and had installed and added most of the APPs that I regularly use.  I made a nandroid backup before I wiped and then again once I had everything perfect.  I then proceeded to install the CM 31.1 nightly that I found on an Android Nerd Website, Android Authority, I think.  There is that moment when you flash a ROM and reboot when it's finished and your heart seems to stop beating as the boot-up process begins.  I find myself holding my breath until I see the Android desktop.  Everything seemed to work fine and I immediately set about flashing the proper Gapps from Open Gapps.  There are multiple packages based on what you want to install and I screwed up multiple times which meant I had to re-flash the ROM to ensure it was all installed properly. 

Somehow, the permissions did not get set properly and that seemed to be a habitual problem as a total re-flash didn't fix the problem. So, with the help of Google and the million member Android Army, which is where I found all of the information to do everything I have described here, I slowly found out how to resolve each pop-up error about a Google service failing that prevented me from using the device or doing anything else but clicking on the OK button.  There was a video on YouTube of another user with the same problem on another device and his fix was to painstakingly fight to bring up the Android Settings and then Applications and then locate each offending application and give the proper permissions.  Needless to say, this took a while and when I was done, Android 6.0 is so much nicer then the 4.4.4-Kit-Kat that I had been using that it was rewarding to have successfully fixed the permission issue even though it was frustrating.

Everything seemed to work but the LTE wireless data and the 3G and 2G data seemed spotty at best as did cellular calling.  Remember I did most of my setup over Starbucks Wi-Fi and my home Wi-Fi and not Carrier data.  Googling the issue indicated the problem stemmed from the Radio ROM I was using so, I downloaded the correct radio.  Further research indicated it was more then just the radio, so I downloaded a ROM that flashed all of the necessary changes to make the radios work properly with CyanogenMod and AOSP based ROMs.  On first reboot everything appeared to work as I wanted.

Now, it may sound like all of this was trivial, it wasn't and required a significant investment of time to read forum posts and get to the correct solutions.  Then add in my relative n00b status in Android hacking and the time compounds exponentially.  My Google contacts weren't syncing and that took a bit of time and effort to get working properly.  Then add to that the problem didn't go away until I rebooted my device and only then did everything seem to work properly.  Flashing the proper modem files was a nightmare as every copy failed the signature check and only through Google did I find that this was because they couldn't be signed.  Turned off the signature check and crossed my fingers and flashed.  When it rebooted and appeared to resolve the problems, I took a deep breath.

So, why did I do this?  I like the idea of a pure Android phone and my next device will be as close to pure Android as possible because that increases the likelihood of frequent updates and almost guaranteed compatibility with the next version of Android.  Nexus devices are pure Android with the addition of Google's applications for accessing their services.  Motorola offers a purer version as well and ultimately even if the manufacturer doesn't make an update available, as I have shown with the ZTE Z-Max, the community will step in and do it on it's own.

Updates are important and Apple has one of the next track records in this regard, with ensuring that older devices receive updates for a guaranteed period of time and security patches for even longer.  I bought a phone for my wife from Motorola back around the time of the first Galaxy Note, the N-7000 and it never got an updated that I could find even though it was a business class device with a fingerprint reader.  We just recently replaced it with a Blu device purchased from Best Buy because she had a gift card.  Her Motorola device was acting peculiar because of the heat and most of the developers had stopped supporting her version of Android including her browser.  So, she had to upgrade to continue to use the device for anything more then a dumb phone with an iPod built on.

This is scary on multiple levels because it forces people to upgrade in order to continue using the device the same way they always have.  It is also scary because there have been major security flaws in Android that have been discovered that were never patched.  Imagine if a defect was found in a modern car and the manufacturer didn't issue a recall or tell anyone who had purchased one from then new?  When it was discovered, there would be a Senate enquiry to find out the details of who, what, when, where, how and why.  This is becoming more of an issue as more and more personal data is contained on devices and users begin to use them for more and more purposes in their daily lives.

Now that everything is working properly, I am going to slowly begin blogging about each application I install and use regularly along with why I use them.  I am doing this as a guide for some of my friends who are less technical, to help them be able to make the move from a proprietary version of Android like that produced by Samsung or HTC where their overlays often delay and or prevent the release of updates for devices.  One of my primary functions is to show how security can be implemented in a manner that adds to and enhances the existing security.

Samsung N-7000 Repair

When the original Samsung Galaxy Note N-7000 was released in 2011, I acquired one from someone locally who had paid to have it shipped from India.  This is not a problem if you do not have any issues with the device requiring warranty repair since obtaining it requires that the device be shipped back to that region for repair.  This issue reared its head about 6 months in to owning it when the device began to act funny:  it would act like I was plugging in and unplugging a MicroUSB cable.  It would make the same noise and change the battery icon on the status bar to one indicating that the device was charging,.

An exhaustive search of the Internet and the XDA-Developers Forum for the N-7000 indicated that it was related to a bad component on the USB Charging board.  Since the problem seemed to rectify itself, I put it out of my mind until it started doing it again.  It seemed to do it regularly when the temperature got warmer but would rectify itself eventually so I just ignored it.  Then when school started, it began doing it again but this time, it would not let me turn on the phone unless it was plugged in to power and it did not go away.  So I searched YouTube and found a video showing how to replace the defective board:

The video made it look truly easy with the tools used.  So I then began searching E-Bay and found the perfect set of tools shipped on the slow boat from China for $2.99.

So I then ordered the tools, because at this price they would come in handy for a multitude of tasks.  I then searched for and found the board for $5.09 plus $.99 shipping on the same slow boat from China.  So, I of course, ordered this as well.

The screwdrivers arrived last week and the board arrived this week.  I had been nervous about doing it, afraid that I would somehow frack it worse then it already was and I was not planning on doing it today anyway.  Except that I sat down and I thought about what I had learned in the management class, about not being afraid of failing.  So I prepared myself to accept my failures and put them right up alongside of my successes and achievements.

I am glad that I did take the time to do this, since I now have a completely functional device and the total repair time took less then 10 minutes in total and was just as easy, if not easier then the video showed.  The only issue was that I dropped a screw on the floor, but found it almost immediately.  I then thought I had lost a screw and just when I had given up and decided to accept its loss, I found it.  So all in all an easy repair.  This is the power of User Forums and your fellow device enthusiasts on the internet, because chances are, someone, somewhere has had the same issue as you and they figured out how to fix it or work around it.

Creating An Internet Brand

When I decided to go back to school, I decided to document the experience via Social Media, a Blog and random picture posts.  So, I began randomly posting my musings as status update with my Facebook friends.  I have sort of a core following of my friends who comment and actively participate in my life online, through Facebook.

I use Instagram as OldGuyStudent and have blogs at the following locations:

Wordpress where I post random musings about life at American River College, the local Community College where I am a student.  It’s a very strange experience and I am just getting used to it because I have never been one to study or to do much reading and work on my own.  I am striving to change this and it has been a challenge.  The TV Show Community makes me shake my head daily as I experience the jokes in it first hand, in real life sometimes waiting for the laugh track, other times hearing the laugh track and others being the laugh track.

Tumblr is where I put random pictures.  I want to take a Digital Photography class and I hope to be able to find a way to get a Digital SLR camera and preferably a Nikon.  To go along with it I would love to have a Samsung Galaxy Camera as it is an amazing device.  It would be awesome to have it so that I could sync the pictures to my Samsung Galaxy Note where I could edit and manipulate them.

So, now I have created a Facebook page for OldGuyStudent where I will now post the random status updates and blog posts related to School, being a student and being an old guy.  My life has been an amazing journey up to this point and I have met some truly amazing people online and in real life.  My family and extended family are all online and connected to me through Facebook.  So I created the Facebook page for me to advertise to them the things that I like, use and find useful on this journey.

I am going to create a brand name out of OldGuyStudent and see if I can become an Internet Celebrity by letting the world see in to my warped mind because I think deep down, we are all a little bit warped in our own way.  So welcome aboard! 

Universal Cellphone Automobile Mount

Driving with your cell phone in your hands is dangerous for obvious reasons.  I learned to drive watching my grand parents drive.  They drove with manners and attention to detail, both hands on the wheel most of the time.  The first thing you should think about when driving with that cell phone sitting in your lap is where it is going to go when your car stops suddenly in the event of an accident.  Go to the AAA of California website or Consumer Reports and watch some crash videos and imagine your device in a crash after it has bounced off another occupants head.

Even sitting on a seat or the dash is not good enough and will still become a projectile.  There are a lot of solutions that I feel provide a false sense of security, especially those with suction cup mounts.  The Factory OEM model from Samsung for the Galaxy S2 line was awesome, except for this particular issue.  The suction cup only worked when wet with water.  No, I didn’t like it and yes, I did think about it.  It would slowly loosen and pop off at the most random inopportune time while driving.  So, I stopped using it and even though I paid less then $20 for it shipped from AT&T, I felt like I wasted money because I did.  So when I upgraded to the Galaxy Note, I began looking for a universal mount so that I would not have to buy another one should I decide or need to upgrade to the Note 2.  Most Universal mounts are designed to stick to the windshield and or the vents.  It is illegal to attach anything to the window in California, technically.

Since I glued a plastic plate to my dash for the other mount, I decided to try and find a universal one with a way I could reuse this pad.  If the suction cup does not work on this one, I am going to silicone it to the plate, solving the problem.  The mount I chose is a unique design and I need to check and ensure it will grip the device even when stopped suddenly.  The idea of the airbag smacking me in the face scares me enough without think that the cell phone might decide to bounce off of something and clock me in the side of the head not protected by side curtain airbags.

The “Universal Clip-on Car Windshield Mount Holder” caught my eye when I found it being listed for another device.  I asked the seller if it would be able to hold the Note.  The seller confirmed by size how wide it would open, so I ordered it on November 11th.  On November 12th I got an email saying that my item had shipped and was on it’s way. 

         

The mount arrived on the morning of November 27th.  It arrived wraped in part of a plastic modeled protective package in a manila brown bubble-wrap padded envelope.  Although the packaging was a little less then I would have used, the item arrived in flawless condition.  The first thing I noticed was that the suction cup used for the mount is a different kind of material then all of the other unites I have encountered.

          
When I was a kid, there were these slimy, sticky insects that when thrown would stick to the surface and if the octopus one landed right it would walk down the window or surface.  It’s sort of like sticky Jello except that its solid and stronger then that.  All doubts about it sticking well went out the window the first time I affixed it to the disc on the dashboard.  I had no doubt about it falling off during the drive to pick my daughter up from school or the other appointment I drove to today.  It placed the device within reach and provided a perfect view of the screen for navigation when necessary.

Before I mounted it in the car, I held the base of the mount and shook it violently up and down with the front of the phone facing my lap.  I easily shook it harder then it would have received in the average accident and the phone did not wobble or fall loose.  Understanding how Physics works, this is very important to me since I already have a rational fear about any introductions between my face and the airbag but the common sense to realize that whatever the Airbag does will be far more preferably to being in the same situation without an airbag. 
      

The pictures above should be self-explanatory.  They are, of course, my N-7000 in the black soft Gel Case in the clamps of the mount.  It would also be large enough to hold my N-7000 in the External Battery Case that I have for it, so overall this is an awesome mount.  The second set of pictures are of my old Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4g Touch from Sprint.  I took those pictures so that you could be judge the size and dimensions of the mount.

New Facebook Attack

So, I was looking at my stream on Facebook and came across a post by someone I trust that looked like this:

The subject matter and the title by my friend was a clue, so I clicked the link.  The page that appears is this:

If you look closely, the Submit button is drawn over the original Facebook button that allows you to use your Facebook credentials to login to a website.  By clicking submit, the same link above will be posted to your wall and the ‘Hacker’ will have access to your Facebook account.  Every one of your friends who clicks and does the same thing will perpetuate this scenario.  Pass this around so that we can stop this from spreading.

If this happened to you, change your password and look in your Facebook security settings and remove any unknown apps and websites that have access to your account.

FBI Virus

So, there is a new creative Malware circulating throughout the US and world.  It is called the FBI Virus and when it infects your computer it displays the following screen:

 

 

This screen prevents you from doing anything with your PC except entering payment information.  Since this is NOT a real message from the FBI or any law enforcement agency and there is a simple fix.  Download ComboFix, Install it.  Reboot the PC in to safe mode and run Combo Fix.  Allow it to scan and clean everything it finds.  Then update your antivirus and other malware software and allow them to perform a full system scan.  This is the easiest and most direct way of getting rid of this Nag Screen, which will not go away or allow you to do anything else until you do.  Also, there is no guarantee that paying the fee will get rid of the issue and that it wont just keep popping up randomly and demand money.

Refurbished Warranties

In my effort to get healthier and to lose more weight, I have experimented with substituting fresh vegetable juice for a regular meal.  To do this we used a low end Juicer that was purchased on sale at Target.  I wont mention the make or model, but will say that it worked really well for the price, but it was a chore to use because every few carrots or other vegetables, you had to disassemble the unit to clean it.  So in August, while still euphoric from the splendor of the Redwoods, I went to Fry's and purchased the Cuisinart CJE-1000FR juicer because it was listed on the shelf as being on sale for less then $100.  I realized by reading the box that it was Factory Refurbished and having dealt with this in Electronics I realized that most of the time they are as good as a new one.

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwnd5hJoxSY]

When I got home, I decided I wanted to get a rubber storage bin to put the unit in after I cleaned it. This way it would remain in pristine condition. Well, I got busy with work and other chores and did not get around to opening it this weekend. To my surprise the hinge that holds the top on to the body of the device was broken, thus making the device worthless. A call today to Cuisinart Customer service, the representative said that this part was not covered by warranty. I asked for a supervisor, and the floor supervisor again told me that this part was not covered by a warranty.

When I asked her for a supervisor, her initial response was that she was the supervisor.  When I pressed her and asked for a name or number for her supervisor she gave me a number for the corporate office, the parent company is Conair.  I called the number and eventually got the Voicemail for the person that I was referred to and left a message.

About an hour later he called me back and we discussed the situation.  I provided him the same information that I had provided previously and he explained to me that the reason that they told me that part was not covered was because the unit was refurbished in 2001 and must have sat in Fry's warehouse for years before being shipped to the store where it sat until the day I purchased it.  By the normal methodology used by the company the device was out of warranty.  I explained that I had just purchased the unit and the gentleman asked if I had a proof of purchase.  I explained that I did not but that I had paid with a Visa card and that I could contact Visa or Fry's and get a copy of the receipt.  He explained that in order to expedite the process he would ship me a new CJE-1000FR unit and also put in a request for UPS to collect the old unit.  He then asked if I still had the box, to which I replied "Of course I do, I haven't completely unpacked the unit since I saw the hinge was broken."

The morale of this story is simple, when dealing with any warranty related issues, make sure you either have proof of purchase or can get it and then do NOT take no for an answer.  Sometimes you have to hang up and call back multiple times or talk to multiple people in order to ensure that you get the company to do what it is supposed to do.  This is true with all Warranty packages from the default to any extended warranties that you might purchase.