How to Update Samsung Galaxy SIII I9300 with Cyanogen Mod 9 Firmware

King of custom ROM firmware, aka the Cyanogen Mod 9 firmware version arrives for the Smartphone King, the Samsung Galaxy S III I9300 smartphone. In the due course of this article we will be checking out on how one can upgrade their SIII with this latest firmware. Please note that there will be some bugs in this firmware version since this one is a nightly build and not a final build of firmware. Also, note that this is not a firmware which is released by Samsung Electronics and is custom ROM firmware. This CM9 ropes in the latest ICS 4.0.4 firmware which otherwise too has arrived on SGSIII.

It was the last time when we saw Omega custom ROM firmware for your Galaxy S III smartphone and this is the 2^nd custom ROM firmware dubbed as CM9 developed by Cyanogen Mod team. Cyanogen Mod developers are one of the best developers across the custom Rom firmware developers.

Rooting Information: For applying this custom ROM firmware, you need to root your device and once the device is rooted, the warranty will get void. The only way with which you can get back the lost warranty is by re applying with any of the Official firmware. You can note down the current firmware version which your device is on from “About Phone” section so that you can revert back to the same.

Disclaimer: We should not be held liable for any damage caused in the process of updating Samsung Galaxy S III GT I9300. It is very unlikely that your device will be damaged if you follow all the instructions to the point which are mentioned in procedure.

Screen Captures:

    

Express Pre Requisites:

• We should not be blamed for any data loss happened in the course of applying this update. For your convenience, we have summed up a quick guide on how to back up the data safely so that just in case if the data gets lost or corrupted, the same can be easily restored with the help of below mentioned steps.

SMS – Use “SMS Backup & Restore app”,
Contacts – Sync with the Gmail application,
Call Log -Call Log and Restore
Images, Songs, Videos, Files – Copy to internal / External SD Card,
APN and MMS Settings – Note down from the path “Applications > Settings > Wireless and Network > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names”

• Enable the Samsung KIES Mode, which can be enabled from the Settings option and also you need to enable the USB Debugging Mode too from the path “Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging”.

• Ensure that the minimum battery level is 50% and also you will have to disable the antivirus as well as firewall tools tend to disrupt the firmware update process.

• Rooting your device is must, so before proceeding you need to ensure that you are on the Rooted firmware. You can check whether your device is rooted or not with an App called “Root Checker” which can be downloaded from the PLAY Store. If the device is not rooted, you need to root the same and install the Clock Work Mod Recovery Image in your Galaxy S III.

Assuming that you are done with all the above mentioned instructions, you can now proceed to the next page where we have summed up a detailed guide on how to apply this firmware update in your device.

Procedure to Update Cyanogen Mod 9 Firmware in your Galaxy S III GT I9300:

• Download the Cyanogen Mod 9 Firmware Package & Google Apps Package from here to your computer. Once downloaded, you then will have to connect your Galaxy SIII to your computer.

• Copy both the Zip files in your device. Once copied, you now need to disconnect the device and turn off your Galaxy S3 so that it can be then entered in the recovery mode.

• Galaxy S3 can be entered in the recovery mode by pressing the Volume Up Key, Center button, and holding both simultaneously press the Power Button. If the device boots up in the normal mode, then try again the above process to get your Galaxy S III in recovery mode.

• In recovery mode, select Wipe data/factory reset and also you need to select Wipe Cachepartition and then reboot your device by selecting reboot system now with the help of Volume rocker keys so that all the cache data will be wiped Off completely.

• Select “install zip from sd card” > “choose zip from sd card” and then choose the Cyanogen Mod 9 Nightly Custom ROM firmware package and then select “Yes” with the help of Volume rocker keys and Menu button. After this, similarly you need to select the Google Apps Zip package placed in your Galaxy S3.

• Once the file is selected, it will take around 4 -5 minutes for applying the same. Once the device is updated successfully, you will get the notification that the update has been applied successfully.

Note: Just in a rare case if the device is not updated and it gets into the boot loop mode, you need to again clear the cache from the recovery mode and retry the whole process from the start.

So there you go, you have now successfully applied the update of ICS Android 4.0.4 based Cyanogen Mod 9 firmware in your device. Do share with us in the comments section just in case if you face any issues as we will try our level best to sort out the same.

How to Update Galaxy S3 GT I9300 with Omega v6.0 Custom ROM Firmware

XXALF6 ICS 4.0.4 Firmware arrives for Galaxy S3 GT I9300 smartphone and in the due course of this article we will be checking out on how you can install the latest custom ROM firmware which is Omega 6.0 which comes with more stability and is power packed with updated apps. Over a period of this article we will be checking out on what is the exact change log of this firmware update along with the detailed feature list & screen captures of the device.  This firmware is not released by Samsung Electronics and is custom ROM firmware which is developed by the third party developers.

Over a period of last few days, we saw on how you can install various custom ROM firmwares like Cyanogen Mod 9, Omega custom ROM etc. Now, an all-new version of Omega custom ROM firmware has arrived which is Omega v6.0 firmware. Since this firmware update is a custom ROM firmware, there will be some bugs and will be addressed in the coming days.

Disclaimer: We should not be held responsible for any damage happened to your device in the process of following the instructions mentioned in this article. It’s very unlikely that there will be any issues but just in case if at all there are any issues then we are committed to help you in solving the same.

Detailed Features / Add-Ons in Omega v6.0 Custom ROM:

• Kernel stock XXALF2
• ClockWorkMod Recovery 5.5.0.4 v1.5 by Chainfire
• CWM Manager v3.60 by Chainfire
• CSC: ALE9 – set be default to VGR
• Busybox v1.20.1
• SuperSU v0.92
• All stock applications – plus:
• Flipboard (updated to latest version)
• Google Maps (updated to latest version)
• Gmail (updated to latest version)
• Play Store v3.5.19
• S memo
• Autobrightness is Fixed
• SMS Max Recipients changed to 200
• Battery % mod by pglmro
• Disabled advertisements
• Faster GPS lock
• Silent Camera
• Samsung Camera HX-MOD v1.35 by hyperX
• TouchWiz with wallpaper scrolling by Toss3
• Disable increasing ringtone in Phone
• Call Recorder – available in Omega Files – credits to wanam
• Hide SMS from Call Logs – credits to wanam
• Extended Power Menu with recovery and download
• Disable Scrolling Cache
• Changed Launcher Priority to 1
• Faster home screen scrolling
• Modded YouTube by rolle (can download videos)

Screen Captures of Omega v6.0:
     

Caution: This update should ONLY be strictly applied to the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone and should not be applied to any other devices.

Let’s get started with the detailed guide in the next page but before that you need to follow the below mentioned express pre requisites.

Since the installation of custom ROM firmware is being taken up, there is a possibility that the data in your Galaxy S3 might just get corrupted or deleted, so it’s better to back up the data with the help of below mentioned steps.

SMS – Use “SMS Backup & Restore app”,
Contacts – Sync with the Gmail application,
Call Log -Call Log and Restore
Images, Songs, Videos, Files – Copy to internal / External SD Card,
APN and MMS Settings – Note down from the path “Applications > Settings > Wireless and Network > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names”

Rooting your device is must, so before proceeding you need to ensure that you are on the Rooted firmware. You can check whether your device is rooted or not with an App called “Root Checker” which can be downloaded from the PLAY Store. If the device is not rooted, you need to root the same and install the Clock Work Mod Recovery Image in your Galaxy S III.

So assuming that you have followed all the instructions, you can now proceed to the next page where we have summed up a detailed tutorial on how to apply this update.

Procedure to Update Galaxy S3 GT I9300 with Omega v6.0 Firmware:

• Download Omega v6.0 Custom ROM Firmware Package from here to your computer. Once downloaded, you need to connect your device with the computer and then place the zip file in your device. Once you copy the same, disconnect the device and turn Off the same.

• Now, you need to enter your device in the recovery mode. The recovery mode can be entered by pressing the Volume Up Key, Center button, and holding both simultaneously press the Power Button. If the device boots up in the normal mode, then try again the above process to get your Galaxy S III in recovery mode.

• In recovery mode, select Wipe data/factory reset and also you need to select Wipe Cachepartition and then reboot your device by selecting reboot system now with the help of Volume rocker keys so that all the cache data will be wiped Off completely.

• Select “install zip from sd card” > “choose zip from sd card” and then choose the Omega 6.0  Custom ROM firmware package and then select “Yes” with the help of Volume rocker keys and Menu button. It will take around 5 – 6 minutes for applying this firmware update, once it’s done you now need to select “Go Back” and select “reboot system now” to reboot the phone in the normal mode.

Note: Just in a rare case if the device is not updated and it gets into the boot loop mode, you need to again clear the cache from the recovery mode and retry the whole process from the start.

So there you go, you have now successfully upgraded your device with the latest firmware of Omega 6.0 firmware version. Do share with us in the comments section just in case if you face any issues as we will try our level best to sort out the same.

Download Kies Mini to Update Phone Software and Sync Data

KIES mini, one of the Official tools from Samsung Electronics Ltd. is the only way apart from the OTA (Over The Air) updates to get an official update straight from SAMSUNG. It is very important to be on the latest version of KIES mini so as to receive the updates. In the due course of this article we will be checking out on how you can install the latest version of KIES mini. Also, another advantage of installing the latest version of KIES is that it installs all the important drivers which one requires to install the beta firmwares or the leaked firmwares which are otherwise installed with the help of Odin tool which too is of Samsung Electronics.

Just in case if you have already installed the KIES mini in your computer then you will have to just check for updates if there are any so that you don’t miss out any updates pushed by Samsung for your phone. With KIES mini, one can easily search, browse, download and manage all your apps including the data from your Samsung Vibrant device. There are some requirements for installing the KIES mini in your computer which too are stated below,

• An available USB port
• All firewall and antivirus programs should be disabled
• Administrative privileges required to download and install software, including drivers
• The Vibrant device should have a fully charged battery
• USB cable included in the retail box (Note: This may be connected to the customer’s wall charger)

Download KIES mini | Samsung USB Drivers

Do let us know just in case if you face any issues in the comments section below as we are committed to solve all your issues at the earliest. Along with the KIES min, we also recommend you to install the Samsung USB Drivers.

Quick Tips to Increase your Android’s Phone Battery Life

Smart phones in general have a lot of functionality. The Android operating system (when loaded with other apps) has a ridiculous amount of functionality. In fact, for the amount of functionality that is packed into an Android device, we get amazing battery life. However, that said we can always look at ways of improving this battery life. Sometimes we are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no means to charge our phones. Maybe we are camping for a week or so and don’t have a means to charge our batteries. In this regard there are a few simple things we can do to conserve the life of our batteries.

1. Halt all Incoming Signals

Chances are – if you are in the middle of nowhere then you aren’t getting a signal anyway. In this regard, you may even opt to turn your phone off. If you want to use your phone while travelling however, then you can just put the phone into airplane mode. This will stop all incoming and outgoing signals and will reduce the amount of power that your Android is expending.

2. Turn off GPS

GPS is great, don’t get me wrong. However if you don’t need it, then why have it on? Turn off the GPS in your phone and shut down wireless transmission of unnecessary data. This will save a ton of battery power. It takes a lot of power to constantly communicate with a GPS satellite. Think of how far away the satellite is!

3. Tweak the Display (1)

There are a few things you can do with your display. Consider turning down the brightness. This will cause the phone to utilise less energy to pump brightness into the display. Also decrease thescreen time out. This means that it will turn the back light off behind the screen a lot quicker and won’t burn as much energy. Some phones actually have a power saving mode and both of these things (as well as others) will be altered if the phone is in power saving mode. Have a look around for this option.

4. Useless Notifications

Although vibrate is not exactly useless – it detrimental to the life of your battery. Consider turning off vibration in order to get a bit of extra life out of your battery. Also, turn the volume down on your sound. The more energy expelled when your phone makes sound the louder the sound is. Consider putting your phone into silent mode if you are using it to play games. You will get an on screen notification of any calls anyway.

5. Tweak the Display (2)

This is actually an old laptop trick. The less eye candy on screen the longer the battery life because the computer has to work less to make the screen look pretty. This is equally viable in terms of phone battery longevity. Consider turning off any animated icons and overly flashy graphics in the interface. This can save a massive amount of battery power. This is also a nice way to make your phone work a little quicker as you are not reliant on sliding menus and stuff of that nature to get tasks done.

Easiest Way of Wiping Phone Data – Before Selling your Android Phone

Technology is ever upgrading, you buy a mobile phone today and tomorrow there would be another with the latest upgraded versions to meet the future technology. So what do you do with your old mobile phone when you buy a new mobile? Surely you would not throw it away, you would be selling it for the price that it can get to the least on eBay or Amazon online or you would be giving it to your family members or friends or cousin. There are certain thing which you should take care of is to protect your data before you handover the phone to others.

By ensuring the following steps you take security of your personal and private data & information –

1. Backup Your Data – The important thing is to back up your data so that it would be available to you on your new device. More importantly when you are selling the handset to the strangers, then you need to make sure that your personal & private data is not leaked to them. The easiest way to do it is to simply connect your phone to your PC so as you can make a copy of everything on your phone and thus save a copy of it on your PC. Now when you get the new phone transfer the content to that mobile.
2. You should be careful of your microSD card and other external storage devices when selling the handset. You should either remove microSD card or format it and give it to the buyer.
3. Finally, you should be happy to do a factory restore to your phone before handing overyour mobile phone to the buyer.

The above steps will ensure you that none of your contact information, emails history or password are fell into the wrong hands when you switch over to a new device.

Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Improved Features – Project Butter Announced

Google has finally accounced the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean firmware version at the I/O event. Along with this a few statistics were also announced like there were 400 million device activations this year already when compared to 100 million in 2011 which is a huge jump. Along with that there are more than a million devices activated every day which means more than 12 devices are sold every single second.

Now when we get back to the 4.1 version its more like a improvised version of the ICS which has been available to all the latest smart phones. Hence its clearly created above Ice Cream Sandwich giving better experience to the users. The project Butter which is meant for making system faster is going to give you many new features which are mentioned below.

There is support for Arabic with 18 new input languages like Hindi, Thai & Persian. There are a few camera improvements like faster scrolling in the gallery, filmstrip view and also swipe away photos to delete them. Talking about new features in the NFC end, you can now tap the device to any bluetooth speaker to instantly connect them. Also there are new notifications customizations and you can call back someone directly from the notifications area itself.

There is better voice search facility which gives you better presented format of the searched content and better understanding of natural language. The moment you search for something you get answers based on knowledge graph. You can also easily place widgets on the homescreen panes and easily resize or move them around.

Below Content Covered on Feb 16, 2012

Adoption of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has fallen short as expected. Neither can you blame the manufacturers nor Google for just 1 % adoption in the market share. By March 2012 we might see many tablets and smartphones out with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4.0 was the biggest Android update as of now and it required a set of minimum hardware profile and that why we see not many mobile phones qualifying for the update. Jelly Bean is named accordingly to the Google naming convention of Android version been adopted.

In the news we have the rumors of Jelly Bean aka Android 5.0 is to be releasing as early in second quarter of 2012. We might also see Android 5.0 entering the notebooks and netbooks markets too. One of the key features of the Jelly Bean might be its ability to run dual boot Chrome OS. Expected that Google will speed up the development of Android 5.0, we might see Google debuting with it in May or June this year. Also this would be launched in competition with Apple’s iOS 5 and Windows 8 as they are expected to be arrive in quarter 2 this year.

It’s expected that Google will include Chrome OS elements in Jelly Bean and there is no other details available about this and we have to wait and watch. We would bring more news about Android Jelly Bean. We might hear more on June 27 when the Google I/O developer events begins.

How to Print from Android Phone with Google Cloud Print

With the arrival of Cloud Print on Google’s Android, you can now enjoy the printing very easily. For all those who don’t know what Google Cloud Printingmeans, the Google Account users need to associate their printers with the Google account via this service after which with the help of cloud technology the documents can be printed from your Google account via the assigned printers. Printers are treated in much the same way as documents are in Google Docs. Therefore, it is very easy to share printers with your coworkers, friends, and family anywhere in the world. No need for complex network setups to make print sharing work! In addition to associating printers with a user’s Google Account, the capabilities of each particular printer model are stored so they can be shown to the user to select appropriate options when submitting a print job.

So, to get started and to print the pages with Google Cloud then you need to first of all registeryour account with the Google Cloud print and then you can proceed for using the Google Cloud Print by using your Google Account. As of now currently this application is available for select countries but will soon be launched worldwide.  Google cloud print comes with the support of printing the files which comes with the formats: pdf, jpg, jpeg, docx, ods, xls, xlsx, ppt and odp.

What’s the catch is that you can even print the documents . Not only from Android, but you can also take the benefit of cloud printing for your desktop with the help of Google Chrome. Please note that this application is currently in beta stage and the same can be downloaded from theAndroid Market Place. Please note that to install and make use of this app you will have to ensure that you have at least 2.1 Android version.