Inevitably when a new piece of hardware comes out, there’s always a few things people don’t like about it. And sometimes a brave few do something about it. In this case the problem was the slick plastic battery cover on the Nexus S and how it collects fingerprints. And the solution for xda-developers member mhaedo was give it a couple thin coats of spray-on PlastiDip. He used black, but if you’re feeling frisky, you could try their red or yellow colors. And of course this isn’t limited to the Nexus S, this could be done on almost any other phone. It should also be noted that you can peel off the PlastiDip if you get bored of it or wish to sell the phone.

Hit the link for more pictures and full instructions on how he did it.

[xda-developers via AndroidCommunity]

If you’ve ever read any guides on rooting your Android phone or how to sideload applications on restricted devices, there’s no doubt you’ve come across the term ADB. ADB, short for Android Debug Bridge is a tool that is part of the Android SDK, and is a very powerful way to communicate between your computer and your phone or tablet. Being a command line tool, most novice users shy away from ADB and opt for the GUI or one-click solutions to root their phone or perform other tasks. But with the right instruction, and a little patience, you’ll have complete control over your Android phone in no time. Some users over at xda-developers have written some fantastic guides to using ADB. A general guide, Windows oriented, you can find here. And here’s one to get setup with your Mac. I recommend Mac users also read the first guide, as it is more in-depth, the command line arguments will all be nearly the same.

[via xda-developers blog]

The PocketBook IQ is an Android powered ebook reader with modest specs and a very cheap pricetag starting around $150 or so. Got one of these and want to root it? Well here’s how:

• First, install LauncherPro, since the PocketBook doesn’t have access to the Android Market, get the APK from LauncherPro’s website.
• Longpress the homescreen untill you get the ‘Add to Home screen’ window.
• Choose: Shortcuts->Activities->Settings->Development (com.android.settings.DevelopmentSettings)
• Lauch the newly created Development shortcut and check USB debugging
• Install z4root.1.3.0.apk and use it to get full root access

[MobileRead Forums]

The upgrade to Froyo for the latest Android tablets is only a few days old and already the hackers have come up with a way to install the Android Market. It was previously possible on the 2.1 firmware, but a new .apk file is required to work with Froyo. The process is simple, just download the modified Market .apk from here. Transfer it onto your Archos, then select it using the built in file manager, run the installation process and reboot. Now you have access to all the normal Market apps, not just limited to the ones in the Archos marketplace.

[via Archos Fans]

The phone that was once said to be unrootable has now fully fallen. First we gained temporary root, but it was lost with every reboot. Then came permanent root and the ability to flash ROMS. Now we have full S-OFF, which means full security off, giving you the ability to do anything you want to the phone, we also have SIM unlock, which let’s you use a SIM from another carrier without having to purchase an unlock code or call T-Mobile to get one. And also SuperCID, which means you can flash and carriers firmware.

G2 and Desire Z owners that are familiar with hacking, or just those that want to learn more, hit up the xda-developers wiki for more info and full instructions.

Android on the iPhone isn’t a new idea, but now it’s even easier. An application called Bootlace 2.1 can install Android 2.2 on your jailbroken iPhone with only a few clicks. It currently only works on the iPhone 2G or 3G, but I’m sure they’re hard at work on getting the 3GS and 4 to work. Full instructions are available over at FunSpaceMonkey.

[via Engadget]

Sure, a lot of Android phones come with stereo headphones with buttons to control the music, but what if you’re feeding the output of your phone into your car? Apparently there’s a shortage of AUX cables that have similar controls, so one ambitious DIYer, Rich Kappmeier, took it upon himself to build a custom cable to control the music coming from his Nexus One. Hit the link for a full in-depth article on how it works, and how to do it yourself.

My only question is, why not use the on screen controls? Although I can see a few other applications where this type of control can be useful.

[WiseBread]

This fix comes to you courtesy of Paul O’Brien, the same man that brought us the Google Goggles Remover and has cracked root on many Android phones.

If you’ve used Goggles Remover or made another change to your /system partition, you can revert to stock in the following way (warning: this will wipe your device):

• Download the 1.19 stock ROM from here
• Download fastboot from here
• Extract the fastboot zip to the same directory as the ROM
• Turn your G2 on with the action button held (fastboot mode)
• Type ‘fastboot-windows oem rebootRUU’ (case sensitive, replace windows with mac or linux as required)
• Type ‘fastboot-windows flash zip PC10IMG_Vision_TMOUS_1.19.531.1_Radio_12.21.60.09b_26.02.01.15_M2_release_149459
  signed.zip’

Let this finish, then type ‘fastboot reboot’ and apply the OTA

Now to apply the new G2 update with WiFi calling, see our how-to and grab the file here.

A nice mod, but still not as extreme as that guy that tore keys off his EPIC 4G keyboard…

[via Phandroid]

Dual booting has been around for a little while in the Android world. Many HTC HD2 users dual boot between Windows Mobile and Android, and the method isn’t unlike how Cyanogen got CM6 running on the T-Mobile G2 off the SD card. Now Droid Eris users can dual boot between Android 2.1 based on Jcase’s Sense ROM and Android 2.2 based on CyanogenMod 6/AOSP. All without rebooting into recovery mode just using a simple script. The method of installation is very advanced and I would not encourage the average user to try it. And of course you have to be rooted and have a properly partitioned SD card. For further instructions check out the xda-developers thread here.

[via xda-developers blog]