Develop Bugs

Meeting with HTC

Hi all
i'm an engineer doing R&D for Leaf Wireless in South Africa. We supply wireless solutions and HTC phones to Africa.
i'm going to Taiwan to meet and recieve training from the HTC engineers from monday the 12th. And since i've received so much help from XDA developers in the past i thought i'd offer.
if there are any customisation questions you have or HTC issues that are proving difficult to solve post them here. i'll ask the guys when i get there and try get some answers.
cheers,
Greg

hmm this thread sounds like it could take off.
i dont think you know what you got yourself into supaspud. i know lots of people are going to have questions and suggestions for htc.
i for one would like to see them implement a wheel mouse not unlike the one in the danger sidekick 3. that would make wm experience 100 times better.
also ask if crossbow will officially be released as an upgrade for the wizard.
when i think of more questions or suggestions ill reply again

?Why don't they make a full size (3.5" or whatever) screen in a cdma with more memory. Hell it doesn't even have to be vga. I use mine as a pda, if I wanted a tiny screen, I'd just get a damn phone.

hiimcliff said:
also ask if crossbow will officially be released as an upgrade for the wizard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Save yourself the bother. It would be up to the telco's to decide on releasing an official update and they would then pay HTC to build the rom. Expect that to happen about the same time as the telco's decide to donate all their profits to third world charities.

It's not a telco thing. If you are refering to the companies who re-brand the HTC machines (most of whom are not telcos) the decision will be based mostly on whether HTC will actually supply the ROM and at what cost if any. They would have a fairly good idea about what they are going to do for some machines as they own one such company that retails their machines (Dopod). Find out about possibility of Artemis crossbow ROM if you can

Linux
It would be interesting to get their opinion on Linux on the HTC platform, and whether they would consider contributing to the development of a well rounded Linux based phone environment.

Yes, their opinion on linux would be good to know
Ask if they have any future plans to support it officially.

Ask them what (apart from soldering the chips on and editing the rom file for memory alocation) needs to be done to make 128mb of ram work on UNIVERSAL (it origionally had it, so the motherboard supports it and it can work

Hello Leaf Wireless
Well, well Greg, I thought that Leaf would not come out of the closet.
I have been the source of information till now, but now please take the stage.
A few months back I introduced a few of your staff to the XDA site.
I am now and then fed tit bits of information which I share on the forum. The ROM 1.35 update is a good example.
There are some clever guys here and we can all all learn together.
The problems I raised with Renier was:
1. Storage card getting lost in Media Player
2. Windows 5 is full of unresloved problems, with the BT stack poor.
3. Battery life on 3G is shocking. I have upgraded to 1.27 to see if things improve.
4. I have an Email from Dan Mackie @HTC Eupope stating that an Major ROM upgrade would be released at the end of January 2007, "to resolve all known issues on the TyTN". Nothing has happened yet!
The issue with the storage card was a known issue and I was informed at the end of September that it would be sorted with the next upgrade.
It hasn't happened yet but I have noticed that the TyTN's that you have received do not have this problem.
Please feel free to contact me should you wish.
Enjoy the trip and let me have a copy of the new ROM before you leave.
Regards
A wish list would be for the keyboard have some kind of a lock to prevent it opening when retrieving from the pouch. I find that I often drop call on closing the keyboard.
The magnets in the pouch are also troublesome and cause screen rotation and also dropped calls at times when rotating back.

GPS in the Hermes
What component of software (hardware??) is missing in the Tytn compared to the Trinity to make the GPS work.
Thanks
Francisco
PS. My first post, and I would like to thanks all the excellent XDA-developers community for this great forum.

@SupaSpud: Tell them to produce a Hermes with VGA screen and GPS and 256Mb ROM, RAM....
Thanks.

SupaSpud said:
i'll ask the guys when i get there and try get some answers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Several people have already asked this question:
- How can we install 128Mb RAM on Universal?
HTC never replied.

sheesh...
wow... looks like I opened up pandora's box. i'm making a list of all the queries and i'll ask them on monday. keep em coming...
ps: i'll find out bout the rom now.

Hey SSpud - gr8 offer !
1. I''d like you to ask why they dont set the default Bluetooth (a2dp) to Stereo (and the bit rate / max bit rate to 40+) ... and generally fix stereo BT.
2. How do they acvtually work with customers (eg BT in the UK) .... I get the inpression they are extremely slow and unresponsive.
2. Camera - if even cheap sony ericons can have autofocus and macro settings why cant HTC ?
3. Stereo Jacks (3.5 or 2.5mm)
4. Direct access to microSD card
5. When will they update their FAQ's and trouble shooting guides beyond the patronising " check that it is turned on type " answers.
Thanks for this oportunity !!
(I'm especially intersted efor Artemis/ XDA orbit)

Hello 'Spud,
Apart from sorting/mentioning the listed problems here - especially the poor bluetooth stack IMO - please do bump the question regarding their future GPS roadmap for TyTN/Hermes series of phones.
Now that will make a true convergence of technologies.
Kind regards,

Mine is a small and trivial request... could they please please please fix the battery meter on the hermes... the [email protected] +/- 10% drives me nuts... wish we could get the +/- 1% like the other devices.

Hello Greg
SupaSpud said:
Hi all
i'm an engineer doing R&D for Leaf Wireless in South Africa. We supply wireless solutions and HTC phones to Africa.
i'm going to Taiwan to meet and recieve training from the HTC engineers from monday the 12th. And since i've received so much help from XDA developers in the past i thought i'd offer.
if there are any customisation questions you have or HTC issues that are proving difficult to solve post them here. i'll ask the guys when i get there and try get some answers.
cheers,
Greg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell the guys at HTC to watch the XDA-Developers site to find out what's wrong with their phones and what features are needed to turn them into great devices - remember the IPhone is comming!
Basil

Tell them not to save cents in devices that cost hundred of dollars. For instance they use cheap and weak cpus like samsung (which has only ARMv4T) ot OMAP with it's low clock frequencies. Or they save memory and instead of using 128MB or more RAM! RAM is cheap! I'd like to see smaller touchscreen displays with VGA resolution! Look at the size and resolution of some nokias: E60 or E70. I'd like to see hermes (device with foldable keyboard) with gps, 624MHz intel cpu, 128MB RAM and 2.2 inch touchscreen in the near future!
YES! Tell them about this forum! Tell them not to do stupid things in locking their devices - this simply reduces their markets!
And tell them that maybe it is about time to see their x86 UMPC! Look at the sony vaio UX180P or UX280P!

Hi
hiimcliff said:
i for one would like to see them implement a wheel mouse not unlike the one in the danger sidekick 3. that would make wm experience 100 times better.
also ask if crossbow will officially be released as an upgrade for the wizard.
when i think of more questions or suggestions ill reply again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not exactly sure of what you mean about the wheel mouse. You mean like the one the Artemis has?
As for crossbow going onto the Wizard... i don't think that'll happen. But i'll double check.

Hi
cougargt said:
?Why don't they make a full size (3.5" or whatever) screen in a cdma with more memory. Hell it doesn't even have to be vga. I use mine as a pda, if I wanted a tiny screen, I'd just get a damn phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say too much, but if the rumour I heard is true, you might get something like that in the second half of this year. *wink-wink, nudge-nudge*

Update Verizon Motorola Q (black) to WM6

As the title states, is there currently a way to upgrade the Verizon Wireless Motorola Q (black version) to Windows Mobile 6?
Regards in advance
-Evomac-

I'll second that question --
I should definitely read more on this forum before asking such dumb questions, (hi, I'm new!) but curiosity is killing me...
How cross-platform/generic are these OS?
I notice that there's a different release of WM6 Pro for every different HTC model, which scares me...
I was toying around with the idea that the T-mobile Dash (aka HTC Excalibur) is a 'smartphone' running WM6 Standard.
That puts it in the same ballpark as the Q, they're both 320x240 w/ no touchscreen!
However, the S620/excalibur/whatever runs a T.I. OMAP850 cpu on GSM;
whereas the Q features an Intel XScale PXA272, and CDMA
As a guy who has a Verizon Q which will likely be left at wm5 forever, I *really* want to try something out, but really am not excited about bricking my phone.
anyone have any great ideas?

I still have return time left on my phone so I would be willing to try something. Since you can almost be certain Verizon won't upgrade the OS.

I've been searching for a motorola Q wm6 ROM myself as well. No luck anywhere so far... ideas?

My girlfriend has a Q, even though I adviseid her not to buy it because of it's wm5 (not even professional) shortcomings for a smartphone, and now she complains about the phone contstantly. Yeah, the features she wants are all wm6, such as real windows live, etc.

anyone have a solution for Moto Q to WM6???

MOTO Q can be cooked
I just found a monster flash file wit an .SBF extension.
I renamed it to OS.NB (changing only the extension) and was able to dump the OS and OEM.
So I believe it is possible to cook it.
Personaly, For a smartphone it has good hardware; and being a motorola, the entire phone is the antena. with propper software this can eventualy be a good device...
I have the OS dump; and I am sure that with the rest of the stuff I found on (like RSDLite) it is possible to cook the Q.
Trouble is that We NEED someone who can make a kitchen for us.

A kitchen to do this sure would be nice... Bit it looks as if it'll never happen.
It's just sad. The Moto Q is a good phone, but being stuck with the crappy Windows Mobile 5 OS makes it a piece a crap these days. I'm finding more and more software that just won't work because of the dinosaur of an OS it has.

I think this will be my next project. now i just need to find a motorola q, so i can get to work on it. it was a good device, for its time. and it was so easy to type on, size was all there.
i just never been able to get it to dump, never try to rename the files. i will have to give this a shot, but i am sure it can be done.
I used the Scoter Kitchen. Renamed the Monster flash file to OS.nb and ran it. and I was able to get all of the files out of there.
Scoter Kitchen.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=293296
All different Motorola Flash files, all different phones all different carriers. take a look at it.
http://www.mobile-files.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54197

any news on this story?

81344songz said:
any news on this story?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not at the moment. its in progress.

Are we any closer to a ROM update? I appreciate the time you are taking out of your personal lives to investigate this.

I have a Q11 and I could dump my firmware is very easy,
The program creates a folder with the "dump" and a .bin file
if you want to cook a rom just need to modify the folder called dump
Then you must convert the dump file. to a bin file with the same program

Has anyone been able to make any progress with the Q?

I'm also very interested in this. I have a Verizon Q (black) that has been reflashed to Bell mobility in Canada and I am using it on the MTS cdma network in Manitoba. I'd really like to have wm6 on this thing, as wm5 is proving quite clunky...

me 2 waiting for something......

Any rom or monster files?
i know this thread is old but i have a moto q9m
just give me any windows mobile 6 rom for the moto q
how can i backup my entire phone before flashing?

I bought Moto Q black last year (yes, im a noob), and had no clue wm5 sucked so bad, and... no upgrade options at all, even for $$$ ??? wow
so, just to bump this thread, and say thanks and hope and well, maybe get another phone,,, blah blah... oh.alsdkfha;lksdhflkj
anyway... here's hoping, after all, it is really really cool, great feel, buttons are great, all that, wonderful phone, though i'm sure i paid too much for it, flashed to cricket (new in box) for 89$ ebay
an addendum to the question/project:
can it be flashed to boost? (for the $25 plan)?
thanks and good luck
if nothing comes of this, what phone would you recommend that is 'like' the moto q black (the rubberized grip is great, the little wheel is really cool, i like the brick style, not flip or slide, fits so good in my hand, and so on, what a phone... tried an htc phone recently but the touch was non sensitive and it couldn't hold a charge long enough, though that is just that, also it seemed it was made for a small asian woman's hand)

Guys, are u still planning to buy the Acer M900?

Now that the acer is out, in pocketnow are trying to compare it to the TP2...
U people are serious? Acer M900, the same device that has 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM? Lol, people were screaming the TP2 doesn't have enough memory and so... Did u check the pocketnow software tour? This device works like a 1 year old phone... The acer shell is kind of a BAD copy of TF3d, a poor imitation or something... The display isn't nearly as sensitive as the TP2's is.. The device feels cheep. I can calmly say it's about a million years away from TP2... I'm not saying the TP2 is the device of the future (since I was having bigger expectations from the hardware upgrade part), but it's the best WM device there is up to now... And I believe that comparing it to the Acer M900 is... nonsense... And my big surprise came from the price - just 80 bucks in favor of the M900? Why spare that money when all u get is a BIG compromise?
Sorry guys, had to say my opinion... I was feeling pretty frustrated by the device and the comparison with the TP2...
P.S. Wasn't the M900 suppose to be the acer's phone with a Snapdragon? Or was it some other Acer's phone?

Acer smartphone is nice & their price also reasonable. i've tried acer dx9650 (two-faced). the hardware is nice. gps is SiRFstar III® & i can feel the samsung processor is faster (remember hermes?) | graphic also good. The problem is they still new & doesnt hv better user friendly features yet. So we can skip M900 at this moment and proceed with TP2. Snapdragon based is a must for next device

I'd love to have the biosensor/dpad/mouse on the TP2. It's a neat trick.
I'm hopeful that the zoom bar can be easily retasked for navigation.
Now that the acer is out, in pocketnow are trying to compare it to the TP2...
U people are serious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a compliment. TP2 is the new measuring stick. At least for now.

I'd love to have "Trackball with Enter button" (small & very useful) at center, below zoombar & at least 2 flat hardware button at earpiece side. it will be a perfect machine for gaming

I just bought it because the TP2 isn't coming out until november in the states and I want something to play with, that has a huge screen, that isn't the iPhone until then. Other users have said that you don't run into memory problems when you disable Acer's desktop UI and install your apps to your microsd card. What also drew me to the phone was the flash, the front facing camera, and the 5 MP back camera...features that HTC easily could have included (in the u.s. version) but won't. Anyways, I'm going to see how much I enjoy the phone. The next phone I want should have a tegra or snapdragon processor anyway, and we know that won't come out until late next year in the U.S.

orbitalen said:
Now that the acer is out, in pocketnow are trying to compare it to the TP2...
U people are serious? Acer M900, the same device that has 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM? Lol, people were screaming the TP2 doesn't have enough memory and so... Did u check the pocketnow software tour? This device works like a 1 year old phone... The acer shell is kind of a BAD copy of TF3d, a poor imitation or something... The display isn't nearly as sensitive as the TP2's is.. The device feels cheep. I can calmly say it's about a million years away from TP2... I'm not saying the TP2 is the device of the future (since I was having bigger expectations from the hardware upgrade part), but it's the best WM device there is up to now... And I believe that comparing it to the Acer M900 is... nonsense... And my big surprise came from the price - just 80 bucks in favor of the M900? Why spare that money when all u get is a BIG compromise?
Sorry guys, had to say my opinion... I was feeling pretty frustrated by the device and the comparison with the TP2...
P.S. Wasn't the M900 suppose to be the acer's phone with a Snapdragon? Or was it some other Acer's phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand why people always talk about software when deciding between phones. That's the good thing about WM, you can rip UI's off just about any of them. Besides, TF3D is way overrated anyway.

Blowfish64 said:
I don't understand why people always talk about software when deciding between phones. That's the good thing about WM, you can rip UI's off just about any of them. Besides, TF3D is way overrated anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree, even Manila 2D is already really good and convenient
Anyway same for me, just ordered a TP2 to be able to wait with no stress for the tegra phones (I have an Hermes right now)

Hey, during pocketnow software review, they said have 20mb free with the acer interface on the M900 it's less than on my Kaiser with WM6.5 and M2D...
I used M2D on my Kaiser since 2 weeks, I can understand that HTC removed DPAD on TP2 with TF3D, now, I use rarely the stylus and DPAD...
Waiting french TP2...

ed_bracam said:
Hey, during pocketnow software review, they said have 20mb free with the acer interface on the M900 it's less than on my Kaiser with WM6.5 and M2D...
I used M2D on my Kaiser since 2 weeks, I can understand that HTC removed DPAD on TP2 with TF3D, now, I use rarely the stylus and DPAD...
Waiting french TP2...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first person who understands what I meant... I just don't get it, why bother making a shell that takes about 85% of the RAM and in order for the device to function properly, u have to turn that and that and that off and then the phone MIGHT work faster... Well, if I wanted to buy a phone and use it's basic WM functions and design, why shouldn't I buy a TyTNII, for example, which would work even faster that the acer? If the screen is the problem, then buy a PSP and u'll have even bigger screen...

Here is the deal for us North American users. The TP2 does not come with a 3G compatible band and if you use internet or email with a PDA data plan on regular GPS signals you might as well use dial up again. I would have jumped on the Samsung Omnia, HTC Touch HD or now even on the TP2 (doctajay are you sure it will be 3G compatible, because all the specs I have seen so far indicate otherwise) if it wasn't for the fact that our providers use the 850Mhz band and none of the listed devices operate on this band.
I purchaed an Eten M800 a year ago and was very disappointed in just about any detail of the phone. It felt cheap, the rear cover paint came of within the first couple of hours of use, the software was buggy and on top of it all it only came with 64Mb ram. I was not even able to install TomTom 7 and had to revert back to an older version. The GPS on the other hand was top notch, with quick fixes and dead on accurate. My current HTC Fuze is laggy and it can take 8min+ to get a fix.
Well, my M900 should be here by Wednesday and I would not mind sharing my opinion about the device. For now I will hold on to my Fuze just as I did with my Kaiser when I got the M800, because after two days of use on the M800 I was more than happy to go back to my Kaiser.
Cheers.

orbitalen said:
Now that the acer is out, in pocketnow are trying to compare it to the TP2...
U people are serious? Acer M900, the same device that has 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM? Lol, people were screaming the TP2 doesn't have enough memory and so... Did u check the pocketnow software tour? This device works like a 1 year old phone... The acer shell is kind of a BAD copy of TF3d, a poor imitation or something... The display isn't nearly as sensitive as the TP2's is.. The device feels cheep. I can calmly say it's about a million years away from TP2... I'm not saying the TP2 is the device of the future (since I was having bigger expectations from the hardware upgrade part), but it's the best WM device there is up to now... And I believe that comparing it to the Acer M900 is... nonsense... And my big surprise came from the price - just 80 bucks in favor of the M900? Why spare that money when all u get is a BIG compromise?
Sorry guys, had to say my opinion... I was feeling pretty frustrated by the device and the comparison with the TP2...
P.S. Wasn't the M900 suppose to be the acer's phone with a Snapdragon? Or was it some other Acer's phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you also need to take that quick review from PocketNow with a little grain of salt. The comparison was made on the fly and as the moderator was explaining that the menu's are not flickable he discovered they where. Also when he showed the software review he indicated that the flick settings are adjustable but he actually never adjusted them. So quoting a Youtube review of someoen that maybe only spend a couple of hours with the phone without confirming what settings may need to be adjusted, I think it would be best until the official review comes out.
Also when the same moderator did the un-packaging he was very pleased with the keyboard layout. Later in the second review he negativaly commented about the fact that the Fn key was needed to be pressed to get the Perid.
Again, as long as these reviews are based on first impressions only, I would not take them 100% serious.

On the unboxing video from pocketnow.com, the back of the box indicated that it supports HSPDA 850/1900/2100, so we are set in terms of 3G. To be honest the last eten phone I had was crap, but I'm willing to take a chance especially since the specs beat the TP2 in many aspects (i'm especially feeling the front facing camera and the 5 mp camera in the back and the LED flash). For us AT&T users, the TP2 doesn't come out until Nov., and I'm willing to give this phone a shot until then. Who knows, I may just keep it until a Tegra or Snapdragon phone comes to the US.But overall, i think that once we figure out how to completely strip the ROM and install WM 6.5 (which I'm working on), then the phone will be alot more zippy.

orbitalen said:
The first person who understands what I meant... I just don't get it, why bother making a shell that takes about 85% of the RAM and in order for the device to function properly, u have to turn that and that and that off and then the phone MIGHT work faster... Well, if I wanted to buy a phone and use it's basic WM functions and design, why shouldn't I buy a TyTNII, for example, which would work even faster that the acer? If the screen is the problem, then buy a PSP and u'll have even bigger screen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know about you but I had the TytnII and now the Acer M900, and you have no idea what you're saying if you think the TytnII is faster. Plus the screen is so damn 2005. No way I'd go back to a 2.8" screen. And the PSP doesn't do WM. What in god's name are you talking about?

doctajay said:
On the unboxing video from pocketnow.com, the back of the box indicated that it supports HSPDA 850/1900/2100, so we are set in terms of 3G. To be honest the last eten phone I had was crap, but I'm willing to take a chance especially since the specs beat the TP2 in many aspects (i'm especially feeling the front facing camera and the 5 mp camera in the back and the LED flash). For us AT&T users, the TP2 doesn't come out until Nov., and I'm willing to give this phone a shot until then. Who knows, I may just keep it until a Tegra or Snapdragon phone comes to the US.But overall, i think that once we figure out how to completely strip the ROM and install WM 6.5 (which I'm working on), then the phone will be alot more zippy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I specifically asked the US retailer before I ordered the phone that it supports the ATT 850 band. Most likely I will do the same as you and try this phone out until something more solid hits the US. Anyhow, you indicated that you would work on a Rom. My programming skills are rather primitive, but I would be willing to help out if I can.
Is it for example possible to disassemble the latest rom that Acer posts on their website to figure out how to start cooking new roms or as you mentioned to upgrade to 6.5?

anosis said:
I specifically asked the US retailer before I ordered the phone that it supports the ATT 850 band. Most likely I will do the same as you and try this phone out until something more solid hits the US. Anyhow, you indicated that you would work on a Rom. My programming skills are rather primitive, but I would be willing to help out if I can.
Is it for example possible to disassemble the latest rom that Acer posts on their website to figure out how to start cooking new roms or as you mentioned to upgrade to 6.5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love it when a plan comes together!
Anosis is asking the RIGHT questions.
Been dying to see how 6.5 operates on the M900.

I am hoping that one of the big PDA forum supporters will start to create a specific M900 section. The following post is from the actual ETEN support forum from EU. This particular post gives the first clues on how to cook roms for the ETEN/Acer. Hope this will inspire some of the more advanced users to cook up roms for the M900.....
POST COPIED FORM ETEN USER FORUM...
Here is a short tutorial on editing some parts of a ROM to make your own customised one.
Some ROM parts are dealt with here, some are left for another post.
To understand why I do what I do to ROM's, I can state that I regard PDA devices as a computer (small) with a phone segment attached. I know most people refer to them as "phones", but if that was what I wanted I would just buy a Nokia or something at 1/5th the price. PDA's are computers with phone, BT/GPS/wifi segments attached and bundled more or less neatly together. That, together with the flexibility of WinMobile, is what makes these devices useful.
I always want a ROM that's smaller, faster, cleaner, leaner. Stuff like SpB Shell, TouchFlo etc are really add-ons. These programs have constant upgrades and if they are in ROM, they cannot be upgraded without re-cooking the ROM with the upgrade in it - and that becomes repetitively tedious. Add-ons can also generally be installed on the SDHC card, as these cards are now 16Gb in size with a 32Gb variant to be retailed this year sometime (if we're lucky). My view is the more I can install on the card, the less clogged limited Storage becomes for those programs that must be installed in Storage. I also posted a CAB file a few days ago that significantly increases the speed with which card data/programs can be accessed. With this program (tnnyt SD TuneUP) installed, I can find no practical time difference between accessing Storage and card data.
I've just cooked another custom ROM for my use, based on the policy outlined above - smaller, faster, cleaner. On clean boot, Storage available is 188Mb/used is 22Mb; RAM available is 70Mb/used is 30Mb (ie. free Storage 166Mb, free RAM 40Mb).
THIS PROCESS IS ENTIRELY YOUR OWN RISK. I WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S INEPTNESS. IF THIS TUTORIAL ISN'T CLEAR TO YOU, READ FURTHER USING GOOGLE, XDA-DEV AND THE FORUM HERE. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
ETEN/ACER ROM's are made up of these basic parts (and most of these are directly comparable to the HTC ROM's):
1) entire flashable ROM file is called temp.dat (to flash off the card, it is re-named temp.bin)
2) basic parts are Fat and ExtendedROM inside the OS. We can examine these by extracting the bits and then sorting them
3) after sorting, we can edit the bits that matter and re-build the ROM for customised use. I suggest that no one who is inexperienced here should edit those bits I will note as untouchable and then attempt a flash ... in the immortal words of Cyril (a ROM cook from the Eten X500 forum): "YOUR DEVICE WON'T NEVER BOOT AGAIN"
Tools you need (this refers to WIN2k or XP with both NET and Java installed- I don't use Vista):
4) a full, clean copy of an official ACER/ETEN "temp.dat". You can achieve this easily by running the EUU_ACER_DX900 xxx.EXE without async and leaving the window open at the NEXT or CANCEL stage. With that window still open, search for "temp.dat" - it is likely in \Documents & Settings\Local Settings\Temp. Copy this file to a working folder, then you can CANCEL the open upgrade window (this will delete all the upgrade files from \Local Settings\Temp)
5) the DX900_Tools that Rugal supplied a few weeks ago on the forum here. Just unzip this to your working folder. Rugal listed the Java requirement
6) the files imgfstodump.exe, imgfsfromdump.exe and cecompr_nt.dll in the same folder. Also PKGTool.exe and pkgcommon.dll together in the same folder. You can Google for these files, they are readily available through xda-dev; try to find the most recent
7) open the DX900_Tools folder. You have folders src and Tools, with batch files "create" and "extract" plus etentool.jar (Java). Copy temp.dat into this folder, plus the files listed above in step 6)
8) open "extract.bat". A DOS window opens, a number of messages scroll across the screen and then the DOS window closes when the process is finished. The temp.dat ROM has been de-constructed into its' component bits as a 1st step
9) the DX900_Tools folder now has a Rom folder in it. In the Rom folder is an Os folder, a binary header file and five (5) DAT files. At this point, delete all the DAT files EXCEPT "os.dat". If you do not do this step, remember Cyril's warning in 3) above. Leave both the header file and os.dat in the Rom folder untouched
10) inside the Os folder are folders Extrom and Fat, plus four (4) assorted files. leave these 4 files untouched
11) open the Extrom folder (Extended ROM). The CAB files inside are those loaded at the end of a flash, when the limited choice of installable files is normally presented. You may delete some or all of these PREI_*.CAB files according to your choice - this will reduce the final ROM size considerably. You may also add CAB's of your choice, re-named PREI_xxx.CAB, but you need to know the XML additions to the Registry for each of these (a further tutorial on "CAB to Extrom or OEM")
BUT
all deletions and additions of such PREI_xxx.cab's must be edited in "filesinfo.txt" and the three (3) *.xml files (oem.xml, oem_post.xml and optionalap.xml). The txt file is just a standard text edit, but xml file edits should be done in an XML editor to keep the formatting exact. Cooktop is an adequate XML freeware editor. If you are unsure of how to edit XML, you should take some time to learn this process. Leave the other files in Extrom untouched
12) open the Fat folder and delete "minios.bin". Leave the other four (4) binary files UNTOUCHED, but you should note the sizes of imgfs.bin and xip.bin. The 1st of these is the compressed filesystem image and may be manipulated in a later process. The 2nd file, xip.bin, is a compressed binary of the eXecuteInPlace (XIP) system - this is the core of WinMobile and is reportedly device-independent, ie. this is Microsoft's work and should be transferable to any WM device with appropriate editing of interfaces. The current version number in ROM 0553 for the XIP is 20772.1.4.7 (WM6.1). Files fatheader.bin and fatimg.bin are boot-type files and must be left UNTOUCHED
13) at this stage, you have reached a fork in the road.
1st fork:
If satisfied that all the Extrom edits are OK and you want no further edits to the ROM, you can go back to the DX900_Tools folder and click "create.bat". A DOS windows opens, a number of messages scroll across the screen and then the window closes. You should then have a file "temp_new.dat" in the folder now. This is your new flashable ROM, copy it someplace safe
I suggest you then clear the DX900_Tools folder back to its' initial state and proceed to re-extract your new "temp.dat" - TO CHECK THAT IT EXTRACTS OK. If it is so, flash it as either re-named temp.dat (use async) or temp.bin (use the card)
14) 2nd fork:
after editing the Extrom and thoroughly checking these edits, you may wish to progress and remove some of the extraneous stuff in the \SYS folder (you haven't created this yet). For example, Office 6.1, NetCF2.0, Sample Music and so on. Doing these deletions will shrink your new ROM (faster, cleaner, leaner etc) and you can install some of these programs on the card later, anyway. For example, NETCF3.5 will install on the card and is an upgrade to NETCF2.0
So, how to ?
This will be the 2nd tutorial, posted sometime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for the post anonsis. Right now, the only dedicated forum for the Acer m900 is at 4winmobile: http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/e-ten-acer-support/
I've already dumped the newest ROM that Acer has on their website via the instructions that are listed above. I'm still a novice but the process was pretty simple. At the 4winmobile site, you can see where I extracted all the cabs that come with the ROM and posted them for people to download. Also, on the 4winmobile site another user has already dumped the ROM, stripped it of that stupid Acer Shell and rebuilt it, making it much more lite; you can find his post here: http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/e-...ted-cabs-latest-acer-m900-rom.html#post226423
Also, I've been talking with serious cookers for other Eten phones on the eten-users forum, and they have laid out step by step how we can make a WM 6.5 kitchen for the Acer m900. You can see those instructions here: http://eten-users.eu/index.php?showtopic=16366&view=findpost&p=117624
So getting WM 6.5 on our Acer m900 may not be as hard as it seems. I'm no where close to even being a serious cooker, but I'm still going to try to follow the directions above. Honestly, this can be an amazing phone if we just put some work into it, and I really hope that some serious cookers come our way.
But yeah, for now, 4winmobile is the only site that has given us any type of sub-forum.

doctajay said:
Thanks for the post anonsis. Right now, the only dedicated forum for the Acer m900 is at 4winmobile: http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/e-ten-acer-support/
I've already dumped the newest ROM that Acer has on their website via the instructions that are listed above. I'm still a novice but the process was pretty simple. At the 4winmobile site, you can see where I extracted all the cabs that come with the ROM and posted them for people to download. Also, on the 4winmobile site another user has already dumped the ROM, stripped it of that stupid Acer Shell and rebuilt it, making it much more lite; you can find his post here: http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/e-...ted-cabs-latest-acer-m900-rom.html#post226423
Also, I've been talking with serious cookers for other Eten phones on the eten-users forum, and they have laid out step by step how we can make a WM 6.5 kitchen for the Acer m900. You can see those instructions here: http://eten-users.eu/index.php?showtopic=16366&view=findpost&p=117624
So getting WM 6.5 on our Acer m900 may not be as hard as it seems. I'm no where close to even being a serious cooker, but I'm still going to try to follow the directions above. Honestly, this can be an amazing phone if we just put some work into it, and I really hope that some serious cookers come our way.
But yeah, for now, 4winmobile is the only site that has given us any type of sub-forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man!!
I have followed the same steps and now have the extROM folder with all the caps. Since I have an old M800 laying around and my M900 is still in the mail, I started checking some of the cabs out. Rather mess around with the M800 then my current Fuze .
Next I would like to try to thin the rom down just like the post you mentioned, so I can get a feal of what it takes to do all this.
BTW, could you comment on the reception of the phone and also the brightness of the screen. I know that is all subjective to the viewer, but comparing it to the Fuze would help since we both have one.

orbitalen said:
The first person who understands what I meant...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it was just the first person who you understood what they meant
The nice thing about worldwide forums is you get to discover that your mobile needs are not the exact same as everyone else's mobile needs. That particular life lesson can extend into other areas if you let it.

anosis said:
Thanks man!!
I have followed the same steps and now have the extROM folder with all the caps. Since I have an old M800 laying around and my M900 is still in the mail, I started checking some of the cabs out. Rather mess around with the M800 then my current Fuze .
Next I would like to try to thin the rom down just like the post you mentioned, so I can get a feal of what it takes to do all this.
BTW, could you comment on the reception of the phone and also the brightness of the screen. I know that is all subjective to the viewer, but comparing it to the Fuze would help since we both have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My m900 should be arriving on Tuesday or Wednesday so I am waiting just like you. We started a WM 6.5 thread at 4winmobile so anyone who wants to try and help us port it is welcome.

Why do I want WM6.5 on my BA?

My apologies if I'm posting in the wrong area...
SO, I recently aquired an SX66 and am deciding on the 2003se Tmo rom, or WM6.5 (or whatever.
I can't find a concise answer: why do I want WM6.5?
What does it do that 2003se doesn't do, or why is it better?
Is it stable?
What are the major drawbacks to using WM6.5 on my BA?
Are there problems with going back to 2003se?
And what are the chances of bricking my device, provided I follow the instructions correctly?
AND what is (are) the most common mistake(s) that will brick my device when upgrading to 6.5 (besides cutting power/usb in process)?
I know some or all of the answers to these questions are out there (I've been looking), but it would be nice to have an idiot's single post to refer to for the most basic questions/answers.
TIA!

Hi,
if I were you I would never put WM 6.5 on your BA, I don't like 6.5. I would stay 6.0 or 6.1.
But WM 6 Has more compatibility with programs and has more functionality.
I don't know if its stable, because I cant get it on my BA( I have Ran WM 6/ 6.1/6.5 on a Kaiser).
Further someone else will awnser I think

Why not on your BA (do you have a ph20b?)?

im not sure about your taste in operating systems but i'm a XP loving vistahater.
wm6.5 is vista merged with OSX for your 5 year old phone. I flashed one of my BAs with it last night. it was horrible. speed wise, i about threw the phone against the wall. GUI wise? No more start menu, no more programs menu, no more settings menu. it's all been replaced with that ohsowonderful honeycomb gui. sure, it MAY be better for fingers, not that the old style was that hard, but christ almighty it makes doing anything hairpull-hard.
shortversion:
go with wm2003 or wm5. i find they're faster. i prefer 2003, since it runs all in RAM.
as for your brick question, i aint too sure. i'd like to know how exactly you brick one of these meself. i can't find anything on it, the documentation of the BA is surprisngly lacking for most of this.

I like the new builds of 6.5 with the big bottom bar, but it is so much less functional. I would definitely go with something besides 6.5, although in my experience I found it faster than any other version of winmo. I have had a few lockups, but mostly just with the comm manager/internet.

its hard to judge its fastness since its so..hard to navigate. i can't even read the icons, let alone try and use it.
microsoft trying to copy apple does not produce good results, methinks.
and hte new homescreen irks me. its usability is horrible, its better on blueangel but on the hermes it was just bad.

I still use WM2003 because:
1. The device is designed for this OS.
2. I don't have needless time to spent for OS experiments.
3. I like small and fast Office versions like the old Word and Excel Mobile.
4. I like the build in encryption in Excel Mobile.
5. I don't like the soft keys (>= WM5), because they replace more usable and faster menus.
6. All applications I need run under WM2003.
I'll change my OS when I change my device (currently hoping for the HTC Thoth.).

You guys are great.
To be hones, I hate M$ (no flaming, please) and have been running Ubuntu Linux for about the last year. I especially hate Vista.
I also appriciate the insight into the feel of the WM6.5 os. I don't care about newest, latest, or greatest. I want "works great", so it looks like I'll be sticking with the Tmo 2003se rom.
Thanks ya'll.

..why not install linux then? i got linux working on mine. i cant seem to interface witht he actual phone though. perhaps thats tonights project.
interesting thing to play with though.

interestingfellow said:
You guys are great.
To be hones, I hate M$ (no flaming, please) and have been running Ubuntu Linux for about the last year. I especially hate Vista.
I also appriciate the insight into the feel of the WM6.5 os. I don't care about newest, latest, or greatest. I want "works great", so it looks like I'll be sticking with the Tmo 2003se rom.
Thanks ya'll.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also tried Linux on my BA. It's wonderful and plenty of possibilities but ... only possibilities because the hardware is not open and people needs to hack this device.
I don't want to buy anymore a device that needs the work of some guys like xplode working hard to get these devices running properly.
I don't want to spend thousands of hours getting my 500 Eur. mobile connected to wifi. And when I ask the carrier he says me that they have no plans to solve the problem, so I solved myself the problem (thnks a lot, xda-developers).
No, no and nooo. So I decided to stay with my BA in Windows 2003se wwe and wait ...
-Hum: HTC blackstone. Very nice but Windows. No more Windows, please.
-Hum: Neo Freerunner. Open but no future.
-Hum: Iphone. Very nice. Very closed. No, thanks.
-Hum: HTC Dream. Linux but hiddenly closed Android on top capturing my traffic. NOoo.
-Hum: Palm pre. Linux but WebOS in the same way that Android or Iphone. No, thanks.
-Hum: Nokia's N900. Linux debian. Open. May be this is my phone. I will wait a couple of months to see your opinions.
Regards,
Àngel

Why WM 6.5?
because sooner or later, it will have more compatibility than the old OS.
more compatible with the new apps, games, tools, hardware like gps, a2dp support,wifi type N,and many more.
maybe today WM 6.5 maybe still craps, have a lot of bugs,etc, but newer OS is designed to be better from the previous one, it's just about time whether m$ can make it better or just make another mistake like vista..we'll see

that isnt entirely relevant to the blueangel though.
yeah. wm6.5 is the new wmstandard, so new hardware will have drivers for it and not for the others.
but we're not talking new hardware here. we're talking a device built in 2004 for wm2003, there is no new hardware for it. as for new appz and gamezzzz, wm6.5 is mostly a new interface from what ive gathered. the OS core isnt changed to the point of changing older APIs. programs should work both ways.
and sooner or later? its supposed to be replaced in a year. methinks nobody is going to jump on the bandwagon that fast.
pointis, its bad. unless you like the new interface, its no different. except slower.

I flashed on the newest tmo uk rom for 2003se, and I'm happy with it. I"m used to the 2003/se OS, and all the progs I know about and have a copy of, work on it.
Linux seems like a great idea, but I don't have time to spend getting it right.
I might try WM5 or 6/6.5 after I get my hands on the universal that's on it's way, but I need my phone to work, and work well, right now.

..i hate you. the universal needs to drop a few hundred bucks in price so i can grab 3 of them. it seems like a nicephone, i want it. damnit.
if you want i can DD my linux SDcard and upload the image. just dd it to a sd, pop it in and run haret. methinks it should work. actually im going to do that.

it was quick, feel free to better clean up the article but i have created a quickstart guide using my image for linux on hte BA.
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=BlueAngel_Linux
i'm tired and fizzled out, so anyone feel free to rewrite it to more easily understandability.

Kind of off topic, but the linux for the BA is ran off an sd card? Kind of like a live cd that doesn't touch the roms and storage(s); just pop out the sd and soft reset, and everything is back to WM? I would totally advertise that aspect of it... it might get more people into linux for the HTC devices (or maybe I just caught up to the bandwagon)

of course. thats how all linux is ran on htc phones from my knowedlge, i havent heard of anyone actually replacing WM with it.

If its any help
Is it stable?
Yes both 6.1 and 6.5 is stable enough.
I tried every rom and tested throughly and decided to stick to Sun Dreams 6.1 as it is very stable
What are the major drawbacks to using WM6.5 on my BA?
None
Are there problems with going back to 2003se?
Nope, as long as you dont repart you ll be ok to go back to 2003 (someone pls correct If I am wrong) But I dont think you would wanna go back to 2003se as most of the todays apps designed to run on wm5 and later
And what are the chances of bricking my device, provided I follow the instructions correctly?
Slim
Make sure no ones using the microwave washing machine and the dishwasher whilst they are hoovering you ll be fine. Just read the instructions over and over till you are ok with it. Patience and make sure both batteries device/laptop whatever charged up and Use XP as it makes things easy.
AND what is (are) the most common mistake(s) that will brick my device when upgrading to 6.5 (besides cutting power/usb in process)?
make sure you have the right rom !!! you ll be fine
I know some or all of the answers to these questions are out there (I've been looking), but it would be nice to have an idiot's single post to refer to for the most basic questions/answers.
I remember my first time I was totally scared !!!

i wasnt scared.
i was more scared when i realized i had a flash going on my harrier and had just popped out the battery. bricked to ****.
and 2003 is better than them. faster. and **** appcompatibility. OS speed matters more.

Yeah, there are no linux or android flashable roms... yet, but in regard to reasons to upgrade
1.smooth flick (or kinetic) scrolling basically everywhere in the operated system
2.some built in app are updated i.e. internet explorer, contacts app
3.compatibilility with newer programs, alot of newer programs wont run on 2003
4.new today screen with bigger font and new plugins
If any1 would like to add feel free to do so.

Excactly how likely IS a custom rom for the HD2?

Windows mobile phone series 7...
So we went trought the weeks, we heard all the talk, we saw all the pretty images and videos, we really wanted it... and now almost everyone hates is...
however, 1 thing i heard people say OVER and OVER again on sites like pocketnow.com engadget.com ang gizmodo.com is: Dont worry, XDA will have a custom rom for the HD2 in days when its out!!
I always found that strange to hear, i mean the android development has been underway for over a year now and just recently has netripper made some breaktroughs..
so (i think you know what i'm getting at..) will this really be as easy as everyone claims? Isnt it a whole new system, build from the ground up? what are your opinions

My guess is that the HD2 is likely HTCs dev platform for wp7. If that's true I think we'll see it eventually.

if a development rom exists highly likely
if there's not then it may not be possible for the hd2 handset...I would prefer to think there is a development rom

one crazy russian people need only 10hour for rip the blue ray disc... after first time sony relase... and sony say its imposible to rip or rewrite
i think... wm7 come to hd2 but unoficial version... its best phone ever... any lg and samsung canot be better than htc hd2...

domineus said:
if a development rom exists highly likely
if there's not then it may not be possible for the hd2 handset...I would prefer to think there is a development rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what do you mean with development rom? isnt there already 1 posted in the windows 7 forum (1 page back?)
or do you mean something else?

emulated rom is for x86 processors
a developer rom means one that is made for the htc touch hd 2

but that probably wont happen right?

from what i've read, they are indeed trying to do something about the emulator dump, anything. but mainly waiting, for an actual rom.

I guess it's all down to drivers and how similar WinPhoS is to 6.5.x. I mean if it's practically the same, maybe the 6.5.x Hardware drivers will work with a bit of tweaking.
Logicalstep

I think it's possible, It seems the man in the video is using an hd2 phone - http://www.istartedsomething.com/20100318/new-windows-phone-7-series-promo-from-mix10/

lagbaja said:
I think it's possible, It seems the man in the video is using an hd2 phone - http://www.istartedsomething.com/20100318/new-windows-phone-7-series-promo-from-mix10/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh?? I never saw that video thats crazy, what the hell were they thinking? also, didnt htc tell us like a year ago that we WOULD get the upgrade..
anyways, dont really wanna go off track here, there are already 34,600 threads on the HD2 not getting the upgrade, i want this one to be about how likely a custom rom would be

Here's a snapshot..

Logicalstep said:
I guess it's all down to drivers and how similar WinPhoS is to 6.5.x. I mean if it's practically the same, maybe the 6.5.x Hardware drivers will work with a bit of tweaking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We already know that the driver architecture has changed completely.
ragdoll20 said:
Huh?? I never saw that video thats crazy, what the hell were they thinking? also, didnt htc tell us like a year ago that we WOULD get the upgrade..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They definitely did not.
ragdoll20 said:
anyways, dont really wanna go off track here, there are already 34,600 threads on the HD2 not getting the upgrade, i want this one to be about how likely a custom rom would be
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really does all come down to the question of whether or not there is a working version of WP7S running on an HD2 somewhere already; and such a thing must have been created with a great deal of input from Microsoft. If this exists, and it leaks, then that might be used as the basis for a custom ROM. If it doesn't exist, or it doesn't leak, it's not going to happen.
The problem, as already alluded to, is drivers: the only possible source of device drivers for a WP7S custom ROM is Microsoft - they need to have specifically written drivers for HD2 hardware.
Even if such a thing does leak in somewhat unfinished form, there are still some question-marks. For example, unless it allows the HD2 to treat an installed SD card as if it were built-in flash memory, you would be limited to just half a gigabyte of storage space for everything - photos, videos, apps, the lot. (Real WP7S phones won't use SD cards at all, they will only have built-in memory.)

Shasarak said:
We already know that the driver architecture has changed completely.
They definitely did not.
It really does all come down to the question of whether or not there is a working version of WP7S running on an HD2 somewhere already; and such a thing must have been created with a great deal of input from Microsoft. If this exists, and it leaks, then that might be used as the basis for a custom ROM. If it doesn't exist, or it doesn't leak, it's not going to happen.
The problem, as already alluded to, is drivers: the only possible source of device drivers for a WP7S custom ROM is Microsoft - they need to have specifically written drivers for HD2 hardware.
Even if such a thing does leak in somewhat unfinished form, there are still some question-marks. For example, unless it allows the HD2 to treat an installed SD card as if it were built-in flash memory, you would be limited to just half a gigabyte of storage space for everything - photos, videos, apps, the lot. (Real WP7S phones won't use SD cards at all, they will only have built-in memory.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good point. And half a gigabyte for everything is really, really not enough.
This is why I never look at custom ROMs and stuff like that. Even if somebody gets 7 Series working on the HD2 (or Android), it will not be a good experience. If the HD2 was not meant for 7 Series, you should not try to change it's fate (or whatever haha). If you want 7 Series: get a 7 Series device. If you want Android: get an Android device.
Btw, that movie somebody posted of the man with the HD2 running 7 Series: beautiful! I knew it would look incredible... so so bad, that it is not getting that upgrade. But hey, I am looking forward to the HTC Desire

Not to nitpick but the emulator has shown that there is SD card support, just artificially disabled (likely.) If we were to get a dev ROM, I'd imagine it would had support included for that very reason (512 just aint enough!)
Again, unlikely though.

Also. MS might delibertaly put swomething in the code to make sure it will not work with the HD2.
As for the video. Yes they are using a HD2, but this doesn't mean that it was running WP7s. They could easily have overlayed the image of the OS ontop of the original video in post-production. Otherwise did you also think that the screens float in the air above the phone too? It does in the video.

Shasarak said:
We already know that the driver architecture has changed completely.
They definitely did not.
It really does all come down to the question of whether or not there is a working version of WP7S running on an HD2 somewhere already; and such a thing must have been created with a great deal of input from Microsoft. If this exists, and it leaks, then that might be used as the basis for a custom ROM. If it doesn't exist, or it doesn't leak, it's not going to happen.
The problem, as already alluded to, is drivers: the only possible source of device drivers for a WP7S custom ROM is Microsoft - they need to have specifically written drivers for HD2 hardware.
Even if such a thing does leak in somewhat unfinished form, there are still some question-marks. For example, unless it allows the HD2 to treat an installed SD card as if it were built-in flash memory, you would be limited to just half a gigabyte of storage space for everything - photos, videos, apps, the lot. (Real WP7S phones won't use SD cards at all, they will only have built-in memory.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite true, Microsoft have stated (see engadget) that although the OS will still support SD cards (albeit internal), they're restricting hardware makers to put the SD cards in the device to prevent users swapping them out, if one was to disassemble their device and swap the SD card, then they should lose all their data however, they could get it all back from "the cloud".

i thinks its very likely, remember years back when i had htc magician and scrapping for wm 6.1 in it, everybody says that impossible so i had to buy hermes and dang when i rest magian and use hermes, godlike collatula make wm 6.1 run on magician
so, i still believe leo can run WM7

#1 Windows Phone 7 sucks. It's actually a downgrade from WM6.5.
#2 Phone 7 should technically work on HD2, so long as someone makes a rom with it.
#3 Hope Android development progresses really fast for HD2.

Alize said:
Not quite true, Microsoft have stated (see engadget) that although the OS will still support SD cards (albeit internal), they're restricting hardware makers to put the SD cards in the device to prevent users swapping them out, if one was to disassemble their device and swap the SD card, then they should lose all their data however, they could get it all back from "the cloud".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure that Microsoft did actually say that. What they said was along the lines of "WP7S won't support a removable memory card"; Engadget pounced on the word "removable" and the rest was based purely on speculation.