There is also an app on the android Play Store that offers this functionality on phones other than the Galaxy S3, however the performance does differ depending on which phone you have. If you want to try it out you can using the link below!

☆ Stick it! (Pop-up Player) MBFG £1.49

As such, it’s extremely important that your mobile phone allows you to quickly and easily get to the camera app so you can take a photo. If this takes too long, or is a hassle, well it doesn;t matter how good the camera itself is because you just won’t use it. Samsung have attempted to make it easier to open the camera through the use of a gesture via the lockscreen. It isn’t as useful as a physical button on the phone (I really wish this came as standard tbh…), but it does help.

Instructions

As ever, you follow this guide at your own risk, I take no responsibility for anything that may go wrong, no matter how unlikely that is. This guide was written whilst I performed this, so follow it to the letter for your security. Also this guide will WIPE your data, so make sure you’ve backed up with titanium before starting.

This guide was written for a UK GSM Galaxy Tab. I have no idea if it works for American, or other versions of the Tab. You should confirm this before following the guide.

Pre-Instructions

1. Make sure you have the latest Samsung Kies installed on your PC.
2. Follow this guide here to root your Galaxy Tab.
3. Install Titanium backup, and backup your data.
4. Make sure your sdcard is inserted through the process, and that it has a fair bit of free space.

Install Kernel

1. Download the following 2 files.
   1. GalaxyTab-www.droid-den.com.zip.001
   2. GalaxyTab-www.droid-den.com.zip.002
2. Those 2 files are the same zip split into two, so unzip the first one to actually unzip the whole package.
3. Turn off your Galaxy Tab.
4. Turn your Galaxy Tab on into DOWNLOAD mode (Press Volume DOWN and Power On at the same time).
5. Open Odin3 v1.7.exe on your PC.
6. Connect your Galaxy Tab to your PC via the USB cable.
7. Make Sure the ID:COM box is highlighted yellow (meaning it sees your tab).
8. Click on the PIT button and select the P1_20100909.pit file you downloaded earlier.
9. Click on the PDA button and select the p1000-mck-r3-ext4-cwm.tar file you downloaded earlier (make sure PDA is ticked after selecting the file).
10. UNTICK Re-Partition.
11. The only boxes ticked should be:
    1. Auto Reboot
    2. F. Reset Time
    3. The PDA tickbox
12. Click start and wait for PASS! to show highlighted green on Odin.
13. Now your PC will get stuck on the Samsung loading screen (if you aren’t sure, just wait a bit and you’ll see it won’t fully boot up).
14. Turn your galaxy tab off by holding the power button for about 5 seconds.
15. Turn your Galaxy Tab on into RECOVERY mode (Press Volume UP and Power On at the same time).
16. The Galaxy Tab will now perform the EXT4 conversion.
17. Sit tight, depending on how much data you have, this can take quite a long time.
18. Once finished, click reboot system now (by pressing the power button).
19. The reboot will take a while first time so be patient!
20. Thats that, onto the actual ROM!

Install ROM

1. Connect your Galaxy Tab to your PC and mount.
2. Copy the r1-p1000-update-modacocustomrom-wipe-unsigned.zip file to your external sd card.
3. Unmount your Galaxy Tab and remove the USB cable.
4. Turn your galaxy tab off.
5. Turn your Galaxy Tab on into RECOVERY mode (Press Volume UP and Power On at the same time).
6. Select backup and restore (volume keys to navigate, power button to select).
7. Select backup and wait for it to finish.
8. When done, select install zip from sdcard.
9. Select choose zip from sdcard.
10. Select the r1-p1000-update-modacocustomrom-wipe-unsigned.zip you copied to your sdcard earlier.
11. Select Yes and wait for it to apply the update.
12. When done, select reboot system now.
13. And you’re done!!

The first thing you should probably do now is restore your titanium backup, that will pretty much restore your Tab back to it’s old state, just much faster now!

Thanks to modaco for providing the rom and installation instructions.

Here is the first guest guide to appear on Droid-Den, a guide to rooting your HTC Desire HD written by HocturnalSoul. As with all rooting guides, please read carefully before attempting

Okay, so I have been searching the web for the last 4 hours trying to find a permanent root for the HTC Desire HD, however it looks like no-one has successfully done this yet. Hold back the tears though because I I’m not done.

Through my cyber travels I repeatedly read about an app called VISIONary (trust me, that is how the forums typing it), so I jumped in and had a look. It turns out that this app can perform what can only be called a “TempRoot” and it is incredible. Simply install the .apk, run the programand your HTC Desire HD is rooted! The only problem is that as soon as you reboot your device, it becomes unrooted again. Not to worry though, there is an added option to root on every reboot, OR attempt a “PermRoot”! And guess what, you can even UnRoot if you PermRoot. Now i know what your thinking, “if its only a TempRoot how can you PermRoot? Basically the program itself forces the rooting process every time you reboot, as long as the program is installed on to your device. Also you are NOT able to install custom ROMs as of the time this guide was written.

Take the jump for instructions!

Instructions

SO, before we get going, we need to change a few settings on your device. Firstly, you must enable “USB DEBUGGING” and “UNKNOWN SOURCES”. This can be found in Settings > Applications.

Next, you need to download the Visionary app. Unfortunately, Google removed the app from the Market Place, so you will have to download the .apk file from here. Once downloaded connect your device to your pc and place it on to your SD card. Open your file explorer and run the .apk. Once installed, open the app. Here is a quick description of all the different options.

• Temproot on boot – use this to automatically Temproot on each boot (I suggest Temprooting manually first to confirm all is well before enabling this)
• Run visionary.sh after root – this allows you to run a script (as root) after rooting. The script file is /data/local/visionary.sh
• Set system r/w after root – this allows you to leave the /system partition read/write after root
• Temproot now – root temporarily (the root will be lost after reboot)
• Attempt permroot now - attempt to apply a permanent root (please read the safety information below before doing this!)
• Unroot now – this will unroot your device

Safety information!

Use this guide at your own risk, we annot e held responsibile for anything that may go wrong in following these instructions, however unlikely that may be.

As a rule, the TempRoot option of VISIONary should be safe. It installs an application (Superuser) in the conventional way and then sets up a ‘ramdisk’ for the other parts, which is wiped on boot. As such, no changes are made to the system partition of your device, hence it is considered a ‘safe option’.

PermRoot on the other hand is inherently more risky. PermRoot does make changes to the /system partition of your device. Technically speaking the only change that is made is the installation of a small file to /system/xbin, but any system partition change comes with risks. If you try to PermRoot, be aware that you might get into a situation where your device will not boot. Because of this MoDaCo has insisted you use “safety net” before PermRooting.

The best ‘safety net’ for going ahead and doing a PermRoot is ensuring that you have a copy of the stock ROM to reinstall should things go wrong. This should be an original update EXE or zip from your device manufacturer / provider which matches the software version currently installed on your device. Bear in mind that flashing older versions is often not possible, so if your device has been updated over-the-air, an update may not yet be available in this form. Hence, you may not be able to find a ‘safety net’ and attempting to PermRoot would be inherently risky.

So, once you have decided what you are going to do, simply restart your device and you’re away!

Many thanks to MoDaCo for the Visonary application.

I dropped my HTC Desire last week and it broke, kaboom, dead. For most people this would mean a lot of lost data, lost game progress, lost notes, lost everything. Not for me however, because my Desire was rooted I had a titanium backup task run everynight and store my data to the sdcard. When I got my Galaxy tab, I simply rooted it and applied my backup. My Galaxy Tab now has all the apps and app data that was on the Desire the day it broke.

If that isn’t reason enough, I really don’t know what is. Anyway, on to the guide! It’s bloody simple, takes about 10 seconds too. Follow the jump to see how!

Instructions

1. Install an app called z4Root from the Android Market.
   

   z4Root (market link)

1. Open z4Root
   
2. Click Root.
3. And thats about it!!

Rooting has come along way recently eh! Have fun with your recently rooted Galaxy Tab!!!

Well, one of the reasons I love android is the ability to change so much about the OS to suit your needs. For instance there is an app in the market that lets you change some hidden android settings, and you do not need to root your phone/tablet to do it either! The app is called spare parts and we are going to use this app to make EVERY app show in FULL SCREEN on the Samsung Galaxy Tab!! Follow the jump for full instructions!

Instructions

1. Install an app called Spare Parts from the Android Market.
   

   Spare Parts (market link)

1. Open Spare Parts and scroll down to Compability Mode.
   
2. Un-tick Compatibility mode then re-tick it.
3. Restart your Galaxy Tab.
4. When it has started back up, open the Spare Parts app again.
5. Scroll down to Compatibility Mode and un-tick the box.
6. Restart your Galaxy Tab.
7. Voila!

And thats all there is to it! From now on all your apps should open in full screen mode perfectly! Have fun and let me know how you’re finding your Tab!

• Store apps on your sdcard instead of phone memory, regardless of whether the app lets you or not.
• Get rid of those stupid demo apps your provider adds to your phone.
• Take screenshots of your phone from your phone.
• Much better memory management, your phone will never slow down!
• Overclock your phone, more speed! (If possible!)
• Underclock your phone when you don’t need power to save battery.
• Full backup ability. Backup your whole phone state. Restoring this backup puts your phone in the exact same condition as the backup.
• Use Market Enabler to access paid apps if currently unavailable in your country.
• Theme your phone as much as you like.

If you are new to rooting, why not have a quick read of our Android Rooting Glossary of Terms first? If you are still unsure feel free to leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer it for you.

Ok, so follow the jump for the guide!

Right, so now the disclaimer time. Nothing is likely to go wrong, and even if something does, we should be able to get you back up and running in no time. However, I have to let you know that by following this guide, you do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damage you may do. I am however, very happy to take responsibility for the great success you will have

This guide may end up wiping your data, so please do back up anything that is important to you. It’s good to take regular backups anyway. Unless you are like me, and everything valuable on your phone is actually stored in the cloud!

1. Backup Your Data

   As mentioned earlier, this process will wipe both your phone and sdcard. So to keep your settings/data you need a backup tool. By far the best one I know of on the android market isMyBackup Pro. MyBackup Pro is a paid application, but you can use the free version for a free 30 day trial. You can then backup all your data, and restore it after the rooting:

   Some people have run into issues backing up apps with MyBackup. Because of this I recommend using AppMonster (free on the market) to backup your apps.

   	MyBackup Free
   	MyBackup Pro
   	AppMonster

2. Download Required Files

   Download the following files:

   • reflash_package.exe 

3. Uninstall HTC Sync

   Uninstall the HTC Sync software from your computer if you have it installed. Do this via your Control Panel then Add/Remove Programs (or Unistall Programs depending on your OS)

4. Run Reflash Package

   1. Double-click on the reflash_package.exe you have downloaded above.
   2. Connect your phone
   3. If you are given the option to install HBOOT driver, then click on this and follow the instructions. If not download the drivers and install them manually using these instructions.
   4. Reopen the reflash_package.exe once the drivers have been installed.
   5. Enable USB debugging on your phone by doing the following on your phone:
      1. Settings
      2. Applications
      3. Development
      4. Tick USB Debugging
   6. g
   7. h
   8. Extract the package to a suitable location.
   9. Follow the instructions in the hboot driver.htm file in the location specified above.
   10. Download and install HTC sync from the official HTC website.
   11. This may be contradicting, but trust me. Once installed, now uninstall HTC sync, BUT leave the driver software installed.
   12. Reboot your PC.
   13. On your Desire
       1. Go to Settings > Connect to PC > Default connection type > Disk drive and then untick Ask Me.
       2. Go to Settings > Applications > Development and then tick USB Debugging.
       3. Go to Settings > Applications and then tick Unknown Sources.
   14. On your PC, open the reflash.exe file (Run this file as administrator on Win Vista/7) that was extracted to your specified location in step b.
   15. STOP IMPORTANT [AMOLED screen owners please skip to j]
       1. IF YOU HAVE AN SLCD SCREENDO THE FOLLOWING:
          1. Download this file: recovery-clockwork-2.5.0.1-bravo-slcd.img
          2. In the reflash.exe you just opened do File > Custom Recovery and select the recovery-clockwork-2.5.0.1-bravo-slcd.img file you just downloaded
   16. Connect your Desire to your PC via usb cable.
   17. Wait for a bout 2 minutes until your phone goes into recovery mode
   18. Press reboot
   19. Your desire is now rooted!

5. Install a Custom Rooted ROM

   1. You are now ready to install a custom rom, please follow this guide to do so!

The Galaxy S suffers the lag when the phone attempts to write to this file system, holding up other tasks and giving the effect of the lag. The fix to this issue is to implement an ext partition onto this internal sdcard. This new partition allows the phone to run a lot smoother and faster, if you have a Samsung Galaxy S, then you haven’t even touched upon the power and speed your device is capable of until you follow the guide below. It’s so easy, you really have no excuse not to do it!

So first of all, remember that this rooting method is easy and should not cause any issues if you follow the instructions. However, you do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damage you may do.

Ok, so after following the guide you will have a rooted Galaxy S, and you will have implemented the lag fix method to significantly speed up your phone and remove lag you may be experiencing already. You will not lose any of your data by following this guide, however, please do backup anything you don’t want to lose, this is just a sensible precaution just in case (if it’s that important, make regular backups regardless of anything else you do anyway).

Going through the following guide, after some of the steps your phone will restart, this is normal, just carry on with the next step once your phone has rebooted!

The Guide

1. Search the android market for an app called Galaxy S – 1 Click Lag Fix.

Galaxy S – 1 Click Lag Fix (Market Link)

1. Open the app and select Root Device 2.1
2. Let the app root your phone.
3. Now enter recovery mode by doing the following: Hold volume up and the main button whilst turning the phone on.
4. Select apply sdcard:update.zip
5. Reboot the phone when this is complete (or it may reboot automatically)
6. Once finished reopen the app and select Install EXT2 tools.
7. Let the app add the partition.
8. Once finished repopen the app and select OneClickLagFix V1+
9. Let the app add the fix.

And thats it! Have a play around with your phone, it should become much smoother, and that lag that used to annoy you so much should have disappeared! You might want to take a look at my 3 Must Have Apps For Rooted Users now, to keep your phone in tip top shape and running as smoothly as it can, not to mention saving a bit of battery too!

• Store apps on your sdcard instead of phone memory. So no more running out of space to install apps!
• Get rid of those stupid demo apps your provider adds to your phone.
• Turn your phone into a WiFi hotspot. Other devices can connect via wireless and share your phones internet
• Take screenshots of your phone from your phone.
• Better memory management, your phone will never slow down!
• Overclock your phone, more speed! (If possible!)
• Full backup ability. Backup your whole phone state. Restoring this backup puts your phone in the exact same condition as the backup.
• Use Market Enabler to access paid apps if currently unavailable in your country.

Follow the jump for the guide!

Ok, so first things first. Don’t be scared by the following, if you follow instructions all is good. However, you MUST follow the instructions. If you decide to follow this guide, then you do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damage you may do.

Here are a few things to take note of:

• This guide lets you root only a HTC Desire which has a bootloader version of 0.83 or below. To check the bootloader version:
  • Switch off the device
  • Turn it on whilst holding the ‘back’ key
  • You should be able to see the text ‘HBOOT’, and a version number besides it.
  • This number is the bootloader version.
• This process will wipe all the data from your phone, follow the instructions for backup instructions.
• In order to get apps2sd you will have to format your sd card. Make sure you copy all contents of your sd card to your pc so you can add them back after the format.

You will need the following items to root your HTC Desire:

• Windows PC
• MicroUSB cable
• MicroSD card

1. Backup Your Data

   As mentioned earlier, this process will wipe both your phone and sdcard. So to keep your settings/data you need a backup tool. By far the best one I know of on the android market isMyBackup Pro. MyBackup Pro is a paid application, but you can use the free version for a free 30 day trial. You can then backup all your data, and restore it after the rooting:

   Some people have run into issues backing up apps with MyBackup. Because of this I recommend using AppMonster (free on the market) to backup your apps.

   	MyBackup Free
   	MyBackup Pro
   	AppMonster

2. Download Required Files

   Download the following files to your PC:

   • reflash_package.exe 

3. Run Reflash Package

   1. Run the reflash_package.exe you have downloaded above.
   2. Extract the package to a suitable location.
   3. Follow the instructions in the hboot driver.htm file in the location specified above.
   4. Download and install HTC sync from the official HTC website.
   5. This may be contradicting, but trust me. Once installed, now uninstall HTC sync, BUT leave the driver software installed.
   6. Reboot your PC.
   7. On your Desire
      1. Go to Settings > Connect to PC > Default connection type > Disk drive and then untick Ask Me.
      2. Go to Settings > Applications > Development and then tick USB Debugging.
      3. Go to Settings > Applications and then tick Unknown Sources.
   8. On your PC, open the reflash.exe file (Run this file as administrator on Win Vista/7) that was extracted to your specified location in step b.
   9. STOP IMPORTANT [AMOLED screen owners please skip to j]
      1. IF YOU HAVE AN SLCD SCREENDO THE FOLLOWING:
         1. Download this file: recovery-clockwork-2.5.0.1-bravo-slcd.img
         2. In the reflash.exe you just opened do File > Custom Recovery and select the recovery-clockwork-2.5.0.1-bravo-slcd.img file you just downloaded
   10. Connect your Desire to your PC via usb cable.
   11. Wait for a bout 2 minutes until your phone goes into recovery mode
   12. Press reboot
   13. Your desire is now rooted!

4. Install a Custom Rooted ROM

   1. You are now ready to install a custom rom, please follow this guide to do so!

Ok, first things first, the disclaimer. It is very very unlikely that something will go wrong, nevertheless, $h#t happens, so please follow instructions carefully, unfortunately I cannot take any responsibility for anything that may go wrong following this procedure.

Next, you need to be rooted before you follow this guide. So follow this guide if you are not already rooted. Carefully read the bootloader bit. If your phone is not compatible just search the internet, there will be another guide out there for you.

Third, this guide as it stands now will install the deFrost Froyo Rom. We would be nowhere without the android rooting community, so please say thank you to richardtrip for creating this ROM.

If You Have An Orange ROM

Ok so if you have an orange rom, to use version 2.0 or above of deFrost (ROMS that require the flashing of a new radio), you basically need to purchase an unlock code:

1. Pay to sim unlock your phone. I recommend Express Codes (e.g. This listing). £8.99 and you’ll have your phone unlocked inside 5 minutes.
2. You need to apply this unlock code on a non-custom ROM:
   1. That means either a non-rooted ROM
   2. OR
   3. The rooted 2.1 ROM you flashed as part of my original root guide.
3. This means unlock BEFORE applying any 2.2 ROM to your phone.
4. If you have already flashed a 2.2 ROM, simply reflash the rooted 2.1 ROM you previously had, an easy way of doing this is to simply restore the nandroid backup you promised to make before applying any ROM.
5. If you also flashed the new radio, then you will also need to flash this radio to go back to the radio you were previously running: 32.30.00.28U_4.05.00.11.zip 

The Guide (it’s really simple!)

1. Make sure you are rooted, please.
2. Download the latest radio update: 32.43.00.32U_5.09.00.20.zip
3. Download the latest Full ROM: DeFroST_2.7.zip 
4. Put both of these on your phones sdcard, or even better, download from your phone on this site
5. Download the app called Titanium Backup from the market.
6. Click Backup/Restore > Menu > Batch > Backup all user apps + system data. Wait for this to finish.
7. Go to the android market on your phone and download the app called: ROM Manager
8. Open this app, click Flash Clockwork Mod Recovery, select HTC Desire.
9. Press OK once you get the successful message
10. Still in the app, click Install ROM from SD Card
11. Choose the DeFroST_2.0f.zip you downloaded earlier.
12. Click OK in the popup box.
13. **IMPORTANT* Select Backup Existing ROM. This will provide you with an exact backup of the current state of your phone (A Nandroid backup)
14. Try NOT SELECTING Wipe Data and Cache first, if you run into problems then redo from step #10 and select Wipe Data and Cache
15. Press OK
16. The phone will restart and start to install the new rom.
17. (this may take a while so be patient)
18. Once the phone has finished, open ROM Manager again and click Install ROM from SD Card
19. Choose the 32.41.00.32U_5.08.00.04.zip you downloaded earlier.
20. Click ok in the popup box.
21. Press OK and wait
22. Be patient while it does its stuff
23. DONE!

I told you it was easy right? In the future simply download the latest ROM, or any compatible ROM,place on your sdcard, and flash using ROM Managers install ROM option. Just promise me you will backup your current before doing so ok?

What next then?

Comfortaa Fonts

(Replace your system font with the muych better looking ones)

1. Download the fonts file: Comfortaa_font-signed.zip and place on your sdcard
2. Open ROM Manager app on your phone.
3. Click Install ROM from SD Card
4. Select the Comfortaa_font-signed.zip file.
5. Press OK and wait until the phone boots back up

Take care, and good luck Q/A below!

• Store apps on your sdcard instead of phone memory. So no more running out of space to install apps!
• Get rid of those stupid demo apps your provider adds to your phone.
• Turn your phone into a WiFi hotspot. Other devices can connect via wireless and share your phones internet
• Take screenshots of your phone from your phone.
• Better memory management, your phone will never slow down!
• Overclock your phone, more speed! (If possible!)
• Full backup ability. Backup your whole phone state. Restoring this backup puts your phone in the exact same condition as the backup.
• Use Market Enabler to access paid apps if currently unavailable in your country.

Lets get on with this then!

Ok, so first things first. Don’t be scared by the following, if you follow instructions all is good. However, you MUST follow the instructions. If you decide to follow this guide, then you do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any damage you may do.

Here are a few things to take note of:

• This guide lets you root only a HTC Desire which has a bootloader version of 0.75 or below. To check the bootloader version:
  • Switch off the device
  • Turn it on whilst holding the ‘back’ key
  • You should be able to see the text ‘HBOOT’, and a version number besides it.
  • This number is the bootloader version.
•  If you have a bootloader version 0.80 or above then use this guide instead.
• This process will wipe all the data from your phone, follow the instructions for backup instructions.
•  In order to get apps2sd you will have to format your sd card. Make sure you copy all contents of your sd card to your pc so you can add them back after the format.

You will need the following items to root your HTC Desire:

• Windows PC
• MicroUSB cable
• MicroSD card
• Spare MicroSD card made into a GoldCard <Instructions Here>

1. Backup Your Data

   As mentioned earlier, this process will wipe both your phone and sdcard. So to keep your settings/data you need a backup tool. By far the best one I know of on the android market isMyBackup Pro. MyBackup Pro is a paid application, but you can use the free version for a free 30 day trial. You can then backup all your data, and restore it after the rooting:

   Some people have run into issues backing up apps with MyBackup. Because of this I recommend using AppMonster (free on the market) to backup your apps.

   	MyBackup Free
   	MyBackup Pro
   	AppMonster

2. Download Required Files

   Download the following files to your PC:

   • textruu.exe
   • rootedupdate.zip (Do not unzip this file, use the zip version)
   • pushfiles_windows.zip

3. Create a Goldcard

   Create a goldcard by following the instructions found here.

4. Run Test RUU Installation

   1. Turn your phone off and insert the GoldCard microsd card into the phone.
   2. Turn the phone on and connect it to your PC (harddrive mode).
   3. Move the rootedupdate.zip download onto the sdcard now in the phone.
   4. Turn off your phone, and unplug it from your PC
   5. Turn it on again while holding the back button.
   6. You will see FASTBOOT on the screen in a red box.
   7. Connect the phone to your Windows PC and run the textruu.exe you downloaded earlier.
   8. Once the update is complete, your phone will enter the default configuration wizard. Turn your phone of right away at this point.
   9. With the phone turned off, unplug it from your PC.

5. Root Your HTC Desire

   1. Turn on your phone while holding the volume down button.
   2. You will see HBOOT on the screen.
   3. Use the volume buttons to move up and down and power button to select the RECOVERY option.
   4. You will now see a red triangle on the screen, at this point plug your phone into your PC via your microUSB cable.
   5. Unzip the file pushfiles_windows.zip that you downloaded earlier, and double click on recovery-windows.bat inside this unzipped folder.
   6. Once you run it you will notice, the screen of your device change to a green recovery image menu.
   7. In the recovery image, Select Wipe > Wipe Data/Factory Reset using the optical trackpad
   8. Now, from the same menu, select Flash ZIP from SDCard and choose the rooted update. Confirm with the optical trackball. This process may take a while so be patient.
   9. When the flash has finished, reboot, and you are DONE!

6. Install Apps2Sd

   You can install Apps2Sd by following the instructions found here.

You will need the following items to root your HTC Desire:

• Windows PC
• MicroUSB cable
• MicroSD card
• Spare MicroSD card made into a GoldCard <Instructions Here>

Exactly the same as rooting, this process is very easy as long as you follow the instructions you will be ok. However,  you do this at your own risk and I cannot take any responsibility for any damage as a result of this.

1. Download Required Files

   Download the following files to your PC:

   • pushfiles_windows.zip
   • r1-a2sd-desire-dalvik-fresh-signed.zip (Do not unzip this file, use the zip version)

2. Add Apps2Sd

   1. Put your Goldcard into your phone and turn on your phone
   2. Attach your phone to your PC via microUSB cable (harddrive mode).
   3. Copy the r1-a2sd-desire-dalvik-fresh-signed.zip file you downloaded earlier onto your Goldcard sdcard via your phone.
   4. Turn off the phone and unplug it from your PC.
   5. Turn on your phone while holding the volume down button.
   6. You will see HBOOT on the screen.
   7. Use the volume buttons to move up and down and power button to select the RECOVERY option.
   8. You will now see a red triangle on the screen, at this point plug your phone into your PC via your microUSB cable.
   9. Double click on recovery-windows.bat inside the pushfiles_windows.zip folder you unzipped as part of the root process.
   10. Looking back at the Desire, you’ll see that the red triangle screen is gone and a greenish recovery console appeared.
   11. Using the optical trackpad select Wipe > Wipe data/factory reset
   12. After this has completed do Wipe > Wipe cache
   13. Again, once this has completed do Wipe > Wipe Dalvik-cache.
   14. Next select Flash zip from sdcard and select r1-a2sd-desire-dalvik-fresh-signed.zip.
   15. Once flashing is over, select the Power off command.
   16. Unplug your phone from the PC, and replace the GoldCard sdcard with your normal sdcard.

3. Partition Your SD Card

   1. Turn on your phone while holding the volume down button.
   2. You will see HBOOT on the screen.
   3. Use the volume buttons to move up and down and power button to select the RECOVERY option.
   4. You will now see a red triangle on the screen, at this point plug your phone into your PC via your microUSB cable.
   5. Double click on recovery-windows.bat inside the pushfiles_windows.zip folder you unzipped as part of the root process.
   6. Using the optical trackpad select Partition sdcard > Partition SD
   7. Select SWAP=0, EXT2=512 and allow the rest to be FAT32.
   8. Select the SD:ext2 to ext3 option in this menu.
   9. Go back to the Recovery Console main menu and select Reboot system now. While rebooting, unplug the Desire from the USB port.
   10. And thats it! You now have a rooted Desire with apps2sd. Get in!

As always please leave a comment if you have a tip to add or wish to clarify something I have written here.

General Android Advice

• Android is a multitasking operating system. It is very smart at self-managing its memory and applications. You may hear talk of using a task killer, or another memory management tool, but this is NOT necesarry. Android will manage this task itself. You may have the question “How do I close this app?”. With android this question does not need to be asked as android will take care of it in the background.
• Turn off WiFi and GPS if you are not using them. They can cause the battery to drain much quicker than if you turned them off. Toggling between these settings is easy via the default HTC widgets.
• To add a new photo album, just mount the phone via USB to a PC, create a new folder and give it a name. Add your pictures to this folder. Now browse to the “Albums” in your phone and it will automatically create an album with the folder name you specified containing the pictures you added.
• Calibrate your keyboard!!! You will find using the keyboard waaay better. To this via:

Settings > Language and Keyboard > Touch Input > Text Input > Calibration Tool

• There are 3 types of keyboard available for the Desire built in “full QWERTY”, “Phone keypad” and Compact QWERTY”. Give them a try, one may suit you better. To change do the following:

Settings > Language and Keyboard > Touch Input > Keyboard Type

• A Class 6 micro sd card is preffered to ensure the fastest possible experience on the phone.
• If you have both WiFi and data connections turned on, your phone will default to using the WiFi connection as long as you are connected to a WiFi network. So no need to turn mobile data off using home WiFi.
• Setup your phone contacts as Google type contacts. You gain a lot for doing so. It automatically syncs your contacts to your gmail account providing a great backup solution, and you can only use voice dialling for google contacts too!

Status Icons

Notification Icons

Adding New Ringtones/SMS Notifications/Alarms

To add new ringtones or SMS alerts, connect your Hero to USB and mount the device on your PC. Browse to the following folders:

If these folders do not currently exist, then just create them yourself.

Ringtones:
/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones
SMS Alerts:
/sdcard/media/audio/notifications
Alarm Alerts:
/sdcard/media/audio/alarms

Copy your mp3 files into the appropriate folder above then go to:

Ringtone:
Settings > sound and display > phone ringtone
SMS:
Settings > sound and display > notification sound
Alarms:
Set the sound when adding a new alarm.

Then select the ringtone you put in the above folder(s).

Desktop

• Click the Search key while on your desktop to bring up a quick search. You can search your phone and the internet from here. To customise exactly what you can search from here go to:

Settings > Search > Searchable Items

• On the Desktop press menu and wallpapers to change wallpapers.
• Long press on the Home key to bring up a list of your most recently used apps, very useful to quckly switch apps and a brilliant example of the benefits of multitasking.
• Pinch Zoom on your dekstop to bring an overview of all your 7 screens, then simply select the screen you wish to jump to.
• Press the Home key when on your main (middle) screen to also bring up the 7 screen overview.
• Press the Home key when on any of the other 6 screes to jump to your main screen
• Drag your finger to switch between screens you can also use the optical trackball to produce the same functionality.

Explanation of Desktop Items

Widget

Similar to an application, a widget sits on your desktop providing some sort of functionality. Eg A clock, list of favourite contacts, twitter updates

Program

A shortcut to any of the apps you have installed on your phone. Eg a shortrcut to your browser, or to facebook.

Shortcut

Some apps provide shortcuts to features of their application, Eg A Gmail Label, a new task in a to do list app, a ‘jump straight to new text’ for a specific contact.

Folder

Folder allows you to group program shortcuts on your desktop, keepsthings nice and tidy. Live Folder can be used to hold a list of all your contacts, or perhaps a link to an actual folder.

Add Icons/Widgets/Shortcuts to Desktop

• Long press on a free area on the desktop and select your choice from the pop up list
• Click the little plus sign on the bottom right of hte screen, to the right of the Phone text.

Move/Remove Desktop Icons/Widgets/Shortcuts

• Long press on the icon, and drag it to the bottom of the screen where you see the ‘remove’ text. You may also move icons around the screen this way.
• To move icons to a different desktop, drag and hold the icon to the far left/right of the screen for a few seconds and the screen will scroll.

Browser

You cannot close the browser normally. You can escape from the browser in two ways:

• Press the back button repeatidly until you eventually leave the browser
• Press the home button

Browser Tips

• Pinch Zoom: Pinch the screen to zoom in/out.
• Double-Tap: To zoom in/out
• Long Press on the screen to bring up the word selection tool.
  • Drag either of the green pointers to highligh more or less
    • Click the magnifying glass to either:
      • look up the selected text in wikipedia
      • Translate the selected text
      • Look up the selected text in the dictionary
    • Click on the pages to copy the selected text
    • Click the green upwards arrows to share the selected text

Don’t like pages to open in full view?

Menu > More > Settings > Untick ‘Open pages in overview’

Select the default Zoom of a new page

Menu > More > Settings > ‘Default zoom’

Once you have had a look through this guide, then I’d recommend taking a look at the top 50 Apps for android 1.5, the android version your HTC Hero is running.

So without further ado, lets jump into the guide!

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE

Make sure you are running the latest ROM build, if not, update to the latest your carrier/HTC provides before you do anything else. As updating the ROM wipes the data off your phone, doing this first means you will not lose anything! Check out the HTC Support website for your Country and Carrier to see if there is an update available!

To see if you have the latest update compared to that on the HTC website, check here on your Hero:

Settings > About Phone > Build Number

General Notes

To get the MOST out of Android and your Hero, you must embrace the Google Cloud. Get yourself a GMail email account, use the Google calendar, sync your contacts to Google, use Google Picasa, use Google Calendar, use Google Tasks, use Google Docs, etc.

General Tips

• You may try out any paid application in the market for 24 hours. If you uninstall the application inside these 24 hours you will get a full refund. However, you may only do this once. If you reinstall a refunded application you may not return it for a refund again.
• Turn off WiFi and GPS if you are not using them. They can cause the battery to drain much quicker than if you turned them off. Toggling between these settings is easy via the default HTC widgets.
• To add a new photo album, just mount the phone via USB to a PC, create a new folder and give it a name. Add your pictures to this folder. Now browse to the “Albums” in your phone and it will automatically create an album with the folder name you specified containing the pictures you added.
• Calibrate your keyboard!!! You will find using the keyboard waaay better. Do this via:

Settings > Local & text > Touch Input > Text Input > Calibration Tool

• There are 3 types of keyboard available for the Hero built in “full QWERTY”, “Phone keypad” and Compact QWERTY”. Give them a try, one may suit you better. To change do the following:Settings > Local & text > Touch Input > Keyboard Types
• A Class 6 micro sd card may speed up your Hero.If you have both WiFi and data connections turned on, your phone will default to using the WiFi connection as long as you are connected to a WiFi network. So no need to turn mobile data off using home WiFi.

Phone Status Icons

Explanations of the icons that appear in your notification bar:

Adding New Ringtones/SMS Notifications/Alarms

To add new ringtones or SMS alerts, connect your Hero to USB and mount the device on your PC. Browse to the following folders:

If these folders do not currently exist, then just create them yourself.

Ringtones:
/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones
SMS Alerts:
/sdcard/media/audio/notifications
Alarm Alerts:
/sdcard/media/audio/alarms

Copy your mp3 files into the appropriate folder above then go to:

Ringtone:
Settings > sound and display > phone ringtone
SMS:
Settings > sound and display > notification sound
Alarms:
Set the sound when adding a new alarm.

Then select the ringtone you put in the above folder(s).

Keyboard Lag

The HTC Hero keyboard tends to lag quite a bit after maybe a week of using it. There is one very easy way to ease and normally totally get rid of the lag, and that is to turn of the feedback option.

Settings > Local & text > Touch Input > Text Input > Untick “Sound feedback” and “Vibrate when typing”

Default Application Replacements

To use the images of QR codes (barcodes) that will follow, please read the following guide on how to use Android QR codes

Your Hero will come with default applications, but sometimes there are better alternatives on the market:

SMS

Handcent SMS is a perfect replacement SMS application. It contains a lot more personalisation than the default application offers, and many users report it being faster too. In order to stop receiving two SMS notifications from now on, open the default SMS application and navigate to:

Menu > settings> untick Notifications

Download Handcent by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market

Camera

The default camera application is not bad, and actually after using Camera Zoom FX for a while I now prefer the default as it is quite a lot faster to open up. There are two options here, change the default camera settings, or download and use the Camera Zoom FX application instead.

Change to these settings in the default application:

Quality: High
Widescreen: Tick
Auto focus: Tick
Flicker Adjustment: Auto
ISO: 800

The Camera Zoom FX application however manages to produce quite good pictures, and is definitely worth the very small cost (£1.29).

Download Camera Zoom FX by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market

Browser

The default browser is very limited, there are two possible great alternatives for you to choose, and which one you prefer is generally a personal preference thing. As a note, I prefer Steel as it is not as bulky as Dolphin, but it does not include pinch zoom if that is important to you, where as Dolphin does.

	Download Steel by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market
	Download Dolphin by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market

Keyboard

I think that the default keyboard is great, there are 3 different keyboards built into the phone, those of you with big fat fingers may prefer a more contact keyboard as the buttons are easier. To change the type of keyboard do the following:

settings > locale and text > touch input > keyboard types

If you want to try something different, and I HIGHLY SUGGEST giving this a go btw, then you can download a replacement keyboard app called ShapeWriter. This is a new way of typing on a touch keyboard. You just drag your finger over each letter of the word, without pressing.

Download Shapewriter by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market

Calendar

The default calendar app is ok, and the widgets are quite good. But if like me you prefer to see a list of upcoming appointments then the default widgets may not be up to scratch. Personally I use 2 desktop widgets, one of my main homescreen (smaller showing next 3 appointments), and a larger one taking up a whole screen showing many upcoming appointments:

Smooth Calendar Widget

Very similar to the small default calendar widget, but this one can show up to the next 3 appointments.

Download Smooth Calendar Widget by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market

Agenda Widget

Has multiple widget sizes. Shows an agenda of your upcoming appointments, and beautiful too!

Download Agenda Widget by scanning the QR code with your phone, or alternatively click the QR code to go straight to the market