Firefox Tabs Won't Close: Solved

Image via Wikipedia

I have been having this problem for the longest ever since the new version of Mozilla's Firefox browser was released.  It's random, but sometimes my tabs will just straight up not close when I try to use the "x" button or the Window's keyboard shortcut to close a tab, Ctrl + w.  Sometimes I was unable to close any tabs at all! This has been going on for months and I'm not the only one who has been having this problem.  Mozilla's answer has been to uninstall each of your add-ons one by one until you figure out which one is causing the problem...no who wants to do that?

After searching through the forum I finally came across someone who posted a possible solution that thankfully worked for me. It seems that the add-on Invisible Hand was doing some invisible magic that prevented me from closing my tabs.  

Hopefully this helps out many of you out there who've been having the same problem.

In the process, I also switched back to the Pale Moon browser.  In a nutshell, it's the same as Firefox except it runs 25% faster.  It even ports over your bookmarks, add-ons, etc. from Firefox upon installation. 

Temple Tips: Is Your Droid No Longer Playing Music?

Image by nino63004 via Flickr

Is your Droid or Droid 2 suddenly no longer playing your music, mp3s, songs, or ringtones?  If you're trying to play one of the aforementioned items and you've suddenly started receiving the error that says "Sorry, the player does not support this type of audio file," then this is the fix for you.

To correct this problem turn off your phone, pull out the battery and turn your phone back on.

Everything should now be a-okay!

 

Related articles

• DROID 2 Global updated to fix global calling bugs (droiddog.com)
• Best Buy mysteriously halts sale of Verizon's DROID 2 Global, DROID Pro (bgr.com)

Best Buy Gets Rid of Restocking Fees

(via MediaMemo)

If you ever bought an electronic item from Best Buy and then took it back because it wasn't what you'd thought it'd be, then you know all about the company's 15% bogus restocking fee.  Last Christmas I bought my Dad a supposedly HD camera, but the quality was garbage.  I took it back and they told me that I'd have to pay $60 just for them to restock it (all I could think of was "get outta my face with that).  Thankfully this fee is now being phased out for the most part and applies to the following items:

• computers                    
• tablets
• projectors
• camcorders
• digital cameras
• radar detectors 
• GPS units
• in-car video systems & audio equipment
• iPhones

If you returned an item after November 17th and were charged a restocking fee, Best Buy will offer you a refund.  This will come handy for those of you who have to return those unwanted holiday gifts.

Smart move Best Buy. Smart move. 

Related Articles

Related articles

• Many Unhappy Returns (snopes.com)

Watch Your Favorite Bowl Games on Xbox Live

If you have an Xbox 360, no cable but would still like to watch the major bowl games, then you're in luck!  Just head over to your dashboard and you'll be able to watch the games live on the ESPN section of LIVE.

It's nice to see Microsoft making this an interactive event.  Before the games head over to the ESPN section on your console and you can make your picks for each of the bowl games.  Scores are kept so that you can see how you're stacking up against your friends.  While making your selections you can see which and how many of your friends picked which team as the winner for each game.  Doing so will also enter you into the sweepstakes to provide you with the opportunity to attend the ESPYs or take a trip to ESPN studios.   

You get a free ESPN avatar jersey as well as an ESPN avatar hat just for entering, so you really don't lose anything.  Check our Xbox.com for more details. 

Related articles

• ESPN On Xbox Live Update Adds College Football Bowl Season Content (g4tv.com)
• ESPN on Xbox Live updated for the 'College Bowl Showdown' (joystiq.com)

Apps 2 SD: Gain More Space on Your Android Phone (Rooted Only)

Image via Wikipedia

This article is strictly for those of you with rooted phones.  If you aren't rooted but want to get a little more out of your device that may happen to be a little less powerful than those released this summer, feel free to take a look at what a rooted device can do.  The XDA community has lots of instructions and help on how to go about the process for your specific phone.  If you're not interested in rooting, please feel free to check out any of the previously written articles. 

The best part about owning a smartphone is the ability to download and play with literally thousands of apps.  However, a problem arises when your device runs out of space.  This is especially problematic for those of us with older devices who don't have gigabytes of internal memory to spare such as the Droid X (8GB of internal memory!).  I've been having this problem over the past few weeks, frequently getting the low disc space warning which haults any incoming text messages, voicemails and the downloading or updating of all apps.

I finally decided to do something about it and take advantage of the ability to completely install all of my apps to the SD card.  This is different than the feature built in Froyo, which doesn't completely do this.  To give you an idea of how great the Apps2SD feature is: before going through with the process I only had 22.31 MBs of available space.  After installing App2SD, I now have 92.86 MBs of available internal storage space left.  Got your attention now 'ey? :-)

Below is a guide I put together due to all of the scattered information available out there.  It took me forever to figure out how to do it the right way and hopefully this makes it much easier for anyone else going through the process.  I used tkirton's post to install Darktremor Apps2SD and danfrance's guide from Android Forums.

This guide is for those of your using a ROM from Cyanogenmod.

1. If possible, move all of your apps to the internal memory
2. Make a backup copy of everything on your SD card  and place it onto your computer
3. Go to ROM manager and select "Backup Current ROM"
4. Go to ROM  manager and select "Partition SD Card"
5. Select the size to be 512MB and the Swap = 0
6. Download Darktremor's Apps2SD and place it on the root of your SD card
7. Take the backup of everything from your SD card before the partition and place it back on to the card
8. Reboot into recovery and flash Download Darktremor's Apps2SD

From what I've read, this should be all that you have to do.  Check the links I posted if you're still having trouble.  If your internal memory is still low then you'll probably have to use move your Dalvik cache to your partition as well.  Instructions for that can be found here.

The only problem I'm having is getting my text messaging to work.  I have no idea what I did and it's frustrating lol.  I made a backup though so if I still can't get it to work I'll just put that back on.  If anyone knows how to fix this problem, please let me know :-(

Texting Gone Wrong...Damn You Auto Correct!

When it comes to smartphones, there are two types of people.  The first type are those who absolutely refuse to have a device without a keyboard.  They've always had one, they stick by it, live by it and won't ever go without.  Then there are those who have gone to the other side.  Those who have tried going without the physical keyboard have realized that an all touch screen device isn't bad at all!

The best part about touchscreen devices are sometimes they can lead to funny typing moments.

(via. DYAC)

I LOVE this website!  It has all kind of crazy text message errors like the one above.  DamnYouAutoCorrect.com even has an app for iPhone and Android.  Be warned though, you will be laughing out loud when you read these. Shout out to my sister for point me to this site!

Related articles

• Damn You, Auto Correct! [Annoyances] (gizmodo.com)
• DamnYouAutoCorrect: Texting Gone Wrong (abcnews.go.com)

Xbox Live Reward Points

Microsoft is beginning to roll out it's Xbox Live Rewards program.  I read about this on Tuesday and today I received an e-mail.  Or as they put it, an "Exclusive Invitation to Xbox Live Rewards."  I don't know how exclusive this program really is, but at least it made me feel special when I first viewed my inbox.  According the Microsoft, this program will enable to you to "begin earning Microsoft Points for renewing your Xbox LIVE Gold memberships, spending on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, watching movies, and giving us your feedback."  Have any of you other Xbox Live members received this e-mail?   I really am genuinely curious about how exclusive this program is for the time being.    

Related articles

• Xbox Live Rewards loyalty program goes live in the US and UK (engadget.com)
• Microsoft's Xbox Live Rewards Actually Have Value (pcworld.com)

Starbucks. Coffee. Free. Enough Said.

It's nearly 8:15 in the morning and you're probably just getting up, are en-route to work or already at work, and  chances are that you're gonna need that afternoon pick me up when 2:00 rolls around.  Well for all of you Starbucks fanatics today is your lucky day!  Are you a fan of Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte?  And do you know of a friend who also needs that morning coffee jump start?  Then bring them with you!  Starting today from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM through Sunday Starbucks is having a buy 1 holiday drink, get 1 free deal.  Bring a friend with and share the love.  

[Lifehacker via Starbucks]

Google Voice App Finally on iPhone

Image via CrunchBase

Congratulations iPhone users, you finally have a Google Voice app!  Sure you've been able to go to Google's mobile voice site for a while now but having a dedicated app is always better isn't it?  If you've never tried or even heard of Google Voice, do yourself a favor and give it a try.  You get a free phone number that will ring all of your phones at once and various other features such as:

• voicemails that are automatically transcribed to text
• cheap international calls
• free text messages
• separate voicemail greetings for each group of people you make
• and many more highlights shown in the video below...

Related articles

• Google Voice for iPhone hands on! (bgr.com)

Replace Your Android's System Fonts in One Click with Typefresh

Type Fresh, via AndroidZoom

Ever get a little bored of the way your rooted Android device looks?  You could download some new apps, change your boot screen, change your wallpaper, OR you could change your font.  Now I'm not just talking about changing your fonts for your just your text messaging app.  I mean changing all your fonts at once: the clock, the menu, anything that has words...you'll be ale to change it.  And all it takes is an app!  The app is called Type Fresh and it allows you to change your system fonts with ease.  The best part about it is that it works with just about any font with a .tff extension.  This means that you can use almost any font on your computer or the plethora of fonts available online.  Get started now and find a font that's right for you!  Check out Gadgets for a guide of how to use this app and change your fonts.  Use the Barcode Scanner app or Google Goggles to read the QR code below and download the app directly. 

 

Type Fresh App, via DoubleTwist

Related articles

• How can I print in a different font than the one I see on screen in Firefox? (ask.metafilter.com)
• How To: Replace The Lockscreen Clock Font (androidpolice.com)

Not Receiving Text Messages on Rooted Phone

I had this issue happen to me several times and it was driving me absolutely insane.  I could send text messages but I was unable to receive them.  I even tried sending a test text message to myself and nothing.  Nada. 

To solve this, create a backup of your current setup using the included ROM manager.  Then flash any other ROM that isn't a CyanogenMod one. I just flashed back to my backup ROM I originally made when first rooting my phone (the one with HTC Sense and 2.1 still on it).  After this step your phone should start receiving all of the text messages, and possibly voice mails, that you hadn't been getting.  Finally flash your ROM again, the one that wasn't receiving text messages, and you should be good to go.  I don't know why this happen, but I know that this solution does work. 

The Greatest Theme I've Ever Had on My Phone

The best thing about rooting is that anyone can come up with their own theme.  I found a fantastic one over at XDA called Steel My Elegance created by Gomorrah.  I think I'm going to use Type Fresh to switch up my fonts but other than that I'm going to be keeping this theme for a while. 

Asimmons has created a theme injector that enables any theme to be ported over to any ROM that you find.  I had to use this because the Steel My Elegance theme wasn't compatible with Cyanogen's 6.1 ROM that I'm currently running.  Asimmons' theme injector solved that problem though.  Peep the screen shots below and let me know what you think.  

 

Related articles

• How to Choose the Right Android ROM For You [Android] (lifehacker.com)
• Want Sense On Your Non-HTC Device? Download The Sense Theme For ADWLauncher (androidpolice.com)

From Blackberry to Palm, Android or iPhone: Care to Make the Leap?

Image via Wikipedia

I see sooooo many people out there with Blackberry devices and I find myself constantly asking "why do people my age (24) love Blackberries so much?"  I know people with them but before I start, I'll confess that I've never owned a Blackberry device.  The following is my reasoning for wondering why there is such a great attraction to Blackberry devices:

1.  They All Look the Same
• There's the Bold, Curve, Tour, Pearl and they all look the same.  Why would anyone want 4 different model phones that, aside from the keyboards, are incredibly similar in appearance.  Don't you want some individuality?  I'll give the Storm series some love.  At least it attempted to be different.  Unfortunately, it wasn't shown much love from many Blackberry's.  For RIMs sake, I hope the Torch and Style sell a lot better.
2. Small Screen Size
• In a world of Facebook photo viewing, YouTube video watching, Twitpic uploading and web browsing, why limit your experience to such a small screen?  Yes, their screens have great resolutions but on screens that small that had better be the case.  Maybe their smaller to make up for their low 3.2 megapixel cameras, in the world where the average is 5.  Even 8 megapixels is starting to be become more apparent.  Don't confuse screen resolution with actual screen size.  As of November 2010, The newest models have the following diagonal dimensions:   
• Bold 9780: 2.4"
• Curve 9330: 2.4"
• Tour: 2.4"
• Tourch 3.2" (AT&T only)
3. Operating System 
• Two months ago Blackberry just got threaded text messaging (strictly referring to the OS and not apps).  Really?  That's a shame.  I feel bad for those that have to scroll through their entire message library rather than having conversations grouped together based on each individual person.  The latter way is much more convenient.  RIM recently released it's newest operating system OS 6 but if you don't have a Bold 9700, Bold 9650, Pearl 3G, or anything newly released, I'm sorry to say that you won't be experiencing it.  OS 6 does look pretty nifty, but it's definitely still behind Apple's, Palm's, and Google's operating systems. 
• Blackberry devices are also majorly lacking in the app department.  More than 10,000 apps are available but they're severely lacking in quality. That is the feeling expressed by many Blackberry users themselves in the Crackberry forums, the number one site for Blackberry users.  So while your friends are off playing Angry Birds and watching Netflix on their devices, most Blackberry users are...umm...on BBM I guess. 
• Speaking of Blackberry Messenger, will someone please tell me what in the world is so great about BBM!  In order to use BBM, you need someone's PIN.  Which already eliminates everyone who doesn't have a Blackbery or KiK Messenger.  RIMs site states that BBM enables the user to have their own display picture, know when your message has been delivered and read, and share multimedia with your contacts at once.  These days I'm pretty sure that no matter what phone you have, it'll let you know if your text message was never sent and that you can send an MMS to multiple recipients.     

 

Droid Pro (left) and Bold 9780 (right), via BGR

With all of that said, my only main point is that Blackberry does not seem well suited or targeted towards a younger audience.  Somehow this has happened despite the fact that, feature-wise, Blackberry devices seem much more suited for corporate and business people.  It allows them to get their e-mail all in one place, delivered quickly, is reliable and has little to no fun factor.  The only device that combats this is the Torch.  I doubt that many people have adopted it yet so if anyone my age can explain why they'd rather own an under featured Blackberry device as opposed to an iPhone, Droid, or Palm Pre, I'm open to listen.  Otherwise, if you currently have a Blackberry device, you may want to think about switching it up. 

Related articles

• BlackBerry Bold 9780 Runs OS 6.0 and Has A Better Camera [BlackBerry] (gizmodo.com)
• Why Android is a perfect compliment to my BlackBerry (phonedog.com)

Another Droid 2 Update in the Works

An update is on the way that will give Droid 2 users the ability to switch profiles just like the scenes feature on other Android phones running HTC Sense.  For example, let's say you have a current layout of widgets that you like to use while at work.  And then you also like to have another layout that you like to use when you're outside of work or with your friends. The new profile feature will enable you to do just that!  There will be 3 profiles that you'll be able to configure separately.  Peep the video below to see how it's done on the new Droid Pro.

Profiles, via how2moto

Additionally, tethering via USB will also be enabled, which will allow your computer to access the internet using your phone as a modem. 

Related articles

• Verizon quietly launches Motorola Droid 2 Global (news.cnet.com)

Angry Birds Update

Ladies and gentleman, Angry Birds is back again and better than ever!  The newest update features a whole new chapter, which brings the total number of chapters to a whopping 195 levels. This recent update now makes the Android version of the incredibly popular game equivalent to that of the iPhone version.  

Another great addition is that QVGA screens are now supported.  I was happy to hear this because the previous version  had lots of white spaces where the graphics were missing.  I couldn't see the bottom of the levels and anything that remained stationary (couldn't be knocked over or destroyed with a bird) would be completely white.  Thankfully that has all changed with this version and Angry Birds can now be viewed by Android users in all its vivid color greatness as it was intended to be.  Use your phone's browser to head over to Getjar, which will make sure you're downloading the correct version for your phone. And if you're really smart you'd just use Fox to Phone send the link from your computer right to your phone, hassle free.

Related articles

• Android Angry Birds Update Brings Fixes and QVGA Support (pocketnow.com)

Good News: The Kinect is Not Racist

Kinect, via Ubergizmo

Yesterday Microsoft's Kinect, a new peripheral that allows you to control the interfaces and games using only your body, and I just had to have it!  For fear being unable to get a Kinect due to it selling out, I decided to pick one up from Target during my lunch break.  Luckily Target had about 20 on the shelf and I couldn't wait to get home to play it.  In order to get my fix in before I got home and setup my Kinect I figured I'd watch a few reviews.

However, a review by GameSpot review is the one that has been causing all of the controversy: 

[Our] testing suggests facial recognition features of Microsoft's motion-sensing camera system might not work properly for some gamers... In testing the Kinect, two dark-skinned GameSpot employees had problems getting the system's facial recognition features to work. 

This testing caused some people to perceive the Kinect as racist.  I'm not gonna lie though, a similar thought had crossed my mind because it failed to identify my face during the facial recognition portion of the calibration (the facial recognition allows the Kinect to scan your face and automatically log you in).  I went through the sequence three times and each time I received an error telling me to make sure I was facing the camera.  I even put on a brighter shirt in hopes that the difference in contrast would help.  NOPE!  After that I did some searching online and came across some information from Consumer reports.

Here's what we found: The log-in problem is related to low-level lighting and not directly to players' skin color. Like the HP webcam, the Kinect camera needs enough light and contrast to determine features in a person's face before it can perform software recognition and log someone into the game console automatically.

Yup, that was my issue!  I didn't have enough light in the front of the room.  It was hard to figure out what the problem was because Kinect was able to recognize every single one of my movements.  While video game console peripherals do see color, it's good to know that they don't discriminate.  

Related articles

• Consumer Reports Claims Kinect Is Not Racist (escapistmagazine.com)
• Is Kinect Having Problems Recognizing Darker Skin Tones? (g4tv.com)
• Consumer Reports Knocks Down Kinect Skin-Color Claim [Controversy] (kotaku.com)

Dear Steve Jobs: of Course Your Users Want Flash

Skyfire 2.0 Browswer, via PhoneDog

As far as mobile devices are concerned, Steve Jobs is well known for his distaste for Adobe Flash and that HTML 5 is the wave of the future. That last part may indeed be true at some point but as now 75% of web content is flash, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. A few months ago Mr. Jobs wrote an open letter that stated that "Apple has set the standard for mobile web browsers" and that "the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short."

Well Mr. Jobs if this is so true please do me a favor and let me know why Skyfire, a browser that enables you to watch flash videos (also available for Android) has been pulled from the market after only 5 hours. Just think...when's the last time you've heard about an app being sold out?

So yes Steve, your devoted iPhone, iPad and iTouch users do like their flash. Skyfire's press statment below backs up this fact.

Skyfire Becomes Top Grossing iPhone App in App Store and Sells Out of Inventory in Five Hours

Historic demand forces mobile browser to halt new sales and expand server capacity within hours of availability.

Mountain View - Skyfire, the first iPhone browser that plays video designed for Adobe Flash Player, is announcing that they have sold out of inventory within five hours of its public launch.

Skyfire for iPhone has been received with overwhelming enthusiasm -- far beyond internal projections. The result: the company is currently sold out of its first batch of Skyfire for the iPhone and is temporarily not accepting new purchases. The company is working to increase capacity and will be accepting new purchases from the Apple App StoreSM soon.

Skyfire is assuring users that the app’s sold out status was a temporary measure taken by Skyfire, and was not the decision of Apple, Inc., which has approved the app.

The app, previously available in the Apple App StoreSM for $2.99, bridges one major gap between Apple and Adobe technologies, enabling consumers to view millions of previously unavailable videos designed for Flash Player on Apple iOS devices.

The company which became the top grossing app in iTunes today ahead of popular titles like Angry Birds, experienced overwhelming consumer demand for its browser within hours of going live. The company is no stranger to consumer demand of its products as its Android browser generated over one million downloads in its first few months.

"Skyfire has historically generated high demand for its browser products but nothing like this," states Skyfire CEO Jeffrey Glueck. "It was hard to predict consumer demand since this was our first paid app, but we were blown away by the demand and sales."

The company plans to open another batch of its iPhone application in the near future. It recommends interested customers follow the company on Twitter @skyfire or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GetSkyfire.iPhone for the new availability batch.

About Skyfire:?Skyfire is dedicated to using cloud computing to improve multimedia experiences on mobile phones, and has created the first “Compression as a Service” (CAAS) offering for wireless carriers and device makers. Skyfire’s technology has been visible to consumers through the Skyfire browser app, which has enabled Skyfire to refine its technology with over one million monthly users. The app was named the #2 App of All-Time for Android by TechCrunch, and was the top pick in a PC World September 2010 comparison of all Android browsers. Skyfire won the Best Mobile Application-People’s Voice at the 2009 Webby Awards and was named a Top App of 2009 by the New York Times’ Gadgetwise. Skyfire is based in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. For more information, visit www.skyfire.com, or follow Skyfire on Twitter at twitter.com/skyfire. 

Related articles

• Flash-Playing Skyfire "Sells Out" in App Store Due to Popularity [Skyfire] (lifehacker.com)
• Skyfire Becomes Top Grossing iPhone App in App Store and Sells Out of Inventory in Five Hours (prweb.com)
• Skyfire iPhone App Sells Out Thanks to 'Unbelievable Enthusiasm' (dailyfinance.com)
• iPhone Flash app pulled from Apple (money.cnn.com)

Features of a Rooted Hero

In my last post I gave pretty specific instructions on how to root your Sprint HTC Hero. I know it was a fair amount to read but I just wanted to make sure that everything was clear. If anything remains fuzzy please feel free to leave a comment and I promise to get back to you and help you the best that I can.

With all of that reading, I know there are still some skeptics out there or those of you who are just still a little hesitant about rooting. To help get those people over the hesitant hump I decided to make a video displaying what it's like once you root your Hero. I will warn you though, flashing new ROMs is ADDICTIVE! And I'm not the only one. Within 5 days of making the video below I had already flashed a new ROM haha. My advice is to find one that works for you, meaning minimal problems, and then stick with it. I only flashed a new one because the newer Cyanogen Mods have the power control widget built into the pulldown bar so that you have quick access to it.

What a rooted HTC Hero Can Do

Rooting: Transforming my HTC Hero into a SuperHero

When I first got my HTC Hero in May from the Sprint store, I was ecstatic. I finally got to move cut myself away from Big Red's (Verizon Wireless) expensive contract clutches and switch to the wonderfully yellow world of Sprint. I was previously stuck with the Samsung SCH-i760 widows mobile phone when I was with Verizon and just couldn't take it anymore. Needless to say, that is the day I become and Android fan. However there were some things that I knew weren't quite right with my Hero. Most notably:

(Image via Wikipedia)

1. Poor battery life
2. It took entirely too long to dial and answer a call (between 10 - 30 seconds just to get my phone to place a call after having the phone run for a few hours)
3. The inability to upgrade to the latest Android software version 2.2, Froyo

I just knew there had to be a better, more efficient way for my phone to run. Welcome to the world of rooting! Rooting, known in the iPhone world as jail breaking, provides you with the ability to"gain SU [super user] access to your phone. It allows you to flash custom ROMs, install custom themes, lock screens and more. It basically gives you complete and full control over your phone (Android Forums)." If you want the ability to:

• make your phone operate substantially faster
• install apps that you wouldn't normally be able to do, such as an app to capture what's on your phone
• tether so that your phone can operate as a wirelesss hotspot (granted that your provider doesn't say anything)

then you should seriously consider rooting your phone and installing a custom ROM. I did this to my phone for the first time last week and did it without any trouble. The only problem is that information on how to do the entire process is scattered, so I will place simple directions here on how I rooted my phone and installed a custom ROM made by CyanogenMod.

Determine Your Software Build Number: On Your phone go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information. Under build version:

• If your phone reads 1.29.651.1 (Android 1.5), 1.5.56.651.2 (Android 1.5) or 2.27.651.5 (Android 2.2), then please proceed to the Root Your Phone section.
• If you phone reads 2.27.651.6 then you need to revert to the ".5" version. Download this file and , if you haven't already, download the newest version of HTC Sync. Next, double lick on the ".5" version you just downloaded and HTC Sync should take you to the steps to install it. This process is exactly the same as you had to do when you upgraded your phone from 1.5 to 2.1. After that your phone should have the ".5" version. Double check that his has happened by looking Software Version as instructed in the beginning. 
•  ***************************************UPDATE 12-15-10************************************** 
• I've been getting a lot of feedback regarding what to do if your phone updates to Sprint's latest version, 2.32.651.2.  It is possible to do root from this version, however, I have read that sometimes the root goes away when restarting your phone.  A great amount of detail be found in this XDA forum.
• My recommendation is to downgrade back to the 2.27.651.5 version simple because a) I know it works lol and b) it seems to be the method that most people use.  I really haven't heard anyone having problems rooting from this version.  Plus, it's easier for me to help with problems using this method since I'm more familiar with it :-) 

Root Your Phone:

• Root your phone by following the directions in the link at XDA-Developers by regaw_leinad, starting at the place that reads "How to Root Sprint's Release for the CDMA Hero" in bold letters. It also instructs you on how to make a backup of your current system with HTC Sence. Screen shots are included in the post in order to make it easier to follow, but I also included a video below just in case you need a little extra help. Copy and paste everything into the command prompt so that you don't waste your time typing things.
• I highly recommended copying this backup to your computer as well. It's also very useful in case you need to take you phone into the Sprint store because you can just flash the recovery and it'll look like you never did anything to your phone ;-) (since doing all of this does indeed void your warranty).
  
  
  
  (Rooting Your Phone, XDA-Developers)

Flash A ROM

Flashing a ROM is just putting a customized version of the most current version of Android available for your phone. I use ROMS provided by CyanogenMod. The current version is based off of Android 2.2, Froyo, and I have to say that it is blazing fast. I will even be so bold to say that my SuperHero is now as fast as an HTC Evo. Yeah I said it! I bet you want to root and flash a custom ROM now huh? :-)

1. Download the stable ROM from here, provided by CyanogenMod. "Flash" the ROM by:

• Hooking up your phone to your computer via USB and drag the ROM onto your SD Card (not in a folder).
• Drag the Google Apps file to your phone as well or else you won't be able to login to your Google Account. Turn your phone off.
• Hold the "down" volume button and the power button at the same time until your phone turns back on.
• Choose "wipe" Make the selection by pressing the trackball down.
• Choose "wipe dalvik cache"
• Choose "wipe data/factor reset"
• Press the back button until you get back to the main recovery screen
• Choose "flash zip from SD card"
• Pick the ROM you put onto your SD card and press down on the trackball.
• After it's finished, do the same thing except choose the Google Apps.
• Press the back button until you get back to the main recovery screen
• Choose "reboot system now"

Below is a video showing what flashing looks like. Skip to the 3:00 minute mark.

How to Flash the ROM (via MrDroidHero)

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE NOW FLASHED A CUSTOM ROM AND SHOULD BE RUNNING ANDROID 2.2!


**************************************UPDATE: 12-31-10**********************************************

Seems like adb shell is now located in "\platform-tools" rather than "\tools" after sdk updates.  Shout out to JimmyJamx22 for the tip. 

Extra Information

1. The nice thing about 2.2 is that most of your apps are saved on your account, so if you have to flash your device again then most of your apps will also be installed automatically. However, the data associated with those apps will not be stored. To remedy this I recommend downloading Titanium Backup, which will backup your data as well as all of your apps so that you can restore the ones Google doesn't automatically restore. Don't worry about that though until after you've flashed a ROM.
2. Nightly builds based on stable ROM can be found here. They are experimental though so everything may not work properly, but most of the time they are safe to flash. Check out the forum to see what different results people have with the most current nightly version.

Sprint Apps

• Sprint TV & Sprint TV Widget
• Sprint Football Live
• Sprint Visual Voicemail

I couldn't get my voicemail set up correctly at first since somehow it became deactivated, but I found a solution posted by Chinkster at XDA developers:

• go into your voicemail app
• menu
• compose
• type in "activate@vvm.sprint.com"
• press record
• leave for 5 seconds
• press stop
• press send

I have confirmed that this solution does indeed work. To test it, just repeat the process except compose a voicemail to your own phone number. You should receive it within 30 seconds of sending it. You'll also receive a text message from a 9016 number. To remedy this you should log into your Sprint account and put the 9016 number on your block list.

ASTRO File Manager

In order to install these you will need to use ASTRO File Manager, which acts as an explorer (like on your computer) so that you can find the file. After locating the file, just click on it and ASTRO should install it for you.

To the right is the QR code for ASTRO File Manager. Go the Android Market Place and download the Barcode Scanner application in order to scan the QR code. This saves you from having to go to the marketplace and search for files. Instead, you can use the Barcode Scanner to scan the QR code right on the screen and it will take you to the marketplace automatically to download it.

That's it! You should be good to go! I know it looks like a lot but it really isn't hard. I promise! E-mail me with questions. Additionally, here is a guide that tells you everything that a ROM from Cyanogen does provided by Market4Android.

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Tranformers CRAZY XP Weekend!

Transformers War for Cybertron has to be the sleeper game of the year thus far for me. The game is a completely separate from either of the two movies that were released, which allowed the developers to create their own story and art style. Visually, this is one of the nicest looking games I've ever seen. You'll really feel like you're a part of the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons in a struggle to take over Cybertron. It's available for PS3 and Xbox 360. If you want to check out the game before purchasing it, there's a demo available. The demo features one level of online play and there are always people available to play with.

If you already have the game then you definitely need to be playing this weekend. You've probably heard of games such as the Halo and Modern Warfare 2 series having double XP weekends where you earn twice as many experience points. This weekend Transformers War for Cybertron is offering a ten XP weekend...YES, 10! I've never heard of such a thing but I'm glad it's being offered. This is a great opportunity to increase your levels for each of the 4 classes available. To give you an idea of just how much this affects the rate at which experience points are earned:

• If you're starting at 0 XP, you'll probably increase to level 3 by end of one match
• Once you're at the teens level, you'll probably increase a level each match or two

So stop reading this and get your Transformers on!

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Rename Created Folders on Android

It's easy to create folders on Android, but it's puzzling how to name them. I became tired of staring at the word Folder rather than seeing an actual folder name. I know I can't be the only one who was wondering how to rename folder...or can I? Here's how I made a folder for my games since it was taking forever to scroll through my app drawer just to find the game I wanted.

1. Hold down on your home screen until a window pops up
2. Choose: New Folder
3. Next to the folder put shortcuts of the applications you want to be in the folder
4. Drag the shortcuts into the folder
5. By this point, everything should look like this

6. Where it says Games (yours will say Folder), press and hold until a new window pops up

7. Rename your folder and that's it!

Angry Birds: THE Game to Play on Android

It's been a while, Angry Birds has finally come to Android. If you haven't heard of this game, just do yourself a favor and click this link to get the free beta version with 15 levels of pure angry fun. You use a slingshot to fling angry birds across the screen in hopes of hitting the evil pigs that are hiding beneath the structures that you must knock down. It sounds weird but trust me, you'll need to keep your charger handy because you'll be playing it so much. Peep the screen shots below.

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