Turn Your Android Phone into a Server With Servers Ultimate

You must have read countless articles that talk about possible uses for old computers. Aside from the most obvious ones (sell or donate), there are some interesting projects mostly revolving around servers – web server, file server, network attached storage device or a proxy to tunnel through from work. You can do the same with your old Android device that is gathering dust in the desk drawer.


While individual apps that let users run different server software on their Android devices has been available for long, Servers Ultimate is a one stop shop for all your server needs. This new free app can turn your Android phone into 10 different kinds of servers. These are DLNA, DNS, Dynamic DNS, Email (POP3 and SMTP), FTP(S), Proxy (tunneling), SMS Gateway, Time (NTP or TP), HTTP(S) and/or (secure) WebDAV.



With such a wide range of options you can do all kinds of stuff like stream music from and to your phone using DLNA, browse and transfer files between your device and your computer or another device through FTP or WebDAV. You can also setup your Android device as an email server to send and receive mails or set up an SMS gateway. There are other options like setting up a time server or a proxy tunnel or a plain old HTTP web server.

Setting up and running a server is easy, and the best of all – it doesn’t require root access. Simply install Servers Ultimate and add servers from the list. Name the server, enter a port number or let the device assign a random port to prevent conflict between your server and currently running apps. In most cases you will be asked to add a folder – the location that you want to be accessible through the server. After you have created and saved the server, you will find it listed in the main screen. From there, you can start and stop the servers with a single touch. You can even run multiple instances of the same server type at the same time, although the free edition limits this to only two.
The servers can be started and stopped depending on the connected Wi-Fi network, and can be started on boot or on when the app is started. You can even restrict connection to your device from only specific IP addresses.

To connect to the server from a network, you will need the IP address of the phone. This you can get from the “Info” option in Servers Ultimate. The screenshot below shows Firefox accessing the content of my phone through FTP.



Features summary per server type:

• DLNA media server: add multiple roots, support for Samsung devices (television)
• DNS server: caching, forward to dns server, use web dns server for requests, only access from certain IP’s, add rules to block or change requests
• Dynamic DNS updater: run dynamic updates to keep your server(s) available, select from predefined ddns services (set a custom URL, or choose from ChangeIP, DNSdynamic, DNSexit, DNSMadeEasy, DNS-O-Matic, DNSPark, DtDNS, DynDNS, easyDNS, eNom, HE.net, Joker, Namecheap, No-IP, ZoneEdit), set timer, username, password, hostname, SSL supported, update on connectivity change
• Email server: POP3 and SMTP server, set domains, set users
• FTP(S) server: allow access from certain IP’s, enable SSL/FTPS Implicit (custom or our certificate), allow anonymous login, per user set username, password, document root, force stay in document root, allow write access, allow custom FTP commands (CUSTOM SENDLOG, CUSTOM STOP, CUSTOM VIBRATE)
• Proxy server: only allow access from certain IP’s, enable HTTPS requests, supports GET and POST, set tunneling by forwarding everything (allows the proxy to work for other protocols beside HTTP as well, like FTP), add rules to block or change requests
• SMS Gateway: allow http access, allow access from certain IP’s, add rules for incoming SMS (body, from), forward to SMS, email or URL, and add users with maximum amount of allowed sms per month
• Time server: user the Network Time Protocol (NTP) or simple Time Protocol (TP)
• Web, HTTP(s) server: use simple htaccess (.shtaccess) file to set directory specific configurations (like password, directory listing, encryption, upload, Server Side Includes, and way more!), enable SSL/HTTPS (custom or our certificate)
• WebDAV server: enable SSL (custom or our certificate), only allow access from certain IP’s, allow web browsing, allow HTTP digest authentication, add multiple users

Run Android 3.0 Honeycomb on Computer

How to  Run Android 3.0 Honeycomb on Computer

Earlier we shared how you can run Android 2.2 Froyo on computer and now the specially designed Android OS for Tablets named Android 3.0 Honeycomb is here. In this post, you will learn how to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb on your computer screen. Motorola XOOM, LG Optimus Pad, Samsung Galaxy Tab2 etc. tablets which are scheduled to come in next few days are running on Honeycomb OS. As the Android 2.2 or 2.3 versions were designed for mobile devices where you get screen real estate of approximately 4 inches but in case of tablets that may go up to 10 inches. That’s why Google’s Android OS 2.2 / 2.3 where not suitable for tablets. But now Android 3.0 Honeycomb is here which is having exclusively designed UI and interface for tablet devices to utilize the available hardware performance and screen real estate.
Google has released the final SDK of Android 3.0 Honeycomb and now you can run this tablet specific OS on your Windows PC, Mac OS and Linux. Here is how you can run Honeycomb on computer.

Steps to Run Android 3.0 Honeycomb on PC

- Download the Android SDK (either ZIP or EXE) on Windows PC. You can choose to download for Mac or Linux as well. If you are already having the previous SDK installed on your computer and skip this step.
- Installation of packages – Whether you have just downloaded SDK or have the previous one, now you need to install the available packages which includes Android 3.0 API and other updates related to that and other versions. To do that, go into the “Tools” folder in the downloaded SDK Unzipped folder and click on “android” application. A window will open where you need to select the option “Installed Packages” from the left menu.

- Click on “Update All” button available at the bottom of the window. The new packages including Android 3.0 updates will start to download. It may take time (few hours depending on your Internet connection speed) to complete the download and installation.
- Once the new packages are installed, its time to create a new AVD. To do that, go to the “Virtual Devices” option from the left menu on same screen and click on “New” button.
- It will ask for the name of the AVD and Android version that will want on that. Select the Android version as “Android 3.0 API Level 11” and give SD Card size as 10,000 MB.
- Once the AVD is created, select that AVD name from the list available under “Virtual Devices” and click on “Start” button to start the Android 3.0 stimulator

Done. In next few minutes, you will have Android 3.0 Honeycomb running on your computer. You can explore the features, options and new UI on your computer without purchasing any Android 3.0 tablet. Of course tablet with Honeycomb will be a very different experience because of the touch screen and other UI changes done by companies but this vanilla installation of Honeycomb is also very good.
Here are few snaps that I took while running Android 3.0 Honeycomb on my Windows 7 computer.

Screenshots of Android 3.0 Honeycomb taken on Windows 7 PC

Very first screen after staring the AVD of Android 3.0

First screen of Android 3.0 Honeycomb – having Google Search box

Android 3.0 running – in background you can see Windows 7 desktop

Apps available on Android 3.0 SDK vanilla

Wireless and networks settings page on Honeycomb

About Phone – on Settings page where you can see Android Version as 3.0

Google running on Android 3.0 Honeycomb browser

Internet Techies on Android 3.0 browser

Android 3.0 Screen – Full utilization of tablet’s display real estate

Are you planning to install SDK of Android 3.0 Honeycomb on your computer? In case you are facing any problem, read the documentation available on Android developer section. Enjoy the Honeycomb OS on your Windows, Mac or Linux and come up with some development for this beautiful tablet OS by Google.

Tubemate: Download Youtube Videos on Android Phone

How to Download Youtube Videos on Android Phone

In this post, we are going to show you a quick tutorial on "How to Download Youtube Videos on your Android Phone". Now a days usage of the smartphones are being increased rapidly. People are spending a lot of time to stream the videos on their mobile devices. Usually every one want to view the videos on YouTube as it is a place where we can find thousands of videos over there.

If you are watching favorite videos on YouTube it usually takes a lot of battery to get video to be streamed so if it is your favorite video you can download and save it on your SD card, view the on your device when ever you want. Even i also do same thing on my android device to save battery life. To keep your battery backup for a long time I suggest you to download the video to your device and then watch it.

If your are user of Android device then there is a free apk app for you to download YouTube video on to your device directly at a click. TubeMate is an awesome video downloading app which downloads YouTube video it is very easy to handle.

 

Features:

* Fast downloads mode(with multiple connections)

* Save as mp3(ID3 tag supported)

* Background, multi-download

* Share video & Share TubeMate

* Playlist as video/audio(powered by Meridian Player)

480×270: general devices

1280×720(HD): high-end devices

1920×1080(Full-HD): GalaxyTab, PC

Quick Preview of the installation of TubeMate on android vices

Click on Below link to get the app.

Download TubeMate Now

Root your Android Smartphone with Simple Easy Rooting Process

How to Root your Android Smartphone with Simple Easy Rooting Process

Today, we are going to show you How to Root your Android Smartphone with simple easy rooting process. Before going to see this procedure you need to know little introduction of Android. Android is the latest buzzword that has caught by its storm. This Google proprietary OS has been based on Linux kernel and today we will be addressing the issues related to rooting.

A standard Android device come shipped with the custom user access and permission and the process of gaining the root access of the Android OS is called as rooting. There are a number of steps that must be followed very carefully so that you don’t destroy your device. Another misconception that is doing round these days is that the rooting involve the loading of custom ROM like CyanogenMod. The process of rooting doesn’t necessarily means that you have to wipe off your internal storage or something like that. It is much similar to jail breaking an iPhone were you are given the root access to the OS and you can perform variety of OS specific tasks. It give you special ability to perform special tasks like securing file system, installing custom ROMs and increase the performance of your mobile much more.

Demonstration of Rooting an Android

Before you start the process of rooting, ask this question to yourself that you really need to root your device or not???? . If the answer is yes, then you must proceed with the steps involved in rooting. Else you should keep the phone as it is. Also keep this thing in mind that there are specific methods for rooting for different mobile devices. This might void the warranty of your device if you don’t follow the steps and protocols. And if the rooting process is stopped at the middle due to any error, it may lead to damage all your entire software in your phone. So that you need to open the device by using factory recovery mode but you may loose all your contacts, apps and important data which in stored in internal storage media.

Rooting your device will void its warranty. In addition, performing the rooting procedure incorrectly may have unexpected consequences. Please follow this guide at your own risk. We will not be responsible if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Next step involves backing up of all the important data that you might need in the future. Also upgrade your phone to the latest version of the Android. To do this go to Setting-> About Phone-> System Updates-> Check Now. Also make sure that you have at least 25MB of the storage space free before doing this. Else this process won’t take place.

Now let’s start with this Rooting process on your Android Device and Follow the simple steps and we will guide you to finish your task.

1. Download the version of SuperOneClick from their website. Save it on your desktop. Don’t start its installation yet. Download it here 

2. Now connect your device to your computer via the USB connection and turn the USB debugging mode on. Also un-mount SD card.

3. Now install the SuperOneClick software. If you own a Samsung device, then select the Samsung Captivate tab, else you should choose Universal tab. HTC phones can be rooted by using Unrevoked tool only.

4. Last but not the least, click on the Root button and wait for some time because the rooting is a lengthy process. Scroll through activity log and you should see OK after each activity. Ignore any warnings that might come.

5. After the rooting is finished, reboot your device and that’s it! You are now the super user of your android phone.

How to Install Android 4.0.4 ICS Update on Samsung Galaxy ACE S5830 CyanogenMod 9 Firmware

Today i will guide you how to Install Android 4.0.4 ICS Update on Samsung Galaxy ACE S5830 with CyanogenMod 9 Firmware Rom. We have good news for Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 users, now you can install Android 4.0 Ice Scream Sandwich ICS OS on Galaxy Ace with the help of flashing the software. Already Samsung stated that there is no ICS update for Galaxy Ace due to low hardware specifications. So Its very excitement that Cyanogen Mod 9 will give you maximum potential that you can enjoy a lot and able to see hidden settings in your phone. You can do that all steps with given steps, its so easy. if you have any error or confuses then you comment below and we will solve your problems. Below you can see the phone status from which firmware and kernel it was running and how much ram will be going to be use in this ROM.

 

Its previews version have some bugs and errors so that all bugs and errors are solved in this version. (i.e Camera was not working in old ROM) and one more think is important that is this ROM can be installed only on rooted devices.

Before the Update your Device, first note that your device your device should be already rooted. then you will also need to wipe data so that your new unofficial CyanogenMod Mode 9 based ICS Beta 8 firmware install easily. Now you can upgrade your device to ICS if you need any help then just use our comments area. we will always help you. 

Features of CyanogenMod 9 ROM

With this ROM you can enjoy new futures like boot, GSM (phone/messages/GPRS/EDGE/3G), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HW Acceleration (full), Sound, Headphones, GPS. All sensors like (proximity, rotation etc), Cyanogen Mod settings (not all, it’s not fully merged by CyanogenMod team, not my fault), Market (now you can download all apps available for Gio with GB), Fixed animations (now it looks so good), Facebook sync, Buttons backlight, GMail fully works, Browser fully works, ICS keyboard Games.

Update Galaxy ACE S5830 to CyanogenMod 9

Step 1. Download the zip file for the ICS CM9 from here. Click Download. The file name should be the Samsung-Galaxy-Ace-ICS-CM9-Beta-8.zip file which was 125mb file size. Click Download and save it on your PC.

Step 2. Now connect the smartphone to your computer and then move the above firmware zip on the phone’s SDcard. Now disconnect the device from the PC and then proceed and power off the phone.

Step 3 Enter into recovery mode by pressing and holding the menu center button and power button together. In case it boots into normal mode, then you should repeat the action. Remember that this should be done when the phone is OFF.

Step 4 When Clockmod Recovery shows it main screen you need to select the option that says ‘install zip from sdcard’ and then ‘choose zip from sdcard’. Select the zip file you’ve moved at step 2 and then confirm the installation of the new firmware files.

Step 5 When the update is complete you need to get back to the main recovery menu and select ‘reboot system now’. Please note that your phone will perform its first boot with the new custom ROM. Also, this might take a while before loading all the apps and the Android ICS home screen.

However, in case the first boot take too long to load it means that something went wrong and you will need to repeat all the above steps.

That’s it, you have installed CyanogenMod 9 with Android 4.0.3 ICS on your Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830. If you have any problems on this rom comment here we will find solution for your problem.

Organize Android Apps on your PC By APK File Manager

Organize Android Apps on your PC By APK File Manager

I use Titanium Backup to keep a backup of all apps installed on my Android phone, so if I my phone gets factory reset or I have reinstall something I can do so from the backup without downloading them again from the PlayStore. But the phone isn’t a reliable place to keep backups and important data. Memory cards are cheap and can get corrupted easily. So I keep a backup of the backup copies of apps on my computer hard drive. These backups have been accumulating for quite sometime and with each new backup they become more and more of a mess. I have multiple copies (but different version) of the same app. I even have the APK files of apps I no longer have on my phone. Many of the APKs, I can’t recognize because the filenames doesn’t reflect the name of the app. If you are like me and have lots of APK files on your computer, here’s what you need - APK File Manager.


APK File Manager is a free utility that allows you to manage and organize APK files on your computer. Just tell the program where on your hard drive you have stored your APK files. The program will scan the entire directory and sub-directories and then present a list of all APK files found.


You can see the name of the app, version number, file size as well as filename and file path. You can also see the apps’ rating on PlayStore, price, category and so on. You can sort the list by ascending or descending order by name, size, price etc by clicking on the header of the appropriate columns. This way you can easily discover which app occupies the largest file size or which is the best rating you have or which one cost you the most. You can then get rid of the apps you no longer need.
The best thing about APK File Manager is that it can fetch plenty of information from the PlayStore including the app description, rating, number of installs, number of votes, price, version number, revision number and even screenshots. Once the information is downloaded they are stored locally on the computer so you can view them later offline.


APK File Manager also includes a file reaming utility that lets you batch rename APK files by choosing a naming pattern that consist of the app name, file version, category and others. APK File Manager is a pretty useful. I wish something like this was available that could run on Android as well.

Sony Walkman is Back and it Runs on Android

Sony is not only keeping the once revolutionary Walkman brand alive, but this summer it intends to infuse a new life to this once popular product. The Japanese electronics manufacturer has just announced a slew of new music players to compete with the likes of iPod, that carries the Walkman brand. But unlike the Walkmans of yesteryears that could play no more than 90 minutes of music the new Walkman will play 32 GB worth of music and they will be powered by Android 4.0.

The top model – F800 - comes loaded with Android Ice Cream Sandwich running on a Tegra 2 (dual-core) processor, and is fully compatible with the Google Play store, which means access to all apps and even games. The screen measures 3.5 inch across which is comfortable enough for playing music, browsing, watching movies and playing games. For connectivity, it supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The F800 will be available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models, which is unfortunately on the lower end of the spectrum. The space constraint will be most intensely felt by those who like their music in the FLAC format. Other features include Clear Audio technologies and the integrated S-Master digital amplifier. The F800 model also comes with built in xLOUD speaker system that “cuts distortion and unpleasant clipping for clearer listening.”

The players will debut the US stores in August 2012. The 16GB model is priced at $270 and the 32GB at $300. More details at Sony’s website.

[via Cnet]

XBMC for Android Announced. Unofficial APK Available for Download

One of the best media center application for Windows is now available on Android, the XBMC team broke the news last weekend. This is phenomenal development for those who use their Android devices primarily for media consumption because a full-fledged media center will allow them to enjoy their movies and music in a way that wasn’t possible on Android before. “And as Android-based set-top-boxes are becoming more and more ubiquitous, it couldn’t be a better time”, the announcement read.

XBMC for Android is not a remote or a thin client, it’s the real deal, and no rooted phone is required to run it. The feature-set on Android “is the same that you have come to expect from XBMC, no different from its cousin on the desktop”. This includes the dozens of add-ons that are available for the application.

However, XBMC for Android is designed for use on large screen devices such as a TV or a tablet, so use on a small phone can be clunky. There isn’t even a proper UI for small-screen devices.

While the release is “not quite ready for prime-time”, an unofficial APK is already available in the wild built from the source code which is available at github. Checkout the screenshots and the video demo below. For those not familiar with the application read the complete review of XBMC for Windows.

[via XDA-developer’s forum]

Rovio Releases New Game “Amazing Alex” for Android and iOS

Rovio’s phenomenal success, the Angry Birds, now has a new brother - Amazing Alex. Released today on the Android and iOS platform, Amazing Alex is a physics based puzzle game that includes 100 levels, but unlike its sibling this time you have to cough up $0.99 cents to own it. However, a trial game with 16 levels is available for Android.

Amazing Alex employs a gameplay different from Angry Birds: instead of punishing pigs, you have to create Rube Goldberg-style machines by adding different parts like shelves, boxes or scissors starting with simple contraptions in the early levels to more complicated additions later on. While Angry Birds was a trial-and-error game throughout all the different versions, Amazing Alex requires creativity and planning to solve each level.

Amazing Alex was not developed by Rovio from scratch. It used to be called Casey's Contraptions when Rovio bought it from the game developers Mystery Coconut last year. They touched up the graphics and introduced some Angry Birds-inspired structure.

An exciting aspect of Amazing Alex is that users will be able create their own "challenges" and share them with others.

Amazing Alex is available now for 99 cents for the iPhone and $2.99 for the iPad. On Android based devices it is available for 99 cents or $2.99 for the HD version. Rovio says that the game will be available to Windows Phone, Mac, and PC soon.

[via TheNextWeb and Softonic]

How to Reverse Tether: Use PC’s Internet Connection on your Android Phone

Tethering is the ability to share your mobile phone’s Internet connection with other devices such as laptops via the USB cable. When tethering is done over Wi-Fi, it’s called a wireless hotspot, a term I’m sure you are all familiar with. Since a typical household has more than one Internet capable device, sharing of Internet connectivity is a great way to reduce cost incurred by the ownership of multiple Internet connection. But as it happens, mobile data plans are usually expensive compared to broadband/ADSL plans. So you stand a better chance at saving if the sharing is made the other way round – that is, from the PC to the mobile device. If you have a wireless router at home and your mobile device supports Wi-Fi connectivity you are already set. But if any one of these key components is missing you will be unable to share your PC’s internet connection with your mobile. This is where reverse tethering comes in.

Reverse tethering allows a mobile device to use the Internet connection of the computer it is tethered to via USB. Reverse tethering is useful if the mobile device's own Internet connection is slow due to low signal reception or if the data package is capped and expensive.

Preparation

To reverse tether, you will need a rooted Android phone with SuperUser installed. You will also need a desktop or laptop computer running Windows and a working Internet connection on it.

If this is the first time you are connecting the phone to the computer through USB, you will need to install the USB drivers. Generally, USB drivers are supplied by the device manufacturer together when you buy your phone. If you don’t have the USB drivers, search and download the proper drivers for your phone model.

Instructions

On your Android phone/device enable USB debugging by going to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.

Connect your phone to your PC using a USB cable.

Download the Reverse Tethering tools (download link 3.34 MB) and extract the contents of the ZIP file to a folder on your computer.

Inside the folder you will find AndroidTool.exe. Run the file and click on the Refresh Devices button. Your Android device should show up as a string of numbers. If there is only one Android device connected you would know. If there are more than one Android devices connected, please disconnect the rest of the devices except the one you want to reverse tether.

Click on the Connect button. This will install the latest android package and the dependencies (busybox and redsocks) on the connected Android phone.

At this point, the SuperUser process may ask you to allow “USB tunnel”. Please do so. If it doesn’t or the Reverse Tethering application fails to connect to the device, open the USB Tunnel app that should be installed on your phone. This should trigger the SuperUser process asking for Superuser rights.

If the android process crashes after receiving Superuser rights, close the windows program and start again.

Assuming everything went right, you should be connected to the PC’s broadband connection.

What works:

• Browsing, HTTP downloading, SSL connection and email. Google Chrome might refuse to work.

What doesn’t work:

• Downloading and installing apps from Google Play/Market doesn’t work, although you can browse the store.
• ICMP packet (PING) doesn’t work
• Skype doesn’t work

[via XDA Developers]

Offline Google Maps Now Available For Android

A new updated Google Maps app for Android has just been released on Google Play that brings support for downloading and saving of maps for online use. Previously, it was not possible to use Google Maps without an Internet connection. Those who wanted their maps to be available offline had to download them using a computer and transfer the downloaded maps to their Android device. These maps can then be opened in alternative mapping apps like MapDroid and RMaps.

With the new Google Maps app, this isn’t necessary. Simply open the app and find the area that you wish to download. Then click the Menu/Options button on your phone and from the menu select “Make available offline”.

 

A rectangular square will appear over the map marking the area that will be downloaded. Below the map, you’ll see an estimate of the size of the download so you know how much space it will take on your device. Resize the map so that everything you want fits within the square and click the “Done” button.

Once the download is completed, you can access your offline maps from under the “My Places” section in Google Maps. If you have GPS enabled on the device, the blue dot will still work without a data connection so you know where you are, and if your device has a compass you can orient yourself without 3G or WiFi connectivity.

The app supports more than 150 countries for offline line and you can save up to six large metro areas (e.g., Greater London, Paris, or New York City and surrounding area).

[via Google Lat Long Blog]

Receive SMS Notification When Playing Full Screen Games[Android]

Don’t you hate when you hear the SMS notification tone right in the middle of an engrossing gaming session? Quitting the game to check the message is disruptive, yet you can’t ignore the allure of a new message. Who is it from? What does it say? SMS Flash will answer all your queries while saving you from the trouble of returning back to the home screen.

This free app for Android displays incoming SMS as soon as they are received in a transparent pop-up bubble. The message display is non interactive, meaning that you can touch through the displayed message and continue interacting with the screen underneath. The message display automatically goes away after a few seconds. It can also be closed by momentarily touching or blocking the proximity sensor on your device. Just a simple tap on the sensor and the message disappears. If you need to extend the display time if you haven’t finished reading the message, just touch the proximity sensor and hold.

And it doesn’t stop there. You can even reply to the SMS from within whatever full screen app you are using. Double tap the proximity sensor to bring up the reply box.

SMS Flash provides plenty of options to configure the behavior and appearance of the notifications. The message box’s transparency, background color, font color, font transparency, display duration, position, etc can be adjusted. Several built in themes with different color combinations are also available. A blacklist and a whitelist ensures you aren’t interrupted by the wrong contacts.

SMS Flash is very handy not only during games but during any full screen activity such as watching movie, recording video, taking pictures, browsing etc.

Linux on Android

Linux on Android is an ongoing project that attempts to port the Linux operating system to Android. It consist of an installer that installs a complete Linux distribution on an Android device without removing Android from the device. Once you have the distro up and running you can pretty much run and install any Linux software you like, provided there is an ARM port or the application is not architecturally dependent.

Linux on Android is based on chroot, an operation that changes the apparent root directory for the current running process and its children allowing the user to create and host a separate virtualized copy of the software system. The scripts start by mounting the image file of the distribution within the Android file system and then mounts the SD card and the contents of the internal memory within the Linux file system. Chroot is then used to change the root directory to that of the mounted distribution and a bash shell is then opened to allow you to control the OS. The likes of VNC and SSHD are then set up when the OS is booted to allow you to connect to the GUI if you require it.

The project currently has installer for Debian, Ubuntu and Backtrack. You can expect to see some more Linux distribution, probably some light weight ones, in future. There is a free app for each Linux distro and a paid app for Ubuntu and Backtrack (each costing £0.99) and a 'Complete' paid app (£2) which features all supported distros and will always include any future distros. The free apps include everything you need but the paid apps include a 'one click boot' feature and faster downloads.

To run Linux on Android you need a decent phone with at least a 1GHz processor, plenty of RAM and 300MB of free space. Devices on which Linux on Android is reported to be working is listed on this page. If you can’t find your device there it doesn’t mean your phone is not supported, just that nobody has reported it yet.

 

Download links.

• Ubuntu Installer Free
• Debian Installer Free
• Backtrack Installer Free
• Ubuntu Installer Paid
• Backtrack Installer Paid
• Complete Linux Installer

Related: Ubuntu for Android Turns Your Phone Into a Desktop Computer

Opera Mobile for Android Now Supports Extension

Opera Labs today released a new Opera Mobile build that supports extensions. The new Opera Mobile Labs is available only for Android, for now. In addition, they’ve released extension-enabled Opera Mobile Emulator Labs builds, so that developers can test their extensions in a desktop-based Opera Mobile instance. Opera hasn’t said whether extensions will be available for Opera Mobile on other platforms such as iOS. Opera Mobile, as you may be aware, is the only browser to run on virtually any mobile phones available including the feature-less Java phones.

In the announcement, Opera said that when extensions were added to the Presto engine back in 2010, “a lot of time was spent behind the scenes so as to make our extensions framework very versatile and lightweight”. Although initially extension was targeted for desktop only, every aspect of the extensions API was drafted with mobile in mind. However, they quickly added that “it's not quite certain at this point that extensions functionality will effectively make it into a future release of Opera Mobile”. Even if extensions doesn’t make it to the final build, the Labs build supporting extensions is likely to be around. So it’s not as bad as it sounds.

 

Once you've downloaded a build, head over to the Opera Extensions site where you'll find plenty of extensions to play with. If you already use Opera desktop, why not try out your favorite Opera extensions on your mobile browser?

When doing so, please keep in mind that Speed Dial extensions are not supported. Extensions relying on keyboard shortcuts and/or mouse events might also not work as expected.

Another limitation is that in Opera Mobile, popup windows are currently launched as a new tab, which limits their functionality.

Some of the extensions like Ghostery, Layers, Google Images Direct, HTTP Header, LastPass are found to work quite well. Many users will be delighted to see LastPass in the list.

You can find all installed extensions by clicking the green Extensions icon in the Opera Menu, from where you can disable or uninstall them, and tweak various settings. Furthermore, the Install extension menu option allows you to sideload extensions from the local file system as well.

F-Droid: Android Market of Free and Open Source Apps

Even though Android is a free operating system, the one that came installed on your phone is not entirely free. Many phones ship with proprietary components, drivers and add-ons that are closed source. Some phones also have a locked boot loader which prevents you from booting and installing other operating systems, or removing components from the operating system. The Google Android Market (now Google Play), which is the main source of applications for most users, consist of mostly closed source and proprietary software. It doesn't even tell you whether an app is free software or not, let alone its license. Besides that, it requires you to sign up for a Google account in order to use the app market.

F-Droid is a repository of free and open source applications for the Android platform that frees yourself of all restrictions. There is an Android client application that makes it easy to browse applications on F-Droid, install them onto your device, and keep track of updates. You can also browse the repository with a web browser, and download the applications directly from there if you can’t or don’t want to run the F-Droid client on your device. Although you can’t initiate a remote install like in Google Android Market you can at least download any .apk for transfer to your device.

The F-Droid repository contains details of multiple versions of each application. Multiple versions are useful, for example, for installing an older version or for installing a newer beta or nightly version. The best part is that you also have the option to download the source code and modify the apps to your liking. You can also easily create and add own repositories.

Another benefit of using F-Droid is that updates are automatic. The client can be configured to re-scan the repository at pre defined intervals to pick up updates and ensure that your version of the software is the most recent at all times. You can also receive status bar notifications when there are updates available for any of your installed applications.

The biggest benefit of using F-Droid is that it doesn’t track you, or your device or what you install. You don’t need an account to use the client, and it sends no additional identifying data when talking to their web server. In fact, F-Droid prevents you from installing applications from the repository that track you, unless you first enable ‘Tracking’ in the AntiFeatures section of preferences.

If that is not enough, applications on the repository are compiled from source, and that source code is checked for potential security or privacy issues.

The F-Droid client is easy to use. Open the application, press the menu key, and choose update. The lists should then be populated with the FOSS apps already in the repository. Stuff you already have will be automatically detected, and put in the ‘Installed’ tab, and the rest will go in the ‘Available’ tab.

Selecting any item from the list takes you to the details of that application. From there, hitting the menu key will give you the option to install, uninstall or update. You can also view (in the browser) the application’s web site, issue tracker and source code, and you can also choose to view the application in the Android Market.

[via TheRedFerret]

Ubuntu for Android Turns Your Phone Into a Desktop Computer

Canonical today announced Ubuntu for Android, a unique version of Ubuntu that is designed to seamlessly integrate Android with the Linux distribution. This is not an Ubuntu app running atop Android, nor it is an Ubuntu device running an Android emulator. Rather, Ubuntu for Android is a full Ubuntu desktop running side-by-side with Android on the same phone.

Designed to coexist with Android on multicore smartphones, the new version of Ubuntu will launch to a full Ubuntu desktop when the phone is docked with a keyboard and monitor. The rest of the time, the phone runs Android as usual. The installation basically gives you two devices in one: an Android phone while on the go, and a Ubuntu desktop when plugged in. Thanks to tight integration with the Android service layer, the transition between the two environments is seamless, making it easy to access the phone's services from the desktop when docked.

Ubuntu for Android will offer a full range of desktop applications including office, web browsing, email, media and messaging. Both Ubuntu and Android access the same mobile address book. So even when the phone is docked, you can view, edit, call, text or email a contact. Personal information like contacts, calendars, photo galleries and music can be accessed from both the phone and the desktop interface. SMS texts arrive on your desktop if you are docked when they show up, and calls are handled like VoIP if you want to stay working while you chat. A pop-up window appears when you receive a call, and you can simply mouse over and click to answer.

Ubuntu for Android will give mobile users a compelling reason to upgrade to multi-core handsets with more RAM, more storage, faster GPUs and CPUs. It’s not just a phone they are buying, it’s a desktop too. While mid-range phones can deliver a perfect Android experience, it takes high-end horsepower to drive a phone and a desktop at the same time.

The hardware requirements are, expectedly, a bit steep – dual-core 1GHz CPU, 2GB of storage for OS disk image, and 512 MB of RAM. Your phone will also need the docking capability and hardware support for HDMI and USB. But that’s standard for high-end models in the current generation of devices.

There is no installable version yet. Canonical says that Ubuntu for Android will be loaded onto phones by manufacturers, and but these devices aren’t yet available, but can be expected to land in late 2012.

[via Wired]

Comodo Mobile Security For Android is More Than an Anti-Virus

Security software publisher Comodo recently released their first anti-virus application for Android, Comodo Mobile Security, that provides real-time protection from viruses, unsafe applications, spam messages and more. Comodo Mobile Security offers more than malware protection - in addition to core antivirus protection, Comodo Mobile Security includes SMS and Call Blocking, Software and Process Manager, and Private Space with Apps locking.

Comodo Mobile Security features an ‘always on’ anti-virus module and an on-demand scanner that help keep your device clear of viruses and unsafe apps. One touch scans and scheduled scans are provided as well as a system “Health Check” feature that quickly identifies viruses, unsafe apps and potentially risky settings. A simple task scheduler lets you automate the process of running antivirus scans as well as toggling flight mode setting.

The Process Manager gives the user control over running processes. You can see how many are running, how much memory each uses and can quickly close down the ones you don’t want. Likewise, the Software Manager lets you view installed apps and uninstalled selected apps with one touch.

If you are using a dedicated SMS and call filtering app, you can uninstall it as Comodo Mobile Security comes with one. You can filter calls and messages by configuring black and white contact lists. Alternatively, block text messages that contain certain keywords.

The Private Space is where you store contacts, phone numbers and text messages that you don’t want others to see or access. The Private Space is password locked and only you will be able to view those communications. In addition to contacts and messages, App Protector enables you to lock your apps from being accessed by unauthorized users.

Comodo Mobile Security is an all-round good product, and light on system resources.

Download: Market link.