samsung galaxy s4

Sunday, 16 June 2013

Verizon GALAXY S 4 goes ‘Google Edition’ with latest CyanogenMod ROM

If you’re the proud owner of a shiny new Samsung GALAXY S 4 from Verizon Wireless, we have some good news. Why wait for Samsung’s Google Edition, which won’t support Verizon CMDA, when you can get stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and a whole lot more right now? Today the extremely popular developers CyanogenModhave confirmed their latest nightly builds will support the handset.

If you’ve already rooted that new GALAXY S 4 and unlocked the bootloader, all you’ll need to do is wait until tonight when the CyanogenMod team pushes out another round of nightly builds for all their supported devices. As the Verizon GALAXY S 4 (as well as the other two CDMA carriers) have been officially added. For Verizon’s model you’ll be looking for “jfltevzw” on their download page.

We’re guessing you all know plenty about CyanogenMod at this point, but if not lets just say this custom ROM brings completely stock Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean as Google intended. Then adds tons of optional customization, tweaks, additional features, and more to make it the best Android around. At least that’s what their millions of users think. If you haven’t rooted yet, we confirmed the simple one-click root method last week, so that’s a good start.

The CyanogenMod ROM crew initially said they wouldn’t be supporting the GALAXY S 4, but since all of them have been hacked and bootloader unlocked, not to mention millions of sales, they will be giving them the CM treatment. Head to the source link below and you’ll be able to get a heavily tweaked and improved vanilla flavor of Android for your GALAXY S 4 well before the “Google Edition” hits the Play Store later this month.

Wicked ROM for Galaxy S4! [T-Mobile/AT&T/Canadian/GT-i9505][DEBLOATED]

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If you are looking for a good TouchWiz Android 4.2.2 ROM with absence of Samsung bloatware and faster performance/longer battery life, definitely check out Wicked ROM for T-Mobile Galaxy S4 SGH-M919.

You can also install this ROM on GT-i9505, AT&T Galaxy S4 SGH-i337, or Canadian Galaxy S4 SGH-i337M.

Some notable features on the Wicked ROM feature transparent multi-window flashbar (with all app support if you flash the all apps zip), custom boot animations, battery/network/performance/MMS tweaks, transparent weather widget, ad blocking, wifi-calling and some more.

Based on M919UVUAMDL, Wicked ROM will surely give you that completely de-bloated/de-Samsungnized feel some of you might want. Also, if you need to bloatware, you can always re-install them using the zip files.

If de-bloated performance is what you are looking for, definitely give the Wicked ROM a try this week(end) and do let me know what you think!

Download:

Download Wicked ROM for T-Mobile Galaxy S4 SGH-M919

Download Multi-Window for all Apps

You can install these back if you need ‘em:

Download Samsung Bloatware Level 1 (om2usPoker_ASGC.apk, GroupPlay_20.apk, Match3VS.apk, Peel.apk, S-Voice_Android_phone_J.apk, SamsungOCR2.apk, SamsungWatchON.apk, SensorService.apk, SHealth2.apk, SMemo2.apk, S_Translator_CSLi.apk, VoiceRecorder.apk)

Download Samsung Bloatware Level 2 (CHS_J_Device_only.apk, Episodes.apk, SamsungApps_J_Only.apk, SamsungBooks.apk, SamsungGames.apk, SamsungHub.apk, SamsungHubUpdater.apk, SamsungMusic.apk, SamsungWidget_ProgramMonitor.apk, SmartBriefing4x2.apk, StoryAlbumWidget.apk)

Download T-Mobile Bloatware (AccessTmobile_TMO.apk, BonusApp_TMO.apk, com.mobitv.client.tmobiletvhd.apk, ECID-release_TMO.apk, gba-service-TMO-Signed.apk, Vvm_TMO.apk,

Download Samsung Bloatware Mobile Print (MobilePrint2.apk, MobilePrintSvc_CUPS.apk, MobilePrintSvc_CUPS_Backend.apk, MobilePrintSvc_Epson.apk, MobilePrintSvc_HP.apk, MobilePrintSvc_Samsung.apk)

For installation, see our custom ROM installation guide.

For GT-i9505/SGH-i337M, you can simply install the T-Mobile version.

For AT&T SGH-i337, please use our install guide here.

Credits – XDA <--- Please donate to the developer of this ROM or hit “Thanks” on XDA if you like it, thx!

Samsung Galaxy S4 Stock ROM Update Increases Available User Memory

The flagship Samsung GALAXY S4 has got a new update to its stock ROM (Android 4.2.2), that adds back functionality of moving apps to SD card to increase available memory. Users would notice enhancements such as HDR video recording feature being added to the camera app, and the addition of a status bar that is near-transparent. There would be new icons in the Settings category as well, along with enhanced display clarity.

An overview of the changes in the new ROM would read thus:

User available memory bumped up from 8.82 GB to 9.23 GB
"Smart Pause" option added to Toggles in Notification Bar
HDR video recording feature now added to camera app
Status bar can now be semi-transparent, if you prefer
New icons in "Settings", at higher resolution

Among the enhancements that Samsung has provided in this update, the increase in user memory has received prime significance in the midst of the clamour about space shortage. This action may not be a good thing and is unfortunate in a way. The ~500MB freed up by this update is not a significant amount for user data on a 16GB phone, and would have been more useful remaining part of the (hidden) system partition, where apps get installed. All the fuss amplified by the media, now means straight-forward lay users get less system space and will be forced to have fewer apps and games. Lay users will need to begin fiddling with methods like moving apps to microSD card (a feature Samsung has now opened up) and scrutinize their app settings to see if app data can be stored on the SD card instead. Welcome a whole lot of people to the land of frustration and experiments-gone-wrong. Must be heart-warming to those who kicked up a fuss over a measly 500 MB, hopefully they are happy now.

The update would initially begin rolling out for the quad-core Snapdragon Galaxy S4 (model GT-I9505), and then be extended to the octo-core Exynos variant (model GT-I9500) as well. Available in Germany at the time of writing, the update (in the form of a 366MB sized file) is expected to shortly become available in the rest of the world. Users can download the update Over-The-Air (OTA) to their phone or with the help of Samsung Kies, apart from manual update.

How to hook up your Samsung Galaxy S4 to an HDTV

The Galaxy S4 is Samsung's largest Galaxy S smartphone yet, with a whopping 5in 1080p HD display. It's great for playing games, watching video, and browsing the web. However, sometimes a 5in screen size doesn't cut it, especially when you've got a 60in HDTV sitting right in front of you. Luckily, there are two good ways to connect the Galaxy S4 to your TV, and we've outlined each of them for you right here.

MHL adapter

The most fool-proof way to hook an S4 handset up to most HDTVs is with an MHL adapter, which allows you to mirror everything you see on your phone's screen on your television set. You can bag an official adapter from Samsung online for around the £30 mark, or you can shop around for a no-name part that's a heck of a lot cheaper.

The advantages to using MHL are crisp stereo sound and an uninterrupted video connection. The downside is that most cables are short, and you'll probably need to get up every time you want to change what's playing.

To set it up, you'll need the MHL-to-HDMI adapter, as well as an HDMI cable (obviously enough). Remember, the longer the cable, the longer the reach you'll have from your phone to your television. The MHL adapter plugs into your phone's microUSB port, and you need to connect your phone's wall charger to the port on the side of the MHL adapter.

Then plug the charger into the wall, connect your HDMI cable to the adapter, and plug the other end into a free port on your television. To get the best audio quality, pull up the Settings menu on your phone, then navigate to My Device, Accessory, hit Audio Output, and select Surround.

Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and AllShare Cast Wireless Hub

You may have noticed an option for Screen mirroring if you've already spent some time exploring the Settings menus on your Galaxy S4. There are a couple of ways to do this.

The biggest advantage to wireless mirroring is the freedom to move around with your phone while still sharing your content on the big screen. This is especially helpful if you're gaming, or even if you're just browsing through a bunch of YouTube videos with some friends. The downside is that video and audio can sometimes cut out, and audio has a tendency to lag. It's also a lot more expensive to set up if you don't already have a compatible device.

The first, easiest way to use wireless mirroring with your Galaxy S4 is if you have a compatible 2013 smart TV from Samsung. You can also use a Samsung Blu-ray player with AllShare Cast such as the BD-F7500.

You may not have either of these, but the good news is that you can buy Samsung’s AllShare Cast Wireless Hub which allows you to turn any HDTV into an additional display for your phone (you should be able to grab it online for a reasonable price – Handtec has it at £48 as of the publication of this article). Note that this also works with phones like the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2, as well as tablets like the Galaxy Note 10.1.

To connect wirelessly, go to your phone's Settings, then tap on Connections, then Screen mirroring. Turn mirroring on, and your compatible HDTV, Blu-ray player, or AllShare Hub should appear in the device list. Choose your device and mirroring will begin automatically.

Samsung defends lack of free storage space on Galaxy S4

Got a problem with the Samsung Galaxy S4? If you're one of the many complaining that your 16GB version of Samsung's flagship smartphone isn't quite as empty as you were hoping, Samsung has a suggestion for you: Deal with it.

We paraphrase, of course.

The issue at hand surrounds the sheer footprint that the Android operating system and other assorted software takes up on Samsung's mobile device. On the 16GB iteration of Samsung's flagship phone, just under 7GB are already spoken for by the time a new purchaser fires up the device for the first time. According to CNET's Luke Westaway, that leaves a mere 8.49GB of room for apps, media, and the lot – nearly half the total storage space of the 16GB S4.

Samsung's response?

"For the Galaxy S4 16GB model, approximately 6.85GB occupies [the] system part of internal memory, which is 1GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide [a] high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers," said the company in a statement sent over to CNET.

The problem? You can't move apps to the device's Micro SD card with the devices' stock firmwares - a manufacturer decision that's plagued devices like Samsung's Galaxy S3 and S4 phones, the Galaxy Note 2, and the Galaxy Tab 2, to name a few. While that doesn't much matter for those looking to fill their MicroSD cards with videos, pictures, and music, it does mean that downloading one decently sized Android game or two – if they eat up one or more gigabytes of space, like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's 1.4GB installation — will leave a user hurting for free space after a fairly short time.

Rooting one's phone is a way to get around the manufacturer-set limitations on app transfers to the MicroSD card, but doing so voids the warranty of one's device and potentially puts a less-than-knowledgeable user in the unfortunate position of bricking his or her device in order to unlock administrator-like access.

We've previously reported on other devices – like Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet – that fill up a decent chunk of the device's total storage capacity with essential software. In the case of the tablet, the Surface Pro comes with roughly 32GB or so of free space on the 64GB version of the tablet, whereas the 128GB version of the tablet gives users around 96GB to play with.

In other words, buyer beware for those who pick up the devices with the smallest-possible storage; you might be a little surprised at how little you actually have to work with versus what you expected!

Samsung Galaxy S4 hits 10 million sales milestone

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S4 is its fastest-selling smartphone.

Since its launch on 26 April, the South Korean electronics giant has shifted over 10 million units of its flagship device; a feat that has surpassed the sales performance of the S3.

"On behalf of Samsung, I would like to thank the millions of customers around the world who have chosen the Samsung Galaxy S4," said J K Shin, CEO of IT and mobile communications at Samsung. "At Samsung we'll continue to pursue innovation inspired by and for people."

The S3 is Samsung's former best-seller, having taken 50 days to reach the 10 million mark. Samsung has now flogged well over 40 million Galaxy S3s.

Around a week ago, it was reported that six million Galaxy S4s had been sold and it was predicted that sales figures would break 10,000 by the end of this month.

How to hook up your Samsung Galaxy S4 to an HDTV

MHL adapter

Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and AllShare Cast Wireless Hub

You may have noticed an option for Screen mirroring if you've already spent some time exploring the Settings menus on your Galaxy S4. There are a couple of ways to do this.