How to Root Xperia 2011 Models

*Rooting will not void your phone warranty. Unroot can be done !

2011 Xperia models include Arc, Neo, Play, Acro, Mini Pro, Mini, Ray, S, V, Active, Live

Only For IceCreamSandwich Firmwares:

Prerequisites:

     Settings -- Security -- Mark  "Unknown sources"

     Settings -- Developer options -- Mark "USB debugging"

     Settings -- Xperia -- Connectivity -- USB connection mode -- select MSC mode
     Sony PC companion must be installed on your PC.

1. Connect your Xperia to PC (skip installation on your phone) and wait till the ADB drivers are downloaded.
2. Download the rooting toolkit from any of the following links.
   link 1
   link 2
   If any download starts after opening the toolkit, stop it. Don't let it download anything.
3. It will now show an option to root, after detecting your phone. wait until the process is finished.
4. Rooting finished. Check for installed 'superuser' app in your phone.

If an error occurs in the process, restart your phone,PC and  make a retry.

Top Root Apps [part 1]

• Chainfire 3D
  With this app you can play all the HD games on your phone. It comes with various visual gameplay options.
  *Its a paid app and is available in the playstore.

Chainfire 3D

• Titanium Backup
  Here is another popular backup app. With this app you can set a schedule backup so that you will always will have that important data saved in your phone. You can easily transfer the backups to your desktop via a USB cable and restore it at anytime with Titanium Backup.

Titanium Backup

• Busybox Installerwhere can I get a old version of busybox ? This is a common question while using the V6 Supercharger, since it recommends a busybox 1.18.2 or higher. So ever come across an app that requires an older version of busybox ? Then this is right app to turn for.*Its a free app and many versions are available in the playstore.

Busybox Installer

Pros of Rooting Your Android Phone

Those who didn't root their phone yet, are not familiar with the surprise behind it. Here I provide you the top reasons to root your Android phone.

1. Block Ads
   You are aware of the annoying ads that makes your app disgusting to use. Also the data consumption. If you want to block your ads on any particular device or any particular app, rooting is the solution.
   Essential Android apps to block ads:
                    
                       AdFree
                       AdBlock Plus
                       Ad Away
   
2. Boost Speed and Battery Life
   Imagine your phone running beyond its capable speed, this is possible by tweaking the processor.
   *The lifespan of your phone may decrease. Who minds !
   Essential app to tweak the processor speed:
                      
                         SetCPU
   
   You may not be aware of your phone apps that ruins your battery percentile. Some root apps can automatically hibernate the apps you aren't using.
   Essential app to improve Battery life:
   
                        Greenify
   
3. Backup data from every corner of your phoneOh, you know how to backup your apps and your files! But imagine, can you backup a browser(system app) along with its cookies? A rooted phone does everything.
   Essential app:
   
                      Titanium Backup
   
4. Remove preinstalled app or system app
   With a rooted phone you are able to remove any app on your phone, may be a browser app or dialler app or settings or any. Cranky to hear, but it is essential in certain scenarios.
   
5. Flash a custom kernel
   
6. Flash a custom ROM
   

Now, you are the true owner of your device.

Music Player that downloads Lyrics automatically

musiXmatch will detect all your music and adds lyrics that sync with your songs.

musiXmatch


TuneWiki does the same thing, recommended by play store.

TuneWiki

Getting started with Android SDK

Setup the Android SDK

1. Install JDK
   http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
2. Download Android ADT IDE (~500 MB)
   Developer.android.com
3. Extract and install the Android ADT IDE
4. Launch and configure the Android Developer Tools IDE

The Android SDK Manager Tool

Found in Eclipse Windows menu. This tool is used to download, install and update the APIs and several other packages.

Android Virtual Devices

AVD is an emulator that mimics an Android device.

It takes around 5 to 10 mins for an emulator to get started.

Market Enabler

MarketEnabler is an app for Android using which you can fool Play Store to download and install any country restricted apps on your device.

*not available in play store

Market Enabler

Sanity

Sanity - makes your phone calls better, easier and healthy.

• audio record your phone calls
• announce caller and SMS
• block unwanted calls and SMS
• auto answer
• urgent calls
• automatic speakerphone
• outgoing anonymous calls
• reduce electromagnetic waves
• choose different volume levels during calls
• automatic bluetooth headsets
• timeouts for restoring silent mode and airplane mode
• vibrate the phone when the call begins and when the call ends
• fast sms

Sanity is light, small and very fast.

*available in play store

Sanity

Blackmart

Blackmart is an Android application much similar to the android play store. This tricky android application allows you to download paid apps for free from their servers.

*not available in play store

                                                                                                                  

       Blackmart Alpha                                                    Blackmart

Android: Few Extra Pounds (ROM,Kernel)

Every computing device is the combination of Hardware and Software. Android is an Operating System (software).

The Android Setup :

1. Installing (Flashing) Kernel:
   What: Kernel was available as a file (~7 MB) in various formats (.elf,.img).
   Why: To controll the hardware(processor speed etc.)
   How:
            i.  Download flashtool (~110 MB) to your PC or Mac.
            ii. Connect your device to PC in fastboot or flash mode.
            iii. Flash the downloaded Kernel file (.elf or .img)
   
2. Installing (Flashing) ROM:
   What: .zip or .ftf package (~500 MB).
   Why: Contains all the files as an Operating System.
   How:
            i.  Copy the downloaded Zip file to phone memory.
            ii. Boot in to recovery to flash the Zip file.
            or
            i.  Download flash tool and connect your device in fastboot or flash mode.
            ii. Flash the downloaded .ftf file.

Prerequisites: Root phone, Install Recovery software, Refer your phone manufacturer's website to know about connecting your device to PC in fastboot or flash mode.

V. Important: Every distinct phone has distinct ROM. Every distinct ROM has distinct Kernel.
For example if you install the ROM or Kernel made for Xperia Tipo in Xperia U, your phone will be bricked(won't work).

P.S.  If you are not aware of any of the above terms, I have a search bar for my blog !

Android: Few Extra Pounds (Root,Recovery)

You are definitely enthusiastic to learn more about Android. Otherwise you wouldn't have reached my blog !
A basic Android user knows how to install apps from play store according to his/her necessities. But the world of Android is too much beyond what we know. For example, I first installed apps from market then I came to know about APK , now it's simple to copy and install on any android.
To explore the world of possibilities you need guidance, here or somewhere. I'll let you know what I have learned so far.

Android OS on smartphone ~ Linux OS on personal computer

1. Root: 

What: In Android Linux root was considered as an administrative user.
Why: to disable adds, to backup apps along with data, to explore root files,and several other advantages.
How: enabling root user permissions on your android is called rooting. Every manufacturer has a distinct nasty process to root their smartphones. Google "how to root <ur phone model >" and follow the steps (never give up). Finally, if you are able to see ' superuser' or 'supersu' on your list of apps, then your phone is rooted.

2. Recovery:

What: It is a software that can be loaded during startup by pressing the distinct combination of keys for different manufacturers(for example volume down + power key in Samsung)
Why: wipe data, format system, install ROM, mount, unmount,and several other salient features.
How: Google "how to install recovery for <ur phone model>" and follow the steps (your phone must be rooted). Some smartphones have preinstalled recovery.

P.S.  My words are not up to my thoughts.Pose queries, I'll reply ASAP.

Android: Some Basic Keywords

1. Android platform:  provides API’s for mobile application development on android platform.

2. Linux kernel: android OS functionality relies on linux kernel 2.6.

3. Dalvik virtual machine: dalvik virtual machine is a register based virtual machine optimized for embedded devices.

4. .apk (Android package): All resource files and java compiled (.dex) files bundled by aapt tool into android package (.apk) file. This file used for distribution of android application.

5. .dex(dalvik executable): This is the executables file for dalvik virtual machine transformed from java compiled code by dx tool.

6. Android emulator: The Android SDK includes a mobile device emulator — a virtual mobile device that runs on your computer. The emulator lets you prototype, develop, and test Android applications without using a physical device.

7. Activities: An activity presents a visual user interface for one focused endeavor the user can undertake. A view hierarchy is placed within an activity’s window by the Activity.setContentView() method.

8. Services: A service doesn’t have a visual user interface, but rather runs in the background for an indefinite period of time.

9. Broadcast receivers: A broadcast receiver is a component that does nothing but receives and reacts to broadcast announcements.

10. Content providers: A content provider makes a specific set of the application’s data available to other applications.

11. Intents: Content providers are activated when they’re targeted by a request from a ContentResolver. The other three components — activities, services, and broadcast receivers — are activated by asynchronous messages called intents. Intent is an Intent object that holds the content of the message.

12. Context: A Context is a handle to the system. it provides services like resolving resources, obtaining access to databases and preferences, and so on. The Activity class inherits from Context. You usually have two kinds of Context, Activity and Application.

13. AndroidManifest.xml file: Before Android can start an application component, it must learn that the component exists. Therefore, applications declare their components in a manifest file that’s bundled into the Android package, the .apk file that also holds the application’s code, files, and resources. 

14. View: A View is a drawable object used as an element in your UI layout, such as a button, image, or a text label.

15. R.java file: R.java file is an index into all the resources defined in the file. You use this class in your source code as a sort of short-hand way to refer to resources you’ve included in your project.

16. Remote procedure call: Android has a lightweight mechanism for remote procedure calls (RPCs) — where a method is called locally, but executed remotely (in another process), with any result returned back to the caller.

17. Preferences: Preferences is a lightweight mechanism to store and retrieve key-value pairs of primitive data types.

18. SQLite databases: The Android API contains support for creating and using SQLite databases. Each database is private to the application that creates it.

19. Handler: A Handler allows you to send and process Message and Runnable objects associated with a thread’s MessageQueue.

20. AIDL (Android Interface Definition Language): is an IDL language used to generate code that enables two processes on an Android-powered device to talk using interprocess communication (IPC).

21. ROM: This is much similar to OS in PCs. You can transform across xp,vista,7,8,ubuntu etc.But here it's across diiferent versions of Android.

22. Stock ROM: Given by manufacturer. For e.g.,stock ROM of Xperia Tipo is Android 4.0.1 or ICS.

23. Custom ROM: ROM(OS) developed by experts (not by manufacturer) for a particular device.

24. Kernel: What kernel does in PCs, the same here.

25. Custom kernel: Associated with custom ROMs to tweak the performance of processor.

26. RAM: You know well about that in PCs. Measured in MBs(256,512,768,1024...).

27. Processor speed: Also referred as clock speed. Measured in Hz. Here, in smartphones the clock speed can be tweaked using custom kernels provided with its ROM.

Get started. Join the Android community !

What is Android?

Android is a free and open source operating system from Google running on everything from watches to eBook readers to smartphones to tablets to telivision sets.

What makes Android so special?

You can target a ton of different devices with just one platform. Google provides all the tools required for developing Android apps for free.

The Architecture of Android

Application Framework

• Views:                             Lists,Grids,Buttons
• Content Providers:           Contacts,Bookmarks
• Resource Manager:          Layout files,Graphics,Localized strings
• Notification manager:       Custom alerts in status bar
• Activity manager:             Application lifecycle,Navigation backstack

Libraries

• System C library (libc)
• Media Libraries (OpenCORE)
• SQLite
• Surface Manager
• LibWebCore
• SGL
• FreeType
• 3D Libraries

Android Runtime

• Dalvik Virtual Machine
• Core Libraries

Linux Kernel

• Memory management
• Process management
• Drivers
• Network stack
• Security

Application components

• Activities:
      Single screen with a user interface.
      All activities are independent of each other.
• Services:
      Background process to perform long-running task.
      No user interface.
• Content providers:
      Manages a shared set of application data.
      Store data in file system, SQLite database or any other persistent storage location.
      With proper permissions application can read and write data to another application.
• Broadcast receivers:
      Responds to system-wide announcements.
      Form of event handler.

Activity Lifecycle