I'm working in the 2.2 SDK environment trying to make an unofficial update.zip for the world's first Devour running 2.2
I'm in the process of setting up the AVD for the emulator... currently I am in need of the detailed settings and info for the devour's hardware... piece by piece... unfortunately until we figure out how to hack the built in rom or get hold of a source we might not be able to know some of the information.
0.1 - setting up device AVD/SDK
0.2 - alpha testing the AVD in the emulator
0.3 - updating the AVD/retesting in the emulator
0.4 - packaging the update.zip
0.5 - testing on the Motorola Devour
let me know if you know of any information!!!
Last edited by redliner; June 2nd, 2010 at 12:21 PM.
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to redliner For This Useful Post:
I've made a very tiny bit of progress in rooting the devour, but I don't have an update.zip package to play around with.
I have found out how to force the update, though:
With the phone off, hold down the R and the spacebar, and turn it on. Hold them down until you get a warning-sign screen.
Code:
Press ZB for the text/menu:
Motorola/Android system recovery utility
E:Can't open /cache/recovery/command
F+H - reboot system now
Z+B - toggle log text display
Z+N - apply sdcard:update.zip
Z+M - wipe data/factory reset
Last edited by redliner; June 2nd, 2010 at 12:15 PM.
Reason: edit for clarity
I'd like to connect with someone from xda whom has tried, I guess the only things i have going for me would be that i work for verizon wireless, have experience in the insanelymac.com osx86 (hackintosh) scene, and have linux experience. one of my guides has over 60,000 views.
anywho, all bragging aside, i'd like to get some help from someone experienced with rooting in general and someone with experience with the android emulator.
I am so thankful that people are working on this. I have been begging motorola in the devour community about an upgrade from 1.6 for a couple of weeks now. I will do anything to help and get this working. No root nor linux experience but I am a network administor and I do understand some basic concepts. Trust me. Once you get it working. I will be the second to install. I am a little cautious because I can't afford a new phone if it bricks it but I am anxious.
Device(s): Droid X (currently in a coma), Motorola Devour
Thanks: 4
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Redliner being that your a vzw rep could you give us any info on whether this device is being considered for at least a 2.1 update? I know 2.2 is unlikely lol according to moto its still under evaluation
This thread makes me smile haha. Awesome to see someone is looking into rooting this phone. I agree it would be awesome to get 2.2 before my friends with droid/incredible.
redliner I have gotten to the recovery console and getting RSD Lite to see the device I also have MOTODEV Studio installed. Maybe we can help each other out? Just let me know what other info you might need I'll get what I can.
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I have the official 1.6 source for the Devour downloaded off of teamforge, if you'd like it it's a pretty big file, 187 megs total, but you may be able to piece some of the information you need together from that. I already set up a torrent for it-- http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5608028 It *IS* an "open-source" project, so Motorola can make changes but they can't keep everything from us. Hopefully someone with a little know-how can make something out of that.
I can not speak for redliner or his progress but at this moment I have the source file from teamforge and the devour sdk from motorola. I have hit a brick wall with my knowledge and do not know which way to go. I wish I knew more when it comes to code and what exactly to look for. I will try again today to scan the web and see what I can learn on making a custom recovery image with superuser access.
I apologize for my lack of presence the last few days, I've been without internet and in the middle of a move, plus I'm newly married ;D....
I just thought i'd get the ball rolling
Karvec, I just downloaded the source, I'll see what I can do.
as far as my status as a vzw rep, there's no intended update for the devour untill 2.3 or later.... and that's very unlikely still. I'll just be happy to get to 2.2
if you are interested in working on this project officially, lets start a google wave or sourceforge or something of the sort?
right now my approach is pretty simplistic:
Dissect the source and figure the folder ordering, and try to replace the source files with the ones from 2.2... and figure out how to get the update.zip to "have permission"
rwilliams268@googlewave.com so if you want we can set up a google wave I'm on it as we speak so lets get our collective heads together and gets this thing going
Last edited by rwilliams268; June 5th, 2010 at 11:59 AM.
Reason: wrong email addy
Remember, that's the 1.6 SOURCE and you have to compile it. Not the 2.2. And, currently, windows is not a supported platform to compile from. :P That's what they used for the Devour, straight off of Teamforge.
Last edited by karvec; June 5th, 2010 at 02:15 PM.
What bothers me is that it seems Motorola is working on using blur with 2.X on their newer devices (shadow and possible droid2) but their effort seems to be lacking as far as the Backflip, Cliq, and the Devour are concerned.
I may not know much in the way of coding the devour, but I'm good at figuring things out. I've dealt with C++ language as a programmer, so I'm not a noob. I'd like to join
it looks like we'd have to start from scratch to get 2.2
meaning, we have to be running a pc running linux, then compile it piece by piece, driver by driver, and have to tweak nearly every core file and driver in order for it to be reliable.... which would be a pain. nuff said.
the problem with just updating the android os core files to 2.2 is that it will break eclipse (java based apps) support and everything else that matters turning the phone into a useless brick.
so it takes more than just "rooting the phone" to have a flawless working android 2.2 phone.
we need someone with more experience to take up the challenge??! if i were to do this myself it'd take me a couple months.
Well keeping in mind they are both made by the same company, the way to root them is going to be the same, and they both no doubt have the same boot-loader. The only difference is just going to be the coding that will need a modification in order to root and super user the phone
Well keeping in mind they are both made by the same company, the way to root them is going to be the same, and they both no doubt have the same boot-loader. The only difference is just going to be the coding that will need a modification in order to root and super user the phone
Just becase they are made my the same company, doesn't make rooting them the same. If that were the case the Eris would be rooted already. You should try talking to some of the dev's over on XDA and see if they can offer any constructive input.
The Eris has been rooted you can read about it here. Going on what has been said I will share some more info that I just found out about the Devour. Now this is running Android 1.6 with the maintenance release that was pushed out by Verizon.
The Eris has been rooted you can read about it here. Going on what has been said I will share some more info that I just found out about the Devour. Now this is running Android 1.6 with the maintenance release that was pushed out by Verizon.
Just becase they are made my the same company, doesn't make rooting them the same. If that were the case the Eris would be rooted already. You should try talking to some of the dev's over on XDA and see if they can offer any constructive input.
As Said same Boot-Loader. To me that means the physical program responsible for booting, updating, and resetting the phone. Yes there are some differences between them in code, but as far as the program goes, it is like an identical twin. Some some extra lines to handle the Moto-Blur. Since they are both made by the same company, not all that far apart, I doubt that Motorola made a new boot-loader for the phone. prolly just took the one from the droid and edited it a little to make it work for the devour.
It's also not rooting the phone that presents the challenge. I'm sure someone with enough coding experience could go into the phone and root it in a couple of days. It's the ROM (If you want a custom System) and how the default system rom works.
Once an update for rooting the devour is made, applying it will be exactly the same as it is for the droid. I've seen both boot-loader and recovery menus for both phones, and they are to say the least identical. Not sure if that is the case after the Verizon Update since I have not messed up my phone since then, but it doesn't hurt the phone to go look.
Verizon has a way of quickly locking people out of features on their phone once they are exploited. That's what happened to the Moto Razr V3m. You used to be able to hack features on that phone like crazy, but after a NEWC update after 01.09.02, and their move to MEID, it became impossible. Flashing the phone went away, at least properly flashing anyway. So just by applying that update, it might have already become that much harder, maybe impossible.
I didn't know how it was rooted or not rooted just had seen alot of rom's over at xda so I just assumed it was rooted, but either way I post over on xda what I posted here so hopefully someone more knowledgeable can figure something out.
Device(s): Droid X (currently in a coma), Motorola Devour
Thanks: 4
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
maybe instead of looking to the droid for the root method you could look to the backflip? i read that it had been rooted and it has motoblur so the method may be more closely matched than that for the droid. the droid has a much longer community so most likely a larger core group of devs who could help thou.
i have no exp in coding or java so im of little use but i would love to test the outcome once and if its developed. let me know.
gl to all
and gratz on the wedding, i just had my 1 year anniversary.
How do you sign up for the google wave? Also redliner. I understand it tking a few months to fly through all drivers. If you can get me started in this. Ill take half of it and that will take our time down to 1 and a half months ... I'm sure several people in here will help. We are very anxious to help in anyway we can. If we all take a piece we might can finalize by the first of july. !!!!!!!!
If you can give us the drivers to work on. Then you can just work on reving and piecing our work together redliner and then well be up to step 4 and almost ready to test on the devour.
Each day more and more Android handsets are being sold, and that means users are faced with a major decision: To root, or not to root. Some of us will do it simply because we can, others will decide not to do it as they enjoy the phone as-is, but the majority of us will be on the fence about the whole idea of rooting.
Hopefully some of those questions can get answered and you’ll have a clearer picture of the process and some understanding to make the decision a bit easier. I’m sure this won’t answer every question you’ll have when considering whether or not to root your device, but hopefully this is a good start and a basis for further discussion.
What, exactly, is rooting?
Rooting your Android device involves adding in a small Linux application called “su”. It stands for SuperUser, and allows applications and commands to run with elevated permissions. Everything that runs code, whether it’s an application or the user, has a permission level set by the operating system. The root user is the boss and can do anything (good or bad) on the device. From simple things like clearing the cache from core applications, to more advanced things like wirelessly tethering a laptop or iPod touch through your phone, root can do it. The su program is a sort of gateway that lets applications or users act as root while doing tasks. If you’re the curious type (I know some of you are ) here’s a more in-depth review of root as used in a Linux system by the Linux Information Project . OK, so why would I want to root my phone?
Good question! Maybe you don’t. Everything in a Linux system is a file, or is treated as a file. Most of the files you will need to access or change are available to you without having elevated permissions. "Most" being the key term here. When you want to do things that affect or change the core software of your device -- like changing the theme or adding a nice piece of software from another device -- you'll have to do it as root. Dream and Magic users have been running Eclair on their phones for a good while now, and it’s because they have rooted their device. Rooting also gives you access to some handy software that you couldn’t use otherwise. Things like a complete system backup or ad blocking software require you to root your device. Don’t root your phone just for the sake of rooting your phone, but if you come across something you feel you could use or would like to have, then consider it. So it's like jailbreaking?
Pretty darn close. Jailbreaking an iPhone or iPod touch opens up things like using applications that aren’t manufacturer-approved or changing the look and feel of the device. Android already allows this to a large extent. The changes behind the scenes are the same way. A lot of what you can do with a jail broken iPhone you can already do with your Android phone, but to really unlock everything you’ll need to root it. The concept itself is identical. You’re allowing things that usually wouldn’t have root permission to have them. Is it dangerous? Will it break my phone? Will it void my warranty?
It can be, It might, and Yes. By not allowing access to the superuser account, the manufacturer and your carrier have basically protected you from doing things that change the system and make it unusable. All it takes is one wrong keystroke to turn your shiny new Android phone into a plastic and metal brick with no connection. Most times this is recoverable, but not always. You have to decide how capable you feel you are, and how well written the instructions you’ve found seem to be. Nobody will blame you if you decide against the risk, especially your cell carrier. All major carriers and manufacturers plainly state that altering or using unapproved software voids your warranty, and rooting falls into that category. While that seems a bit harsh, they need to be able to support the products they sell. For that to happen, they need to know exactly what’s running and what it’s doing.
Apps that run as root need a little further consideration. You need to have a level of trust in the person who wrote the app first and foremost. Does the developer have other software available? Do the user comments (for Market apps) have anything that raises a red flag? Do the requested permissions seem a little odd? These are all questions you need to think about before you allow something to run as root. For a further level of security, think about installing an application that warns you anytime something tries to run as root. SuperUser Whitelist (Android Market link) is a great little app that does exactly that. If you decide to go on and root, ask users with the same device as you for a link to a version of SuperUser Whitelist that works with your firmware. Once installed, anytime something wants to run as root, the app intercepts and asks if you would like to allow it. You’re given the choice to accept, decline, or grant the app in question full privileges each time it runs.
One last thing to touch on here. Many custom ROMs include some sort of SSH server. This can be a wonderful tool, or it can get you in hot water. This is what caused the whole “Rick-Roll” episode with the latest iPhone jailbreak. The server sits and waits for an outside connection, and if that connection provides the right password full control of the device is turned over. In the case of the iPhone, users never bothered to change the default SSH password for root. A clever (or devious) group of users simply scanned for servers listening on the correct port, then attempted to sign in as root with the default password. Lesson learned, but this is easy to prevent. Ask other users of the ROM or firmware you’re thinking of flashing if there is a server listening, and if so how to disable it or change the default password. If I root, will I still receive operating system updates from my carrier?
Maybe. More than likely if you’ve just rooted your phone so you could have access to the full file system and haven’t drastically changed things, the phone will still pass your carrier's checks and upgrade. If you’ve delved deeper and really customized your device, count on not being able to upgrade. Carrier updates were designed to work with the original software, so they need to be sure that’s what the phone is running. Again, this is for your own good. T-Mobile or Verizon can’t offer technical support for things they haven’t trained their technicians on, and if you flash a carrier approved update over custom software it’s probably not going to work.
The good news is that failing the checks the carrier does during an update won’t cause any damage to your phone. The update will just quit and you’ll be back where you started. Then you can decide if you would like to un-root and upgrade or take another path. The worst case scenario is that the phone passes the carriers checks, updates, and then things get broken. That’s pretty unlikely, but possible. If that would happen, you won’t be alone. Everyone in your situation will scramble to their favorite Android user forum and hopefully a work around can be found.
Note - a carrier update may also break the ability to root the device and a new method will need to be found. Any discussion of upgrading and root needs this mentioned as well. Most folks who root and decide to install a custom ROM wait for the ROM developer to provide an update that includes any bug fixes or new capabilities of the carrier update. Will I still get application updates?
Yes. While it’s not being used, the program that allows permissions to be upgraded just sits and does nothing. Normal applications won’t even be aware it’s there, and applications that use it expect it to be there. Application updates, whether they are from the Market or other third parties will still install as normal. If I decided to "un-root" my phone, how do I do that?
It depends on the model of your phone. Some are ridiculously easy to revert, some not so much. This is the most important question you can ask before you dive in and root your phone. Usually the website you found the method to root your phone will also have a discussion about un-rooting and going back to stock firmware. Take the time to find and read this information so you’re aware of just how difficult it’s going to be to go back. Pay close attention and create backups when recommended while you’re rooting your phone, as these may be needed to go back. I’ve not heard of any device that can’t be restored to factory firmware provided the original was backed up properly as recommended during the rooting process. The most important thing to always remember is to ask for help. If you do find yourself stuck without a backup or a working phone and need to roll back, ask for advice. Our forums are full of fine folks from all walks of life, and the majority are more than happy to help. There’s a good chance you’re not the first person in that situation and a solution has already been worked up!
As you can see it is something that needs a little thought before you dive right in. But if you decide you need root access, consider some of the information we’ve laid out here. The security and other risks are real, but are pretty easy to work with. There’s no reason you can’t safely root and use your phone, just do your homework first!
Hopefully this bit of info posted over in the Eris root section can help answer a few questions.
Oh, and Alsigney, theres a huge difference between someone rooting a device, and the company leaking out a rom with root permission. Mainly the fact that without that initial image, no phone can gain root access.
I would be grateful for any root access, as my wife does not need MotoBlur, and disabling it has proven to be a major hassle.
Thanks in advance for any work you perform on this!!!
yes, it's possible to use the phone without motoblur, some of the blur apps might not function correctly but it works for me. in order to do it you have to activate the phone, then hard reset, then bypass activation screen, then dial *228 option 1 or *22899 to auto activate. plug in your gmail and your contacts will come back to you
and looking at getting an LG ally.... it cost $370 new full retail instead of the devour at $430 full retail so as an employee im probably going to swap it out for the ally or get the shadow or droid 2
yes, it's possible to use the phone without motoblur, some of the blur apps might not function correctly but it works for me. in order to do it you have to activate the phone, then hard reset, then bypass activation screen, then dial *228 option 1 or *22899 to auto activate. plug in your gmail and your contacts will come back to you
hope this helps
I have tried something similar using the '##bluroff' technique after doing a factory reset. This works, but after some random period of the time, the phone will restart and perform a factory reset. Then, I would have to go through all of this over again. But, if I actually log her into MotoBlur, then Google, everything works fine.
I will try your solution later today when I get home. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redliner
update: i'm working 70 hours this week.....
and looking at getting an LG ally.... it cost $370 new full retail instead of the devour at $430 full retail so as an employee im probably going to swap it out for the ally or get the shadow or droid 2
I actually saw this phone on verizonwireless.com yesterday, and was thinking, man I wish we held out about a month for this phone. Android 2.1, Physical Keyboard and a normal working camera, and best of all ... NO MOTOBLUR!!!! LOL.
Just Wondering is this project still going on because out of all the android forums i have seen this is the only one that actually looks like it might get the Root actually down for the Devour. Hopefully it is still being worked on and will be done soon i would love just in general rooting so i can over clock and wireless Tether and of course Custom roms =D
Alot of people keep downloading the Devour SDK so there may be a few people still working on it. I myself am working on it slow but sure, and if I find anything out otherwise I'll post it here.
Device(s): Droid X (currently in a coma), Motorola Devour
Thanks: 4
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
im glad to hear that, im tempted to get the ally myself with its autofocus camera and 2.1 but that phone has a even smaller community than the devour does it seems. this thing is built like a tank. and the keyboard cant be beat. lets keep working on root, so we can put this thing on the map, if people knew they could root it, the community would just explode with more devs.
On February 3rd, 2010 Motorola announced the Motorola Devour for Verizon Wireless - in March 2010 it launched making it the 3rd phone for the carrier and ultimately, a more affordable version of the Motorola Droid with an added touch of Motorola Bl... Read More
Developer's Team
... I'm sure several people in here will help. We are very anxious to help in anyway we can. If we all take a piece we might can finalize by the first of july. 
) here’s a more in-depth review of root as used in a Linux system by the 
