December 29, 2012
Today the world is about connecting people, otherwise staying connected with your near ones. These days mobile phones are not only used for communication but, also are very useful in retrieving information, browsing internet, storing contact details and other important data as well as running many business work effectively. If you are looking to buy a mobile phone and run short of money then you can even purchase it by taking some day cash loans.
The increase in the demand for mobile phones is huge and is being expanded drastically with the invention of new phones and their latest versions. This is undoubtedly challenging mobile savvy people who are wondering to get best possible deal on their mobile phones. Even the people who are inexperienced in mobile phone buying might check various ways to save some money on their phones. Here are a few tips that help in saving money on mobile phones.
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| Shop Smart and Save Money On Mobile Phones |
- List out all the features that you are looking for: If you are among the people looking for the latest release or new versions without focusing on your needs then you are likely to commit mistakes by paying more than necessary and getting unnecessary features that you may not find useful to your needs.
- Check online sites for discounts: To get the best deal and save lots of money online sites are the best place to find them. There are numerous websites such as amazon.com, dinodirect.com, flipkart.com, etc that offer discounts on every day mobile sales. Try visiting such sites and evaluate one of the best phone that comes within your budget and can provide you all the required features.
- Recollect your consumer rights: Do you know even a phone that comes directly from a factory can endure from faults and could be prone to seal break down. To avoid any uncertainties don’t be hesitant to check your mobile phone. You have all rights to utilize your consumer rights, this can also include the chance of suspecting your phone to be fraught with risk.
- Prioritize your needs: Having a checklist that determines what things you need in your new mobile phone, you will have better chances to compare phone deals available on the internet and in your local stores. Comparing one deal with another with respect to features, specifications, and overall cost, you can expand the possibility of saving much of your money.
- Exchange your old phone with new: Have you got phone already and looking to buy a new phone, instead of selling your phone try selling it with some exchange program. These types of programs are usually conducted by the storage provider to attract their customers in order to make more sales. Seasonal sales and its offer could be the best time to find much benefit.
Author Bio: Hi I'm Michelle; a tech writer from Manchester, UK. My passion is writing articles on numerous topics, for example Technology, finance, health and some other topics.
September 16, 2012
If you are not happy with the stock android software that came with your Samsung handset and want to add more spices to it, then flashing becomes an inevitable part at one point of time. Also, being able to flash stock firmwares on a handset has it's own advantages. Apart from the fact that flashing is risky and can sometime lead to a bricked handset --if not done properly-- there are probably no cons of it. The pros include the ability to revive/recover a handset from the state of soft brick or from the screen of death, manually upgrade the firmware of your handset with the latest update available and fix almost all software related problems.
So, if you are an advance user messing with your handset now and again, then flashing is the best process you can familiarize yourself with. This has been possible and quite simple, thanks to the sites like samfirmware.com and/or sampro.pl on the web, as they provide Samsung smartphones users with required flashing tools (Odin and corresponding .pit or .ops file) as well as downloads for official stock firmwares.
However, not all handsets can be flashed and not all firmwares provided at these site can be used directly with Odin firmware flashing tool. The 'i' models of various galaxy series such as Galaxy Mini/Pop GT-S5570i (aka. Pop Plus, Mini Plus, Next Turbo and other common names around the world), Galaxy Ace GT-S5830i (aka Ace Plus) as well as Galaxy Young S5630 smartphones users seem to have problem flashing firmwares from samfirmware.com directly using Odin. This is where Odinatrix steps in and saves your day :D
Thanks to an ACervellati and Doc_cheilvenerdi.org for creating and sharing this awesome tool/script that takes the firmwares provided by samfirmware.com and then convert it into Odin flashable firmwares files. Like SplitFUS2 tool, Odinatrix also splits the given one package firmware into multiple .tar files that can be then used to flash your phone. However, they are different from one another: Odinatrix is for Windows while SplitFUS2 is especially for Linux. Though the latter can be operated in windows PC with the help of Cygwin, it is quite difficult and tedious process to setup everything for beginners and this is where Odinatrix wins the game. So, I recommend using Odinatrix to prepare Odin flashable files from the firmware you download from samfirmware or other similar sites.
Another advantage of Odinatrix is that it seems to support a wide range of samsung devices. It supports splitting of firmwares for Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830i model, Galaxy Pop/Mini GT-S5570i model as well as for Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5630 model. With this tool, you can split a single .tar or .tar.md5 firmware file into multiple .tar files which afterwards can be used for CSC, PHONE and PDA fields in Odin Multidownloader tool to flash your handset with official firmware.
Well, now that odinatrix has successfully processed your firmware archive and sanitized it, you are ready to flash your handset with stock samsung firmware. If you go to the output folder within Odinatrix directory, you should see four files (see image aside), one a full package .tar.md5 file and remaining .tar files each for using as PDA, PHONE and CSC in your respective version of Odin tool while flashing.
So, you are now ready to flash official samsung firmware on your galaxy series of smartphone. Just get the version of Odin that is suitable for (or supported by) your smart phone and then run it on your PC and :
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| Odinatrix Tool/Utility - Helps prepare Odin flashable tar files. |
So, if you are an advance user messing with your handset now and again, then flashing is the best process you can familiarize yourself with. This has been possible and quite simple, thanks to the sites like samfirmware.com and/or sampro.pl on the web, as they provide Samsung smartphones users with required flashing tools (Odin and corresponding .pit or .ops file) as well as downloads for official stock firmwares.
However, not all handsets can be flashed and not all firmwares provided at these site can be used directly with Odin firmware flashing tool. The 'i' models of various galaxy series such as Galaxy Mini/Pop GT-S5570i (aka. Pop Plus, Mini Plus, Next Turbo and other common names around the world), Galaxy Ace GT-S5830i (aka Ace Plus) as well as Galaxy Young S5630 smartphones users seem to have problem flashing firmwares from samfirmware.com directly using Odin. This is where Odinatrix steps in and saves your day :D
Thanks to an ACervellati and Doc_cheilvenerdi.org for creating and sharing this awesome tool/script that takes the firmwares provided by samfirmware.com and then convert it into Odin flashable firmwares files. Like SplitFUS2 tool, Odinatrix also splits the given one package firmware into multiple .tar files that can be then used to flash your phone. However, they are different from one another: Odinatrix is for Windows while SplitFUS2 is especially for Linux. Though the latter can be operated in windows PC with the help of Cygwin, it is quite difficult and tedious process to setup everything for beginners and this is where Odinatrix wins the game. So, I recommend using Odinatrix to prepare Odin flashable files from the firmware you download from samfirmware or other similar sites.
Another advantage of Odinatrix is that it seems to support a wide range of samsung devices. It supports splitting of firmwares for Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830i model, Galaxy Pop/Mini GT-S5570i model as well as for Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5630 model. With this tool, you can split a single .tar or .tar.md5 firmware file into multiple .tar files which afterwards can be used for CSC, PHONE and PDA fields in Odin Multidownloader tool to flash your handset with official firmware.
Is Odinatrix really useful? How do I get started?
By now you are probably excited about Odinatrix especially if you own one of those handsets that I mentioned above. So, without any delay, I'll detail the step by step instructions on using Odinatrix to get all those files that are required to flash your Samsung galaxy handset.
- Download Odinatrix and then extract it on your Desktop or on any place you prefer.
File Name: Odinatrix-WINDOWS.zip
File Size: 3.16 MB - Now download the firmware for your device released for your region from samfirmware.com or other similar sites.
- Once you get the firmware zip, extract it and you'll get a .tar.md5 or .tar file on your PC.
- Copy this file inside the Odinatrix directory that was created while extracting the Odinatrix tool in Step 1.
- When everything is set, open/double-click the runme.bat executable file.
- You'll be presented with a command window with few instructions. Make sure you read the whole of the information and meet all the requirements.
- When you are ready, press enter key and it will look for the firmware file in the directory it is currently in. So, if you haven't yet copied the .tar or .tar.md5 file to this directory then do so now and try again.
- If Odinatrix finds a firmware, then it'll list it in the command window and ask you to press any key to proceed.
- Press Enter key and it'll examine if the firmware has a deformed header or not. That is, if it can be flashed directly using Odin or not. If it has good tar header or if it can be flashed via Odin then, it will say so and exit the process. Else, it'll begin the process of splitting the firmware (.tar.md5) file into multiples .tar files files as well as create a single .tar.md5 file having good header, which is what the developers refer to as sanitizing of archives.
- The process will take long time (about 30-60 minutes), so you'll need to wait patiently.
- When done, it'll show the following result (as seen in the image below) and you'll get three .tar files and one .tar.md5 file in the output folder within your Odinatrix directory.
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| Confirm TAR Processing Prompt - Press Enter to continue. |
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| Odinatrix Processing Completed information with exit prompt. |
Odinatrix is done with the task. So, what next?
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| Odinatrix Final Output after sanitization of firmware is completed |
So, you are now ready to flash official samsung firmware on your galaxy series of smartphone. Just get the version of Odin that is suitable for (or supported by) your smart phone and then run it on your PC and :
- Load respective .ops/.pit file on OPS/PIT field.
- Load PDA_SXY_SXZ_SXY_HOME.tar file outputted by Odinatrix in PDA field.
- Load MODEM_SXY_SXZ_SXY_HOME.tar file in PHONE field.
- Load CSC_SXY_SXZ_SXY_HOME.tar file in CSC field.
Where, X= 4 or 5 digit Model Number
Y= 5 digits PDA Version
Z= 5 digits CSC Version
Example : X=5570I , Y=DDLD2, Z=DDLD2 - When everything is ready, connect your phone in download mode to your PC.
- Press Start button after odin recognizes your device.
- Wait for few minutes (about 5-6 mins) till the firmware is downloaded and installed on your smartphone.
- When Odin says PASS in upper left box (within Odin) you may disconnect your handset from your Personal Computer and enjoy using latest firmware on your device.
September 11, 2012
Samsung Galaxy Pop Plus GT-S5570i (aka Galaxy Next Turbo and Galaxy Mini Plus in different parts of the world) is quite different handset in terms of hardware architecture; though it sounds similar to Samsung Galaxy Pop or Galaxy Mini GT-S5570 smart phone and comes with same Android operating system loaded in it. So, one should be careful not to mistake the former with the later one while in the course of flashing or modding their pop plus gt-s5570i smart phone.
Whether you have soft bricked your handset and want to recover from that stage or want to manually upgrade you handset with latest android software, you'll have to come across with flashing. Flashing is the process of loading or installing firmwares, roms, update zips, etc. on your handset. This article will, with the help of step by step instructions, guide you on manually loading official Samsung firmwares on your Pop Plus GT-S5570i smartphone. It is recommended that you go through the whole article carefully first before trying the actual procedure.
Whether you have soft bricked your handset and want to recover from that stage or want to manually upgrade you handset with latest android software, you'll have to come across with flashing. Flashing is the process of loading or installing firmwares, roms, update zips, etc. on your handset. This article will, with the help of step by step instructions, guide you on manually loading official Samsung firmwares on your Pop Plus GT-S5570i smartphone. It is recommended that you go through the whole article carefully first before trying the actual procedure.
Ok! I got the details. So, what do I have to do next?
Before we can install stock Samsung firmware on your galaxy pop plus gt-s5570i, we need few prerequisites which are listed below along with their respective download links. Make sure you've all these in your hand before you proceed to next stage.
- Odin Multidownloader v1.84: Odin tool is used to flash firmwares on Samsung handsets manually. However, there are different versions of Odin tools for different group of handsets and not all Samsung handsets can be flashed with the help of Odin. You can find more information about Odin at this article.
File Name: Odin Multidownloader 3 v1.84 For GT-S5570I.rar
File Size: 664 KB
Contents: Odin3_v1.84.exe and tassve_0623.pit - Latest Samsung USB Drivers: These are drivers required for effective communication of your handset with your PC. If you have Samsung Kies installed or have the drivers installed already then, you don't need them.
File Name: SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe
File Size: 23 MB
Software Version: 1.5.4.0 - Official Stock Firmware: This is the firmware that you'll be using to flash your pop plus s5570i handset. You can get official firmwares from samfirmware.com.
However, please note that firmwares provided at samfirmware for this device can't be used directly with this version of Odin. So, you'll need to use a tool called Odinatrix to decompress those firmware and get Odin flashable files. Please go through the article titled, "How to use Odinatrix to split one package firmware into multiple tar files?", for more details on how to use this tool and get Odin ready files for the firmware of your region.
In this article, however, I'm going to use a JPLC1 firmware for Middle East region.File Name: StockROM+Odin S5570I.7z
File Size: 111.94 MB
Firmware Details :
PDA: S5570IJPLC1
CSC: S5570IOJPLC1
Version: 2.3.6
Date: 2012-03-05
Region: Middle East
I've got the required files. Anything more?
Now, that you've got all required files on your handset, you are ready to proceed with the flashing instructions. Just be sure that you install the drivers on your personal computer and reboot it once before trying out the whole procedure. Also, be sure to read these simple precautions and then proceed accordingly with the flashing instructions provided above.
Instructions on Flashing Firmware
- Make sure you extract all the downloaded files with the help of WinZip, Winrar or other similar archive manager program.
It is recommended to keep the extracted files in a organized folder for easier access later on during the flashing process. - Run the Odin3_v1.84.exe application (you should get a window similar to below).
Odin3 for Galaxy mini/pop GT-S5570i - Check Re-Partition, Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time under Option area.
- Click on PIT button and browse to the folder where you extracted the files and load tassve_0623.pit on it.
- Click on BOOTLOADER button and then load DefaultCalDataWithBoot_S5570XXXX_REV03.tar.md5 file on it.
- Click on PDA button and load the .tar file with PDA on it's name (PDA_S5570IJPLC1_REV03.tar on our example).
- Click on PHONE button and load the .tar file with MODEM in it's name (eg: MODEM_S5570IXXLC3_REV03.tar.md5)
- Click on CSC button and load the .tar or .tar.md5 file with CSC / CSC-MULTI in it (eg: CSC : GT-S5570I-MULTI-CSC-OJPLC1.tar.md5).
- Now, that you've configured Odin properly, Power Off your Galaxy Mini/Pop Plus GT-S5570i handset.
- Boot up your device in Download Mode. Press Volume Down + Home (Middle button) + Power button simultaneously for few seconds to boot to download mode.
- When your phone is in download mode (a screen with Yellow Triangle and Downloading written on it), connect your phone to your PC.
- If Odin detects your phone it should says something like 0:[COM4] in one of the boxes on the ID:COM area just above the Options. Then is your turn to press the Start button.
- Wait for about 5 to 6 minutes till Odin downloads the firmware files on your handset and installs them on respective partitions on your device.
- After few minutes of patience, you should see PASS written at the top left box. You can then disconnect your galaxy pop/mini plus gt-s5570i from your PC.
Notes:
Below are few things that you need to keep in mind before flashing the rom.- You'll not get BOOT file while using Odinatrix to prepare Odin ready files. In that case, you'll have to leave the BOOTLOADER field empty and just load other remaining files.
- If you are stuck at Samsung logo after flashing the firmware then, you'll need to go to recovery and wipe data and cache and reboot your handset.
- Be calm during the whole process. Don't rush up (if something unexpected happens) and do something wrong which may worsen the situation.
August 6, 2012
Cyanogenmod Team has released yet another nightly version of it's latest CynogenMod 7.2 android rom for Samsung Galaxy Mini or Pop or Next GT-S5570 smartphone....
This is a nightly and might not be quite stable, but it is suggested you try it and report any bugs or errors at this http://code.google.com/p/cyanogenmod/issues/ link, so that they can be fixed or solved on next release.
Full details of latest cm 7.2 nightly 20120610 along with download link is given below :
Changelog :
Rom Details :
Instructions on Installing :
Below are quick instructions on installing this nightly on your galaxy mini or pop s5570 smartphone.
That's all. After few minutes, your device should load up with latest nightly installed on it. After you've played with the update for some while, don't forget to share your views about this latest cyanogenmod update at the comments below.
This is a nightly and might not be quite stable, but it is suggested you try it and report any bugs or errors at this http://code.google.com/p/cyanogenmod/issues/ link, so that they can be fixed or solved on next release.
Full details of latest cm 7.2 nightly 20120610 along with download link is given below :
Changelog :
- Merged 'Close Notification view when swiping away last notification' into gingerbread.
- Fix lockscreen button behavior.
- Fix race condition in DNS resolving.
- Moved translations from arrays.xml in to strings.xml
- Fixed : Restore ringer mode properly after cancelling dialog.
- Merged : Send out a MOBILE_DATA_CHANGED intent.
- Merged: Fix external BT GPS data/time issue.
- Merged: Send RTSP Control connection keep-alive requests.
Rom Details :
Device Name : tass (Samsung GalaxyMini) Release Type : Nightly Release Name : cm-7-20120805-NIGHTLY-tass.zip Release Date : 2012-08-05 16:22:42 Size : 85.44 MB md5sum: 72f3f996ffaea434ff5b3c64e5aa09c0 Download Link : http://get.cm/get/3or Official Google Apps : gapps-gb-20110828-signed.zip (latest)
Instructions on Installing :
Below are quick instructions on installing this nightly on your galaxy mini or pop s5570 smartphone.
- Download the rom zip file and copy it to the root directory of your sd-card.
- Reboot your device to recovery mode.
- Select Install Zip From SD-Card >> Choose Zip From SD Card and select the file named,
cm-7-20120610-NIGHTLY-tass.zip, from the list. - Install official gapps for gingerbread (download from above). For full instructions on installing Google Apps follow this guide.
- When installation is complete, Wipe Data from recovery main menu.
- Reboot your device and wait for few minutes.
Note : All Steps above are mandatory.
That's all. After few minutes, your device should load up with latest nightly installed on it. After you've played with the update for some while, don't forget to share your views about this latest cyanogenmod update at the comments below.
July 30, 2012
Few days ago, a developer from xda forums announced the release of latest Android v4.1.1 based Cyanogenmod 10 custom rom for galaxy mini and I covered that news at this blog post. You can find details about latest Jelly Bean android software as well as the released beta 1 at the article.
Yesterday, again the developer released another update to this CM10 custom rom. With this update, few bugs that were found in previous version are fixed as well as a new kernel is introduced which should improve the performance of your handset. Below is a short change-log from the developers thread regarding Cyanogenmod 10 Beta 2 rom.
Changelog :
1. New kernel - 2.6.35.14
2. Enabled triple buffering in the kernel
3. Fixed voice search
4. Fixed deep sleep
5. "Project butter" is now working a lot better
6. And other CM changes (theme support etc.)
So, as you can see that deep sleeping is now working and this is the best news for your battery. More battery life and more fun with the new update. Plus, latest CM source has been synced and now theme support is also available. All these changes and other improvements undoubtedly give you better taste of Jelly Bean. So, if you haven't already tried out the latest android operating system yet on your galaxy mini or pop s5570 smartphone, then it's the right time.
Download the rom from below and follow the flashing instructions given afterwards to get latest CM10 beta 2 on your galaxy mini.
Note : Those who have Gingerbread (Android 2.3 and above) can skip Step 1. Moreover, if you have any Custom Recovery and/or Custom Rom installed on your device then you can skip both Step 1 and Step 2.
That's all with it. You've successfully upgraded or installed latest android operating system on your Samsung Galaxy Mini or Pop S5570 smartphone. If you like the rom or want to find out more about it then, you may visit the developers thread and thank him for his contribution. Moreover, if you have any doubts or issues while flashing the firmware than do leave a comment at The Wall below.
Yesterday, again the developer released another update to this CM10 custom rom. With this update, few bugs that were found in previous version are fixed as well as a new kernel is introduced which should improve the performance of your handset. Below is a short change-log from the developers thread regarding Cyanogenmod 10 Beta 2 rom.
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| CM10 Jelly Bean Update Beta 2 |
1. New kernel - 2.6.35.14
2. Enabled triple buffering in the kernel
3. Fixed voice search
4. Fixed deep sleep
5. "Project butter" is now working a lot better
6. And other CM changes (theme support etc.)
So, as you can see that deep sleeping is now working and this is the best news for your battery. More battery life and more fun with the new update. Plus, latest CM source has been synced and now theme support is also available. All these changes and other improvements undoubtedly give you better taste of Jelly Bean. So, if you haven't already tried out the latest android operating system yet on your galaxy mini or pop s5570 smartphone, then it's the right time.
Download the rom from below and follow the flashing instructions given afterwards to get latest CM10 beta 2 on your galaxy mini.
Disclaimer : Do It At Your Own Risk!
Note : Those who have Gingerbread (Android 2.3 and above) can skip Step 1. Moreover, if you have any Custom Recovery and/or Custom Rom installed on your device then you can skip both Step 1 and Step 2.
- Upgrade your firmware to Gingerbread using Odin Multidownloader v4.38
- Install Clock Work Mod Recovery for Samsung Galaxy Mini/Pop.
- Download required files and updates from below :
- Unofficial CyanogenMod 10 Beta 2 : cm-10-20120729-UNOFFICIAL-tass-beta-2.zip
- Official Google Apps for Jelly Bean : gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip
- Copy the downloaded files to the (root directory of) your sd-card.
- Reboot your device to Custom Recovery (Press Home + Power Button).
- [Optional but, Recommended] Do a Nandroid Backup of your current rom.
- Now from recovery main menu and select Wipe Data option.
- Confirm data wipe by selecting Yes.
- Now flash this android 4.1.1 jellybean based cyanogenmod 10 rom using clockwork mod recovery. Follow these steps :
- Choose Install Zip From Sd Card option.
- Select Choose Zip From SD Card option.
- Now select cm-10-20120729-UNOFFICIAL-tass-beta-2.zip downloaded in step 3.
- Confirm the installation and wait till the rom is installed on you handset.
- Flash Latest Google Apps for Jelly Bean in CWM recovery.
- Choose Install Zip From Sd Card option.
- Select Choose Zip From SD Card option.
- Now select the gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip file which you downloaded in step 3.
- Confirm the installation and wait till the zip is installed on you handset.
- Reboot your device from your recovery main menu.
That's all with it. You've successfully upgraded or installed latest android operating system on your Samsung Galaxy Mini or Pop S5570 smartphone. If you like the rom or want to find out more about it then, you may visit the developers thread and thank him for his contribution. Moreover, if you have any doubts or issues while flashing the firmware than do leave a comment at The Wall below.
July 14, 2012
Thanks to some of the website in the web such as sammobile.com and sampro.pl, some of the Samsung Android smart phones owners get lucky to mess with their handsets. These sites provide leaked firmware flashing tools (like Odin Multi Downloader and corresponding .OPS file) as well as various official stock firmwares for downloads for various Samsung smartphones. By using these tools, Samsung smartphone owners can upgrade/flash a firmware on their device, install custom clock work mod recovery and do many other things.
However, not all people are technically advance and thus can't do everything properly. They don't pay attention to the details and instructions and end up bricking their handset rendering it useless. So, it's necessary to be careful and follow all firmware flashing instructions carefully before trying out anything silly on their handsets.
In this article, I'll list some of the problems/errors faced while using Odin and corresponding solution for these errors. But, before that here are few precautions to be taken while flashing firmware via Odin.
Can't find the error you're facing. Just leave us the details at the comments below and we'll try to provide a solution to your Odin firmware flashing error.
However, not all people are technically advance and thus can't do everything properly. They don't pay attention to the details and instructions and end up bricking their handset rendering it useless. So, it's necessary to be careful and follow all firmware flashing instructions carefully before trying out anything silly on their handsets.
In this article, I'll list some of the problems/errors faced while using Odin and corresponding solution for these errors. But, before that here are few precautions to be taken while flashing firmware via Odin.
- Make sure your device is fully charged (At least 80 % of battery charge is recommended).
- Make sure proper drivers for your Samsung smart phone are installed on your PC.
- Note that you are using correct version of Odin Multidownloader tool and correct .ops or .pit file file for your handset.
- Check the firmware details and find a upgrade for your current firmware. It's always recommend to flash firmware from your own region and your own country (if possible). While flashing firmware from other region will work fine, you should be careful not to flash provider specific firmwares on your sim unlocked phone or vice versa.
- Make sure that Samsung Kies is closed or disabled (or uninstalled).
- Be sure to follow all the precautions and flashing instructions carefully.
1. Cannot open the usb serial port. code: 5 error
This error occurs when Odin can't access the port on which your device is connected. It can happen when your device drivers are not installed properly or when your smartphone is communicating with some other devices using the same port. To solve this issues make sure :- Samsung USB drivers are installed properly. Fast and easy way to do this is install Samsung Kies (if you don't have it already.)
- Your device is connected properly in download mode.
- Samsung Kies (aka Kies PC) and all it's process are closed (not running in the background). You can freeze Samsung Kies or uninstall it.
2. Odin says PASS, but, my phone is still not booting up. It only shows Samsung boot animation.
While on most cases, your handset will boot fine even before Odin says PASS. But, sometimes due to the data from the previous version or due to some temporary files your device will fail to boot successfully showing you only the Samsung boot animation for minutes. So, the simple solution to this is to wipe data (do a factory reset) and cache in recovery.
- Only after Odin says PASS, take out your battery and put it back again.
- Now, boot up your phone by pressing Volume Up + Home + Power button simultaneously. This will boot it to recovery mode.
- Select wipe data/do a factory reset option in recovery.
- Select wipe cache option.
- When done, select reboot option from the top.
That's all. Now your phone should boot fine within few minutes. Another solution to avoid this issue is to wipe data before flashing the new firmware.
July 9, 2012
Network Lock (aka. carrier lock or sim-lock) is a special type of lock on mobile phones that bind a particular handset with their network, rendering the owner unable to use the handset with other network providers. This is also the reason why the carriers provide phones for cheap, while the same cost more than double when bought a unlocked version (from other stores).
So, at one point or other everyone needs to get out of this restriction, either you're fed with the huge bills your carrier is charging you and want to switch to another carrier to cut down your bills or for other reasons or you simply want to avoid the huge roaming charges that can be incurred if you are planning to go out of you country for some whiles, there'll be the need to (network) unlock your handset.
Hence, to help you do just that with your carrier locked Samsung Galaxy Mini GT-S5570 smartphone, in this article I'll detail a easy and comparatively safer method to successfully unlock your android powered galaxy mini or pop smartphone. However, before trying the tutorial below, it is recommended that you ask your network operator for the sim unlock code, in most cases they will provide you this code (after you've been with contract to them for some while). If you're not provided with the code, then it's recommended that you follow the instructions below to unlock your galaxy mini s5570 smartphone.
Requirements
Extract the bml5 partition from your handset.
How to get the unlock code for your galaxy mini s5570 handset?
Now that you've the code, you can simply unlock your handset by inserting a foreign sim card (i.e. sim card from other carrier or provider) and when it pops for unlock code just put the network unlock code that you got from above in the fields and you should be able to use the new sim card.
That's all with unlocking your galaxy mini gt-s5570 smartphone. Please, note that this method is found to the working on other similar handsets like galaxy ace gt-s5830 and galaxy i5500. Also, while unlock code can be found in custom roms too, you can unlock the handset while running a custom firmware as the sim unlock dialog is removed from such roms and you won't get prompt to put in your unlock code.So, it is recommend that you flash a stock firmware while trying this out. However, stock based roms like emanoN might still popup the window to insert unlock code when you boot your handset with a sim from different carrier.
Many thanks to the xda-developer member AlkaDragos for sharing this working method with us. You can find more information at the original thread. If there are any doubts regarding the steps above then feel free to ask at the comments below. Happy unlocking and happy roaming!
So, at one point or other everyone needs to get out of this restriction, either you're fed with the huge bills your carrier is charging you and want to switch to another carrier to cut down your bills or for other reasons or you simply want to avoid the huge roaming charges that can be incurred if you are planning to go out of you country for some whiles, there'll be the need to (network) unlock your handset.
Hence, to help you do just that with your carrier locked Samsung Galaxy Mini GT-S5570 smartphone, in this article I'll detail a easy and comparatively safer method to successfully unlock your android powered galaxy mini or pop smartphone. However, before trying the tutorial below, it is recommended that you ask your network operator for the sim unlock code, in most cases they will provide you this code (after you've been with contract to them for some while). If you're not provided with the code, then it's recommended that you follow the instructions below to unlock your galaxy mini s5570 smartphone.
Requirements
- Galaxy Mini handset : This is your Samsung galaxy mini gt-s5570 smartphone that needs to be unlocked. If you are unsure that your phone is network locked or not, then dial *#7465625# in your keypad to see if you are locked to any network or not.
- Hex Editor app : This app will be used to edit the bml5.img file that we'll extract from your handset and look for the unlocked code on it. xvi32 is a easy to use simple software for windows PC that'll let you do this with ease.
- bml5.img : This is the bml5 partition of your galaxy mini handset that we'll be extracting shortly (see detailed procedure below on how to get this file). This file contains your unlock code and we'll be looking for it using xvi32 app.
- Hex-Editor-xvi32.zip : A simple hex editor we're going to use in this process. You can use any that you prefer.
Extract the bml5 partition from your handset.
- Make sure you've adb drivers installed on your handset. If not you read through this article to download and learn the basics of using adb.
- Make sure USB Debugging is enabled on your handset. To enable it go to Settings -> Applications -> Development and check USB Debugging option.
- Run command prompt on your PC. To do so, type command or cmd at Run prompt.
- Now browse to the folder that contain adb tools (adb.exe) using cd command and type the following commands.
adb shell
Here's a short explanation of what we did above. We used adb shell to get to the device's terminal and then obtain root access using su command. Then using cat command to put all the files in the bml5 (It's pronounced BE-EM-EL-FIVE) partition (which lies in /dev/block/ directory in galaxy mini) and put them in a image file named bml5.img in sdcard. Finally, we pulled the file to your PC for further processing.
su
cat /dev/block/bml5>/sdcard/bml5.img
exit
exit
adb pull /sdcard/bml5.img bml5.img
ADB Commands to extract bml5 partition and get it to your PC. - That's all. Close command window and follow the instructions in next step.
How to get the unlock code for your galaxy mini s5570 handset?
- Download and extract the xvi32 hex editor app from above.
- Now run the xvi32.exe app.
- Press Ctrl + O (or, Go to File Menu and then select Open ) and load the bml5.img file that we downloaded from your phone in the previous step.
- Now go to Search Menu and select Find (or press Ctrl + F shortcut) and look for the following HEX string. Make sure to select Case Sensitive in Options, Down in Direction and Begin in Scope from fields in your search. (see image below).
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
- Now keep searching by pressing F3 (or selecting Find again down option in Search Menu) until you find your eight digit unlock code in plain text surrounded by unknown characters at the right half of the hex editor app window (see image below). It might take your three to six searches (F3) to find the code.
- That's all. Now that you've got the unlock code, note it down somewhere on your PC or a paper for later use and close everything else.
 |
| Open bml5.img using File > Open menu. |
 |
| Search HEX string using XVI32 Hex editor app. |
 |
| A sample unlock code (it's always on the right part and of 8 characters) |
Now that you've the code, you can simply unlock your handset by inserting a foreign sim card (i.e. sim card from other carrier or provider) and when it pops for unlock code just put the network unlock code that you got from above in the fields and you should be able to use the new sim card.
That's all with unlocking your galaxy mini gt-s5570 smartphone. Please, note that this method is found to the working on other similar handsets like galaxy ace gt-s5830 and galaxy i5500. Also, while unlock code can be found in custom roms too, you can unlock the handset while running a custom firmware as the sim unlock dialog is removed from such roms and you won't get prompt to put in your unlock code.So, it is recommend that you flash a stock firmware while trying this out. However, stock based roms like emanoN might still popup the window to insert unlock code when you boot your handset with a sim from different carrier.
Many thanks to the xda-developer member AlkaDragos for sharing this working method with us. You can find more information at the original thread. If there are any doubts regarding the steps above then feel free to ask at the comments below. Happy unlocking and happy roaming!
June 30, 2012
Cyanmobile is a modified version of latest cyanogen mod 7.2 rom. The developer, squadzone, has worked hard on this rom and has added a lot of new features that are not yet available on cyanogenmod builds. Features such as Statusbar battery styles, text color selection, integrated (in-buit) app2sd script (disabled by default), Hardware buttons call receive and end, etc and many other customizations such as Ice Cream Sandwich theme, Cyanogenmod 9 Settings Layout,
How do I move my apps and data to sd-ext in Cyanmobile rom? The developer says "Don't use a2sd or s2e app".
The developer says so as the latest versions of Cyanmobile rom come with an inbuit a2sd script that will help you move all your apps and app data (along with dalvik-cache) to the second (sd-ext) partition of your sd-card. To enable this option you just follow the steps below. It is noted that you need to partition your sd-card before following the steps below.
- Make sure you check Mount SD-ext on boot and Enable data2sd on Development Settings.
- Then go to Cyanmobile Settings >> Application and select SD-Ext as Install Location.
- Reboot your handset (It is recommended to reboot twice for better performance.)
That's all. From now on all your applications and games will be installed on sd-ext partition. However, you might need to manually move already installed apps into sd-ext from Manage Application Settings.
"I cannot see the call accept and deny buttons when receiving a call..." How am I supposed to answer a call or reject it?
If you have got a call in your cyanmobile rom then, you'll probably notice that there are not accept or reject in-call user interface buttons. While many have mistaken this as a bug, in truth this a new feature introduced in latest cyanmobile release. To answer your call you simply have to press the Menu (left) button and to reject or end a call you simply press the Back (right) hardware buttons.
Moreover, this is a default behavior only and the users have the flexibility to choose their liking of answering styles. If you want to old touch (soft) buttons instead of replying or rejecting by the hardware buttons then you simply follow the steps give below.
- Run your Settings app from app drawer.
- Browse to CyanMobile Settings >> Sound option.
- In Sound settings, scroll until you see Call Features heading under which all call tweaks and settings are included.
- Now, Check Allow In-Call UI Touch option.
And, you are done. Now you should get the normal slide to answer type screen (varies depending upon your settings). If you want to use the hardware buttons then, just check the two options at the same Call Features options in Sound settings.
June 29, 2012
Problem :
Clockwork Mod recovery says can't mount /system when I try to do a backup... What should I do ? I own a Samsung Galaxy Mini handset (if that's needed).Solution :
The error is an expected one and happens generally when you are trying to backup a stock rom using the clock work mod recovery. Please, note that you can't do a completed nandroid backup of a stock firmwares. So, just install any custom rom and then you can backup and restore anytime.
Also, sometimes you also face errors as given below :
Such errors are normal when you visit clockworkmod recovery while on stock samsung firmware. Since clockworkmod on galaxy mini is not fully compatible with stock rom, you'll get these errors. Simply flashing a custom rom on your galaxy mini handset removes this messages from clockworkmod recovery. |
| Clockworkmod Recovery Error Messages |
E: Can't open /cache/recovery/log
E: Can't mount /cache/recovery/last_log
E: Can't open /cache/recovery/last_log
However, if you don't plan to install custom rom, then it doesn't make sense to install custom recovery like clockworkmod. So, I suggest removing it by flashing stock rom via Odin which will overwrite clockworkmod recovery with stock android recovery.
Question :
Then, How do I backup my stock Android firmware? What if I want to go back to stock rom after flashing any custom rom?
Reply :
Well, the fact that you can't backup a stock rom could be troublesome if you want to return back to official stock firmwares on your handset. While some Samsung stock firmwares are made available by sites like sammobile.com and sampro.pl, not all firmwares might be available. Moreover, not all devices can install these leaked firmwares.
You might also want to read :
How to Revert Back to Original Stock Firmware?
How to Do a Complete Nandroid Backup of a Rom?
Depending upon your handset and the fact whether Odin Multidownloader -- a firmware flashing utility for Samsung smart phones -- is available for it or not, there's possibility that you can return to stock rom. If required flashing programs are available and if (upgraded) firmware is available for your region then you can download it, load it in Odin, reboot your handset to download mode and then flash/install it within few minutes and change your handset to make it look alike to that of the very first day you bought it. That's why it's always recommended to keep the firmware details of your handset (you can dial *#1234#* Samsung secret code and get PDA, Baseband and CSC details of your current firmware).
If Odin or similar firmware flashing tool is not available for your handset, then I'd suggest you to think carefully before moving to any custom firmware.
June 20, 2012
Question
My Galaxy Mini GT-S5570 comes with following details :Android Froyo 2.2.1 COMPILATION : FROYO.XWKAC KERNEL : 2.6.32.9-PERF ROOT@DELL91 #1 *#1234# INFO : PDA: S5570XWKAC PHONE: S5570XXKA5 CSC : S5570TMNKB1
Now, I've decided to go for a custom Rom instead (cyanogenmod) because my device is lacking support from my carrier/provider (TMN). So, I need advice/help with following queries. I'd appreciate if you can help me with all this.
- Shall I install CWM recovery for froyo and backup or just update the rom by flashing custom one?
- As I'm aware it's not possible to backup a stock ROM (even with Odin) ??!! Isn’t that true?
- But can I use Titanium to backup apps and stuff from stock rom?? Is this in anyway useful?
- Can I flash or update a custom rom like cyanogenmod directly over Froyo or shall I first flash GB stock rom with Odin?
- Also, in your opinion which is the best stable custom rom to use/flash in my GT-S5570 that supports Portuguese language?
- Which version of clockwork mod (CWM) recovery is best to use?
Reply
Thank you for submitting your query to us. I see you still are left with Android 2.2 Froyo, while official Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread firmwares are already available for many regions. Also, it would have helped me if you told me from which country of region you are. But, let it go now for now.So, let me start by replying to your queries. I would not recommend installing clockwork mod recovery for froyo and then doing a backup. At first it's not possible to take backup of stock firmwares like Froyo or Gingerbread. Also, most custom roms require you to have Gingerbread as a base firmware on your handset, before they can be installed on your galaxy mini. So, the first thing you'd do is upgrade your firmware to latest GB version.
The GB firmware I recommend for you can be downloaded from below. It's a the latest Android v2.3.6 firmware and should work fine on your phone. Using the firmware from below and following instructions at http://yagyagaire.blogspot.com/2011/08/upgrade-samsung-galaxy-popmini-gts5570.html (these are instructions to flash galaxy mini using Odin but for other firmware. However, you can follow the same steps to upgrade your handset with the firmware listed below.
Firmware : S5570XWKTN
File Name : GT-S5570_S5570XWKTN_S5570OXXKTB_S5570XWKT6.rar
Android : 2.3.6
Download : Mirror
And, yes as I said above, you can't backup any firmware with Odin. It's custom recovery that is used to backup roms/system.
Titanium backup is one of the mostly used application, that can help you backup games and applications on your android smartphone. However, you can't backup call logs, contacts, sms, etc. using this app. One way (the simple one) to backup these things is to sync your handset with a powerful phone management app called MyPhoneExplorer. I've detailed more about this software at this article. However, you can also look for other apps at Play Store that can save/backup your calls, contacts, APNs, etc.
Most of your queries seem to be related. Anyway, as mentioned above, you can't install cyanogenmod or other custom roms like emanoN, minisense, etc. on Froyo. These custom rom require that you have gingerbread boot-loader installed on your handset. For this you'll need to upgrade your Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 to Gingerbread firmware using Odin. Follow details mentioned above.
Again, I'm not sure about languages, however, latest official cyanogenmod 7.2 stable should support Portuguese and should also run fast and smooth. I suggest you to try this rom first. If you don't like it want something more then, you can search for other custom roms at http://yagyagaire.blogspot.com [I've got screenshots, and details there, it shouldn't be difficult for you to choose one.]
I'd recommend to use clockwork mod recovery v4.0.0.5 for those who are flashing any roms for the first time. Because many have faced issues while flashing via latest clock work mod recovery. However, later you can upgrade your clockwork mod recovery to latest v5.0.2.6 version if you want.
That's all with your problems/doubts. I hope everything is clear now. However, if you have any further questions then, please post a comment below and I shall reply to your queries.
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