Samsung

I've now got rid of my Samsung F480 and got myself a nice HTC Tattoo. The main reason I got rid of the F480 is because A. the touchscreen had stopped working and B. I completely destroyed the phone trying to get it into another chassis!

I'm liking the Tattoo which runs Android 1.6. One thing that is annoying though is the amount Orange seem to have customized it and the fact that not a lot of applications in the Android marketplace support QVGA. This means they are just not available. Apparently more VGA Android devices will be out soon so support should increase.

Anyway...

Here are a couple of interesting sites I've found along with apps to customise your phone.

PandaHome
Vastly superior home screen replacement compatible with loads of themes
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-nd-android-pandahome-jtj...

Layar
Overlays your camera with real time info (augmented reality). Great for getting the tube home!
http://www.layar.com/

How to Flash Your Tatto
Guide to debrand your Tattoo. I've not been brave enough to try it yet but sure I will soon!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5179788&postcount=1

Android 2.1 on the HTC Tattoo
A leaked user agent image confirming a 2.1 upgrade for the Tattoo some time soon!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5139802 Read more »

Jordan over at samsungflashwiki has managed to get some screen shots of the new open platform from Samsung known as 'bada'. It looks like developers can get involved and make their own apps for Samsung devices which is a much better idea than the current widgets. It doesn't look like it's going to beat the iPhone or Android but its nice to have another option which is probably cheaper as well. Take a look at the links below for more info!

http://samsungflash.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/2327680-samsung-bada...
http://www.samsungbada.com/
http://developer.bada.com

Jordon over at the Samsung Flash Wiki has created a guide for those of you who own an F480i so below is a link. Enjoy!

http://samsungflash.webs.com/apps/wiki/flashing-f480i

It looks like RevLin Software are taking up the challenge of porting Android, Google's open source mobile operating system, along with their own OS to the Samsung F480!

This is an easy way to improve the Touchpad sensitivity on the Tocco. I found it a bit jumpy before this tweak but following these instructions improves things quite a bit! Read more »

This is how to work out which firmware version you have on your Samsung phone. This info was taken from the gsmhosting.com forums. Read more »

This information is taken mostly from GSM-Forum.com, but I have compiled all the information myself and updated it with links for software and other information. Enjoy!

A couple of things you need to know first.

DISCLAIMER
This guide has been taken from several sources. Please do not blame me if anything goes wrong. Following these instructions has worked fine for me but I cannot guarantee it will work the same for you.

Make sure to backup all the content on your phone as everything will be deleted including your address book! Read more »