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乐不起来的乐Phone:市场需要的是开放的心态

June 10th, 2010 Engputer 1 comment

Android 各种各样的原因促使了我和联通签约了2899的乐PhoneLePhone)186套餐。我承认我是Google Fan,所以购买乐Phone的初衷也是奔着Andriod操作系统和3G上网去的。买回来研究了2天,发现联想这样的策略有点问题,和大家共同探讨下吧。

从各种媒体介质了解到柳传志在阉割联想手机业务的时候一直保留了联想手机研究院,这个决策是值得肯定的,对于联想而言,手机市场一直是他所觊觎的蛋糕。但是研究院在研究的方向是有问题的。拿乐Phone来说,从媒体上获悉,联想修改了Android的40%的代码,并且把Google的影子剥离的无影无踪——你无法找到Google的Android Market,也无法找到Google常用的内置软件,但是多了非常多的本土软件的捆绑。从商业角度出发,这个是没有什么问题;但是从口碑和客户的感情出发,联想在做一件非常危险的事情。

首先我们来分析下什么样的人是乐Phone的用户群。乐Phone的定价在2899,这个价位说实在的从乐Phone的硬件配置和3G套餐情况来说不贵,和iPhone比起来属于第二梯队,客户群基本可以定位为公司小白领和学生族。买智能机的白领和学生族会有一个共同的需求,那就是折腾。折腾中最让用户有成就感的就是刷机。把手机当成电脑一样,安装不同的ROM,不同的操作系统已经成为刷机一族的爱好,乐Phone强悍的硬件实力更是吸引了这一部分用户。所以简单一点来说,乐Phone的用户群就是喜欢折腾的,对Google有好感的年轻人

乐Phone 但是这群年轻人高兴不起来。他们中极少部分是高手,目前也许正在研究怎样破解乐Phone并且有办法把原生的Android系统在乐Phone上跑起来;但是大部分的刷机一族对代码一窍不通,喜欢照着别人的教程一步一步的把手机给刷掉,满足自己的成就感。

联想手机研究院做的是什么事情呢?去Google化,去开源化!用户无法在手机里安装Google最基本的应用:Gmail;也无法安装Android Market去试用更多的软件,只能通过APK文件一个一个的安装,或者安装国内机友制作的第三方Market。联想自带的商城里面的软件品质的确有不错的产品,但是自己另起炉灶搞一套商城体系和Phone抗衡也能够理解,但是用户的致命需求却得不到满足。联通也跟着起哄,封堵了很多的网站,包括Andriod Developer的网页也被封。

为什么用户在绞尽脑汁获取Root权限,想办法安装Android原生系统——不言而喻,目前的乐Phone改良后的系统和联通网络无法满足乐Phone用户折腾的需求

乐Phone用户对强悍的硬件无法发挥其作用不满,用户对联想不开放的态度不满,用户对互联网上最新的科技生产力在华被限而不满,这些统统的不满都会发泄在破解乐Phone的系统之上。

Android系统已经是一个开源开放的系统,Google也是一个在遵守法律框架之内充分自由的公司,但是把一个开源的系统做成了不开源的产品,并且引起用户的反感,却不是Google做Android系统的初衷,也不是Andriod的用户群所希望看到的局面。说实话如果有这资金和时间去研发乐Phone的OS(说好听点叫研发,说难听点叫去Google化),还不如把这些资源投入到App的开发中来,然后和其他的社群一样做一个第三方的Market的模式会让用户更舒服,而且你投入的成本也会小的多的多。

现在好了,乐Phone的OS的研发团队总算把乐Phone给研发出来了——这么不辞辛苦的做了这么多去Google的事情,怎么能这样前功尽弃呢?我也看到很多人在论坛里面一个劲的对联想充满了希望,但是我个人觉得如果不以一个开放的心态来面对这件事情,希望渺茫。

我个人对苹果的东西是没什么好感,尤其是苹果的iPad,其性价比还不如一台比它便宜一半多的10英寸的上网本。联想发布乐Phone的目的也就是为了和iPhone叫板。但是联想把Android最核心的玩法给剥离,并且另起炉灶的行为使得它无法和广阔的Andriod Market一起携手搞死iPhone,反而是借助国外Andriod Market的影响力混饭吃,说两句不痛不痒的话,对媒体和公众表表“击败iPhone”的野心——但是用户看的很清楚:在没击败iPhone之前联想想的更多的是商业利益和垄断,不考虑用户群的致命需求——这样的思路和执行是无法击败如日中天的iPhone。

我们也许不应该寄希望在联想身上,毕竟上了年纪的柳传志和乔布斯的言论颇有相似之处:都非常的傲气,对对手不屑一顾,想搞垄断——但是也许正是这种不屑一顾不断的给自己暗示,让他们对自己的观点深信不疑,想以个人影响力想去改变用户习惯——却把等待成本、遗憾甚至愤怒留给了用户,你说这能成功么?

乔布斯柳传志

我是希望厂商把精力更多的放在用户需求和体验之上,这和做游戏是一样的——游戏策划再牛,99%策划出来的东西都是他个人觉得有意思的东西,而非用户需要的东西你只有把握了用户的需求而非你个人的拍脑袋,你才有可能赢得人气,赢得口碑,赢得利益

Android on Windows Mobile HTC Hardware

April 27th, 2010 Engputer 3 comments

着迷于Android好久了,一直想让ETEN M700装上Android。网上搜索了下发现了以下这篇文章,虽然对ETEN没啥用处,但是也许对有HTC的朋友想尝试Android有帮助,特转之。

原帖地址:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=621498

Android on your Windows Mobile HTC Device

Supports Blackstone, Diamond, Diamond 500, Fuze, Raphael, Raphael 800, Rhodium, Tilt 2 & Topaz

First things first, this post is PURELY an instruction guide for noobies that aims to reflect the latest status and downloads (give or take a day).

I am not an Android developer, I do not create any of this software… this is done by far more talented people than I. This thread is purely to collate the latest info for Android on Windows Mobile HTC devices and make deploying Android on your device as simple as possible.

If you have new information that should be added to the guide (and is relevant for ALL folks) then feel free to add to the thread and I’ll update the OP frequently.

These opening few posts should have ALL the latest info you need to get started (no need to trawl through the threads).

The only time you ‘might’ need to look in the thread is for ‘breaking news’ info that is no more than a day old…i.e. The Opening Post is the place!

What’s New?
Latest Update: 19 Apr 2010 (V2.1c)

  • New Kernel, offering more available memory, therefore improving performance.
  • Overclocking supported – Just choose ‘overclocking’ version from the installer menu
  • New installer/setup – Allows a wider choice of configurations, and is more graphical. Since this is the first version with the new installer/setup, there could be some minor bugs… please let me know how the new installer looks / works.
  • system.sqsh (14.04.10) + Rootfs (14.04.10) + initrd (28.03.10) + htc-msm-android@20100419_195348 Kernel/WiFi + conf file for NO partitions
  • This is NOT a SENSE release, it is a regular Android release, but should have more stablity.
  • I have abandoned the ‘Android’ subfolder on installation. This didn’t offer much value, and complicated things slightly for some users, so back to the old Root installation.
  • This release (on my Blackstone) appears to be fast. Startup times are great. However, I can’t test on other devices.
  • There is a chance that after installation, some Startup.txt settings MAY be incorrect for your device. If you discover any mistake, PLEASE let me know, I will correct asap. I need your help on this guys.

How To Install (CAB Version)

  • Step 1 – Prepare your SD Card
    Find a nice clean SD card to load Android on.
    You can either format your card to get it entirely clean, or you can leave all the files you may already have on there.
    *Warning* – If you have valuable data on your card, back it up. Android is usually safe, but if you can’t afford to lose the data on your card, don’t risk it!
    Some cards have difficulty working, there is a POSSIBILITY this is due to the formatting of the card. If in doubt, format to FAT32, not FAT16
  • Step 2 – Download and install the CAB
    Download and install the following ‘full package’ cab (a collection of ALL the files you’ll need to run Android on your device) by clicking the XDAndroid Cab button below.



    You MUST install on the Storage Card. The cab file will take a couple of minutes to install Android. Please be patient.
    For those that are interested the cab files does the following:
    - Installs Android in the root of the SD Card
    - Deploys the correct Startup.txt for the device (the user can choose their device type)
    - Adds a high res icon for Android in the root of the SD Card
    - Installs a shortcut in Program Files named "Android" (launches Haret.exe)
    - Installs the high res icon in the registry for WM6.5 users
  • Step 3 – Run Android
    Android is now installed… So launch ‘Android’ from your Program Files menu in WinMo. Your phone should reboot into Android with 2 quick vibrations.
    Have patience… the first time you do this can take a LONG time (3 mins or more). During the first boot on SOME devices, you will be asked to calibrate the screen. This is very similar to Windows Mobile screen calibration (except it’s in text mode).
    The reason the first boot takes longer is that Android is ‘preparing’ your device for the first time. :-)

How To Install (ZIP Version)

  • Step 1 – Prepare your SD Card
    Find a nice clean SD card to load Android on.
    You can either format your card to get it entirely clean, or you can leave all the files you may already have on there.
    *Warning* – If you have valuable data on your card, back it up. Android is usually safe, but if you can’t afford to lose the data on your card, don’t risk it!
    Some cards have difficulty working, there is a POSSIBILITY this is due to the formatting of the card. If in doubt, format to FAT32, not FAT16
  • Step 2 – Download and extract the ZIP
    Download and install the following ‘full package’ zip(a collection of ALL the files you’ll need to run Android on your device) by clicking the XDAndroid zip button below.



    You MUST unzip to the ROOT of the Storage Card. The zip file will take a short while to extract. Please be patient.
    Once you’ve extracted the zip:
    - Click Auto-Setup.exe to configure XDAndroid for your particular device
  • Step 3 – Run Android
    Android is now installed… So launch ‘Android’ from your Program Files menu in WinMo. Your phone should reboot into Android with 2 quick vibrations.
    Have patience… the first time you do this can take a LONG time (3 mins or more). During the first boot on SOME devices, you will be asked to calibrate the screen. This is very similar to Windows Mobile screen calibration (except it’s in text mode).
    The reason the first boot takes longer is that Android is ‘preparing’ your device for the first time. :-)

If you want to exit Android and go back to Windows Mobile, then you need to remove the battery, or press the reset button of your device. Sorry folks, but that’s how it is!)

Known Issues
Many things are still not working properly, and the developers are fully aware of 99% of them.

  • SDCard – Most SDCards are working, but if you the ‘waiting for SDCard’ message, you should try one of these fixes (and please let us know if it works)
    Fix 1: Format your card with this tool http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter/
    Fix 2: Edit your startup.txt file and add these entries to your cmdline:
    set cmdline "lcd.density=240 msmts_calib=0×395.0x3c9.0×79.0×77 clock-7×00.a11=500 msmvkeyb_toggle=off pmem.extra=1 gsensor_axis=-2,-1,3
    msmsdcc_1bit msmsdcc_fmax=14000000 msmsdcc_nopwrsave"

    Fix 3: Tell your wife / girlfriend that you are about to make some modifications to her phone… change the ringtone and steal her old Class 2 SD Card to use with Android. She will never discover what you have done, and if she does, you’ll be able to use Android to send texts to your former girlfriends ;-)
  • Camera – Not working
  • GPS – Not working
  • Battery Status – Highly problematic for most users (don’t trust the capacity Android tells you, it’s simply up and down a lot, and highly inaccurate)
  • WiFi – Working for most people, suspected to cause slight heat, definitely drains the battery faster than WinMo. Some users have reported freezes when switching WiFi off
  • Audio – Speaker working for most people, microphone can have issues
  • Deep Sleep – Working for most people, but can have issues waking up (sometimes, it will not wake up)
  • GPRS – Working
  • 3G – Working for most
  • PIN Code – Not working
  • GSensor – Working (Screen only handles 0 and 270 degrees)
  • Bluetooth – Experimentally working (don’t expect too much, but it’s working for a number of users)
  • OpenGL ES – Not working
  • USB – Supported, but will NOT operate in mass storage mode. You can charge via USB and you can debug, but forget accessing your files by it.
  • Headphone Socket – Semi working (see FAQ for details on how to make it work)
  • Application Errors: It’s very common to see ‘Application (xxxxxx) is not responding: Force Close or Wait’. Click wait. I do not know the precise reason for this, but from what I can gather, it COULD be related to the slow speed of the SD Card causing the app response times to JUST be a little too slow for Android’s liking, thus causing the message. This seems to happen more after bootup or wakeup when the device is busy doing stuff in the background.
  • Cannot choose ringtones: This is believed to be caused by the media scanner failing (due to discovering some filenames with none English characters). The best option of all is to use a CLEAN SD Card. But, if you insist on hosting other files on the same SD Card, you MUST make sure they have English character filenames.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where can I download a release?
    There are a number of Android releases (all at varying stages of development). Use the search function to locate one, or try these:
    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=621498 (Standard XDAndroid for ALL Devices)
    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624808 (Customised Android UI for Blackstone)
    Both come with very clear instructions on how to install
  • What features are in a release?
    Generally, it’s very difficult to detail them, unless there is a significant new feature (in which case, that will be very well advertised!). Usually it’s minor speed improvements, bug fixes etc… and sometimes, new bugs are introduced (so bear that in mind)
  • My SD Card doesn’t seem to work, why?
    Most SD Cards are working, but if you the ‘waiting for SDCard’ message, you should try one of these fixes (and please let us know if it works)
    Fix 1: Format your card with this tool http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter/
    Fix 2: Edit your startup.txt file and add these red entries to your cmdline:
    set cmdline "lcd.density=240 msmts_calib=0×395.0x3c9.0×79.0×77 clock-7×00.a11=500 msmvkeyb_toggle=off pmem.extra=1 gsensor_axis=-2,-1,3
    msmsdcc_1bit msmsdcc_fmax=14000000 msmsdcc_nopwrsave"

    Fix 3: Tell your wife / girlfriend that you are about to make some modifications to her phone… change the ringtone and steal her old Class 2 SD Card to use with Android. She will never discover what you have done, and if she does, you’ll be able to use Android to send texts to your former girlfriends ;-)
  • How do I turn off, or reboot Android?
    You pull the battery, or press the reset button. When a better solution is found, it will be announced.
  • Q. My phone just went from 50% to 20% in next to no time!
    A. OK, this is the MOST important thing to know before you read on….
    Currently, you just can’t trust the ‘battery capacity’ being reported in Android. The developers are aware of this and will get it working properly soon, but at the moment, Android is very likely to get the battery capacity very mixed up, and so it’s quite hard to prove how long the usage is. Remember, Android can shut down when it THINKS there’s low battery, so just leaving your phone and not touching it can still cause a shutdown with plenty of battery left.
    If you REALLY need to know the capacity, boot into WinMo (although even this MIGHT be the wrong value if Android has messed up some charging history)… that said, WinMo is definitely reporting much more accurate values, and after a few charges of only using WinMo, the capacity reporting should get very accurate again.
  • Q. My phone doesn’t seem to last very long using these Android builds…why?
    A. Firstly, the developers are aware of this, and are working on it. Yes, we all know WinMo holds the power for a lot longer, but that’s because they knew the hardware inside out and could get the system to sleep in well behaved ways.
  • Q. So why can’t you just copy what WinMo does?
    A. Well, in theory most of what WinMo does CAN be replicated, but the developers have to track down all the chipset information they can, and figure out what WinMo is actually doing to get long life from the battery. Also, Linux isn’t Windows, and there ARE differences in how things behave, in some cases WinMo might be slightly better and in others, Linux slightly better, but overall, there shouldn’t be too much difference once everything is ironed out.
  • Q. So what the heck could be eating all the power right now?
    A. Well, there’s a whole bunch of hardware inside your phone, like CPU, Radio chips (for phone), WiFi chips, GPS chips, accelerometer, light sensor, LCD and Backlight, FM radio, audio chips etc. They all take power if left running, or if the usage isn’t optimised.
    Slowly but surely many of these components are being supported fully, but at the moment, some of them are ‘working’ but perhaps not optimally. Meaning they MIGHT be working harder than they need to, or simply not being switched off properly etc.
    In addition to this, it’s possible that some processes (system, or user apps) might be running all the time and causing a lot of battery use. E.g. animated wallpaper, clock animations, google sync communication, wifi searching etc etc.
  • Q. My phone seems to get rather warm, why?
    A. This has been noticed by many and seems related to WiFi and charging. When both are used together, it would seem that Androids high power consumption and heat generated from charging combine to make the device quite warm.
    It hasn’t yet been fully established why this is happening, and there doesn’t seem to be any serious issue with it (yes it’s warmer, but it’s not red hot).
    If you’re worried, avoid using Android with WiFi and charging at the same time, and stick with WinMo for charging, or just avoid Android altogether until you hear about a fix. However, hundreds of users are using the current builds and no failures have occurred, so it would seem ‘reasonably safe’ to still play around with the builds… and your help and feedback will help to improve the situation a lot quicker!… the choice is yours.
  • Q. Will the situation EVER be fixed?
    A. Yes, I am confident the devs will find a solution. This really isn’t a ‘can never be solved’ issue, it’s purely down to time and effort, so don’t panic!
  • Q. How do I make my GPRS / 3G data connection work?
    A. For some operators/carriers, you need to run Android, then go into settings, and locate the APN settings. You need to complete the APN settings for your Operator/Carrier/MVNO. You need to find these settings for yourself I’m afraid, it’s out of scope for this thread. You might look here http://www.modmygphone.com/wiki/inde…r_APN_Settings, but Google is your friend.
  • Q. Are the Android releases available in a ROM?
    No, Android is not yet available in a ROM format.
    Currently Android is installed by using a clean SD Card, and booted from there.
    It is booted by running a special application called ‘Haret.exe’ residing on your SD Card which will terminate the Windows kernel and boot into Linux/Android.
  • When will it be available in a ROM?
    No time soon. Folks are working on it, but you’ll need a lot of patience before it (if ever) arrives
  • How do I suggest features?
    Before you even think about it… ask yourself ONE question… "Do I really think I’m the first to have suggested my idea?" and then ask yourself "And what are the chances of it being read and implemented before all the other issues are fixed?".
    If you still feel it wise to ask for a feature…. go ahead. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
  • My question starts with the words "When will…" or "When is…" etc
    See above, the same applies. Stuff will appear when it appears. Do you really think you’re the only person dying to have GPS support, or power off, or stability etc?
  • Why doesn’t the camera work?
    It’s not yet supported. When it is, it will be announced.
  • Why isn’t GPS working?
    It’s not yet supported. When it is, it will be announced.
  • My battery doesn’t seem to last long, why?
    There are many reasons… first Android is not yet fully optimised for power management (so it’s not YET as good as WinMo), secondly, the battery status is highly problematic for most users (don’t trust the capacity Android tells you, it’s simply up and down a lot, and highly inaccurate)
  • Does WiFi work?
    Yes, it’s working for most people, suspected to cause slight heat, definitely drains the battery faster than WinMo. Some users have reported freezes when switching WiFi off (quite common problem)
  • Does Audio work?
    Yes, speaker working for most people, microphone can have issues.
  • I keep hearing ‘popping/clicking’ sounds from the speaker?
    This is a known annoyance on some devices, believed to be related to power management switching the speaker on and off (not confirmed), it actually seems worse in silent mode (ironically). If you experience this, you’re not alone… most users do. When a fix is ready, it will be announced here.
  • I can’t wake up my device, why?
    Deep Sleep is an issue for most people. Sometimes the device WILL wake up from a deep sleep, but sometimes it will not. If you can’t wake it up, reset.
  • Is GPRS supported?
    Yes, it works (but you MAY have to input your operator/carrier APN
  • Is 3G working?
    Yes, works for most, although some users are having trouble with Vodafone Netherlands.
  • Is SIM PIN Code working?
    No, it’s not yet implemented, so please DISABLE SIM PIN in WinMo (SIM PIN works on the SIM, but you need WinMo UI to disable it)
  • Is GSensor working?
    Yes, screen only handles 0 and 270 degrees though (so far)
  • Is Bluetooth working?
    No, it’s not yet implemented. As soon as it is, it will be announced.
  • Is 3D Supported?
    OpenGL ES is not supported yet. 3D GPU support IS currently being developed and available for some devices, but it’s still a bit buggy… so beware.
  • Can I connect via USB?
    Yes you can, but will NOT operate in mass storage mode. You can charge via USB and you can debug, but forget accessing your files by it.
  • Is the Headphone Socket working?
    Yes, but you need to activate it with a special command:
    For USB headset, add the following line to startup.txt…
    snd.force_headset=1
    For 3.5mm headset, add the following line to startup.txt…
    snd.force_headset=2
    You MAY have to make a call for the settings to actually be activated (a real pain), but that’s how it is so far!
  • ‘Application (xxxxxx) is not responding: Force Close or Wait’ keep appearing on my screen!
    Click wait. I do not know the precise reason for this, but from what I can gather, it COULD be related to the slow speed of the SD Card causing the app response times to JUST be a little too slow for Android’s liking, thus causing the message. This seems to happen more after bootup or wakeup when the device is busy doing stuff in the background.
  • I am having trouble with ringtones, why?
    This is believed to be caused by the media scanner failing (due to discovering some filenames with none English characters). The best option of all is to use a CLEAN SD Card. But, if you insist on hosting other files on the same SD Card, you MUST make sure they have English character filenames.
  • I seem to be able to boot Android, but then get a black screen after all the white text, why?
    This is a recent issue with the 3D hardware support… sadly it’s a little complicated… SOME devices need to be put in 3D mode BEFORE you launch Android, and some devices need precisely the opposite.. NO 3D access before you launch Haret…. So…
    To avoid using 3D…
    1) Turn off Sense/TouchFlo in WinMo.
    2) Reboot
    3) Launch Android again
    4) At the black screen…. WAIT for 2 mins, it should boot :-)

    To use 3D…
    1) Run any 3D app / game (I THINK Teeter will work, need to be confirmed)
    2) Launch Android
    3) You will need to do this EVERY time you launch Android
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