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Another Way To Root
OK, so let’s say you tried the Z4Root method of rooting your Android phone but for whatever reason it didn’t work. No worries…we have another way.
It’s another app called VISIONary+ and this one is not (at the time of this writing) available from the Android Market. Follow this link from your phone to go to the downoad…
Once you have it downloaded, go through the standard steps and install it. Before you run the app, though, go into your phones settings by hitting the Menu button while on the Home Screen. Select Settings and then Applications. Click on Development and make sure USB Debugging is checked. VISIONary+ won’t work if USB Debugging is not checked on.
VISIONary+ Menu
Now you can launch VISIONary+ and you will see a screen with several options. Like Z4Root, we have the options to run this in temproot or permanent root. With this app, to be on the safe side, we’re first just going to run a temp root. If you prefer, you can check the first check box (Temproot on boot) so that the program will automatically run the temproot everytime you turn the phone on. Don’t worry about selecting “Run Visionary.sh after root,” as that is just a way to run a script after you have rooted. Since we’re not doing any scripting, we won’t worry about that. Leave the rest of the settings alone and hit the Temproot Now button. You should now see the Visionary logo for a few seconds and you will just let the app do it’s thing.
Once it’s done you should be able to find the Superuser App in your App drawer. Now you are temporarily rooted (meaning that you’re rooted until you reboot your device). If that went well, you can now run a Permanent Root by
During the Rooting process
running Visionary again and pressing the Permanent Root button.
If at anytime you don’t want your device to be rooted, there is the Unroot button at the bottom of the screen as a way out.
Hopefully this works for you and if it does, drop a comment below and let me know what phone you performed the root on. If it didn’t work, let me know and we’ll figure out if there are different settings for your particular phone or version of Android. Happy Rooting!
Free Android Apps!!
UPDATE: Due to Applanet being down for an extended period of time, we have added a link to another app similar to Applanet but with better availability called BlackMarket Alpha. Check it out here…
Yes, you read that right. We are now going to get into the meat and potatoes of the seedy underside of the Android app world…free apps!
There are several ways of getting free apps, so we’re going to start with one of the more complete ways. An app called Applanet.
Before we can get into that, we have to get our phone ready. From the home screen, press the menu button and then select Options.
The Unknown Sources Menu
On the next menu, select Applications. Here, you should see an option that says Unknown Sources. Make sure this is checked. By default, your Android phone is setup to only allow you to download apps from the Android Market. They do this to make sure someone doesn’t try to install malicious apps that may damage your phone.
Now you’re ready to download Applanet and start downloading free apps. There are several ways to do this. First off, you can visit the applanet website…
There you will have several options of downloading the file either to your computer or straight to your phone if you’re visiting from your phones web browser.
Or, if you are like me and you’re just too lazy to go to another site…just hit the link below from your phone’s browser and you should start a download of the file.
You should see a download start on your phone. Once the download is complete, select the file and you should be prompted to install it, similar to any other app from the market. Go through the regular steps, install the file and you’re ready to go.
Applanet
You will immediately notice that Applanet is designed to look and behave just like the Android Market. There are categories and listings of free and paid apps. Find the apps you want, hit download, and enjoy.
Disclaimer: Why would someone download free apps? This is intended to be used to test drive apps. If you find an app you like, we STRONGLY recommend taking the time to buy the regular app on the market to help support the developers. They work hard to get the apps to you and without our support, who would be left to make apps?
Drop a comment below if this did or did not work for you. Applanet is a little finicky and often times their network is down, leaving you with just a blank screen when you launch it. Have patience with it and feel free to visit their site for more detailed info and technical help.
HackMondo 