Huck's Journal of Sorts

EDIT: Replaced download link with a fixed version as the previous one had a seemingly-intact yet broken boot.img that works fine at first glance, but would cause an error message if you attempt to perform an OTA update. Alright, I'm sure some of you may remember the now-infamous guide on how to turn that LeapFrog Epic demo unit you bought off eBay into a fully-functional device last year. It did work well by all intents and purposes, even going so far as being able to connect to LeapFrog services and download apps off their store, but the problem here is it relied on a method involving a workaround using a modified demo ROM, and the hidden Write Memory feature in SP Flash Tool (The secure boot feature in some MediaTek devices actually has this loophole where most critical system images e.g. boot and recovery are checked if they're properly signed on bootup, but system isn't for whatever reason, likely due to FOTA updates or something). Not to mention that the modifie...

Pun intended, that is. Lately I've noticed that tablets from certain vendors such as RCA, Nextbook and LeapFrog have implemented a security feature by Singapore-based Digital Safety , also known as DiSA. According to the Digital Safety website, it "is designed to offer complete supply chain and in-store protection against shrink." Fig. 1: A DiSA-protected device being activated That is, it does away with physical anti-theft locks wrapped on the device's box prior to being sold to the end-user, and replaces it with an activation system that prompts for a code to be given by the sales person by way of a receipt. As mentioned earlier, this has been implemented by a number of manufacturers, though I don't think they've done so with Apple considering they already have a system that's already effective enough as it is. And I don't think that it has rolled out on all retail outlets either, especially with e-commerce and online stores displacin...

Right now I am currently looking for the following devices to aid in servicing LeapFrog Epics: I honestly don't know if this would actually help with the locked bootloader situation we're having with LeapFrog, but I do have at least some hope on circumventing the restriction they somehow implemented. I understand if they did lock down the device somewhat for security's sake, but this basically left hobbyists, especially those who have been working with LeapFrog devices, in the dark, just as when kernel sources are available upon request. I know this sounds a bit embarrasing for me to ask for something from you guys, but if anyone is willing to spare a dime or two, please let me know so I can continue on helping parents like you and fellow hackers alike.

EDIT 2: This tutorial is now outdated and will not work on Epic Academy Edition demo units. See this post for an updated method. EDIT: If you have any inquiries or are getting stuck with updating the ROM, kindly let me know either on the LeapFrog Epic Guy page on Facebook, or on my personal Facebook account . I've been getting a lot of inquiries lately from parents asking how does one convert a store demo unit to a retail one. Apparently a number of Epics, mine included, were sold on eBay, Craigslist and other classifieds, are programmed with a demo ROM meant for displays on Toys R Us, Best Buy, Fry's or whatever outlet these things are sold. The real caveat here is this: the boot loader is locked, making straightforward ROM flashing mostly impossible (hence why I wrote an open letter to LF asking if they can provide an unlocked bootloader). Now before you lose hope and say "Oh this is a waste of $50! Why did I even buy this crappy toy?", there is actually ...

EDIT: If you have any inquiries or are getting stuck with updating the ROM, kindly let me know either on the LeapFrog Epic Guy page on Facebook, or on my personal Facebook account . So I got my hands on a pair of these units from a friend of mine who was generous enough to donate for free. While getting these in-store demo units to work as a retail device is a pain and a half to do (more on that in a later post), I've had fun modding and poking into the internals to see what can be done with it. There are actually a LOT of hidden and/or dummied out features in the tablet, most of which can be accessed through the open-source Activity Launcher . For instance, LeapFrog dummied out access to the lock screen settings by removing menu references to said options in Settings. They disabled the AOSP lock screen presumably to save children the (supposed) frustration of having to unlock their device upon using it. It is however possible to re-enable it and add a lock pattern or a sim...

OK, so I was pissed off. Really, really pissed off, when my phone refused to connect to the internets via Opera Mini. I have a Nokia 6233, which runs on Series 40, Third Edition. Nokia made a lot of changes in the interface, of which it added some functionality, and some epic design failures. One of which are access point settings. Starting with S40 3rd Ed phones, you can't specify a proxy when you make a new Access Point via the manual settings. Anyone unfortunate enough to be a T-Mobile or those with WAP network plans (such as TMobileWeb users, Airtel NOP users) are unable to use J2ME programs that require internet access (such as Opera Mini, Google Maps, or games which involve online access). I dunno, but it seems as though Globe Telecom was a bit piss-poor at implementing its Over-The-Air connection settings; it turns out that the config files they're assimilating to end-users have something missing, therefore making it difficult for them to connect using Opera. A workaroun...