Custom Kernels for the HTC Magic PVT32a!

Awesome news guys!

We (well.. TigerTael from XDA actually, but I helped a little! ;) have now successfully reverse-engineered the HTC Magic kernel source code for the 32A magics.
Why did we do this? Well HTC have been dragging their feet in giving us the kernel patches required to build a kernel for the HTC Magic 32A handset and it's been frustrating the hell out of a lot of us - so much so that we tried figuring out what needed fixing and where the changes needed to go. The end result is a fully booting, wifi-packing, kernel with the full memory of the 32A handset and everything working!

So.. what does this mean for the average joe? Well.. real tethering for a start.

Well if you're interested in getting a customised kernel with full tethering support, kernel optimisation, swap/compcache, apps2sd, tethering support (iptables/tun), etc - then this is awesome news for you 32A handset owners!

Now even if you're not interested in any of the above.. you may just want this massive kernel vulnerability fixed on your phone and not have to wait months for HTC to deliver it like they normally do ;)

Cyanogen (who already builds awesome optimised and cutting edge kernels for the HTC Dream and HTC Magic 32B) has stated in #android that he's interested in a completely 'universal' rom for all Dream and Magic owners (32B AND 32A variants) and will look at adding this to his future roms, while others have started compiling custom kernels already.
There's actually a version of his latest 4.0.1 rom out already with a custom kernel (incl. iptables and the kernel fix, but not with any major optimization as yet) if you're keen to get started.

I'm sure now that this is out in the wild that we'll see a huge step forward in roms for the HTC Magic in future! So keep your eyes out on XDA!!

Fully Body InvisibleSHIELD for the HTC Magic

I purchased the Zagg InvisibleSHIELD a while back but been putting off putting it on my phone as after reading the instructions it just seemed like a monumental task to do so. And of course you need to leave your phone OFF for 12-24 hours while it 'cures' - this alone kept putting me off as I've been having far too much fun with various roms and the phone itself for the last few weeks.

Well I had some time today and decided I might as well do it before it gets scratched without it - so I cleared a nice space on my desk and proceeded to apply the pieces.

Now Zagg didn't actually supply any instructions with the InvisibleSHIELD specific to the HTC Magic - instead they included their general instructions and recommended I watch the videos. The videos were for every other phone but the HTC Magic so weren't very useful in figuring out where each piece went - which was a let down to me - I emailed Zagg but after several emails all they would say was: "According to our policies, I am unable to send out a diagram of the invisibleSHIELD pieces for your device." - GREAT - that's helpful guys.. -1 for Support.

So I persevered and managed to figure it out. It was mostly the side strips that confused me but I think I got them right.

I have to say though that I'm less than impressed with the coverage. This is supposedly the 'Full Body' coverage and there's little gaps between it all and there were several spots that didn't line up very well - the worst was the back sheet with the camera and speaker holes.

Take a look at my photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/radix999/3757006297/

And you'll see what I mean. I've been very underwhemed by the whole experience.

Because of the multiple strips and curves on the HTC Magic I spent about two hours putting it on and getting it to stick on the edges (using the 'pinch' technique that they mentioned on their website and videos). I had to let each strip dry and stick before I moved onto the next one, and since there are a lot of curves on the HTC Magic it required a lot work.
Not exactly a fun experience there either.

The feeling of the film on the phone so far is very sticky on the screen itself which makes it hard to slide and swipe easily like I'm used to. I REALLY hope this clears up when it's cured. Already I've noticed heaps of little mini-bubbles start appearing under the surface in some spots (mostly the sloped/curved parts) and according to their instructions these should disappear within 2-3 days. I've also noticed several scratches in the film itself - again.. I'm hoping that these will clear up as I'm going to be furious if they're not.

Needless to say I will NOT be recommending it to anyone else unless this thing is fricken amazing when it cures properly - it's only been on for about 6 hours so far, so guess we'll see - apparently it takes 2-3 days for the film to cure and the micro-bubbles and imperfections to clear up.

I'll post more pics in a couple of days and let you all know how it goes.

Ultimate Sapphire Hacking Wiki now available

I've just finished putting the last touches on the Sapphire Hacking Wiki available at:

http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Sapphire_Hacking

I urge any new HTC Magic users to read it to help them get started.
I urge any advanced users to read it and help keep it up to date!

This is a generic Hacking guide for any Sapphire handset - ie. HTC Magic, Vodafone Magic, Rogers HTC Magic, Google ION, even the TMobile MyTouch 3G!