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Hisense A9 E Ink smartphone gets (unofficial) bootloader unlock and root

The Hisense A9 is an Android phone with a 6.1 inch, 1248 x 824 pixel greyscale E Ink display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor, and support for up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. While the smartphone ships with a custom version of Android 11 developed by Hisense, Denzil Ferreira reports that with […]

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Chromecast with Google TV (HD) has an unlockable bootloader (Update: maybe not)

Google’s new Chromecast with Google TV (HD) looks virtually identical to the 4K model the company launched a few years ago. But it’s a more affordable device with a $30 price tag, a less powerful processor, and less RAM. It does have a few advantages over the $50 Chromecast with Google TV (4K) though. We […]

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Turn Amazon’s First TV Stick into an unofficial Android TV device with LineageOS 18.1

Amazon’s Fire TV devices run a custom version of Google’s Android software called Fire OS that feature Amazon’s app store, Amazon Prime Video, and other Amazon apps and services instead of Google’s. But hackers have found a way to replace Fire OS on Amazon’s 2020 Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite with an […]

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Lilbits: Unlocking the Galaxy Z Fold 3 doesn’t kill the cameras anymore (plus Firefox, Intel, and Plasma Mobile news)

Shortly after the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 launched this summer, hackers figured out how to unlock the foldable phone’s bootloader and root the device. But there was a catch: if you unlocked the bootloader, the phone’s cameras would stop working. So users had to choose between unlocked and rooted or… you know, fully functional […]

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LG’s bootloader unlocking tools will no longer be available after December 31

LG shut down its smartphone division earlier this year, but promised to continue providing Android updates for its latest flagship phones through 2022. Want to keep using up to date software on an LG phone after that? Your best bet may be unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom ROM. But you’d better hurry up, […]

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New Fire HD 8 bootloader unlock method doesn’t require opening the case

It’s been possible to unlock the bootloader and root the latest Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet since January. But up until recently the only known method for doing that involved prying open the tablet’s case, identifying points on the motherboard, and shorting them to enter bootrom mode. But now there’s an easier way. Xda-developers forum […]

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2nd-gen Amazon Fire TV Stick hack: Unlock the bootloader, install custom recovery

Amazon’s 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick (the 1080p model that has a list price of $40) is powered by a MediaTek processor, much like Amazon’s Fire tablets. So it should come as no surprise that the same exploit that hackers have been using to unlock the bootloaders and root the latest 7 inch and 8 inch […]

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Unlock Verizon Moto X (2014) botloader to install Android 6.0 yourself

Motorola’s 2014 Moto X smartphone may not be cutting edge anymore, but the 5.2 inch full HD smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 802.11ac WiFi is still a pretty usable device. And if you have a carrier unlocked model, Motorola has been rolling out Android 6.0 updates for the phone. […]