Sprint Developers

Factory Reset and Reprovision

2012-02-22T02:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you have to do a hard reset of your Sprint device. Here's a demonstration of how to get it done.

Android Lock Down

2012-02-22T02:18:00.000-08:00

Android is a very flexible platform even allowing you to create a custom "app launcher" or "home screen" as it were. This is basically what HTC does with Sense or Samsung does with TouchWiz.

However, replacing the app launcher is also a way to lock down the device. You can prevent users from leaving your app or from launching unapproved apps if you install a launcher that simply doesn't allow it.

There are a couple reasons why you might want to do this. Maybe you are targeting a vertical enterprise application where you want to provide all the users with hardware dedicated to a single function. For example, maybe you want those HTC Flyers to only be used for your corporate inventory control app in the warehouse rather than for playing Angry Birds during coffee break.

Another example is children's games. You'd like your game to lock up the device enough that a toddler can't accidentally exit the game. If your game replaces the app launcher then there is effectively no way to quit. For example, look at Zoodles Kid Mode app. Media players for kids are another example. Toddler Video Player Lock will lock down the device while playing videos.

Google includes an example of an app launcher replacement as part of the standard sample apps that come with the Android SDK. This method doesn't provide much real security, but it does prevent casual users from accidentally leaving your app. Even purposefully trying to leave the app is hard though not impossible.

HTC Sync

2012-02-22T01:37:00.000-08:00

One of the first tools you need when you start working with HTC devices is the HTC Sync program for Windows.

As the name implies, you can use HTC Sync to copy music, contacts, calendar items, etc. from your PC to an HTC device. However for developers, it offers a few other advantages. The first is that it comes with all the USB device drivers you need for your HTC phone. Make sure that you install Sync before connecting your HTC phone to your computer. Windows will automatically install the correct drivers for your device. You will need those drivers to use fundamental Android tools like the Android Debug Bridge (ADB).

Another cool feature is called internet pass-through. Many HTC phones will support "reverse USB tethering" using the "internet pass-through" mode for the USB connection. Sadly, this isn't available on all HTC phones, but the ones that do support it will allow the phone to share the network connection coming from an attached PC. This is particularly handy if you have no 3G coverage and no WiFi connection but you do have a PC and an Ethernet port. This situation hit me in an airport lounge in another country. They provided Ethernet but no WiFi. I was able to use my laptop to bridge the connection to my phone so I could update my apps without 3G coverage.

The USB networking also allows you to play around with DNS. For example, your PC could spoof a remote web server. All you need to do is modify your Windows hosts file.

Developer Resources

2012-02-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

I founded the SprintDeveloper.com website several years ago and it contained a lot of information about creating mobile apps for Sprint devices using J2ME, Windows Mobile and Palm Garnet OS. Nobody cares much about those platforms anymore. These days it's all about Android, iOS, webOS and Windows Phone 7.

Maybe I will re-post some of that old J2ME information just for posterity's sake, but in the meantime, here are some modern developer resources that you might actually be interested in.

The official Developer Website for Sprint.

The official Developer Website for Qualcomm Snapdragon devices. I am a regular contributor for Qualcomm. Read my blog. I work for Qualcomm but the opinions I post here and everywhere else are my own and do not represent my employer.

The HP Palm webOS Developer website.

The Google Android Developer website.

The Microsoft Windows Phone Developer website.

The Apple iOS Developer Center.

The RIM Blackberry Developer website.

The HTC Developer website.

The Samsung Android Developer website.

The Sony Ericsson Developer website.

The LG Developer website.

Visit the excellent though unofficial Sprint Users website.

You might also want to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn. I also have a personal blog for miscellaneous thoughts.