Huawei U8220
From MoDaCo
[edit] Huawei U8220 (T-Mobile Pulse)
[edit] Hardware
- Form Factor: Smartphone
- Processor: 528MHz (Qualcomm MSM7200A)
- ROM: 256MB (Flash EEPROM)
- RAM: 192MB (SDRAM)
- Display: 3.5" Capacitive Touchscreen (320x480)
- Camera: 3.1 MP Auto-Focus (2592x1944)
- Additional Features: GPS, Compass, Accelerometer
- Expansion Slot: microSD, microSDHC
- Audio: 2.5mm Headphone Socket (Converter Included)
- Weight: 135g (with battery)
- Size: 62.5mm x 116mm x 13.5mm
- Battery: Li-Ion 1500mAh
More detailed hardware specifications can be found on the forum.
[edit] Connectivity
- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900
- GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
- EDGE: Class 10, 236.8 kbps
- 3G: HSDPA (900/2100), 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
- Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR, A2DP)
- WiFi 802.11b/g
- USB (Standard MicroUSB Connector)
[edit] Software
- Platform: Android
- Provider: Google
- Version: 1.5 (Cupcake), including poor quality modifications by Huawei/T-Mobile.
Android 2.1 is now available for this phone. T-Mobile Hungary and Sweden have released official firmware update packages that can be installed. Due to the larger size of Android 2.1, there are some performance issues related to the lack of RAM within the phone.
No other T-Mobile offices (e.g. UK, France) have officially announced the release of the 2.1 ROM and will not provide support for it. However, Huawei have released a "downgrade" firmware that will allow devices already running 2.1 firmware to downgrade to an official 1.5 firmware.
As well as the official ROMs, there are several community built 2.1 custom ROMs available within the ROM Downloads section below.
[edit] Availability
The T-Mobile Pulse is available in the UK both online and at retail stores on PAYG.
[edit] Unlocking
[edit] Network Unlock
T-Mobile lock their phones to their network, this means that you can't put the SIM from another network in unless you unlock the phone using a special code first. The unlock code is generated from the IMEI of your phone (Dial *#06# to find this) and the country (eg. UK). Once you have obtained your unlock code you will need to put a non-T-Mobile SIM in and power up, you will then be asked for the unlock code. You can get your unlock code from the following sources:
[edit] Checking if your phone is Network Locked
There is no point looking into unlocking if your phone is not already locked, in order to check this take out the sim and place a sim from a different network in the device, then power up. If your phone is locked it will ask you for a network unlock code (not to be confused with a sim code), if the device is not locked it will connect using the sim. Power down and replace with your original sim.
[edit] Third Party
The following service has been verified as providing working Network Unlock SIM codes:
http://www.unlock-tmobilepulse.com/
Use the MoDaCo discount code modaco.com to get your code for $19.99 (roughly £12) instead of $29.99.
[edit] T-Mobile UK
If you are prepared to wait, T-Mobile provide an unlock code for £15 after 3 months of good accounts. According to T-Mobile you can pay for the unlock with your phone credit, so that the forced £10 top-up when you buy the phone can be used.
[edit] Network Settings
Go to Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names, Press Menu then New APN. Add the following settings depending on your network:
[edit] T-Mobile UK
Name - T-Mobile UK Apn - general.t-mobile.uk proxy - not set port - not set Username - t-mobile Password - tm Server - * MMSC - http://mmsc.t-mobile.co.uk:8002 MMS proxy - 149.254.201.135 MMS port - 8080 MCC - 234 MNC - 30 APN type - not set
[edit] three
Name - three Apn - three.co.uk proxy - not set port - not set Username - not set Password - not set Server - not set MMSC - not set MMS proxy - not set MMS port - not set MCC - 234 MNC - 20 APN type - default (you may need to type in 'default') Name - three mms Apn - three.co.uk proxy - mms.three.co.uk port - 8799 Username - not set Password - not set Server - http://mms.um.three.co.uk@10021/mmsc MMSC - not set MMS proxy - not set MMS port - not set MCC - 234 MNC - 20 APN type - default (you may need to type in 'default')
[edit] O2 Contract
Name - O2 mobile web Apn - Mobile.o2.co.uk proxy - not set port - not set Username - O2wap Password - password Server - not set MMSC - http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002 MMS proxy - 193.113.200.195 MMS port - 8080 MCC - 234 MNC - 20 APN type - not set
[edit] O2 PAYG
Name - O2 mobile web Apn - payandgo.o2.co.uk proxy - not set port - not set Username - payandgo Password - password Server - not set MMSC - http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002 MMS proxy - 193.113.200.195 MMS port - 8080 MCC - 234 MNC - 20 APN type - not set
[edit] SIM Unlock
Your SIM can have a security code added to it in order to prevent anyone else being able to use it, the default PIN for your sim is found on the packaging which came with it along with the phone number and is normally defaulted to 1210.
Note: There appears to be a bug in Android or the Pulse which prevents you from changing the SIM code, when using the menu option to do so you eventually receive an error saying that the change has failed. In order to actually change the PIN you may need to place the SIM in a different phone which will accept T-Mobile SIMs and change it there, your phone will then recognise the new PIN.
[edit] Using TurboSIM or equivalent
One version of TurboSIM and i-smartSIM 2008 are reported back to be fully functional without modifying the phone, or using unlock codes. This card can be easily taken out, so there remain no trace of using a sim card what should not work with the phone. You probably can find more info on the internet, just look it up.
[edit] Topup/Credit/Billing
[edit] T-Mobile UK
The following internet boosters are available:
- Text WEB to 441 for 5 Days "Unlimited" Internet for £2.50
- Text MONTHWEB to 441 for 1 Months "Unlimited" Internet for £5
- Text 6MONTHWEB to 441 for 6 Months "Unlimited" Internet for £20
Shortcuts to managing your PAYG balance and allowances can be found in the pre-installed SIM Toolkit application (under "My T-Mobile").
You can remove the adult internet content filter service by visiting your T-Mobile store with valid proof of age.
[edit] Hacking
[edit] Tools
Naturally you may wish to root your phone, or install a custom ROM on it. When doing these sorts of things you will frequently use the tools adb and fastboot. It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with them.
[edit] ADB
ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a tool that lets you manage the state of an Android-powered device while it is fully up and running. It is commonly used for development and debugging purposes. It provides a remote shell, the ability to install packages, upload and download files to the phone, and perform other repair and maintenance tasks.
It is advisable you familiarise yourself with at least the basics of ADB, and have it installed on your computer.
ADB is part of the Android SDK (Software Development Kit), so you will need to download this. It is also included on the CD that comes with the Pulse.
To use ADB with your phone, make sure it is connected via USB to your computer and "USB Debugging" is enabled in the menu (Settings > Application Settings > Development > USB Debugging).
Linux users will need to add a "udev" rule as described in the SDK documentation. Make sure you use the Pulse's Device and Product IDs rather than the ones Google provide. Simply create the file /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules (as root or superuser), and add the following, and then reboot.
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", SYSFS{idVendor}=="12d1", MODE="0666"
Here are some common tasks you may wish to do with ADB:
See connected devices and running emulators:
./adb devices
Open a shell on the phone.
./adb shell
Install a package.
./adb install file.apk
Upload a file.
./adb push local_file remote_file
Download a file
./adb pull remote_file local_file
Forward a port (useful for HTTP proxies like Proxoid and PDANet)
./adb forward tcp:8080 tcp:8080
View device log
./adb logcat
Restart phone
./adb reboot
Restart phone into fastboot mode
./adb reboot bootloader
Restart phone into recovery mode
./adb reboot recovery
[edit] Fastboot
Fastboot is a tool that lets you connect to the phone while in fastboot mode, i.e. before it has started the Android OS. It can be used to perform the following common actions. It isn't part of the Android SDK, but is included in the superboot downloads (see below).
You can flash boot, system, and recovery images using the following commands:
./fastboot flash boot the_boot_image.img ./fastboot flash system the_system_image.img ./fastboot flash recovery the_recovery_image.img
The boot and recovery images can be executed. You can do this without actually flashing them. This is especially useful for the recovery image since this is sometimes automatically replaced by Android. In fact there's no real need to flash a recovery image. To boot an image without flashing it, run:
./fastboot boot the_image_to_run.img
To exit fastboot mode run
./fastboot reboot
[edit] Startup Modes
In addition to restarting the phone into fastboot and recovery mode using ADB, you can also hold certain key combinations down when turning on the phone.
[edit] Fastboot Mode
- Turn off the phone
- Turn on the phone while holding the End Call (Red) and Volume Down buttons down.
To leave fastboot mode, either boot an image or execute "./fastboot reboot".
[edit] Recovery Mode
- Turn off the phone
- Turn on the phone while holding the End Call (Red) and Menu buttons down.
[edit] Software Update
The is used to flash the system from a file stored on the SD card. The December 2009 update is performed using this method.
- Turn off the phone
- Turn on the phone while holding the End Call (Red) and Volume Up buttons down.
[edit] Rooting
The current rooting procedure does not work after applying the "December Update" (detailed below). You only need to root your phone if you want to keep the official stock T-Mobile firmware.
The basic process is as follows:
- Download the Superboot zip file. Check the forum link above for the latest version.
- Extract the zip file.
- Reboot your phone into "Bootloader Mode" by turning your phone off, then press the Power button whilst holding End Call (Red) and Volume Down buttons.
Then, depending on your platform (in ascending order):
[edit] Linux
Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files:
- Enter chmod +x install-superboot-linux.sh
- Enter ./install-superboot-linux.sh
[edit] Mac OSX
Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files:
- Enter chmod +x install-superboot-mac.sh
- Enter ./install-superboot-mac.sh
[edit] Windows
- Double-click install-superboot-windows.bat
[edit] Modified Recovery Image
It is advisable to install the patched "Recovery Mode" ROM onto your phone. It provides the ability to apply/install custom ROMs, perform full system and data backup and restores, and provides useful partitioning, wiping and repair functionality. However if you don't feel like it, you don't need to actually flash the patched recovery image to your phone; instead you can simply download and boot it when required with a command like "./fastboot boot patched_recovery_image.img".
You can access "Recovery Mode" in a few different ways:
- Use the "Quickboot" application
- Turn off your phone, unplug USB and then hold down End Call (Red) and Menu simultaneously whilst pressing Power button
- Using ADB: adb shell reboot recovery
[edit] Backup/Restore
[edit] Nandroid
The patched "Recovery Mode" includes Nandroid which is a tool that will perform a full system backup of your current phone, including the normal, bootloader and recovery images, as well as configuration, applications and data. It is useful for rolling back your phone to a working state if an update goes wrong.
Connecting the phone to a computer and fastbooting into the patched recovery image without installing it (without flashing it onto the device) is a method for creating an initial Nandroid backup without any modification to the original ROM images. This is useful if one wishes to roll completely back to the factory default ROM (including the factory default recovery.img).
Nandroid will backup the phone state to the SD card, so you may want to copy these backup files from your SD card onto your computer as often as possible. It is advisable to backup your phone before any update operation such as installing any new ROMs or updates.
Note If restoring a backup fails with a message saying run nandroid-mobile.sh restore via adb it may be due to your battery being low. Try charging the battery or connecting to your PC via USB and then attempt the restore again.
[edit] Titanium Backup
All MoDaCo Custom ROMs (v1.7 onwards) features "Titanium Backup". It is an application that allows you to backup your installed applications, and their associated data and cache files to your SD card. This means they can be easily restored after upgrading/flashing your phone. Titanium Backup also re-links your installed applications back to the Android market. When you restore your applications, your settings should be restored too, so you shouldn't have to reconfigure your applications.
[edit] Secret Codes
Enter these as phone numbers in the dialer:
- *#*#2846579#*#* for phone settings diagnostics
- *#*#8255#*#* for Google Talk diagnostics
[edit] ROM Downloads
[edit] Android 1.5 (Stable)
There are currently two streams of ROMs available, one that keeps to the branding and original functionality of the T-Mobile Pulse, and another that is more like the Huawei U8230 Vanilla Cupcake ROM.
[edit] Official T-Mobile ROM (UK)
T-Mobile released what is known as the "December Update", available here. The latest versions of all MoDaCo Custom ROMs and kernels now require that this "December Update" to be installed prior to applying custom ROMs.
To revert back to stock status, and get everything back to the original, having the phone totally the same as when you got it (except updated with the legitimate "December Update"), you need to install the "December Update" ROM. You will lose everything on your device, but it should be in stock condition, therefore protecting your warranty.
If you have to return your phone for repair, it is vital that you perform the above stock revert process as T-Mobile/Huawei can (and probably will) reject your warranty claim if they notice unofficial firmware has been installed or other similar unauthorised modifications.
[edit] MoDaCo Custom ROM
All MoDaCo firmware streams contain additional functionality such as:
- MoDaCo Custom Kernel (MCK) with Compcache, Swap and EXT3/4 support
- Root access
- A2SD (install applications on SD card)
- Busybox 1.15.2, Nano 2.09, PartEd, Sqlite
- Support for Debian Linux
- Improved graphics performance via Open GL ES driver from Ion
The following functionality is optional when using the MoDaCo Online Kitchen custom ROM builders:
- WiFi Status application
- QuickBoot application
- Dropbear SSH server
- Google Maps (relocated to data partition)
There are two styles of ROM provided by MoDaCo. All stable releases will be provided free of charge. Access to Beta release ROMs and updates are only available to MoDaCo Ad Free or Premium subscribers.
They are as follows:
[edit] MCR T-Mobile Stock ROM
Requires "December Update" since v1.6
- 09/Feb - MoDaCo Custom ROM 1.7 - Stock T-Mobile Style (with online kitchen)
- 22/Jan - MoDaCo Custom ROM 1.8 Beta 2 (Online Kitchen / Premium members only)
This ROM maintains the original customisations made by T-Mobile. These include a non-standard Android home launcher and other bundled/modified applications.
Key Points:
- Custom Home/Launcher
- Custom Contacts application (without ability to choose Google contact sync groups)
- Custom Music Player application
- Web'n'Walk icon removed
- Custom Android bootloader splash screen
[edit] MCR Vanilla Cupcake ROM
Requires "December Update" since v1.2
- 09/Feb - MoDaCo Custom ROM 1.7 - U8230 Vanilla Style (with online kitchen)
- 22/Jan - MoDaCo Custom ROM 1.8 Beta 2 (Online Kitchen / Premium members only)
This ROM is based on a standard Android build, without any modifications from suppliers or carriers. All Android components included are the stock defaults and have not been modified. This ROM provides a more stock Android experience.
Key Points:
- Standard stock Android components (Contacts, Music)
[edit] Android 2.1 (Unstable)
Before installing any 2.1 ROMs, please make sure you have upgraded your phone to an official 2.1 update (such as the T-Mobile Hungary version detailed below). This upgrade process repartitions the filesystem on the phone which is required before installing a custom "update.zip" ROM.
[edit] T-Mobile Hungary (Official)
Current Version: 1.0 (Released 27 May 2010)
Downloads:
[edit] Tre Sweden (Official)
Current Version: 1.0 (Released 2 July 2010)
Downloads:
- Original U8220V100R001C125B822_2_1_Eclair_Sweden_H3G dload file
- Rooted Tre 2.1 ROM including A2SD by flibblesan
[edit] MoDaCo WIP
Current Version: Pre-Release r15 (Released 29 May 2010)
Downloads:
[edit] FLB-Mod
Current Version: 1.0 (Released 10 July 2010)
Downloads:
[edit] Oscillation ROM
Current Version: R7B (Released 01 June 2010)
Downloads:
[edit] Misc
[edit] PC Suite
PC Suite is the rather poor PC based software provided with the phone to allow synchronisation with Outlook etc, few if any have managed to get it to work.
The current version is 12.09.106
[edit] Dialup (using phone as a modem)
Linux: Open a terminal and enter:
sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0x12d1 product=0x1501
Where the vendor and the product is for T-Mobile Pulse, but to use it with other devices, list all usb devices with lsusb, and replace the necessary part. After this use the built in network manager to connect.
To make a more permanent option so that modprobe is run whenever your Linux box detects you've connected your Pulse (and therefore available via network manager) add a udev rule:
# Enter the following as one line in /etc/udev/rules.d/91-local.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", SYSFS{idVendor}=="12d1", SYSFS{idProduct}=="1501",RUN+="/sbin/modprobe usbserial vendor=0x12d1 product=0x1501", MODE=="660", GROUP="dialout"
Then, in a terminal, enter:
sudo /etc/init.d/udev restart
Of course, this will also persist after rebooting.
Windows: Dialup is a handy PC application provided on the DVD which allows you to connect your phone to your PC via USB and use the phone as a Broadband modem. This is pretty much the same as the Mobile Broadband dongles that most networks now supply. Despite T-Mobile providing this application configured for their network on the DVD which comes with the phone, it is unclear whether or not such tethering is permitted under their terms of service (TOS).
The DVD contents have been mirrored here, in case you didn't keep your box and contents.
[edit] Tethering
As mentioned above the DVD that comes with the phone has software that makes it possible to tether the device, but if you're using Linux you have to do something else.
Proxiod is one solution. This requires the SDK (r4) but it is easy to setup if you are comfortable with using Linux. The basic steps are:
- Install SDK on computer that will perform the tether
- Setup a UDev rule for the device
- Run: "adb forward tcp:8080 tcp:8080"
- Install and run the "Proxoid" app on the device
- Setup software on the computer to use a local proxy on port 8080 (for example)
Other Solutions:
[edit] Known Issues
- Headphone connector causes music player to automatically start in party mode. Some users have reported that using different headphones or "2.5mm to 3.55mm" converters have helped, but do not resolve the issue completely. This bug has been resolved by the installation of the "Autostarts" app and by going into the "music button pressed" section, clicking on "music" and then pressing "disable"
- Camera did not work in applications like Barcode Reader and ShopSavvy, but the December Update fixed this issue.
[edit] Troubleshooting
[edit] Touchsceen plastic cover
There is an adhesive plastic cover over the touchscreen. It is tabless, in that there is no obvious handle to pull in order to easily remove it. It can be removed by picking at the edges. Once removed, it has been confirmed to improve the touchscreen sensitivity.
[edit] Unable to install applications from the market (App2SD)
This typically occurs as a result of installing the Modaco custom ROMs (up to U8230 Vanilla Cupcake v1.2 and stock T-Mobile v1.6 at least) and seems to be a fault in the implementation of Apps2SD. To resolve the problem:
- Reboot into "Recovery Mode"
- Find and use the "Repair EXT Filesystem" option
Alternatively reformatting the SD card to remove the ext partition disables Apps2SD (apps will be installed on phone) and stops the problem.
[edit] Changing between Android and TouchPal on-screen keyboards
- Press and hold any text input area/field
- Select Input Method
- Choose between Android Keyboard or TouchPal
[edit] "android.process.acore" has stopped unexpectedly messages
If you have just installed the U8230 Vanilla ROM and you previously had the T-Mobile ROM, you will need to wipe your phone.
- Warning: Deletes ALL data
- Reboot into "Recovery Mode"
- Find and use the "Wipe data/factory reset"
[edit] After wiping phone, user interface language is set to French
If you wipe and restore the U8230 ROM back to factory settings, your phone will revert back to French because the ROM was taken from a French phone.
To change back to English
- Go to Settings > Locale & Text > Select Locale > English ( or Parametres > Par. regionaux et texte > Lange et region > Anglais )
- Reboot to take effect
[edit] Music player starts up automatically unwanted, when headphones are plugged in
Type the following command as root in a terminal or adb shell:
pm disable com.android.music/com.android.music.MediaButtonIntentReceiver
[edit] Reviews
[edit] Sightings
[edit] UK
[edit] Germany
[edit] Hungary
[edit] Netherlands
[edit] Macedonia
[edit] Chile
[edit] Taiwan
[edit] France (U8230)
link to BouyagesTelecom (U8230)
[edit] Austria (U8230)
[edit] Guides/Tutorials
[edit] Installing a Custom ROM
Preparing your device:
- Make sure that you have at least 400MB free space on you SD card!
- Copy the MoDaCo image (zip) to the root of the SD card
- Turn off the phone.
Installing custom Recovery ROM onto your device:
- Turn on the phone while holding the End Call (Red) and Volume Down buttons down. This will make the phone boot in FastBoot mode.
- Connect the phone via USB.
- Run the recovery image installer on your computer (on Linux: sudo ./install-recovery-linux.sh)
- After it has finished, issue reboot command (on Linux: sudo ./fastboot-linux reboot)
- Turn off again
Performing a backup and the upgrade:
- Turn on the phone while holding the End Call (Red) and Menu buttons down. This will make the phone boot in Recovery mode.
- Perform a Nandroid backup
- Select Flash zip from sdcard and apply the main ROM
Optional steps:
WARNING: PARTITIONING WILL FORMAT YOUR SD CARD!
- Partition your SD card (0MB Swap, 512MB EXT, Remainder FAT32)
- Move applications (APKs) to SD card
- Convert EXT filesystem from EXT2 to EXT3 (Better stability/performance)
- Convert EXT filesystem from EXT3 to EXT4 (Best stability/performance)
Final steps:
- Select Reboot
- Enjoy
[edit] Modifying your Phone's theme using Metamorph
[edit] Prerequisites
- You must have a vanilla version of the MCR ROM that is 1.7 or higher
- You must have ADB installed and configured correctly
- If you are on windows, you need to have the ADB Drivers installed
- If you are on Linux, you need to have added the correct information to udev
[edit] Preparation
- Make a "Nandroid backup" in case the worst happens, then you will not lose any data or the functionality of your phone!
- Download and install "metamorph" from the market
- Choose a metamorph theme, such as the ones found here
- Create a new folder within "/androidthemes" on your SD card, then unzip the contents to the new folder
[edit] De-odexing
[edit] Linux
- Open up your ".bashrc" (in your home directory) and append the following, substituting in the correct data where appropriate. This allows you to type in "adb <whatever>", even if you are not in the directory that adb is in - in the same way you can run vi or cat or any other tool that's in the "/usr/bin" directory:
export PATH=${PATH}:/PATH/TO/ANDROID/sdk/tools
- Download The De-odexed and extract the archive: (Credits to klutsh)
- Open up a terminal and type in:
cd <path to the extracted archive>
- Download this and extract the shell script into the directory.
- Type:
chmod +x deodex.sh ./deodex.sh
- You should see something along the lines of:
snak3@Panther:~/Desktop/de-odex-MCR-1.7-u8220$ chmod +x deodex.sh snak3@Panther:~/Desktop/de-odex-MCR-1.7-u8220$ ./deodex.sh 404 KB/s (214793 bytes in 0.518s) 1705 KB/s (1309406 bytes in 0.749s) 667 KB/s (80170 bytes in 0.117s) 1926 KB/s (296380 bytes in 0.150s) snak3@Panther:~/Desktop/de-odex-MCR-1.7-u8220$
(except with lots more of "404 KB/s (214793 bytes in 0.518s)")
[edit] Windows
- Download the De-odexed files (Credits to klutsh)
- Unzip the folder in to the same folder as ADB
- Put your phone in recovery mode (hold the menu key and the red button when starting up your phone)
- Download this BAT file
- Drag the BAT file in beside the de-odexed files and run it - You will be able to tell if this step has worked by the output in the command line
[edit] Applying the Theme
- Restart your phone. It might take a bit longer then normal to restart, but that's fine: just leave it until it starts again
- Open Metamorph
- Press "Existing Theme"
- Inside the new folder, select your theme (it should have a .thm extension)
- Press "framework-res.apk" and click apply
- Let your phone reboot, and your new theme should be activated
[edit] Making the clock white
- Download the metamorph "white clock" theme
- Extract the files into your Android themes folder
- Open up metamorph and choose "Pulseblk"
- choose "services.jar"
- Apply this change, reboot, and the white clock should be visible
[edit] Where to get themes that work
You can find a list of themes that will work on your T-mobile Pulse in this thread
