Database Develop

The state of Android Market for International users

I currently have a Xoom Wi-fi being used here in the Caribbean (Netherlands Antilles) and the state of Android Market simply makes it unusable, even when using USA VPN Connection.
I did find a solution here in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1065698 (a combination of root + build.prop of a verizon xoom)
But what about using the Xoom without root? For the normal user. Let's say I decide I want to sell the Xoom, for a normal user it would appear to be simply unusable, unable to buy or download a good junk of apps. Without all this tinkering I would constantly get: "The requested app could not be found" or cannot be installed on your device to cannot be installed on your carrier. My country seems to be supported: http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?answer=138294 , but after asking some devs to enable an app in my market, most tell you that they made it available to ALL markets already. Especially this part I find particularly troubling as the devs clearly want to maximize their sales and make it available in as many countries as possible, yet for my country (and many others) where supposedly even paid apps are enabled, we cannot download/pay for them.
My question is basically isn't there an easy way around all of this, without root, basically in an out-of-box state? I guess this is also a cautionary tale that without all this tinkering/rooting....a wifi Xoom is pretty much usless in certain markets.

I Hear u on this! I Wrote to google asking about this situation, but havent got any replies yet!.
They have a form to contact them in the market help!.
(Venezuela here)

THe list of countries we are given to deploy to as a dev is not exhaustive, if it's not in the list, there is nothing we can do about deploying there (as developers) it's up to google to sort out whatever problem it is thats keeps your country off the list.

alias_neo said:
THe list of countries we are given to deploy to as a dev is not exhaustive, if it's not in the list, there is nothing we can do about deploying there (as developers) it's up to google to sort out whatever problem it is thats keeps your country off the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the list my country falls in "Rest of the world" and has support for both free and paid apps. So I don't understand what's the problem.
Also as a dev, i think it's important for you guys, as I know many international users would like to buy certain apps, which is a huge untapped market, all potential sales going to waste.

blue13x said:
According to the list my country falls in "Rest of the world" and has support for both free and paid apps. So I don't understand what's the problem.
Also as a dev, i think it's important for you guys, as I know many international users would like to buy certain apps, which is a huge untapped market, all potential sales going to waste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, it's very true, so which country are you in? I don't know which list you are looking at, but I'm looking at the list that is presented to me when I upload an application for sale on the market, I have to select countries and prices, with, by default, every country is selected.

Im located in Netherlands Antilles (Not Netherlands) I'm looking at this list: http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?answer=138294

Venezuela is Also in the List! so i dont know what its the problem =S

blue13x said:
Im located in Netherlands Antilles (Not Netherlands) I'm looking at this list: http://www.google.com/support/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?answer=138294
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I just checked the market dev account for hte company I work for and our product is currently available in Netherlands Antilles, tell me if you see anyhting on the market from "Zubadoo", if not, then it's a Google problem, because you are certainly listed in one of the countries that can purchase our products.

alias_neo said:
Well, I just checked the market dev account for hte company I work for and our product is currently available in Netherlands Antilles, tell me if you see anyhting on the market from "Zubadoo", if not, then it's a Google problem, because you are certainly listed in one of the countries that can purchase our products.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, they allow me to purchase your content. But like you said, it's a problem with Google, especially when the dev has enabled the apps in all markets and the market allows for paid apps, yet you can't download or buy them. Very frustrating.

blue13x said:
Yup, they allow me to purchase your content. But like you said, it's a problem with Google, especially when the dev has enabled the apps in all markets and the market allows for paid apps, yet you can't download or buy them. Very frustrating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you saying that even though you can see our apps, and others, you can't download/buy them? Including ours that you can see?

Actually its not such a big issue. I bought a Xoom wifi from the US. I live in the UAE and initially I had the same issues though Market access worked fine. Now though after using the update and getting to 3.1 even that isn't needed my Xoom is recognized a Verizon Xoom (since I used the US wifi files).
PS: UAE isn't on any of the lists :0) there might not be an official solution but there sure is a work around.
Cheers.

alias_neo said:
So are you saying that even though you can see our apps, and others, you can't download/buy them? Including ours that you can see?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yours works, but in some cases of games like riptide it simply didnt allow it.
I had to root and do some stuff to allow it. Which means Google/Market has a few problems

huzz said:
Actually its not such a big issue. I bought a Xoom wifi from the US here the UAE and initially I had the same issues. Market access works fine. Now though after using the update and getting to 3.1 even that isn't needed my Xoom is recognized a Verizon Xoom.
PS: UAE isn't on any of the lists :0) there might not be an official solution but there sure is a work around.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How come your Xoom is seen as a verizon? Isn't it a WIFI unit? Did you do anything special?

Just used BRD's method and I am guessing those files were specifically for the Verizion wifi device.

huzz said:
Just used BRD's method and I am guessing those files were specifically for the Verizion wifi device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Link? Does it require root?

Yes, even market access requires root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074609

[outdated]non-updating rooted images

These images are outdated! do not use them anymore!
there are much more useful roms and mods for the chromecast now made my devs who actually own the device. go use them. I am no longer doing anything at all with the chromecast. (I haven't found one at any local store with a serial number in the rootable range, and I have no use for a stock one.)
rooted images for the chromecast that will remove google's ability to update anything at will. Use this to save your open bootloader.
Discussion started in here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2387392
Split off to make it easier to find for new users.
download:
build 13300: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2453097 not my image. Made by someone who actually owns a chromecast.
build 12940: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19978192/gtvhacker-chromecast-12940.bin.gz
build 12840: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19978192/gtvhacker-chromecast.bin.gz
Thanks to:
GTVHacker - original root image
Google - for making the h2g2-42
ellen - putting up with me making these instead of watching chick flics with her

reserved for later use

reserved because I like reserving posts

tvall said:
reserved because I like reserving posts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like that you're reserving posts! ...especially this kind of post! lol

If I factory reset my chromecast with this firmware will it upgrade or keep this firmware?

extrem0 said:
If I factory reset my chromecast with this firmware will it upgrade or keep this firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A factory reset will just wipe the data partition, so the device will still be safe from self-upgrading.

This is great man, I just got my cable today and my chromecast a couple days ago, I refrained from plugging it in, so unless its been updated already it should be on!
So do I need to flash the original GTVHacker bin and then your 12940 bin?
Thanks for the great work and thanks to GTVHackers and XDA.

You can just flash mine

twist said:
This is great man, I just got my cable today and my chromecast a couple days ago, I refrained from plugging it in, so unless its been updated already it should be on!
So do I need to flash the original GTVHacker bin and then your 12940 bin?
Thanks for the great work and thanks to GTVHackers and XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash tvall's image if you don't want it to auto-update and loose root..

Wisiwyg said:
Flash tvall's image if you don't want it to auto-update and loose root..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So we only need to flash one of these two images, correct? I'm assuming it's the first one, right? "gtvhacker-chromecast-12940.bin.gz" is tvall's image that we need to flash? After flashing that image, we'll be rooted, on the most current version, AND auto-updates will be disabled?

jsdecker10 said:
So we only need to flash one of these two images, correct? I'm assuming it's the first one, right? "gtvhacker-chromecast-12940.bin.gz" is tvall's image that we need to flash? After flashing that image, we'll be rooted, on the most current version, AND auto-updates will be disabled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct

It is my understanding that one of Google's OTA's blocks local files streaming like Fling. Does your image contain the update that broke Fling?

dmcccdmn said:
It is my understanding that one of Google's OTA's blocks local files streaming like Fling. Does your image contain the update that broke Fling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC, it wasn't an OTA update that broke Fling. Google made some changes server-side that broke it. The ChromeCast connects to Google servers (or 'phones home') during use. The developer of Fling used unsupported API calls in the app, which was built using the preview SDK. Google's updates invalidated those calls, essentially rendering the app useless. Google has stated that the breaking of local media casting was unintentional, and they do plan on allowing support in the future. At the moment, the ChromeCast can still be considered a device in testing. I don't think the official SDK is out yet.

AirCast was "reverse engineered" though, right? So if it didn't have that "time bomb" in it, it should still work, right?
Sent from my VZW Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

jsdecker10 said:
AirCast was "reverse engineered" though, right? So if it didn't have that "time bomb" in it, it should still work, right?
Sent from my VZW Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aircast is dead. Fling is dead. Rooting does not help. These are dead until some day Google decides to allow it. Google allows only a few apps : Netflix, YouTube, and Google provided content. Google could have decided that allcast and fling were so popular that permitting it like Netflix is permitted will increase sales. Google could have decided to permit allcast and fling, but decided against it.
So, you might have purchased the chromecast after reading about allcast as I did, and am disappointed with having purchased a device whose very few apps are uninteresting to me.
There are only a few choices :
1. Wait and hope google will permit allcast and Fling in the future.
2. Wait and see if developers will provide this functionality for rooted devices.
3. Sell the chromecast to someone who loves Netflix and netflix alone - who isn't interested in connectivity to the many other Internet content providers - like one has access to via Roku.
Actually, stores have many devices, either standalone or built into blu ray players which provides Netflix along with far more choices for Internet provided media. Google's chromecast looks very inferior to me.
In its current form, chromecast is probably a big disappointment to most people who have purchased it. The only hope is that it will become something better in the future - either directly from Google, or via developers.
At this time, rooting gets us nothing, except hope.

Anyone want to write some detailed instructions on how to use this?
I just make the images, I don't know exactly how to use them

tim is so helpful

tvall said:
Anyone want to write some detailed instructions on how to use this?
I just make the images, I don't know exactly how to use them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tvall...man, lemme tell ya...i'm impressed. You're sittin there making images for our Chromecasts and you aren't even able to see if they work or not and you aren't even getting to enjoy this toy. I wouldn't have NEAR the patience that you must have, especially if I wasn't even able to enjoy what I had worked on. I dunno how you do it man, but congratulations! you're officially DA BOMB!! lol We all appreciate everything you've done for us here and look forward to MANNNYYYYY more updates from you! Thank You!

deepdespair said:
IIRC, it wasn't an OTA update that broke Fling. Google made some changes server-side that broke it. The ChromeCast connects to Google servers (or 'phones home') during use. The developer of Fling used unsupported API calls in the app, which was built using the preview SDK. Google's updates invalidated those calls, essentially rendering the app useless. Google has stated that the breaking of local media casting was unintentional, and they do plan on allowing support in the future. At the moment, the ChromeCast can still be considered a device in testing. I don't think the official SDK is out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very odd. I didn't think that Fling would need to connect to Google servers in order to function. Shouldn't everything just work locally? If I unhook my cable modem and leave my router on, wouldn't Fling still function without the internet?

dmcccdmn said:
That's very odd. I didn't think that Fling would need to connect to Google servers in order to function. Shouldn't everything just work locally? If I unhook my cable modem and leave my router on, wouldn't Fling still function without the internet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45011314
Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk 4

Which Chromecast to Buy (Rootable SN +Armada1000 vs nonRootable Armada1500

I recently bought Chromecast SN:3916...(it is not shipped yed and i may choose )
Which hardware revision is it?
Asking because of i have also available 3916, 3917, 3918, 3B14, 3B15, 3B16, 3B17
Which should I pick to get Armada 1500(hw3.30)?
https://origin-www.marvell.com/digital-entertainment/armada-1500-mini/index.jsp
Is root with hardware 3.10 worth more than better chip
http://www.marvell.com.cn/digital-entertainment/assets/armada_1000_pb.pdf
According to wikidevi ""H840 REV 3.xx" is silkscreened on the board"
sources for more info on subject:
http://wikidevi.com/wiki/Google_Chromecast_(H2G2-42)]
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Chromecast+Teardown/16069
Clues:
ifixit teardown: SN:3607101ZYGMS HW:3.30
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Chromecast+Teardown/16069
anadtech teardown: SN:3626101ZXFCA HW:3.10(pcb looks like from FCC pictures)
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7186/google-chromecast-review-an-awesome-35-hdmi-dongle

mathorv said:
I recently bought Chromecast SN:3916...(it is not shipped yed and i may choose )
Which hardware revision is it?
Asking because of i have also available 3916, 3917, 3918, 3B14,3B15,3B16,3B17
Which should I pick to get Armada 1500(hw3.30)?
https://origin-www.marvell.com/digital-entertainment/armada-1500-mini/index.jsp
Is root with hardware 3.10 worth more than better chip
http://www.marvell.com.cn/digital-entertainment/assets/armada_1000_pb.pdf
According to wikidevi ""H840 REV 3.xx" is silkscreened on the board"
sources for more info on subject:
http://wikidevi.com/wiki/Google_Chromecast_(H2G2-42)]
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Chromecast+Teardown/16069
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a chromecast here with serial 36** and it has REV 3.30 printed on the board. All chromecasts should be Rev 3.30, anything earlier was a test or prototype device from my understanding.

ddggttff3 said:
I have a chromecast here with serial 36** and it has REV 3.30 printed on the board. All chromecasts should be Rev 3.30, anything earlier was a test or prototype device from my understanding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another thing to consider, since Chromecast is an appliance type device, even if for whatever reason the next batch started shipping with a SoC platform that was 3x faster, end-users wouldn't see much difference, if any.
It's unlikely Google and the other providers would start making different content available to Chromecasts based on their hardware revision. It would be a support catastrophe for everyone and settings a "you might more if you wait" precedent will kill sales momentum.
Consistency of operation and functionality is the key goal across any hardware revision within the same model. Sometimes that even means underclocking a chip that could perform faster, if for some reason an old chip is replaced with a faster one.
tl;dr: I really wouldn't worry too much about the platform specifics on board revisions unless you're really planning to "dig deep" and do something drastic like heavily modify the OS.

bhiga said:
Another thing to consider, since Chromecast is an appliance type device, even if for whatever reason the next batch started shipping with a SoC platform that was 3x faster, end-users wouldn't see much difference, if any.
It's unlikely Google and the other providers would start making different content available to Chromecasts based on their hardware revision. It would be a support catastrophe for everyone and settings a "you might more if you wait" precedent will kill sales momentum.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but one of the links he posted points to a newer more powerful chipset meant to support 1080P better.
To support those extra features may not actually be too difficult if they just add some code to the Player App that detects highest resolution of the unit when it makes the request.
It wouldn't affect the DIAL protocol at all which is really the sell point here...
Google and Netflix are trying to sell the standard and the device is secondary to that goal. They just needed one device to support it and now they would have zero issues with other OEMs making devices that were DIAL compliant
Better Surround capabilities, Better and Higher resolutions even better net connection capabilities (Full Dual Band N) I can see coming from OEMs in the future, now that may not translate to higher quality NetFlix support but it sure would make the device a lot better on the local streaming side which is good but not great and suggests thats why local took longer to get supported than the others.
I expect to see a lot of devices like Roku and others implement some sort of DIAL support.
And while it may eventually cut into Chromecast sales if the Protocol is widely adopted Google and Netflix will feel like Mission Accomplished.
What we may see is something along the lines of Chromecast Nexus where some 3rd Party makes the hardware and slaps Google's name on it!

Asphyx said:
Yes but one of the links he posted points to a newer more powerful chipset meant to support 1080P better.
To support those extra features may not actually be too difficult if they just add some code to the Player App that detects highest resolution of the unit when it makes the request.
It wouldn't affect the DIAL protocol at all which is really the sell point here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but it's a poor customer experience when you buy a Acme 9000 and your friend buys an Acme 9000, but your friend's 9000 has a 300-yard range while yours only has a 200-yard range in the same field under the same conditions.
You're right that Google and Netflix are selling the DIAL platform, but the consumer couldn't care less what the platform is, especially for an appliance-type device. They just care that it works, not whether it runs Linux, Windows Embedded, CentOS, or MS-DOS 6.22 It's not a phone or a computer. Nobody asks what OS Smart TVs run - or maybe they do but nobody admits it...
Asphyx said:
I expect to see a lot of devices like Roku and others implement some sort of DIAL support.
And while it may eventually cut into Chromecast sales if the Protocol is widely adopted Google and Netflix will feel like Mission Accomplished.
What we may see is something along the lines of Chromecast Nexus where some 3rd Party makes the hardware and slaps Google's name on it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly - TVs and other devices supporting Google Cast, it's already starting. That's why Google's site mentions "Cast devices" and "Cast SDK" most of the time, mentioning Chromecast only when specifically referring to the Chromecast in particular.
True platform convergence for the multimedia convergence that finally arrived - that would be something! :good:

bhiga said:
Yes, but it's a poor customer experience when you buy a Acme 9000 and your friend buys an Acme 9000, but your friend's 9000 has a 300-yard range while yours only has a 200-yard range in the same field under the same conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get what your saying and your right, but Google essentially just did this with the Nexus 7 tablet didn't they? LOL

Unlocator free beta over

Unlocator DNS service has announced that their free beta period has now ended, and everyone who signed up is now on a 1-week free trial. After that it will cost $4.95/month. That's the typical price level set by competing services, of which there are at least 20. Some cost as little as $18/yr, and there are a few that are still free for the moment, but they might not all work with the Chromecast since it requires device-specific testing.

Any other free alternative?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

saumil25 said:
Any other free alternative?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently SmartDNSProxy and TunnelTo.us, but nothing stays free for long.
Most of the DNS services offer a 1-week free trial per email address.

DJames1 said:
Currently SmartDNSProxy and TunnelTo.us, but nothing stays free for long.
Most of the DNS services offer a 1-week free trial per email address.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks... Finally able to play Pandora, it was never working with Unlocator and Chromecast for me.

Anyone knows a provider that charges less than Unlocator ?

Elh0mbreloco said:
Anyone knows a provider that charges less than Unlocator ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go back and read a post two up from yours, you will find two services that are 100% free

jasenko said:
If you go back and read a post two up from yours, you will find two services that are 100% free
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea but they don't offer Netflix Netherlands and my mother watches modern family so

DJames1 said:
Currently SmartDNSProxy and TunnelTo.us, but nothing stays free for long.
Most of the DNS services offer a 1-week free trial per email address.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks OP! I gonna try, Do u know which one is better or which one you use?.. Thanks:good:

I have tested many of the DNS services using their free trials. I think they all work for the basics, although since they don't generally test the Chromecast, you may find that some sites don't work on the Chromecast with some DNS services. Unlocator didn't work with Pandora for me at first either, but they eventually fixed it - it just takes a while to get started, and then you may have to disconnect and reconnect to get it in sync with the Android/iOS app. That's true of some of the DNS services as well.
Tunnelto.us is supposedly in the process of implementing Netflix region switching. I don't know if they will support Netherlands or not. Keep in mind that most of these free services under development tend to move to paid subscription once they get Netflix region switching working, because that requires them to make a serious investment in having paid servers in every supported country.
But personally I currently use usaccess.ca, which cost me $18 for a year on a special promotion. Until now I was using Unlocator for Netflix region switching. USaccess.ca is working on adding that, but until they do I guess that on the very rare occasion that I want to watch anything from a non-U.S. region, it will be time for another 1-week free trial with one of the other services.

I switched to unotelly after unlocator. It certainly seems much better, just more stable and reliable in general. It also has the ability to access two countries content at the same time, so if you are in Europe it is possible to see both UK and US content at the same time without switching settings. They also have a really handy android app for switching Netflix regions very quickly, giving you access to much more content than just US Netflix on it's own.
It's cheaper too.

<please delete this post>

otaku888 said:
I switched to unotelly after unlocator. It certainly seems much better, just more stable and reliable in general. It also has the ability to access two countries content at the same time, so if you are in Europe it is possible to see both UK and US content at the same time without switching settings. They also have a really handy android app for switching Netflix regions very quickly, giving you access to much more content than just US Netflix on it's own.
It's cheaper too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unotelly also has a Netflix subtitle blocker, which can be handy if you're watching an English language movie with hardcoded subtitles on a foreign language Netflix.

Rooksx said:
Unotelly also has a Netflix subtitle blocker, which can be handy if you're watching an English language movie with hardcoded subtitles on a foreign language Netflix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really handy and great to discover. Thanks!

Question What third-party apps/bloat are pre-installed?

I'm looking at this as it's one of the few narrower android phones available. However, I'm trying to get confirmation on what third-party (i.e. non-google or asus) apps/bloat are pre-installed. One review claimed only the Netflix app comes pre-installed, while other reviews suggest facebook's stuff is also installed.
Can anyone confirm? Thx.

From memory, the only pre-installed apps that are not from Asus are
Netflix
Facebook
Facebook Messenger
Instagram
The usual Google Stuff, like Youtube, Drive, Duo, etc
Maybe one or two more that I am forgetting, but not more than that

Thanks, which country is that for? I'm particularly interested in Canada/North America.

thedosbox said:
Thanks, which country is that for? I'm particularly interested in Canada/North America.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in Canada, but this is the European version. It should be similar though as I think it is the same firmware files for most countries