[ROM] SyndicateROM Frozen 1.1.0 (Takiya) :: EC05/1.3ghz/NoCheckboarding :: 3/27

All of you Epic users who have been around the XDA community for a while probably recognize the SyndicateROM name. The original DI18-based SyndicateROM was one of the fastest, most refined, and most popular ROMs of its time. SyndicateROM Frozen is based on the official EC05 release of Android 2.2.1, and is built from the ground up for speed, stability, and battery life.

What's the secret sauce? Carrier IQ, the infamous Sprint spyware package, has been completely removed! More details in the second post - you won't believe what we found! Themers and other mod developers take note, many modifications were made to the system in order to achieve this exclusive feature.

SyndicateROM Frozen is:

• based on EC05
• kernel rooted
• deodexed
• zip-aligned
• PNG-optimized
• hand-tweaked from the ground up
• designed for EXT4
• CWM 3.0.0.6 compatible

Unlike the original, SyndicateROM Frozen comes in only two editions - Standard, and Fully Loaded. Standard is designed to be a combination of the previous Superslim and Standard - a lean, mean, super-fast battery-sipping machine. The developer's choice!

SyndicateROM Standard includes LauncherPro. All Samsung and Sprint bloatware are completely gone!

SyndicateROM Fully Loaded features TouchWiz instead of LauncherPro, and adds in Social Network Sync, Facebook, BuddiesNow, Program Monitor, and the stock live wallpapers. All the rest of the bloat is still gone!

Both versions feature Wireless and Wired Tether preinstalled!

Tweaks and bugfixes in SyndicateROM Frozen and the Twilight Zone kernel include:

• any and all lag completely destroyed
• Network speeds at their peak - no throttle service, buffers adjusted
• 3G, 4G, and WiFi are stable
• Video recording issues have been resolved
• RNDIS no longer conflicts with ADB
• 1xRTT properly displays, instead of the erroneous 3G icon
• The Sprint HTTPPD and RTSP proxies have been completely removed
• The 'battery full' popup and sound has been removed
• SMS/MMS messages and email have been removed from the call log
• A restart button has been added to the shutdown menu
• "AM" and "PM" have been removed from the clock
• Did we mention Carrier IQ is gone?
• Twilight Zone is undervolted at 1.0ghz, and can be clocked up to 1.2 or 1.3ghz.
• Twilight Zone features optimizations from 2.6.34, and many optimizations for the Cortex A8
• Animations correctly smoothed
• Transition animation speed automatically set to fast on first boot, completely user-adjustable after
• Hardware keyboard response improved
• Loud boot sound removed
• GT-I9000 fingerprint to allow protected apps in the Market
• Ads in apps and websites blocked
• Bluetooth voice dialing fixed

(continued in post below)

Put simply - and bluntly - Carrier IQ is a software package buried deep within Android by Samsung at the behest of Sprint. It has been in active use since the time of the Moment, if not before. The company that develops it, also known as Carrier IQ, bills it as "Mobile Service Intelligence". In their own words,

[T]he combination of the MSIP and IQ Insight lets you move seamlessly from broad trend data across many users, through comparative groups down to diagnostic data from individual devices. Now, not only can you identify trends, you have the power to drill down to specific instances, giving you the insight your specialists need to make a difference.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

On its own, that description can vary from harmless, to worrying, depending on how you look at it. It's not until one drills deep down into the system and ferrets out every piece of the software that one truly knows what it contains. As some of you might remember, we took the first steps toward disabling the Carrier IQ software with the release of SyndicateROM and Xtreme Kernel 1.0. That, however, didn't even scratch the surface.

Carrier IQ's native libraries are plainly visible - libiq_client.so and libiq_service.so in /system/lib. During every boot, this service is launched - you can see it in Settings > Applications > Running Services as "IQAgent Service". These native libraries are called by non-native (Android application) libraries located in ext.jar (the client) and framework.jar (the service). Removal of these (rather obviously-named) libraries alone, be it the .so files or the libraries in framework or ext, will, obviously, break boot. So I had to dig deeper. To make a long story short, reference to the IQ Service and IQ Client were littered across the deepest portions of the framework, and some of the most basic functions of the Android system as we know it.

Carrier IQ as a platform is designed to collect "metrics" at any scale. What I found it to hook into is far beyond the scope of anything a carrier needs - or should want - to be collecting. Carrier IQ sits in the middle of, and "checks" the data of, SMS and MMS messages. It listens for and receives every battery change notifications. It hooks into every web page you view, and every XML file your device reads. It receives every press of the touch screen. It 'sees' what you type on the physical keyboard. It reads every number you press in the dialer. It can track which applications you use, what 'type' they are, how often, and for how long. It hooks into data sent and received.

I and my fellow users ask Samsung and Sprint - why do you want this information? Why do you need it? Why is the capability in place?

The only saving grace - if there is one - to this nasty, ten-legged mutant spider is that its logs are off by default. During the investigation process, I was able to enter its UI. Below are two screenshots of it.


That being said, the question still must be asked - why is the service even running? Why does Sprint and Samsung feel the need to leave a dormant monster in every one of its most loyal customers' phones?

Here's the most important part (tl;dr): the Carrier IQ service is a drain on battery life and performance. In testing, I and others noticed a significant rise in Smartbench scores and overall system 'snappiness' after Carrier IQ's removal. In addition, with it removed, a prominent tester saw 30 hours of battery life, with heavy use, on the stock battery.

Thanks for the long read!

(continued in post below)

Download "Standard" (Direct) | Mirrors :: Direct #2 - Mediafire - Sharebeast

Download "Fully Loaded" (Direct) | Mirrors :: Direct #2 - Mediafire - Sharebeast

Download "Standard with Journaling" (Direct) | Mirrors :: Direct #2 - Mediafire - Sharebeast

Download "Fully Loaded with Journaling" (Direct) | Mirrors :: Direct #2 - Mediafire - Sharebeast

Links to journaled versions temporarily removed while being troubleshooted. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Addons: Stock Theme (mirror) :: Removed Stock Apps (mirror) :: AM/PM Restore, Fix 24-Hour Time (mirror) :: AOSP Lockscreen (mirror) :: Network Name To Sprint (fix bloat apps) :: Lockscreen Date Fix


If you are not on EC05 or SyndicateROM Frozen 1.0.1/1.0.2: Use Odin to flash the EC05 modem. UNCHECK EVERYTHING EXCEPT "AUTO REBOOT". Ensure you are on CWM3. Wipe data for best results, and flash the ROM.

If you coming from the EC05 OTA (stock): Download the ROM and copy it to your SD card first, then use the CWM3 one-click, wipe data, and flash the ROM.

If you are coming from another EC05 ROM with the EC05 modem: Just flash the ROM. If you get any FCs at all, wipe data and reflash.

If you are coming from SyndicateROM Frozen 1.0.1/1.0.2: Flash the EC05 modem in Odin (UNCHECK EVERYTHING EXCEPT "AUTO REBOOT"), then flash the ROM.

This package will automatically backup and restore your data.
A little lost on the above? User qbking77 has created a how-to video. Just click here.


Version 1.1.0 - Takiya - Support posts start here

• quirk: even the modified browser doesn't download all files - this is expected and occurs on all ROMs, custom or stock, but will be solved regardless.
• quirk: MP3 files don't open from a file manager. Will be looked into.
• quirk: If you use the stock YouTube uploading feature, you need to put MediaUploader.apk from the Stock Apps addon in /system/app. May readd in 1.1.1.
• known bug (DK28/EB13/EC05 stock and custom ROMs): Very limited numbers of users see battery drain due to the gallery.
• known bug (kernel): Wired Tether doesn't work (Samsung broke it again, we're working on it)
• known bug (kernel): limited numbers of users experience freezes, IF YOU GET FREEZES, READ THIS OR TRY VISIONKERNEL
• known bug: browser FC on Save As - fix in the works
• all the goodness added up to this point
• based on EC05
• removed low battery killers in camera, music, video players
• added Flash Player 10.2
• added Adobe Reader
• added modified CM6 browser (window limit gone, Incognito Mode available, no checkerboarding)
• added TWS display fix
• modified calendar widget
• added AppWidgetPicker
• all apps up to date
• updated to Twilight Zone 1.1.0
• (kernel) back to basics with fresh EC05 source and codesourcery 2009q3 toolchain
• (kernel) Voodoo Sound 6
• (kernel) 1.3ghz new top speed
• (kernel) 600mhz step added for smoother scaling at stock frequencies
• (kernel) conservative governor is fixed. (On Demand is still default)
• (kernel) adjustable hardware keyboard patch
• (kernel) tun.ko added to modules for VPN support
• (kernel) framerate cap raised to 72fps
• (kernel) DVSINT1 raised to 1.125v for higher clocks and better stability
• (kernel) sports mode back and working for the camera
• (kernel) sysfs interface for scaling_available_frequencies

Version 1.0.2 - Malanga

• integrated Tether fixes
• integrated Hotspot fix
• integrated mapping fix
• added recompiled libdvm.so
• really removed battery popup
• added Battery Mod app
• added automatic backup/restore
• restored all stock ringtones
• added "real phone" ringtone (default)
• updated hosts file
• updated MyBackup Root
• added Voodoo Control App (controls Voodoo Sound settings)
• updated kernel to Twilight Zone 1.0.4
• (Fully Loaded) moved live wallpapers, Samsung widgets to /data/app
• (kernel) built with crosstool-ng (no more CodeSourcery)
• (kernel) added Voodoo Sound (big sound quality increase!)
• (kernel) increased framerate cap

Version 1.0.1 - Madhouse

• known bug: Sprint Hotspot not working for some users, FIXED, DOWNLOAD AND FLASH
• known bug: FCs on apps with mapping, FIXED, DOWNLOAD AND FLASH
• known bug: Wired/WiFi Tether FC, FIXED, DOWNLOAD AND FLASH
• re-architectured CIQ removal fix - themers/modders take note - resigning no longer neccesary
• fixed SSL bug
• fixed email bug
• created AM/PM restore addon, fixes 24-hour time
• removed modified libsqlite.so - improves database stability, possible FC fix for those affected by Wireless Tether issues
• added MyBackup Root
• added Adao File Manager - far superior to My Files
• fixed white pixels around GPS, 1X icons
• fixed GPS animation frame display order - minor; locks now show two bars, not one
• Social Network Sync included in both versions
• Google Search re-added
• malware patch included - thanks Rodderik
• SMS/MMS notification icons changed to DI18 versions (black > yellow)
• Google Maps updated
• Wireless Tether updated
• (Fully Loaded) Facebook updated
• (Fully Loaded) added stock live wallpapers
• added new kernel version - thanks tanimn!
• (kernel) tweaked voltages, 1.2ghz should be stable for the few users it wasn't stable for before
• (kernel) updated tether support
• (kernel) boots at 800mhz, runs at 1ghz by default
• (kernel) updated toolchain
• (kernel) fixed charging animation while phone off bug
• (kernel) memory leak for those affected fixed
• (current upload) fixed Market FC
• (current upload) fixed Email bug completely
• (current upload) Phone icon blue again
• (current upload) Wireless Tether really added

Version 1.0 - Manriki

• initial release
• running at 1.2ghz, use SetCPU to set to 1.0ghz with undervolting
• Known bug: Google Quick Search/search button on home screen behaves improperly - fix coming
• Known bug: kernel not scaling (to 1.0ghz max from 1.2ghz max in SetCPU) correctly - FIXED! DOWNLOAD AND FLASH, use the On-Demand governor!
• Known bug: 24 hour time not displaying correctly, thanks jsheahawk.
• Known bug: Email.apk force closes. Try clearing data in Settings > Applications > Manage Applications. A fix is being worked on, use K9 Mail in the meantime.
• Graphical quirk: few white pixels in some status icons. Will be fixed!

To ROM devs: A clean version of the affected frameworks and other files have been uploaded here. Other than Carrier IQ's removal, the Throttle Service has also been removed, along with the Sprint RTSP and HTTPPD proxies. Aside from those changes they are stock. Note all of the APKs in that package must be given the same signature, along with anything else using android.uid.shared (including TouchWiz, Sns*, and more). If the CIQ removal process causes any unforseen issues, please join us at irc.fossnet.info #acs-users, we'll be happy to help.

To themers: Your themes are still fully compatible with SyndicateROM Frozen! However, you should download the package above, and make sure that if your theme modifies any of the included files, you use the versions from this ROM to prevent FCs in your users' systems.

To theme and users: Do not use themes or mods unless they are designed for EC05 and explicitly compatible with this ROM!

Read on to find out exactly what Carrier IQ is, and why it's so insidious.

(continued in post below)

We would like to thank everyone below for their hard work, and for their valuable contributions, some of which we've included in this ROM. The entire Android Creative Syndicate thanks you!

• tanimn - for the (continuing) hard work on the Twilight Zone kernel, THANK YOU!
• thomasskull666 - contributions to the Twilight Zone kernel
• MysteryEmotionz - theme porting from Shuriken, AM/PM mod, accurate battery framework, reboot mod, other theme assistance
• ZHkilla - graphics, boot animation, theme porting from Shuriken, accurate battery images
• Dreamsforgotten - theme assistance, theme porting from Shuriken
• theimpaler747, appelflap - Battery Mod app, modified calendar widget (Impaler only)
• jez2cool - testing
• nanncee - testing
• Konikub - screenshot compilation above
• Shabbypenguin - mirror hosting
• DevinXtreme - original fixes in Xtreme Kernel
• geniusdog254 - original fixes in Xtreme Kernel
• nullghost - idle timer from 2.6.34 (kernel), sysfs interface for scaling_available_frequencies (kernel)
• mkasick - camera fix patch (kernel), Wired Tether updates, hardware keyboard fix patch (kernel), TWS display fix, enhanced keyboard fix (kernel)
• supercurio - Voodoo Sound (kernel), Voodoo Control
• Rodderik - framerate cap increase (kernel), 1.3ghz (kernel)
• Mammon88 and the Bonsai team - select initscripts, original network speed tweaks, backup/restore scripts
• Dameon - Clockwork Mod Recovery 3.0.0.6, EXT4 portage
• Untermensch (Vibrant) - original 'battery full' tweaks, modifed CM6 browser
• theimpaler747 and the XDA mod team
• the users - for patiently waiting for this release

If we've used something of yours or you've contributed in any way and we've not added your name above, we apologize! Please send me a PM and we'll get you added as soon as possible.


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