[Q] Alcatel OT-980 root and rom development

[Gibla]

Hello,

just bougth a low-cost and really little android phone: Alcatel OT-980. It's quite cheap as long I bought for 79 gpb from new. And it has quite nice specs:

-CPU 600mhz
-256 Rom / 192 Ram
-Android 2.1
-Slide-out QWERTY keyboard

Anyone is working on it? Is it possibile to have root access? What about a new page on XDA for it?

Let's start talking about it guys

 

[Gibla]

So guys no one is interested in it?

 

[davo-cc]

I just purchased one of these things and it has a strange fault - the "hang-up" button seems to be constantly depressed so it's always trying to shut itself down. If I hold that button down it goes back to normal, it's like the button logic is in reverse or something.

Has anyone heard of this? It's nearly impossible to get Alcatel support in Australia.

 

[cmstlist]

Same one was just released on WIND Mobile in Canada.

 

[Gibla]

Cool

Are you planning to buy one?

 

[cmstlist]

Nope, I have all the Androids I need for now.

Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

 

[djtyres]

I have the OT-981a (Wind version)
It's just another simple android phone.

Alcatel made some changes to the OS.
Took out the update feature (Probably because they will never support updates)
No live wall papers even though the software is installed.

It is running 2.1 update 1

The usual start up to get to programing mode
(Volume down + power) only restores the phone.

Think it would be pretty damn hard to make a rom for this.
Plus not a popular device so don't hold your breath as much as I would love to find a rom to work on this it is not likely.

Note universal androot does work but the NAT Filter is missing so no Wifi tethering ether

 

[cmstlist]

I have the OT-981a (Wind version)
It's just another simple android phone.

Alcatel made some changes to the OS.
Took out the update feature (Probably because they will never support updates)
No live wall papers even though the software is installed.

It is running 2.1 update 1

The usual start up to get to programing mode
(Volume down + power) only restores the phone.

Think it would be pretty damn hard to make a rom for this.
Plus not a popular device so don't hold your breath as much as I would love to find a rom to work on this it is not likely.

Note universal androot does work but the NAT Filter is missing so no Wifi tethering ether

- Is there a bootloader mode in addition to this "recovery" mode?
- If it's rootable, and the bootloader is not locked, there is still some chance a custom recovery could be installed. The question is how many devs care to make a recovery and ROM specifically for this phone.

 

[djtyres]

That is exactly my point no one would take the time for this device.
I tried to the usual bootloader sequence but just reset my phone.

Unless it needs the usb plugged in

 

[cmstlist]

What if there's another combo that involves booting up while holding one or two of the hard keys?

Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

 

[kanelbulle]

I have this phone too and I am really interested in any development

 

[MY_TD2]

Hard Reset

Anyone know if there is a button combination for a hard reset?

Customer downloaded a brightness app on market and the "0" setting forced his screen to go black. Phone still runs in the background but you don't know where/what you're doing.


Help?

 

[cmstlist]

Anyone know if there is a button combination for a hard reset?

Customer downloaded a brightness app on market and the "0" setting forced his screen to go black. Phone still runs in the background but you don't know where/what you're doing.


Help?

Upthread it is reported that power + volume up results in some sort of factory reset. I wouldn't know because I don't have the phone.

Here is an alternate idea, but you'll need someone's help to tell you roughly where to tap on the screen or how many up-down strokes it will take.
- Unlock the phone (swipe, you'll feel the vibration)
- Press Home a few times so you're on your main homescreen.
- Is the Power Widget on one of your homescreens? If so, some hunting and pecking can probably get you to tap on the Brightness icon.
- If not, you may be able to long-press and add a widget blindly, and hopefully that widget will be the Power Widget.

 

[djtyres]

Anyone know if there is a button combination for a hard reset?

Customer downloaded a brightness app on market and the "0" setting forced his screen to go black. Phone still runs in the background but you don't know where/what you're doing.


Help?

Volume Down + Power is hard reset to factory defaults.
It's what the usual recovery combo is on most android phones lol

 

[squigley]

backup / fs image

I've done a bit of hacking on my phone, got root, and used the adb shell to install busybox etc.

I'm trying to find a way to get a proper image out of the phone, I'm guessing that I can statically compile dd for it, and create dd images of the different partitions of the nand, on the SD, then loop mount them on a linux machine for development.

If there's an easier way, then I'd like to know about it

Based on that I imagine it would be possible to add in some of the changes that the G1 recovery images have for our phone.

 

[djtyres]

Which version of busybox did you install?
Im going to try and catch up here lol

 

[marxo]

Is there any way to get the stock rom anywhere, or can anyone get them from the phone?

 

[djtyres]

Ok I have found busybox as well as installed it,

I also sent an email asking if we could get support for the ot-981 from clockworkmods (Rom Manager) fingers crossed here.

That way we can a back up of the original rom

 

[squigley]

I'm trying to get the image off, dd doesn't work because the mtd block devices can't be read (perhaps because they are mounted, but I would still expect dd as root to be able to read them), and tar doesn't help much, because the tar function in busybox doesn't interpret the --exclude or -X parameters to exclude the sdcard dir (to avoid a recursive tar), and to exclude /proc and /dev and /sys.

I'm going to try to cross compile tar for android and hope to get a backup out that way.

 

[Maverick4lyes]

Hi guys new to the scene and planning to get this phone as a low budget andriod device.. I hope you guys will be able to find a way to develop for this phone and more importantly upgrade it. It would be a big help! Thanks for all your hard work so far!!!