Installing Ice Cream Sandwich with root on your AU Xoom (MZ064)

The usual precautions apply. We are not responsible for any damaged devices. This procedure will wipe your data so I recommend you backup anything that is important.

Introduction
In my previous post on how to get stock Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) installed on your Xoom, I said that root is not really needed. Well less than a few days later, I am eating my words. I found such a reason. In order to pair a PS3 controller over bluetooth with your Xoom you need to have root. I would much rather use bluetooth for that, so it was worth the effort for me.

This process will have 3 steps:

1. Install CWM Recovery so we can install the update ZIP file.
2. Install the ICS update ZIP file (already with root).
3. Install Rogue Recovery v1.3.0 to have a more up-to-date, feature-rich bootloader.

Preparation
The update does not include a custom kernel, and other than a few bug fixes, is completely stock. One nice feature is that it doesn't overwrite the recovery partition like stock ICS. If you are already running ICS, I recommend reverting to stock before proceeding. See my last post for instructions. (I would do it anyway just to be safe).

• Download the ICS update with root included here
• Download CWM Recovery from here (fastboot version)
• Download Rogue Recovery v1.3.0 from here
• Put the ICS update and the Rogue Recovery ZIP files onto a micriSD card
• Place the microSD card in your Xoom

Installation
Step 1:
Install CWM Recovery (change "recovery-solarnz-XXXXXX-XXXX.img" to the name of the file you downloaded)

adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash recovery recovery-solarnz-XXXXXX-XXXX.img
fastboot reboot

Then once your Xoom is booted reboot into recovery

adb reboot recovery

Step 2:
Once in recovery do the following

• wipe your system cache
• wipe your Dalvik cache (under advanced)
• Install the ICS sandwich update that you downloaded to your microSD card
• Reboot

After installing, if you get an "error 7" when updating the bootloader, don't worry about it. I got the same thing. It doesn't matter because we will be updating to CWM Rogue Recovery v1.3.0 once we are done.

Step 3:
Once again when your Xoom is booted reboot into recovery

adb reboot recovery

• Install Rogue Recovery v1.3.0 ZIP file from the SDcard.
• Reboot back to recovery (under the advanced menu option)
• Do a backup if you are so inclined
• Reboot and enjoy!!

Installing Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3) on your AU Xoom (MZ604)

As with anything the usual precautions apply. We are not responsible if you damage your device. This will wipe all of your data so backup your data if you need it. This process will first install US Xoom WIFI Honeycomb firmware, which will then allow you to get an OTA update to the official Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0.3 update (IML77).

Now that ICS adds the ability to take screenshots (hold volume down + power for 3 seconds), there is less or a reason to have root privilege, especially since it removes the necessary DRM keys for watching rental videos from the Market.

1. Preparation
   
   • First, go to the Motorola Developer site and download the image for the US Xoom WIFI MZ604.
   • Extract the ZIP file and place them in the folder containing the Android developer tools.
   • Connect your Xoom to your PC and enable "USB debuging" under settings -> applications -> development -> "USB Debugging"
2. Unlock your bootloader if you have not done so already:
   
   adb reboot bootloader
fastboot oem unlock
adb reboot bootloader
   


3. Flash the US WIFI Xoom firmware:
   
   fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot reboot


4. Lastly configure your Xoom and then install the series of over the air updates. The very last one should be Ice Cream Sandwich!

Docomo approves Softbank Star7 009z for use without tethering fee

The List of phones that can be used on the Docomo FOMA network without a tethering fee just doubled in size. It now contains two phones.

• STAR7 SoftBank 009Z
• SoftBank 008Z

I'd recommend checking out Xi, which allows any phone to be used.

Via juggly.

Docomo handsets and IMEI-based unlock codes

It appears that recent Docomo handsets can be unlocked with a simple IMEI-based code. This means that you can purchase a code from a third party site (that you trust) for handsets that use the same salt as the international version *.

In fact, it may be desirable to use a third party because there have been reports of phones not being properly unlocked by Docomo. This is a problem because Docomo reps are instructed not to give out the unlock code. According to Joseph Kurachi Luk on G+, "the reps are trained to tell you that you can't use the code because unlocking requires a 'special SIM card.' But this 'special' SIM is just a non-Docomo SIM."

Recently, a reader was in the US using a T-Mobile SIM with no problems in his Galaxy Nexus. Then one day, the phone suddenly prompted for the unlocked code again, and he had no choice but to purchase an unlock code online, even after paying Docomo for the exact same code.

* Purchase codes at your own risk; I have no confirmation that unlock codes work on Docomo handsets other than the Galaxy Nexus. The Galaxy S2 is confirmed not to work. Prior to government guidelines prompting carriers to unlock, Docomo made it much more difficult to use aftermarket unlock codes. Docomo's 1.6 firmware for the ht-03a had to be removed before unlock codes could be input. However, for the sake of streamlining and simplicity, I assume that all Docomo handsets are unlockable by IMEI-based code.

Factors affecting the likelihood of a Docomo iPhone

Yesterday, Ishikawa Tsutsumu posted an article, the later portion of which concerns the rumor that NTT Docomo will carry the next revision of Apple's iPhone. The first three quarters of the article can be skipped, unless of course you want to continue beating the dead horse of KDDI's superior network quality and coverage versus SBM's better developed infrastructure supporting the iPhone.

The article picks up the Docomo/Apple thread from the bottom of the third page. Ishikawa (who writes for the Nikkei) disagrees with the Nikkei's previous report that Apple and Docomo had already struck a deal. He thinks it would be more likely for an agreement to be made directly prior to the announcement of an LTE iPhone, which could be in June at the WWDC.

Personally, I don't totally agree that it would happen with so little time prior to launch because each carrier that has deployed an LTE network is using different frequencies. Thus, Apple would need to specifically include a compatible radio. With such scatter, it would be more difficult for Apple to shop around for carriers with one single handset, meaning that agreements might have to be in place sooner than with a 3G handset.

Ishikawa then moves to the real issue that has likely kept the iPhone away from Docomo, the strict requirements that Apple would impose on Docomo regarding advertising, promotion, and sales. He feels that CEO Yamada's criticisms, such as lack of i-mode support, sound like excuses. He indicates that Yamada could strike a deal with Apple if he really wanted to, implying that part of the issue could be Docomo's current CEO.

This makes sense, as it doesn't take an industry insider to imagine how he would have responded to Apple's terms when first approached with the iPhone 3G. Perhaps Yamada is still offended. ;)

Most importantly Ishikawa notes that Yamada's term as CEO will have lasted 4 years by June, which is the traditional length for a CEO at Docomo. If you recall, KDDI was very late to the smartphone game. It wasn't until Tanaka took over as CEO that KDDI got serious about moving away from the galapagos keitai.

In summary, if the new iPhone gets LTE, and if Docomo gets a new CEO, maybe we'll see the iPhone 5 officially offered by Docomo, though there are always other ways of getting an iPhone on Docomo. (And maybe we'll see a better way of bringing email to docomo smartphones that doesn't use IP address to resolve mail address and break down every few days.)

NTT Docomo to partner with handset makers to produce handset chips

I previously heard mumblings that domestic carriers were interesting in implementing "APN locks" in response to the MIC's SIM unlock guidelines. Such a lock would prevent changing the APN to use another carrier's network, even if the phone was unlocked. However, it would likely be at the software level and therefore circumventable by someone properly motivated.

But what if the carrier produced the actual silicon?

Which is just what is going to start happening. NTT Docomo, who pushed hard for SIM unlocking in Japan - only to turn around and effectively bar unlocked handsets from their FOMA (3G) network, is getting into the semiconductor business. Perhaps I'm seeing this from an overly pessimistic point of view, but the last entity I want making my hardware is an old, entrenched company that is under unprecedented pressure to compete in a market that it formerly owned (essentially).

"Communications Platform Planning Corporation" [My translation of 通信プラットフォーム企画 株式会社, not NTT Docomo's] will be a joint venture between five domestic and foreign handset makers, with NTT Docomo being the sole investor to start (¥450 million). The company should be established by mid January 2012. The handset makers are expected to be onboard by the end of fiscal 2011 (March 2012), though exact amounts of their pending investments have not been disclosed.

The company's efforts will focus on efficiency, miniaturization, and LTE, with the resulting silicon incorporated into both domestic and internationally available devices.

Handset partners are:

• Fujitsu
• Fujitsu Semiconductor
• NEC
• Panasonic Mobile Communications
• Samsung Electronics

Via Juggly; NTT Docomo Press Release

Docomo swaps SP Mode Mail address

Update, It seems that this was caused by overloaded servers.

On Tuesday 12/20, a portion of NTT Docomo SP Mode Mail customers had their mail address swapped randomly with other users. This incorrect address was displayed to recipients of mail sent by affected customers. Replies were also directed to the incorrect mail addresses. Thus far, NTT Docomo has received 103 complaints of incorrectly set addresses. The reason for the problem is under investigation.

To verify your address, from mail settings go to other (その他) and then address. If the wrong address is displayed, reboot your phone to restore the proper address.

NTT Docomo has partially suspended SP Mode services in response. See the announcement for the fully list of stopped services, but it is probably a bunch of stuff that no one reading this blog uses anyway.

(I bet when Docomo implemented their carrier mail system 10 years ago, the way they did it probably seemed like a good idea. If you looked at the specification today, you'd probably ask WTF were they thinking.)

Important points when switching a Docomo FOMA handset to a Xi contract

I'f you've been following my Google+ page, you'll know that a week ago I switched my FOMA (3G) plan to a Xi (LTE) plan, which includes tethering at no additional cost.

So far, I have not incurred any unexpected data fees. As of yesterday, my online statement indicates no irregularities in my bill, and the campaign rate of ¥4,200 for 7 GB of bandwidth is being properly applied. Nonetheless, I will wait until my December bill arrives before making a post on how to switch over to Xi. If all is OK (and it had better be or my wife is going to kill me and you'll never hear from me again), I'll post a detailed description of what I did to change my FOMA plan to Xi.

In the meantime, here is my reasoning for switching, followed by a list of points to consider.

Motivation for Switching to Xi

For the past 8 months, I've been carrying around two phones, one with a NTT Docomo FOMA SIM for voice, and one with a bmobile FAIR SIM for data. The reason for doing this was the desire to use a better phone than my NTT Docomo ht-03a (HTC Magic). If you recall, I wasted several hours and ¥500 back in April trying to get my unlocked Nexus One working on Docomo's network, only to give up due to the exorbitant fees levied on non-Docomo-branded handsets (in excess of ¥10,000, now reduced to only about ¥8,000, not including basic voice fees, etc.).

The next best thing was using a bmobile FAIR data-only SIM with the N1 and shutting off data completely on the ht-03a. This gave me the best of both worlds, a Docomo family voice plan and a newer/faster/better handset for data with tethering, all at a reasonable price - my total mobile costs were about ¥4,000 each month. However, carrying two phones is less than ideal for a number of obvious reasons.

Now, I can use the N1 for voice, data, and tethering with an Xi contract for no additional costs. I am also not breaking the terms of the contract in any way. The N1 is even properly certified for use in Japan, including the (aftermarket) battery. As a final note, I was very satisfied with the bmobile SIM and would recommend JCI's talkingFAIR or talking 1 GB Flat Rate SIMs to anyone who is otherwise not eligible for a family calling plan.

Points to consider before switching

If you have a relatively new Docomo handset, there is little reason to switch to Xi, and it could get expensive if the phone is subsidized.

This is the flyer I received from the staff at the Docomo shop where I changed my contract. An OCR'd PDF is here. Some of this is obvious, some of it not so, and some of it may be wrong, as I can confirm that the ht-03a does in fact work. *

• NTT Docomo will not guarantee that the flat rate will be applied, leaving open the possibility of per KB charges at ¥0.41/KB. (This information is not included on the flyer but comes via calls by the staff to the internal help desk.) **
• FOMA handsets will not support high-speed LTE data or contents exclusively for Xi handsets.
• Monthly handset subsidies will cease (i.e., 月々サポート), and if either "handset purchase support" (端末購入サポート) or "basic purchase support" (ベーシック購入サポート) is currently applied, a cancellation fee will be assessed.
• Xi Price plans and data flat rates will be applicable.
• The following FOMA handsets cannot be used with Xi*: HT-01A, HT-02A, HT-03A, HT1100, M702iS, M2501, M1000, M702iG, NM850iG, NM705i, NM706i, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Bold 9780, BlackBerry Curve 9300.
• Users of "Mopera U" and "Business Mopera Internet" should manually set the APN to mopera.net (consult the owner's manual for instructions).
• Users of third party ISPs may experience difficulty connecting to the internet or incur additional fees. Confirm if this is the case with your ISP before contracting Xi service.
• Users who switch back to FOMA from Xi will be ineligible for the "Value" voice plans unless purchasing a new FOMA handset (which will nearly double the price of the basic fee).
• A new Xi SIM costs ¥2,100, though it seems I was only charged ¥2,000 (This information is not included on the flyer.)

* I can confirm that my ht-03a works perfectly fine with the Xi SIM. I even showed it to the staff at the shop (who really liked my splash screen, by the way). The staff member was aware of the custom ROM. He commented that perhaps it works but could cause billing issues. However, since my bill is so far normal, this doesn't appear to be the case.

** Technically, I don't see how this could happen unless Docomo specifically makes it happen, or you set some funky APN.

Original Japanese from flyer follows:

FOMA端末を利用しXi契約されるお客様ヘ
FOMA端末を利用しXi契約される場合、以下の点にご注意ください。

くご利用可能なサービスについて〉
FOMA端末では、高速通信や一部の Xi端末向けコンテンツをご利用いただけません。

くFOMAから契約変更する際、 FOMA契約において月々サポート等にご加入中の場合 について〉

• 月々サポート適用中の場合は、適用が終了いたします。
• 端末購入サポート適用中の場合は解除料がかかります。
• ベーシック購入サポート適用中の場合は、解除料がかかります。

く料金プラン・パケット定額サービスについて〉
料金プラン及びパケット定額サービスは、 Xi専用プランとなります。

くご利用いただけない FOMA端末について〉 以下の FOMA端末については、ご利用いただけません。
HT-01A、HT-02A、HT-03A、HT1100、M702iS、M2501、M1000、M702iG、M850iG、NM705i、NM706i、BlackBerry Bold、BlackBerry Bold 9700、BlackBerry Bold 9780、BlackBerry Curve 9300

く iモード・ sp モード以外のインターネット接続サービスの利用について〉
当祉の「moperaU」 又は「ビジネスmoperaインターネット」をご契約の方は、APNを「mopera.net」に手動で設定して下さい。設定方法は各機種の取扱説明書をご覧下さ い。
他社プロパイダをご契約の方は、FOMA 端末で Xiサービスを利用することで、接続できなくなる場合や、接続時聞に応じて別途のプロパイタ利用料が発生する場合がありますので、必ず事前にご契約プロパイダヘご確認下さい。

くその他〉
Xi 契約をされたのちに、FOMA端末の購入を伴わずFOMAサービスヘ契約変更する場合 は、バリュープランをご選択いただけません。

本書の内容は、2011年11 月24 日現在のものです
株式会社 NTTドコモ

NTT Docomo begins competing directly with Japanese MVNOs

Apparently feeling pressure from JCI, the company behind the popular b-mobile and Aeon SIMs, NTT Docomo recently announced a 128 kbps data plan that doesn't cost in excess of ¥5,000. The pricing and data speed put it in direct competition with the 100 kbps Aeon Plan A.

To put this into perspective, Docomo's previous price point for 128/64 kbps (down/up) was an astounding ¥5,985. To compete with JCI, Docomo has had to drop the price of this plan by nearly 600%.

The link to this old plan is likely to die, but here is a writeup.

While Docomo may have conceded on price point, they are still loathe to do away with their 2-year, automatically renewing contracts, which are standard with all Japanese carriers. In addition, Docomo is also including the (bogus) ISP fee on top (waived during the campaign). And, the base price of service is more. The Aeon SIM is the clear winner in this fight.

	Aeon Plan A	NTT Docomo
Speed	100 kbps (down and up)	128/64 kbps (down and up)
Price	¥980	¥1,380
Contract	None	2-year, auto renewal
ISP charge	None	¥525 (waived)

If you are wondering why Docomo would even allow JCI to do this, since JCI is in fact using Docomo's FOMA network. The answer is simple. JCI won the right to do so in government arbitration. Before that, all deals were done behind closed doors. Now anyone can become an MVNO using Docomo's FOMA and Xi networks, and the wholesale terms and pricing are set and in the open.

There is one place where Docomo could potentially best JCI. The SIM cards that Docomo provides to MVNOs lack particular components that cause the infamous niggles such as lack of signal bars and 3G icons, which in turn results in excessive battery use by the cell phones radio as it boost power searching for a signal (even though it has a signal). Docomo could provide it's own customer with SIMs that don't cause this problem, but I seriously doubt they will. 

AEON b-mobile SIMs now have voice plans

The postpaid, AEON exclusive b-mobile SIMs now support voice. The terms are the same as the AEON data-only SIMs: residency required and payment via credit card. A 1-year contract is required, but it does not automatically renew. No microSIM are available.

Current users of AEON data-only plans won't be able to continue using the same SIM card.

From the product page, here is a table showing the potential pricing.

Total minimum monthly cost		Voice Plan S	Voice Plan M	Voice Plan L
		1,290円	2,100円	3,675円
Data Plan A	980円	2,270円	3,080円	4,655円
Data Plan B	2,980円	4,270円	5,080円	6,655円
Data Plan C	4,980円	6,270円	7,080円	8,655円