Official ROM ThL W100 - Only for rev3

And well, I'm going to start now publishing the ROMs available for our ThL W100.

The first is an Official ROM only for rev3 (check out what is yours!), so don't mess around your phone - it may get bricked and you'll get a useful phone (there is no solution).

ROM Version: ThL.W100.130912.JBV2.QHD.EN.COM.V01.8P32-kol

So, here it is how to install it properly (I'm not responsible for any damage on your phone. Read carefully before the installation!):

- First of all, download it. (Click here! / Mirror Link)
- What you are downloading is the Driver for ThL W100, SP Flash Tool (what will install the ROM on your phone) and the ROM itself. That's over 300MB!
- Install the driver (If your system is Windows 8, make sure you do this!)
- Open the SP Flash Tool
- Click in "Scatter-loading", then select the file "MT6589_Android_scatter_emmc.txt"
- UNCHECK THE FIRST "PRELOADER" (It's very important! If you don't do it, you will brick your phone and unable to use it again!)
- Remove the battery of your phone and wait a little bit
- Connect the USB Cable
- Click on "Download"
- Put the battery on your phone
- Wait until a green circle appears on your computer screen. When it appears, the process is finished.
- You're DONE!

ThL W100: which rev do I have?

Is there certain ROMs for each and different phone types. For ThL W100, is there rev 1, rev 2 and rev 3.

To know which rev do you have on your ThL W100 all you got to do is to remove the battery, and look for your Serial Number (S/N).

If it starts:
- with A: you have rev 1;
- with B: you have rev 2;
- with C: you have rev 3.

Hope it helps!

How to install a custom ROM on ClockworkMod Recovery

You've rooted your phone, installed your favorite apps, setup a recovery, but you still want to change your system... or to make it quicker (less RAM, less resource usage), and you don't know how. But, there's a way to make it: installing a custom ROM. A ROM is basically a file with a Android system and special modifications to the way your phone works: coded to make your phone faster, etc.

You may have heard something about it, as custom ROMs are maybe the only reason and the way to use the potential of your phone specs. This subject is not only for ThL W100 phones and MTK6589 devices, this is for ALL Android terminals. Rooting is just the beginning.

Make sure you search custom ROMs for your device, there is plenty of websites and forums with it, users like you and me who want to "unleash the beast" and make special changes that don't come from factory and official ROMs.

But, take care and beware of it. Read the feedback from users that already installed the ROM you want to install, what it takes to install, and make sure that modifying your ROM won't void your warranty and is for your phone - seriously, don't install a ROM from other phone. Again, you are responsible for what you do with your phone. Read all the steps wisely and carefully and you'll be fine with it.

In my case, I have a MIUI ROM installed on my ThL W100, ported from another MTK 6589 device (I'll post here at the blog, don't worry).


OK, let's go. You have already downloaded a ROM, and have it ready to install. Next, you need to have a SD Card on your phone - because is there you will put the ROM file. Connect your USB cable to your phone, activate the USB transfer on your phone, and simply put the ROM file inside your SD Card, on in a folder destinated for it (that's what I do, to keep it organized).
Next, reboot your phone on recovery mode, and:

- Wipe data/factory reset
- Wipe cache partition
- In "Advanced", select "Wipe dalvik cache"
- Return to the main menu, and select "Install zip from SD card"
- Then you select the ROM file you transfered to your SD card.
- Let it install, and "Reboot system now".
- YOU'RE DONE!

Your phone will take a while booting but don't worry - it's first time on new ROM.
Then, let it start all apps, don't do nothing neither install anything.
After that, reboot your phone. The boot time will decrease, because it's not the first time on the new system.

Keep visiting the blog for more tutorials and how-to's.
And comment if you like it, or want a specific tutorial!

Improve sport apps tracking on MTK quad-core

Today I show you how to improve the measurement of sport apps like Endomondo, Runtastic, Runkeeper, Strava, Sports Tracker, etc.

If you practise sports (cycling, running, etc) and you like to track how are you doing, and you would like to improve the tracking (a error on the Mediatek quad-cores in general - like our THL W100 - is making the tracking not so accurate as it should be). Let's improve it with a simple trick, as following:

WARNING - You need your phone rooted.
(If your phone it's not rooted, click here!)

- Install "Root Explorer" app, or other explorer that enters your phone system
- Access "/system/build.prop"
- Edit it, adding this command "dalvik.vm.execution-mode=int:fast"
- Save the file and reboot the phone
- YOU'RE DONE!

If you want more tutorials, make sure you comment asking what you want, and like us on Facebook to know all news about the blog.

Fixing GPS on THL W100 and MTK6589

It's noticed and proved that something is wrong about the GPS on the MTK6589 CPUs in general.
Some ROMs bring the fix for it, but even though if you test your GPS and it gives you a great margin of error (try it on your home! Go outside and test it!), or it takes too long to find a location, you should try this fix.

You'll need to get your phone rooted. (If your phone isn't rooted, follow this tutorial!)
 
- Turn off GPS;
- Download and Install "Root Explorer", "MobileUncle Tools" and "GPS Test" on Google Play Store;
- Open "Root Explorer" and go to the folder "data" or "data/misc";
- Delete file "mtkgps.dat";
- Reboot your phone;
- Get outside!
- Open "MobileUncle Tools";
- Go to "Engineer Mode";
- Go to "Engineer Mode (MTK)";
- Tap "Location", then "Location Based Service";
- Tap "AGPS" and make sure the "AGPS On/Off" is checked;
- Tap "EPO" and make sure the "Enable EPO" is checked;
- Turn on GPS in notification bar;
- Go back and tap "YGPS";
- Wait until get position lock (that will create a new "mtkgps.dat" file);
- Open "GPS Test". Now you should be position lock very quickly.
- You're DONE!

Now you can disable "AGPS" and "EPO" on "MobileUncle Tools", but it's OK if you keep it enabled, it'll lock position quicker.

If you have any trouble, leave a comment.
If you want more tutorials, leave a comment too!

How to increase internal storage

This is a simple way to increase internal storage on THL W100, by shrinking the size of the /ext partition, and increasing the internal storage, so you can install more apps to the system. All you need is to follow the next instructions.

Beware: save your data before doing it. We will make a wipe data/factory reset, so your internal data (not your SD card data) will be deleted - your phone will be like new.

- You need your phone rooted. (Click here to root your phone!)
- You need to have recovery installed on your phone. (Click here to know how!)
- Install "Meteos MTK6589" through your explorer (Click here to download the app)
- Open Meteos
- Give root permission to the app
- Choose the size of the partition you want (1 GB, 1.5 GB, 2 GB, 2.5 GB, 2.77 GB)
- Accept the change of the partition
- Reboot to the recovery
- Make a "Wipe data/factory reset" in the recovery
- Reboot to system
- YOU'RE DONE!

Tutorial: Activating Notification LED of ThL W100

Do you want to get notified when you recieved a text message, or have a notification from a app or something else? Here's a tutorial for that.

1º - You need to have your phone rooted. (If you don't have it, follow this tutorial!)
2º - Download this to your SD card
3º - Reboot your phone into Recovery Mode
4º - Select "install zip from SD card"
5º - Select the file you've downloaded and moved to your SD card
6º - Reboot your phone
7º - You're DONE!

How to lower the CPU frequency when the phone is idle

Most of the times your phone is on idle state (it's working), but it's constantly spending battery working on maximum frequency of the CPU. So, to save battery and add battery time on our phone, we need to lower the frequency of the CPU when we're not using the phone.

So, we need to do this:

- Your phone has to be rooted! (view our tutorial!)
- Download & Install "No-frills CPU Control" on Play Store;
- Execute the app;
- Select the following on the app:

• Max freq: 1,209Ghz
• Min freq: 497 Mhz
• Governor: ondemand
• I/O scheduler: cfq

- Press the "apply on boot" button, and quit the app.
- You're DONE!

Now, your phone spends less battery when it's not in use!

Installing ClockworkMod Recovery on ThL W100

If you want to install a ROM, backup / restore your phone, you need this. It's ClockworkMod (CWM) Recovery.

To install it, you should do this:
(Again, I'm not responsible for anything that causes damages to your phone. Be sure that the store you bought the phone allows you to do this, without losing warranty.)

- Your phone needs to be rooted (follow this tutorial!);
- Go to Play Store;
- Download and Install "Mobileuncle Tools";
- Download the ClockworkMod Recovery for ThL W100 (mirror #1);
- Rename the file you've downloaded to "recovery.img";
- Move the file to your SD Card;
- Open up Mobileuncle Tools on your phone;
- Select "Recovery Update";
- Choose the file "recovery.img" you've moved to your SD card;
- You're DONE!

Now, your phone has a recovery software.
To access to the recovery, you can choose the option in Mobileuncle Tools "Into Recovery Mode", or if your phone is turned off, press the "Volume up" button with the "On/Off" button together.

It's recommended to each time you made changes to your phone (app install, etc) to keep a backup of your phone, just for safety reasons.

How to root ThL W100 and MTK 6589 devices

We have the phone, now it's time for unleash the potential of that beast!
So, we're going to root it.

What is "rooting" a device?
Rooting is the process of allowing users of smartphones, tablets, and other devices running the Android mobile operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's subsystem.

Let's do it!
First, you need to be ensured that I'm not responsible for any damage your phone takes during this process. And, be sure that the store you bought the phone let's you root your phone without losing the warranty. (Mine allows, so that's why I have my ThL W100 rooted)

- Download "Framaroot";
- Connect your phone via USB;
- Move the apk file you've downloaded to your phone;
- Install that apk (via File Manager on your phone);
- Execute Framaroot;
- Select either Boromir or Faramir (only for this phone!)
- Reboot your phone;
- And you're DONE! Your phone is rooted!

WARNING: if you have any problems rooting the phone, check out the Framaroot official thread on xda-developers (here)!

You should now have Superuser and su binary installed on your phone. Now each time you execute an app that needs root access, you have to grant / deny access, on a popup that should appear when executing the app.

Unboxing

It's time for unboxing of the ThL W100!

Here is one video from the YouTube, where you can see what the package offers, and the product itself.

ThL W100 Specs

Here they are, the specs of this great smartphone:

• 4.5 inch, 960 x 540, 5 point multi-touch IPS display
• Android 4.2
• 1.2GHz MTK6589 quad-core CPU
• PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU
• 8MP Rear Camera + 5MP Front-Facing Camera
• RAM: 1GB
• Dual-SIM
• 3G: WCDMA: 850/2100MHz
• 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Full support for Google Play
• Micro SD Card Slot
• Proximity Sensor
• Accelerometer Sensor
• Light Sensor
• Magnetic Field Sensor

The reasons

So, what are the reasons for buying the ThL W100?
For me, the main reasons are the low price for what the phone offers (I'll post the specs later) and the support it has on the Internet, mainly from Spanish countries (I've bought mine on a online Spanish store). But first, I've searched a lot on the internet about the support of the equipment, and what I've found is that this phone is well constructed, well designed and it's gorgeous, it's great, and it's quad-core! Android 4.1, and with the phone included, the store offered me an extra battery.

The purchase

You're in doubt about buying a smartphone?
Did you wonder that there's an smartphone which specs are equal or better than the most expensive phones on the market? Let me tell you my story.

When I was searching for a new phone, I've searched a lot. Yes, a lot. I've come to all major and non-major online and local stores, just to review the phones and the price and the specs of each of every one of them. But then the search was nicely completed, and I've found a phone which specs and price come to an agreement. I present you the ThL W100.

ThL is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, whose products have been lately searched, due to great quality-price relation, and low prices (obviously). I was in doubt about two ThL products: a W8S (Galaxy IV look-like) and the W100. My budget is low: I'm a college student and if I could save money, I'll definately do it. So, the W100 was my choice.

Stay tuned for more!