Blog log - 2023/1

Last update : 25/5/2023

25/5/2023

Welp. Cancelling indefinite suspension of site development. I might not want to do Android stuff anymore (especially once A14 drops), so don't expect updates on that one.

By the way, shout out to Narsil for opening the pages' 1st issue (which is fixed by now) which addresses his move from GitLab & Jorgu81 ID. Many thanks for all that you do!

23/5/2023

With a stressed heart, I announce that I am indefinitely suspending all development of this site, all thanks to Android being a shit platform (that keeps getting shittier by the day, month, trimester, & year) & my increasing unwillingness to experiment with newer Android. I could have pivoted to other tech, but at this point I just wanted something that works for me, in my image; and getting there wasn't fun anymore. So, yeah. I'm out. 25/5/2023 update : Disregard this, GearJail's back.

1/4/2023

Since this is April Fools, might as well make some potentially foolish article about the perfect phone.

Got a fucked-up (dead display, old battery) XZ1 (but at least bootloader's unlocked; presumably G8341), which is unfortunately beyond repair (fitting if either (and/or both of) me / Bob am pranked for today). So far, here's my first impression:

• For starters, it runs unofficial Evolution X (not sure which build) & official TWRP 3.6.1-9.0. The former is immediately wiped out in favor of unofficial LineageOS (18/9/2022 A12 build) after playing around with iodeOS (7/2/2023 release, 31/1/2023 build) for a bit & finding out it resets time on every boot, with the latter switched to an unofficial 3.6.2-12.0 found on XDA (in hopes that would somehow fix time reset on boot - which just doesn't).
By the way, the development scene for the XZ1 is pathetically lacking. There's official CarbonROM (stuck in A10, so no per-app data restriction), iodeOS, unofficials of LineageOS (A10-microG & A13, in-betweens unmaintained), Evo-X, & Pixel Experience (no March 2023 updates); and basically zero custom kernels (technically there's one though it's dedicated to EAS ROMs).


• For the dead display, it had to be replaced with an "OEM" display as my old display doesn't respond to touch input anymore. It had a dead pixel on a corner, and I had to transfer the speaker grilles from my old display. And, comparing the colors of both "OEM" & old original; the "OEM" display has questionable whites that flashes back to a more proper white for a split second. At least the glass had some oleophobic coating, I suppose...
By the way, the display feels thinner than the usual LCD (at least the ones on the F1) & is more susceptible to whitespots from even being glued up to the shell.


• As for the old battery (which was replaced by an "OEM" battery - which was all I can find just like the display), it couldn't charge (though the phone recognizes that it had a cable plugged in) when the device is active (both "OEM" & original battery). Turns out the issue was a random broken chip by the display's BTB connector... which was probably pried out by accident. Fixing this will require microsoldering & a new chip (neither of which are easily accessible to us at this point), so I deem the XZ1 irrepairable at this point.
The "OEM" parts were moved on to my old SOV36... which "soft-bricked" itself as soon as I attempted to invert navbar with ADB.


• As for its repairability, here's my opinion:
• First off - the entry point. It starts with the display (which has to be heated up to loosen its adhesive), which I personally dislike as replacing all other components may require destroying an otherwise functioning display (unless you're careful that is).
Granted, this setup is practical when the display breaks after a fall, but I believe this approach is less user-friendly. I mean, the most expensive component as the entry point? Guess it's a screen replacement (or the screen protector at the fucking least, if it's there) every time I need the battery replaced...


• Sony's bracket addiction isn't as apparent on the XZ1 as it was on the XZ - there were 2, with one on the top of the board & 1 on the bottom, with the latter being removable after removing 2 screws. The former can only be removed after the motherboard is removed from the shell, & replacing it is a hassle. By the way, here's a video of the XZ1 being torn down by Wit Rigs.
• Headphone jack & charging port is glued in their own parts within the shell, so replacing them is trivial after prying them off their adhesives (ignoring the display-first issue). However, the jack's BTB cable had to fold & go through the motherboard's top bracket just so it could connect to the board.
• The battery is not user-replaceable (which is unfortunate, though expected). Initial replacement requires pulling the stretch-pull tabs that breaks easily (and also similar to most iPhones).
• The speakers (which probably is something I won't think about replacing) can only be described as cathartic (at least for the top one). Bottom speaker shares a screw with the mid-frame, and connects using a contact pad on the volume button ribbon cable. The top speaker, on the other hand, is directly stuck under the display panel, and connects using a contact pad on the motherboard. If the display is raised, wanna wonder why the top speaker doesn't work?
• In summary : The XZ1 is a poorly designed phone (even when it was first released) that prioritizes having a fancy metal shell over being user-friendly. The battery is too small for its size (especially since Xperia XZ could pack 2900mAh) & repairing any component requires being really careful with the display. Heard Bob got it for 600,000IDR, but this phone is so shit that 600,000IDR is just barely worth it. Welp, he's going to have to help me with hunting some other decent stuff* for the X3N I gave him...
*decent according to me, obviously.

16/3/2023

OK, if you're reading this blogpost you've probably seen some updates on some Android pages, despite me promising to no longer update them (or you didn't notice any Android page updates, so in that case you now know). Welp, I'll be really clear here : A13 will be the last Android version I'm touching, and even then, I will not daily drive it; unlike A12. Starting with A14 & beyond, I'm permanently done with Android; and I will no longer create and/or update all Android content, except for my personal app list and/or rants.

As a result of this change, if anyone would like to maintain those pages (or add it to their site), feel free to do so.

To close this blogpost, we're now live in Codeberg.

17/1/2023

Randomly browsed /r/FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH & found out I got featured there, so thanks for the exposure guys! Though just keep in mind that I'm pretty much the only guy maintaining this site & my time for the site got really cut by work & Fate/GO grinding, so I won't be able to update the site as often as I would like to. Either way, here's yet another list of my personal life changelogs:

• AetherSX2 development died (and its developer seemingly vanished from the internet), so RIP. Idiots are why humanity can't have nice things.
• Got one hot take on Android: The entire thing's a constantly moving target no thanks to Goolag actively breaking stuff with their updates. Not to mention many custom ROMs attempting the same stuff without getting things right. In addition, here are 4 more stuff I don't like from Android that no custom ROMs has ever tackled.
• Material "pretty sure this joke's a tiny garden by now, fertilized by the dead horse's bonemeal that we had just beaten many sentences ago" You starting with A12 & the shit "basic" colors. Yeah, it still sucks (not as much as it used to be, mainly because I somehow got used to it), and I already mentioned this so many times. But I just won't be missing one last shot on this shit.
• Sometimes, when re-inserting a microSD card back into the phone's microSD slot, it gets repopulated with empty new folders (if not present) for Alarms, Android, Audiobooks, DCIM, Documents, Download, Movies, Music, Notifications, Pictures, Podcasts, Recordings, & Ringtones. This behavior is present starting with A10 AFAICR, with the first boot (at least it doesn't happen randomly); and since A11, it worsened to this state.
4-7 audio folders, 2 picture folders. That's how much that got made every god-damn time. Out of all those, I only kept Android, DCIM, Documents, Movies (though it should've been Videos), & Music.
In addition, Movies, Music, & Pictures are the most persistent, re-adding themselves every re-insertion.


• Random removal of permission & data after some time if an app was left unused, enabled by default. This behavior can only be disabled per-app, not systemwide.
• Something I've mentioned in my best ROM article (with some rephrasing) : Random issues with aux volume (headphones and/or speakers) where if it's raised above 50% it will warn the user about raising it claiming hearing damage as reason. Accepting it (which is only possible with the screen on) allows the volume to go above 50% for either 20 hours of continuous aux usage or 1 reboot (with no way to permanently & definitively remove the alert; at least without some work in the ROM internals), then the alert returns, instantly reducing the volume to 50%.
• One of my siblings went back from Japan & got themselves a Nintendo Switch (OLED); and got me to play Mario Party with them. The game is a bit less fair than the DS version (from the last one I remembered), but it got me somewhat interested in the console, which got me to Skyline (instead of putting a Switch in my wishlist - 13/2/2023 Update : Got myself a Switch V2 since I'm still not convinced with Skyline). So far, here are a few things I can say about Skyline.
• Button mapping with the DualSense is a pain. D-pad & right joystick doesn't properly work, forcing me to use the touchscreen controller which at least works, but was a pain to set up as unlike AetherSX2's touchscreen controller, Skyline's doesn't snap into place. Also, unlike the aforementioned AetherSX2 (and PPSSPP), the d-pad & ABXY touchscreen buttons are treated as separate buttons.
• Skyline's developers & contributors bans those caught using "pirated" game files and/or containing an "illegal site" link in the log. One example can be seen in this issue.
• Most of Skyline's activities (including several add-ons) are locked behind discord, a notoriously toxic walled garden. In addition, bleeding edge builds are locked behind a Patreon subscription (that needs to be tied to a discord account), which allows access to a discord group containing the builds.
• 12/5/2023 Update : With Nintendo's DMCA attack on Lockpick (a tool for extracting Switch keys), Skyline's developers bowed out citing potential legal risks (which might be understandable considering the devs are students who definitely won't survive Nintendo's "lawful" assault). BTW, Yuzu & Ryujinx are still up for desktop Switch emulation. One of Skyline's developers has "transitioned" (actually forked) to Strato (which doesn't seem to have any active APKs floating around except in their Discord maybe), for what it's worth.

Main Page