Upgrading Galaxy Tab GT-P1000 to Ice Cream Sandwich using Mobile Odin

In this post I'd like to share some of my experiences on upgrading my Galaxy Tab GT-P1000 to ICS 4.0.4. These instructions are mainly aimed at explaining some of the concepts related to flashing custom roms and give instructions on how I was able to successfully upgrade my device.

REMEMBER, I AM AN IDIOT AND I DO NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM DOING. THEREFORE DON'T PROCEED IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE DOING. DO SOME RESEARCH ON OTHER SOURCES BEFORE YOU START FLASHING CUSTOM ROMS.

THERE IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THAT YOUR DEVICE MIGHT BE DAMAGED.

Okay, now that you have been warned it is time start. Here are the steps that I took:

1. Rooting
2. Installing Mobile Odin
3. Installing CWM Recovery (flashing a custom kernel)
4. Downloading back up files (just in case)
5. Choosing a custom ROM
6. Backing up, Flashing ROM and Google Apps

1. Rooting

The first thing you need to do is gain superuser rights to your tab. That is what rooting does. I was able to root my device using SuperOneClick. There are very good guides on how to do this so follow them. It is easy and quite convenient way to root your device but you will need a Windows PC for this step.

2. Installing Mobile Odin

Then you should install Mobile Odin on your tab. If you do not have access to a Windows machine there is no other (easy) way to flash kernels  Buy the pro version so you do not have to worry about downloading the correct configuration files. You can find Mobile Odin on Google Play.

3. Installing CWM Recovery (flashing a custom kernel)

CWM recovery is the best tool for flashing custom ROMs that are in zip-format. Here is the catch, the current version of CWM that is on Google Play doesn't support Galaxy Tab GT-P1000. What can you do? Well, some smart people have created custom versions of CWM Recovery that are integrated to custom kernel. One custom kernel that includes CWM is the custom kernel by Team Overcome. Use Mobile Odin to flash the kernel to your tab.

For me this was the biggest hurdle, because I do not have a Windows or Linux computer. Once I got CWM on my tab I was able to follow the normal guides for for flashing custom ROMs.

4. Downloading back up files (just in case)

Before you start flashing custom ROMs it might be a great idea to download the original firmware for your galaxy tab. You can find them at sammobile.com. You need to create an account before you can download any firmwares.

5. Choosing a custom ROM

There are two major developers of Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 (ICS) for GT-P1000. Cyanogen Mod and AOKP seem to be the most reliable developers at the moment. You can find their custom ROMs at the website of xda-developers. Remember to download Google Apps, as well.

6. Backing up, Flashing ROM and Google Apps

From this point onwards I was able proceed by carefully following other online guides that are available. The entire flashing process was fairly easy and didn't take that long. Have fun but be careful. And remember to backup your data.

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DO NOT JUST TRUST ME. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
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My Galaxy Tab GT-P1000 running Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 =)

After flashing my tab got so much better. Biggest surprise was that now the GPS works just fine. Before it was totally unable to get a GPS lock. ICS is generally much better than GB. Now I can use my tab much longer than I expected so for some reason the battery life has improved. I just hope that the devs will also roll out Jelly Bean to Galaxy Tab. I would be ecstatic if Linaro would find it's way to Galaxy Tab. Can you imagine how much faster the tab would be?

Tablets - Large square tablets

Samsung Galaxy Tab

I bought Samsung Galaxy Tab a few months ago, because I was really interested to find out if there was anything to this tablet computer craze that swooped over the techscene during last year. I was about to buy iPad 2, but then I came into the conclusion that it was just too expensive for my budget also I did not like the fact that Apple controls the applications you can install on iPad. Then I found Samsung Galaxy Tab. I got myself a used one at half the price what a new one would cost and the device was only a few months old so it was a very reasonable deal.

I admit that I am a bit of a addict when it comes to Internet. I spend way too much time in front of my  computer. Tablet does not solve this but when I am reading news or checking Twitter or YouTube videos it is just perfect. Especially in the evenings it is much better to read news from a smaller screen than blast your brains with a light from a 24" monitor. At least for me it does improve my sleep quality.

At least when it comes to iPad it has been gaming that everyone has been buzzing about. In the case of Android devices I haven't found any games that would be that interesting. The quality is all right but nothing that will revolutionise gaming. Galaxy Tab comes with NOVA which is okay for a fps-game. The gyroscopic control is all right but sometimes you find yourself pointing into very strange directions. It needs some improvements.

What is BIG PIECE OF STINKING POO-O is the updating system of Galaxy Tab. Why on earth do you need to install Kies before you can update the firmware. The whole system is just complete bollocks, because my HTC Wildfire is able to do updates over wi-fi. Don't tell me that wi-fi is not reliable. > :( It gets better. The Galaxy tab can't be charged via USB when it is connected to a computer. Woohoo. The update process takes a lot of power (for some reason) and if the battery of your device is not fully charged you will need to cancel the update process and recharge your device. ISN'T THAT MOTHER FUCKING CONVENIENT OR WHAT?!?

In my mind tablet computers are fun innovations that have lot of positive sides but so far I think they still have some drawbacks that limit the usability.

How do you use your tablet computer? Was it worth the money?