Guess I'll just leave it here:
https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/?org=dp

I'm sure you guys value the web as a free, no-strings-attached resource to express their thoughts, dissent and share information. Leaving it at the mercy of greedy corporations is plain wrong and anathema to what the Internet stands for.

Was a tad bored lately so I did this:
https://github.com/huckleberrypie/pollywog

Quote:Pollywog - The LeapFrog Epic Toolbox



Just a minimal utilities menu for LeapFrog Epic, the purpose being to unlock a number of hidden yet useful options that were present in vanilla AOSP but disabled for some reason by LeapFrog. Think of it as like a watered down ROM Toolbox of sorts, but tailor-made for LeapFrog's Android tablet. I came up with this as switching to another hotspot is a bit of a chore, so yeah. I know it's simple and all, and my Java skills leave a lot to be desired, but I hope this would be of some use to you guys.
Features

• Shortcuts to commonly-used and some advanced Android features (WLAN and previously hidden stuff like the MTK engineer menu, lockscreens and developer options)
  
• A link to the LeapFrog support page
  
• And many more being planned
  

Planned stuff

• A root exploit perhaps?
  
• Cache cleaner
  
• A terminal emulator
  
• Enhancements to the parental controls/restrictions feature (considering how these can be bypassed somewhat )
  

This app is released under the CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication licence (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

Anyone heard of this lately? For some reason the image host has, in a rather boneheaded move, decided to charge users $400 for the ability to embed images to forums and other sites.

Unsurprisingly, this doesn't bode well with those who had stuff uploaded on said host for a long time, and rendered most images on various websites null and void due to the sudden change. While I do understand that running a file or media host with millions of users is a major undertaking, calling for immense space and bandwidth to carry most if not all, slapping such a huge fee without even warning users or going through a transition period is draconian, plain and simple. And yet Imgur seems to be fine and dandy with all them memes and so on, just as the post abides by their rules.

This one's a straightforward operation. Phone doesn't appear to be rooted, yet for some reason it's spitting out error messages:




Tried a factory reset to no avail so I basically had no choice but to wipe and reload:


And there you have it, good as new:


Here's a link to where I got the ROM for those interested:
https://13freak.blogspot.com/2015/07/myp...itkat.html
Password for the file is "jhunpanabo" sans quotes.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT in any way responsible for any data loss or hardware damage caused by unsupported software on your LeapFrog Epic. Always observe common sense and make backups before doing anything drastic, OK?

A number of people, parents to be specific, have been asking as to how can they install Google Play Services on their children's LeapFrogs. Unfortunately, this involves rooting the device, mostly using utilities such as Kingoroot. In my case, only the PC version of Kingoroot works; Kingroot may also work, but the default Kids Launcher spazzes out for some reason, making it unusable.

Prior to rooting, you need to install the necessary ADB drivers (I think Windows 10 will have that installed automatically), then enable USB debugging using the Developer Options shortcut in Pollywog or some other developer options shortcut app (tapping the Build Number item in About device does nothing, unfortunately).

After that, install Kingoroot on your PC, then follow the on-screen instructions. Once you get your Epic rooted, follow the instructions in the guide here to replace the Superuser app with SuperSU: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android...y-t3573361

You may want to mount /system as read-write as this involves copy/pasting files to /system. This tool should come in handy in that case.

Now on to the fun part:

Unfortunately I haven't found a working method to get Google Play to work on the Epic without root. cobalt232's modded Play Store sort of works at most when paired with microG, but it is unable to install apps. Sideloading Play Store to system should be easy once rooted though. Copy the four APK files from this ZIP to /system/priv-app using X-Plore or some other root file manager, and make sure the permissions are set to 644:



Once that's done, restart your device, then check your parental controls menu to see if Google Play store runs correctly:


From there you can now download the likes of YouTube Kids and other such applications which aren't available on Amazon or LeapFrog's own app store.

I also recommend using an ad blocker such as AdAway to keep those pesky banner ads from showing up on your kids' games; don't get me wrong, those ads are there for a reason, but they are sometimes so pervasive that it can be harmful to your kids.

The following files are incremental updates used to update an existing system to the latest build. No known scatter or flashable ZIP files for a full system image exist.

I know this involves root, as not all parents are up to it, but in case you feel like your son or daughter's LeapFrog isn't cutting it, I found out a few more tweaks which should add a bit more functionality and make it more usable.

As I said earlier, this requires root, which can be done using one-click utilities. The PC version of Kingoroot should do the trick. Once you root your device, you'll also have to install Xposed for the other tweaks to run.

Bring back the recent apps button
I'm sure you've noticed that the navigation bar on the Epic lacks the recent apps button for some reason. 'Tis uncertain as to why, but my hunch is that LF decided to dummy it out to keep children from opening it by accident. Fortunately, the ROM is still largely AOSP-based so it's just the matter of using Xperia/AOSP Navbar Buttons to gain back task switcher access. GravityBox for Kitkat seems like a viable option as well, though I haven't tried it myself yet.

Home sweet home
Ever grow tired of the KidLauncher? That rather infantile app drawer you or your kids are subjected to every time you play with the Epic? For a while I thought it's a matter of modding the framework files to get alternative home screens to install, but turns out it's no different from restoring SD card read-write functionality.

Assuming you've rooted your device already, mount /system as read-write using either ADB or Terminal:

As you may (or may not) have noticed, my friends and I decided to make the move to a new VPS, mostly because Chris has decided to call it quits with his hosting business, and I don't want to burden him even further either. I mean, he's fine with hosting our site for a while, but that got a little overboard as a server move is long overdue.

We could've gotten away with using a free hosting service, but that presents problems due to how inherently limited they are (after all, they're being sold at a loss anyway). Hence the move to a new host, specifically a VPS from HostUS per Chris' recommendation on a cheap provider. I don't feel like paying per month, let alone per hour, so an annual subscription is the way to go.

And as such my friends and I are planning on putting up a revenue system to make up for any losses incurred, as it definitely isn't cheap to run a website, no matter how small it is. Banner ads from Project Wonderful seem to be a viable idea given how you have complete control on which ads to display, and isn't as corporate-run as the ones from Google so you can leave Adblock off for this site. A Patreon campaign may also do the trick, but getting the audience is no easy task given the niche nature of this forum.

Which brings up to the direction we're taking as a site. Most of us have moved on from the Strawberry Shortcake franchise, and as such we don't feel like discussing about it as much as we used to as key members have either left or went for other commitments. What I'm thinking of is to turn this site to a more technologically-focused message board, though the SSC-related subforums, and the site name itself, will still remain as it is out of convenience as moving to a different domain is a pain and a half as it is.

So what do you guys think about it?

Maybe I'll try posting on the forum more often to try and liven things up in the interim. With that said, time for a new tech toy. 

I have had an original Nintendo 3DS since July 2013, gifted as a college graduation gift. It has served me well, playing hundreds of hours of various games, mostly Animal Crossing New Leaf.

Come earlier 2017, and I decided to try out Super Smash Bros on 3DS, and noticed it ran kind of slow. I did my research and learned the upgraded 3DS model, the "New" 3DS, can play this game without issues and brings along some enhanced features. After swinging back and forth between upgrading and not upgrading, I finally bought my "New" 3DS XL last weekend. I wanted the Red color to match my old 3DS, but no store had it. It was either Black or Galaxy Style. I went for Galaxy Style because it looks a bit nicer than standard black, plus the inside is a cool metallic blue. Photos are shown below:





The reasons why I decided to upgrade are boiled down to two. There were some SNES Virtual Console titles that I was interested in (namely, games that cost hundreds of dollars on eBay), and SNES VC is only available on the "New" 3DS. I also discovered that using the shoulder buttons on the old 3DS is very uncomfortable to me. I haven't played many games that use the shoulder buttons until a few weeks ago when I tried my hands (literally) at Luxor.

Among other features the "New" 3DS brings to the table are a C-Stick located above the face buttons. This isn't an analog stick, but a rubber nub not unlike those found on older ThinkPad laptops. It's used as a second analog stick for games that need a secondary analog control, like moving the camera around. It's also used to execute Smash Attacks in Super Smash Bros. There are two additional shoulder buttons, ZL and ZR. The "New" 3DS also boasts a faster processor and built in amiibo support on the touch screen. Because of these many ehancements, there are games that only work on the "New" 3DS, but as of this writing, there aren't many exclusives beyond Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. As I mentioned, the SNES Virtual Console is only available on the "New" 3DS. 

The "New" 3DS comes in two sizes, the standard size and the XL size. I chose the XL since I figured it would be more comfortable to use the shoulder buttons and that the screens are much larger, making games easier to see. The XL is the only model readily available in the states, with the standard size being limited edition bundles, like the most recent $99 Super Mario edition.

I think the "New" 3DS XL was a great choice for an upgrade. In terms of speed, the "New" 3DS far outclasses the original. The system UI is much more responsive, especially the eShop. Games that are enhanced for the "New" model also load faster, or perform a lot better than an older 3DS. One particular game, Hyrule Warriors Legends, only has 3D with the "New" units.

Should one consider upgrading if they have an original 3DS? It's very subjective. Personally, you should only upgrade to the "New" 3DS if you desire any exclusive feature like SNES VC, or if you really get into games like Super Smash Bros, which really benefit from the upgraded model. If you don't want any of the extra bells and whistles of the "New" 3DS, then it's best to stick with your original model, be it an XL or regular size.

Figured that since this is a mostly tech related post, I'd post here instead of the Spam Thread. It's also very late and I should be in bed, but I need to write this so I can hope to make a concrete decision.

Lately, I have been using my original Nintendo 3DS a lot more. It was originally a college graduation gift from summer 2013, and while I did use it on and off over the years, I found out that I'm missing out on a lot of great games. I also like how 3DS/DS games are designed to be played in short time frames. I have a busy work day, so between the two jobs I have during rest periods, I can play my games for that length of time, and just put the console to sleep when I have to return to work.

Lately, I have been going back and forth deciding whether or not I should upgrade to the upgraded "New" 3DS, specifically the XL model. This all started when I tried out Super Smash Bros for 3DS, aka SSB 4. I noticed that on my system, it took forever to start up and when you exit, the system restarts. I researched this, and learned that this game pushes the limits of what the 3DS can do and it's more or less optimized for the upgraded "New" 3DS. With my console, the game does run fine when it's loaded up, but Miiverse and the web browser are disabled. On the "New" 3DS, you can multitask while playing this game and the load times are significantly shorter. SNES Virtual Console is only supported on the "New" 3DS as well. Several other games also make use of the upgraded hardware, usually performance improvements and use of the C-Stick and ZL/ZR buttons. A comprehensive list of such games are listed here on the nifty 3DS subreddit... https://www.reddit.com/r/3DS/wiki/exclusives

There is also hardware improvements... better 3D camera, face-tracking 3D, faster processor, etc. I hardly use the 3D feature since it's mostly a gimmick, but honestly, the face-tracking 3D does pique my interest. You can even use amiibo figures and cards without the use of an external reader/writer. I ended up ordering one for my original 3DS just yesterday, which I could have held off for a little while longer I guess.

I am so tempted to upgrade and give Nintendo $170 for a like new refurbished unit (since nearly every store I been to hasn't had 3DSes because of Nintendo's stock "issues"), but I really don't know if it would just be an impulse buy.

I have a few things that sway me towards Yes... There is only one "New" 3DS game I am moderately interested in, Hyperlight EX. There are actually some SNES VC games I do want such as Earthbound and MegaMan X and X3. Those game carts cost an arm-and-a-leg on eBay, especially EarthBound. I am intrigued by the increased performance of the system and certain games overall. I also would be more likely to use the 3D more with the new console. Built in amiibo support is also nice.

Here are the points that sway me towards No... my original 3DS has a physical Wifi switch, which is handy in case I need to shut off Wifi quickly to conserve battery. The "New" 3DS has a software switch built in to the Home menu settings, which takes more time to find and switch on or off. The included stylus is a comfortable metal telescoping type. The SD Card is easy to access and takes full size cards. The "New" 3DS has a microSD card.... inside the battery cover.... and it takes a bit more work to replace. Besides the exclusives I mentioned and SSB 4, my 3DS library runs fine and dandy on my current 3DS, and so will the games I have my eyes on.

And there you have it. I have trouble making up my mind on things like this, and perhaps someone could steer me towards a final decision. It's my choice in the end though, and who knows... maybe between now and summer a game will be announced that takes advantage of the "New" 3DS and it will convince me to upgrade.