How to flash a damaged preloader. We got a brick while flashing the smartphone, what should I do? Then we do everything strictly according to the instructions.

Most of the articles in the X-Mobile section are devoted to hacks and tweaks that require getting root rights, modification of the firmware or its replacement with custom. However, not every reader is ready to subject his smartphone to such operations, fearing that they can turn the device into a brick or lead to instability in work. Today I will debunk these myths and show that even in the most stalemate situation, it is not so difficult to bring a smartphone back to life.

Destroying myths

Let's talk about what it is all the same "to turn a smartphone into a brick" and what other pitfalls may await the user on the way to change the system and install custom firmware. What glitches can you catch and can you kill a smartphone by flashing it incorrectly? Will you lose your warranty forever or can your smartphone be returned to its previous state? Can custom firmware fail the smartphone owner at the most inopportune moment and are they worth it?

Myth 1. Incorrect flashing can kill a smartphone

A fall from the fifth floor can kill a smartphone, but not a flashing. The main problem faced by anyone who wants to reflash a smartphone is that during the installation of the firmware, a failure may occur, which will lead to its inoperability, and the smartphone will actually turn into a brick.

All this is true, but only on paper. To understand why, it is enough to understand how the process of flashing a smartphone works and what system components are used in this case. To be able to install third-party firmware on a smartphone, you need to unlock the bootloader (not in all cases), get root and install a custom recovery console (ClockworkMod or TWRP) that can install firmware with any digital signature.

The Recovery Console is stored in a separate section of the internal NAND memory and is not connected in any way with the installed operating system. After installing a modified version of the console, it will be possible to flash custom firmware or even another OS (Firefox OS, for example). If a failure occurs during the firmware installation, the smartphone will not be able to load it, but the recovery console will remain in place, and all that needs to be done is to reboot into recovery and reinstall the firmware.

In addition, any custom recovery console contains a backup / restore function that allows you to back up the main firmware and restore it unchanged (with all applications, settings and data) in the event that something goes wrong. In fact, the smartphone can be returned to its original state.

You may be asking: what happens if the installation of the Recovery Console itself fails? Nothing, in this case, the situation will be the opposite, when the operating system itself remains in place, and the console will be lost. To deal with it, you just need to re-flash recovery directly from Android.

Hypothetically, one can imagine a situation where both the firmware and the recovery console will be killed (although this is quite difficult to do), but even in this case, the primary bootloader will always remain in place, flashed into the permanent memory of the smartphone.

Conclusion: it is impossible to kill a smartphone by installing a third-party firmware via a custom recovery console. Either recovery or the primary bootloader will always remain in place.

Myth 2. Custom firmware is unreliable

Firmware firmware strife. In the open spaces world wide web you can find a huge amount Android assemblies for every taste and color, and most of them are really slag, which can lead to instabilities in the operation of the smartphone and the loss of some functionality. Therefore, the first thing to remember is that you should only deal with serious custom firmware developed by large teams of experienced developers. First of all, these are CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, AOKP, OmniROM and MIUI.

Second. There are two types of firmware: officially supported and ported by third-party developers. The same CyanogenMod, for example, has official version for the Nexus 4 smartphone, but does not have one for the Motorola Defy. But for Defy there is an unofficial port of CyanogenMod 11 from the developer with the nickname Quarx. Their difference lies in the fact that for support and correct performance the first is answered by the CyanogenMod team, while the second is by Quarx personally. Official firmware versions are usually fully functional, but the correctness of the second depends on a third-party developer.

And the third thing. There are stable and development versions of the firmware. Stable versions of CyanogenMod have an M index (CyanogenMod 11.0 M7, for example). This firmware version usually does not contain bugs. Development versions (in the case of CyanogenMod, these are daily nightly builds) may contain bugs and are therefore not recommended for everyday use.

Conclusion: if you install a stable official version of "normal" firmware on your smartphone, the risk of encountering bugs is minimal. Everything else is for the experimenters.

Myth 3. Software that requires root privileges is capable of corrupting a smartphone

In theory, a rooted app can do whatever it wants with a smartphone's firmware, including erasing it completely. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful with such software. The software that we are talking about on the pages of the magazine is completely safe and tested in our own skin. In addition, for the entire time of using smartphones on Android (and this is starting from version 1.5) I never did not come across a situation where rooted software would kill a smartphone.

Software distributed through Google play, usually fully corresponds to the declared characteristics, and if it led to a brick or left a backdoor in the bowels of the smartphone, it would not last even a week in the store. In any case, here you need to follow the "trust but verify" rule and carefully read the instructions for using root applications.

Myth 4. Root rights make a smartphone vulnerable to viruses

It is not root permissions that make a smartphone vulnerable to viruses, but bugs used to obtain them. Rooting tools and viruses can exploit the same Android vulnerabilities to gain root privileges, so the mere fact of having root on a device doesn't change anything. A well-written virus will not ask for rights in a standard way, betraying its presence; instead, it will use the same vulnerability to get them secretly.

Moreover, having root, you get the opportunity to install a fresh Android version(in the form of custom firmware), in which these bugs have already been fixed. Also, do not forget that most custom firmwares allow you to disable root or create whitelisting applications that can use these rights.

Myth 5. A rooted smartphone can fail.

Root software does four simple things: it launches an exploit that allows you to gain root privileges on the system, mounts the / system partition in write mode, copies the su binary to the / system / xbin directory, which is required to get root privileges in the future, and installs a SuperSU or SuperUser application that will take control every time an application asks for root privileges with su.

None of these steps can crash or kill the smartphone. The only thing that can happen is that the exploit will cause a segmentation error and the smartphone will reboot, after which it will continue to work normally.

Myth 6. Getting root and installing custom firmware will void my warranty

The warranty is lost not from the very fact of getting root, but because of its discovery by the service center. Most devices can be unrooted using the Universal Unroot app or by reinstalling the stock firmware using official app from the manufacturer.

There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. The first is the Knox system pre-installed on new smartphones and Samsung tablets such as Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3 and Note 10.1. Knox provides an increased level of security for Android, responding to any firmware modifications and installation of third-party kernels and firmware. In the event that the user performs these actions, the system sets up a trigger that confirms the fact of modification. The trigger is implemented in hardware (eFuse chip), so you won't be able to reset it to its initial position. On the other hand, it is not entirely clear whether service center on this basis, to repair the device. Second: the eFuse chip is installed on some other devices (for example, smartphones from LG), and it also allows you to accurately determine if the smartphone has been rooted or flashed.

If we talk about custom firmware, everything is more complicated here. Usually, a flashing operation requires unlocking the bootloader, and this can be done either using special exploits or using the web service of the smartphone manufacturer. In any case, the unlocked bootloader will definitely indicate that the smartphone did not belong to a blonde.

On some smartphones, it is possible to lock the bootloader back, but you should learn about this separately, and also keep in mind that a newly locked bootloader will most likely receive the Re-locked status, and not Locked, as it was originally (this happens on HTC smartphones, for example). The only exceptions here are smartphones and tablets of the Nexus line, the bootloader of which can be locked and unlocked in three clicks without any dancing with a tambourine, and no one will pick on anything.

INFO

On Linux, ADB and Fastboot can be installed separately from the Android SDK. On Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install android-tools-fastboot. On Fedora: sudo yum install android-tools.

To prevent the Knox system from interfering with root applications, it can be disabled using the following command from the terminal: su pm disable com.sec.knox.seandroid.

conclusions

Getting root and flashing a smartphone is absolutely safe operations, which cannot turn a smartphone over for purely technical reasons. The only exception is trying to hack the bootloader to unblock it. In this case, the eFuse chip (if there is one in the smartphone) may work and block the ability to turn on the smartphone.

Fortunately, today smartphone manufacturers either prefer not to block the ability to turn on a smartphone with a hacked bootloader (by setting a trigger indicating the fact of such an action, as Knox does), or they implement a special web service that allows you to painlessly unlock the bootloader with the loss of the smartphone warranty. which saves users from having to risk breaking the bootloader.

Problems that may arise when flashing

So, now let's talk about what problems can arise with getting root and flashing and how to deal with them.

Scenario one: after an unsuccessful flashing, the smartphone stopped loading

An unsuccessful flashing can be caused by several factors: the battery has run out and the firmware is only half full, the firmware turned out to be faulty or intended for another smartphone model. In the end, there was simply not enough space on the smartphone, which can happen when trying to install a fresh version of Android on a smartphone three or four years ago.

Outwardly, all these problems usually manifest themselves either in endless smartphone resets to the manufacturer's initial logo, or in the so-called boot loop, when the boot animation spins on the screen for more than five to ten minutes. Problems with the screen (multicolored ripples) and a non-working touchscreen are also possible, which also impede the use of the smartphone.

In all these cases, it is enough to do one simple thing: turn off the smartphone by long pressing the power button, then turn it on with the volume down button held down (some smartphones use a different combination), and after you get into recovery, reinstall the firmware (Install zip from sdcard - > Chooze zip from sdcard) or restore backup ( Backup and restore -> Restore). Everything is easy and simple.

Scenario two: firmware works, but recovery is not available

This can happen after an unsuccessful installation or update of the Recovery Console. The problem is that after restarting the smartphone and turning it on with the volume down button pressed, a black screen appears, after which the smartphone is either reset or freezes.

Solving this problem is not easy, but very simple. You can install the recovery console on the vast majority of smartphones using the TWRP Manager, ROM Manager or ROM Installer applications. They determine the smartphone model themselves, download and flash the required recovery without requiring a reboot. If you cannot restore the console with their help, it is enough to find instructions on install recovery to your device.

Scenario three: neither firmware nor recovery is available

To be honest, it is difficult for me to imagine such a scenario, but, as practice confirms, it is quite real. There are two ways to get out of this situation: use fastboot to upload recovery to a smartphone, or use a tool from the manufacturer to install the stock firmware. We'll take a closer look at the second method in the next section, and I'll talk about fastboot here.

Fastboot is a tool that works directly with the device's primary bootloader and allows you to upload firmware to your smartphone, recover and unlock the bootloader (in Nexus devices). Fastboot support is available in many smartphones and tablets, but some manufacturers are blocking its use. So you have to consult the Internet about its availability.

You need drivers and Android SDK to access fastboot. When they are installed, open command line, go to the SDK installation directory, then to the platform-tools directory, turn off the smartphone, turn it on with the volume buttons held down (both) and connect it with a USB cable to the PC. Next, you need to find the recovery image in the .img format for your device and run the command:

$ fastboot flash recovery image.img

Or even force the smartphone to download recovery without actually installing it:

$ fastboot boot image.img

In the same way, you can flash official firmware update:

$ fastboot update update-file.zip

You can find a recovery suitable for your device either on the TWRP website, or in the XDA-Developers and w3bsit3-dns.com forums.

We return the smartphone to its original state

In this section, I will talk about ways to return your smartphone to a clean drain, no matter what state it is in. These instructions can be used both for splitting up the smartphone and for removing traces of rooting and flashing. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you about all the possible models, so I will focus on the four most popular flagships: Nexus 5 (I call this one the control one), Galaxy S5, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z2.

Nexus 5 and other Googlephones

Returning Nexus devices to their original state is easier than any other smartphone or tablet. In fact, it is so simple that there is nothing even to talk about. In fact, all you need to do is install the ADB / fastboot drivers (in Linux, even they are not needed), download the archive with the firmware and run the script. Step by step, the whole operation looks like this:

1. from here.
2. Download and install the Android SDK.
3. Download the archive with the firmware for the desired device from the Google website.
4. Turn off the device, turn it on with the volume buttons held down (both) and connect using a USB cable.
5. Unpack the archive with the firmware and run the script flash-all.bat (Windows) or flash-all.sh (Linux) and wait for the operation to end.
6. We launch the command line, go to the directory with the Android SDK, then platfrom-tools and execute the fastboot oem lock command to lock the bootloader.

For those wondering what the script does, here's a list of commands:

Fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-DEVICE-NAME-VERSION.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash radio radio-DEVICE-NAME-VERSION.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash system system.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash userdata recovery recovery.img fastboot flash boot boot.img fastboot erase cache fastboot flash cache cache.img

Galaxy S5

With Galaxy smartphone The S5 is a little more complicated, but generally quite simple. This time, you will need the Samsung Odin application, with the help of which the smartphone will be flashed. Sequencing:

1. Download and install latest version Samsung USB drivers from here.
2. Download and install the latest version of Odin from here.
3. Go to samfirmware.com, enter the model SM-G900F in the search, find the firmware marked Russia, download and unpack it.
4. Turn off the smartphone and turn it on with the volume down and Home buttons held down, wait five seconds until a warning message appears.
5. Press the volume up button to put the smartphone into Odin mode.
6. We connect the smartphone using a USB cable.
7. Launch Odin, press the PDA button and select the file with the tar.md5 extension inside the directory with the unpacked firmware.
8. Press the Start button in Odin and wait for the firmware process to end.

As I said, this operation will return the smartphone to its original state, but it will not reset the trigger, system-installed Knox (if she was in standard firmware). Therefore, the service center may refuse to repair.

LG G2

Restoring the LG G2 to its factory state shouldn't be too much of a problem either. The number of steps in this process is somewhat larger, but by themselves they do not require special training and knowledge. So, what to do to return the factory firmware to the G2:

1. Download and install ADB Driver Installer from here.
2. Downloading official firmware(Europe Open 32G or Europe Open) from here.
3. Download and install the LG Mobile Support Tool and FlashTool (goo.gl/NE26IQ).
4. Turn off the smartphone, hold down the volume up button and insert the USB cable.
5. Expand the FlashTool archive and run the UpTestEX.exe file.
6. In the window that opens, select Select Type -> 3GQCT, Phone Mode -> DIAG, in the Select KDZ file option, select the firmware downloaded in the second step.
7. Press the CSE Flash button at the bottom of the screen.
8. In the window that opens, click Start.
9. In the next window, select the country and language and click Ok.
10. We are waiting for the end of the firmware, and then turn off and turn on the smartphone.

It's all. But keep in mind that, as is the case with Samsung, the smartphone will still have Rooted status, and this cannot be fixed.

Sony Xperia Z2

Now how to return to the factory state Sony smartphone Xperia Z2. As in the previous two cases, this will require a stock firmware and an official firmware utility. You launch the utility on your PC, connect your smartphone with a USB cable and start the update process. Step by step it all looks like this:

1. Download and install ADB Driver Installer from here.
2. We reset the smartphone to factory settings.
3. Download and install Flash Tool from the official Sony website and the latest firmware from here.
4. Copy the firmware file to the C: / Flashtool / Firmwares directory.
5. Turn off the smartphone and turn it on with the volume down and Home keys held down.
6. We connect the smartphone to the PC using a USB cable and launch the Flash Tool.
7. Press the button with the lightning bolt icon in the Flash Tool. In the window that opens, select Flashmode, double-click on the firmware in the list that opens.

WARNING

In many smartphones, a jailbroken bootloader will prevent over-the-air updates.

In 90% of cases, unlocking the bootloader will result in the deletion of all data from the smartphone, including the memory card.

conclusions

Flashing a smartphone, and even more so getting root access, is not at all such scary and dangerous operations as they might seem at first glance. If you do everything correctly and do not resort to tools that unlock the smartphone bootloader bypassing the manufacturer's tools, you will not be able to turn the smartphone over. Yes, in some cases you will have to tinker in order to put everything back in place, but which is better - to use a locked smartphone, which does not allow you to do even half of the things that it is capable of, or to gain full control over the device? Finally, reinstalling windows on the PC does not scare anyone.

SP Flash Tool is a smart and convenient tool designed for flashing devices based on chipsets from MediaTek. If you decide to flash an Android smartphone or tablet with such a processor "under the hood", then you need to first of all take care of the possibility of making a backup of the device's ROM if something goes wrong. In addition to the usual reason (precautions), there is another reason here: not every firmware you choose may be suitable specifically for your device. Therefore, it is worth making sure that the requirements for display characteristics, memory size and other parameters regulated by the new firmware are fully met. Otherwise, the software, and with it the device, may turn out to be partially or completely inoperative. Practice shows that if the parameters match, the firmware of an Android smartphone using the SP Flash Tool runs smoothly, but we decided to give instructions on how to create backup.

Making a full backup of your smartphone's Flash memory

To create a backup copy of the Flash memory of an Android smartphone, you must have the utility and.

1. Launch the USB flash drive, then in the "Download" tab download the scatter file (if necessary, you can borrow it from an Android device with a similar processor). Do not be alarmed if you do not see any firmware files in the folder with the scatter file - this is normal. Leave a tick only on the first line (PRELOADER), uncheck the rest.

2. Determine how much information you want to read and from where. Then go to the "Memory Test" tab. Here, too, there is only one check mark on " RAM Test", the rest must be removed.

Then proceed in the following way:
2.1. Click the Start button;

2.2. Connect the turned off Android device to the PC via the USB port;

2.3. The memory test, which will occur after connection, will show you the information you need on EMMC blocks (do not pay attention to blocks with zero volume, only those with a size will be needed;

3. Copy the received information into a notepad, then go to the "ReadBack" tab and click "Add".

3.1. Double click on the line that appears;

3.2. Specify the file name (by default ROM_0), and also specify the location where the memory block will be saved;

3.3. Based on the data obtained earlier, fill in the three parameters in the window that appears.

You have received the names of your regions, the size is known, and the starting address in each of them will be 0x0.
Example:
Region: EMMC_USER Start Address: 0x0 Length: 0x3ab400000
After filling in the parameters, it remains to press the "OK" button.

note : There are 4 regions on the device taken as an example, but this does not mean that there are the same number on other gadgets. Flash memory can have 3, 2 or even one region ("USER"). In the latter case, you will not have to select a region - this option will be absent in the menu intended for entering the block reading parameters. As a rule, this situation happens when working with Android devices based on early chipsets.

3.4. Press the "ReadBack" button, reconnect to the USB port of the turned off gadget - reading will start;

3.5. After reading the block is completed, repeat the manipulations described in paragraph 3 with all other regions.

This will give you a complete copy of your Android device's flash memory.

If you decide to use the SP Flash utility, the easiest way is to take it for firmware (modified recovery specifically for your device) and download the corresponding gadget MTK processor to your home computer. All old drivers related to Android devices will need to pre-delete... You will also need to download a version for Windows or Linux. And do not forget that the SP Flash Tool for MTK devices can be compatible with a 32 or 64-bit version of the PC OS - it is important to choose the correct one corresponding to the system installed on your home computer.

From hardware you will need:
1. Home Windows computer/ Linux;
2. A working USB cable for connecting with an Android device;
3.Android smartphone or Tablet PC.

SP Flash Tool can flash devices based on MT6575, MT6577, MT6577T, MT6595, MT6592, MT6582, MT6572, MT6589, MT6589T chipsets.

Driver Installation

Let's assume that you already have a driver archive on your PC - for example MTK_drivers.rar... The first step is to turn off your smartphone or tablet and launch "Device Manager" from the control panel. Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable and wait for the Manager to update and detect the unknown device. Then you need to act very quickly: while the smartphone has not switched to charging mode, right-click on the unidentified device and in the window that opens, select " Update driver".

The driver is installed manually. In the next window, select "Install driver from a specified location", then specify the path to the driver archive (it must be unpacked beforehand) and install the required one. You can now disconnect your Android device from your PC, but it's too early to turn it on. But you can go directly to the firmware process itself.

Instructions for flashing smartphones based on MTK

Here we provide a complete step by step instructions, following which you can independently perform the firmware of an Android smartphone or tablet based on processors from MediaTek.

1. Download the SP Flash Tool and unpack the archive to your computer;
2. If you have a device with an MT6575 or MT6577 processor based on the AGOLD project, download the SP_MDT program to your computer with the option to select components in uboot and unpack it;
3. Download and install USB VCOM drivers;
4. Unpack the archive with the factory firmware for your Android device (the directory name for the unpacked folder with the factory firmware files should not include Cyrillic characters);
5. Turn off your smartphone or tablet, the USB cable should not be connected to the computer;
6. Take out the battery and then put it back;
7. If the drivers have not been installed yet, connect the device to the PC with a USB cable. The operating system will then find a new device, and you must point it to the folder with the USB VCOM driver for your OS version. Complete the driver installation and disconnect the cable from the PC.
8. Run SP Flash Tool;

9. Click on the Scatter-loading button and select the MTXXXX_Android_scatter_emmc.txt file in the firmware folder (in MTXXXX, replace the letters X with the numbers corresponding to the processor of your device - the scatter file is different for each of them).

ATTENTION! For devices based on MT6575 and MT6577 processors, uncheck the Preloader and dsp_bl items, for all other devices with with MediaTek chipsets uncheck the Preloader item only;

10. Click the Download button;

11. The switched off smartphone or tablet is connected to the computer via a USB cable. As soon as a new device is found, its flashing should start. If this does not happen, disconnect the device from the PC, remove and reinsert its battery and reconnect it to the computer. During the firmware process, provided it is correct installed drivers mtk usb port (MediaTek PreLoader USB VCOM Port) should be observed in the device manager. If an error occurs, the gadget will stop displaying. Upon completion of the firmware, it also disappears from the device manager.

Has the firmware completed successfully? All that remains is to disconnect your Android device from your computer and turn it on.

A common problem when flashing devices based on MTK is incorrect USB installation drivers. You are going to flash your smartphone using SP_flash_tool, connect your device to your computer, but it simply does not see your device and does not react in any way to its connection. With such a problem, you need to check if the drivers are installed correctly. We will cover three main installation methods.

In Windows 10, the installation of the MTK driver for the correct operation of SP_flashtool is not always required, most often it is preinstalled there.

Method 1. Automatic driver installation

If automatic installation the mtk driver via .exe or .bat the installer did not help, or there is no.exe or .bat file in the driver folder and SP_Flash_tool continues to ignore your smartphone, then try manual method installing the MTK driver.

Method 2.

Video instruction for installing the mtk driver

Method 3. Manual installation of MTK Preloader driver

1. Download and unzip the drivers specifically for your smartphone model or universal - (Downloads: 2673)
2. For Windows 8 and 10 - before installation, be sure
3. Open Device Manager
   
4. In the device manager, position the cursor on any item from the list, then click Action> Install Old Device

   

5. Click on Further and select the item "Installing equipment manually selected from the list"... Click on Further

   

6. Paragraph Show All Devices - Next
7. "Have Disk"

   

8. Overview, find the unzipped folder with the driver and select the driver file depending on the bitness of your operating system (x64 or x32 - aka x86)... For example, universal driver for Windows 10 64x - Windows 10 x64 MTK USB Drivers

   

9. Please select "MediaTek Preloader USB VCOM Port" from the list. Click Next a few times
10. While installing the driver, click "Install this driver anyway"... At the end - Ready.

    

11. A new device with an exclamation mark will appear in Device Manager. Right click on it and click "Remove device"

Brick - more than one novice user asked this question: "How to get the device out of the brick state?" But first, let's figure out what a brick is and whether you actually got a brick. If for some reason the phone or tablet does not turn on, then there may be two options: the preloader has crashed or the flash memory is out of order. In the case when the preloader has flown off, the body revives without problems, but when the flash memory burned out, only the service center. In one and in the other case, the symptoms are the same, and it is difficult to immediately discern what is really the case, but it is worth trying. So let's take a look at real example how you can revive or bring your smartphone out of the brick state.

When writing this manual, it was used based on the MTK processor. We would like to note that brick recovery for other MTK devices is basically the same.

Well, let's get started. If you received a brick, instead of new firmware, then the archive of your downloaded firmware is damaged. To do this, download anew the archive with the firmware from a trusted source, for example from nidRom. In this case, you need to pay attention to which version of the device - 8 or 4 GB of memory, we also recommend that you reinstall the drivers for your gadget on your computer.

We are not responsible for the damage caused to your phone if something went wrong.

Then we do everything strictly according to the instructions:

1. Unpack the newly downloaded firmware to the root of the C (C: \) drive;

2. Download the new preloader from here (this app is only for LENOVO S820), in some cases you can do without it, but if it doesn't work, then follow the further instructions;

3. Go to the firmware folder target.bin folder, now you need to replace the native preloader file with a new one in it, with the one that was downloaded in step 2.

4. In the same target.bin folder, now delete the checksum.ini file

6. Put a tick in front of DA DL All With Check Sum;

7. Specify the path to the scatter file, and then press the Firmware Upgrade button;

8. We take our phone, or rather a brick, take out the battery from it and connect it to the computer.

9. That's it, now we are waiting for the end of the sewing process.

That's all, now you have a brick restoration manual. We are waiting for new comments from you.

Stay tuned, there is still a lot of interesting things to come.