Android World: Android Central

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Android Central

Apps of the Week: QWOP, Skip Lock Screen, Grocery iQ and more!
MIUI version 5 ported to HTC One
Android Photography: Lions, Tigers and Photo Spheres … Oh, my!
What's new in the HTC One Android 4.2 update - a video walkthrough
Motorola 'Droid Maxx' pictured for Verizon
HTC First kernel source now available from HTCDev

Apps of the Week: QWOP, Skip Lock Screen, Grocery iQ and more!

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 03:37 PM PDT

Apps of the Week

We take a moment to show off the apps that have been working for us

Just like that, it's Saturday again and that means you're in for another edition of our Apps of the Week column here on Android Central. In case you've been asleep at the wheel and missed previous posts in the series, this is our weekly column where we have writers from the Android Central team chime in with an app that they've been using regularly on their devices in the previous week.

This week we have a couple of games, a tool and a little follow-up to last week's post from Jerry. Hang with us after the break and see how our picks stack up this week.

MIUI version 5 ported to HTC One

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 12:27 PM PDT

MIUI

Version 5 of the popular alternative ROM now available for HTC One owners

We know that MIUI isn't for everyone. It's a drastic shift away from the "Stock" Android look and feel, and cries of iPhoney always seem to be heard whenever the software gets talked about. But if you're a fan, you probably aren't going to let that stop you from enjoying the unique look and feel on your new HTC One.

The multi-language ROM has a huge list of features, and the focus is on style and customization. As far as this version for the HTC One, the "not working" list is pleasantly short:

NFC maybe, not tested!
Bluetooth (similar to CM).
Signal strength shown needs to be fixed. RIL is fine otherwise.
Xposed Installer isn't compatible with MIUI because they both make changes at the same location. Avoid using it or you might end up with bootloops.

Of course you'll need to have rooted your HTC One, unlocked the bootloader and flash a custom recovery, and know how all this affects your warranty.

If you've never given MIUI a try and have an HTC One handy, now sounds like a good time to have a look. See the source link for all the details, and there are a few screen shots after the break.

Source: AdyScorpius at XDA. Thanks, Android creature!

Android Photography: Lions, Tigers and Photo Spheres … Oh, my!

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 08:52 AM PDT

Android Photography: Lions, Tigers and Photo Spheres… Oh my!

One of the most interesting things we added to the Android Central forums over the past week was a brand-spankin' new Android Photography section. From cameras like the Samsung Galaxy NX, to device vs. device camera shootouts, this section has it all for anyone that uses their Android device as their primary photography tool.

Perhaps the most interesting new addition is the Photo Spheres forum. The uptake has been great thus far. Heck, we've even had a Photo Sphere product engineer from Google stop by to give us some Photo Sphere tips! (how awesome is that!?).

Yes, Photo Sphere goodness is starting to trickle in. Check out these photo spheres from Glacier National Park. Or bask in the beauty of Lincoln Center Plaza in NYC (thanks fantasma4!).

Dive right in. And if you need help posting your photo spheres we've got you covered. We've put together a quick guide to show you how (it's dead easy).

Yes, the Android photography forums are off to a great start. Let the celebration begin! :)

What's new in the HTC One Android 4.2 update - a video walkthrough

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 05:18 AM PDT

HTC One Android 4.2.2 update

Instagram in BlinkFeed, new video highlights, lock screen widgets, an end to the black bar of doom - and more

The HTC One has just had its biggest update yet — bringing HTC's latest up to Android 4.2.2 and adding a bunch of new features to the manufacturer's Sense 5 UI — in new firmware now hitting parts of Europe and Asia. In addition to the regular Android 4.2 features like Daydreams, quick settings and lock screen widgets, HTC's introduced Instagram support in its BlinkFeed home screen reader. There are new templates for "video highlights," a new swipe-up gesture for Google Now and and end to the dreaded black menu bar.

We've got a full video walkthrough after the break, along with some cheeky bonus content. Enjoy!

Motorola 'Droid Maxx' pictured for Verizon

Posted: 06 Jul 2013 02:39 AM PDT

New device could be part of Moto's 'Ultra' line

We've recently been hearing reports about the upcoming Droid Ultra, Maxx and Mini, and now we have what might be the first image from Motorola's new line of phones for Verizon. Notorious Twitter leaker @evleaks has published the shot above, saying it's the "Droid Maxx" — apparently one of three new phones headed to Big Red from the new Motorola. (We've previously heard it referred to as the "Droid Ultra Maxx.")

The image doesn't give too much away — you've got a big, robotic Droid eye occupying most of the screen. But we can make out the power button and volume keys, as well as the earpiece and front-facing camera. It's unclear as to whether the home, back and task-switching keys are capacitive or on-screen. However we've done some number-crunching based on the size of the on-screen image in the render, and if this device has a 16:9 (widescreen) display then the bottom area with the buttons would seem to be part of the screen. It's also telling that the home key isn't exactly what we've come to expect from vanilla Android, suggesting Moto's putting its own UI on this upcoming Droid. Interesting too is the presence of what seems to be a Kevlar-like texture around the "chin" of the device.

We're still not sure when exactly Motorola's new Droid line-up will become available — but if renders are starting to leak already, we might speculate that the Verizon-bound phones could appear before the usual end-of-year launch window. We'll keep you posted with more details as they emerge, in the meantime share your thoughts down in the comments.

Source: @evleaks

HTC First kernel source now available from HTCDev

Posted: 05 Jul 2013 10:46 PM PDT

HTC First

Developers looking to access deeper functions of the HTC First now have some of the necessary code

As we've seen many times before, HTC has just released the kernel source code for one of its devices via its HTCDev site. This time it's the HTC First on AT&T and just like before, the eager developers out there hoping to get deeper access to this comfortably-sized device now have more tools to do so. As we note each time that kernel source code is made available, this isn't a complete set of proprietary binaries required to make a completely custom ROM, but rather just some of the underlying code for the deep tinkerers that want to bother with the device's kernel.

We won't ever look this gift horse in the mouth though, as any time a major device manufacturer continually releases kernel source it deserves a nod for following the terms of the GPL license. Enterprising hackers among us can grab a download of the 99.2MB file at the source link below.