Monday, July 29, 2013

Android World Update # Rumor mill: Samsung, Android 4.3, and the Nexus 7

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Rumor mill: Samsung, Android 4.3, and the Nexus 7
Jul 29th 2013, 17:36, by Sterling Keys

Rumor alert! Rumor alert! The latest and the greatest that we’ve been hearing about the past few days is here in one post. Samsung shows up twice with possible news about a new tablet and the not-so-waterproof Galaxy S4 Active. Plus, we’ve got extra features for Android 4.3, LTE capability of the new Nexus 7 and news about the third iteration of the Nexus 7 (yes…already).

geruechte mockup
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Android World Update # Quad Drawer tested: Quick access for your apps

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Quad Drawer tested: Quick access for your apps
Jul 29th 2013, 17:59, by Sterling Keys

If you’re got a countless number of apps on your device, sometimes it isn’t as easy to find the right one when you need it. A new app called Quad Drawer has attempted to tackle this problem for quick access without replacing your current launcher.

quad drawer nexus 4
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Android World Update # How to root your Google Chromecast (and run a Gameboy emulator on it)

Android Phone Fans
Android Phone News, Rumors, Reviews, Apps, Forums & More! 
How to root your Google Chromecast (and run a Gameboy emulator on it)
Jul 29th 2013, 17:58, by Quentyn Kennemer

The Google Chromecast has only been in folks' hands for a few short days, and the tinkerers are already going to town on it. In case you haven't heard, the device has been rooted, and there is some cool software already being brewed up for it!

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Android World Update # Clash of the titans: CyanogenMod vs Paranoid Android

Android Authority
Android News, Reviews, How To 
Clash of the titans: CyanogenMod vs Paranoid Android
Jul 29th 2013, 17:33, by Robert Triggs

cyanogenmod vs paranoid android

It's very easy to find yourself locked into a single user experience, especially with smartphones. As a long time CyanogenMod user, I thought that perhaps it would be a good idea to check out what else is available in the pool of custom Android ROMs, and Paranoid Android's commitment to innovative new features seems like a sensible place to start.

After a weeks' worth of daily use, here are my thoughts on Paranoid Android, and how it compares to the incredibly popular CyanogenMod 10.1.

Installation

For a start, it's worth nothing that I'm still quite happy with my Samsung Galaxy S2, which is powered by an Exynos 4 processor, infamous for its problems with custom ROMs. So my CyanogenMod experience was slightly tainted by the odd 3D application crash, and such similar mishaps, which occur with Nightly builds.

Similarly, the latest versions of Paranoid Android aren’t officially supported on the Galaxy S2, so I'm running an unofficial version of 3.68 put together by XDA forum member fldc, so many thanks go out to him. But this is more of a feature comparison, so I'm happy to let the odd app crash slide.

Having installed a custom ROM before, I performed a factory reset before switching ROMs to Paranoid Android, and if you're thinking about doing the same, you'll need the latest version of ClockWorkMod Recovery, the required ROM and GAPPS files, followed by a full cache and Dalvik cache wipe.

On the whole, if you know what you're doing, installing either of these two ROMs is simple enough, although the initial setup guide crashed when I first booted up Paranoid Android, so I had to learn how to use all the features myself.

Performance and features

Both Paranoid Android 3+ and CyanogenMod 10.1 are based on stock Android 4.2.2, and come complete with all the most recent Android features, like Google Now and an updated camera app. However, PA offers the option to save pictures to SD card, which was missing from my version of CM10.1.

Both CyanogenMod and Paranoid Android are stock Jelly Bean ROMs at heart.

Both CyanogenMod 10.1 and Paranoid Android 3+ are stock Jelly Bean ROMs at heart.

Even on my aging device, I found both ROMs to be super smooth, with no noticeable delay between switching apps, booting up, or playing games, they're both much faster than Samsung's tweaked version of Android. The two ROMs share many common features, from the DSP manager, right down the same Trebuchet launcher.

PIE controls are also implemented on both version of the ROM, although it is missing from some versions of CM depending on your handset. But I found that this functionality caused some lag and miss-clicks when typing on my keyboard and selecting options near the bottom of my screen, as that's where the PIE control trigger area is located. In the end I turned this feature off, as I didn't feel that the damage dealt to my handset's responsiveness was worth a feature that I could access via the Galaxy S2s hard buttons, although you can move it around if you'd rather keep the function enabled.

Multitasking

Now to delve into the more noticeable differences between the two ROMs, and we'll start with PA's new Halo feature. Essentially this works as a floating notification panel, which gives you the option to free up some more screen space, and grants access to PA's multitasking functionality.

Multitasking on Paranoid Android is effortless, Halo is by far the best multitasking feature that I've tried.

Multitasking on Paranoid Android is effortless, Halo is by far the best multitasking feature that I’ve tried.

Simply clicking on the circle when a notification comes in will open up the related application, giving you access to the full functionality of the app without closing what you're currently doing. CM's quick response feature in the notification bar, which only works with a limited number of apps, is perfectly functional, but feels a lot more primitive by comparison.

You can also add applications to Halo, which can be used to bring up your favorite apps quickly and whenever you need them. After just a few days with Halo, I'm totally sold on the feature, and would certainly struggle to move to a ROM without a similar multitasking feature.

Hyrbid properties

This is a PA feature which is a lot more subjective to taste, but offers users a lot more customization than any other ROM that I've tried. Combined in this section of the settings menu is the option to change your devices PPI and layout, turning your smartphone into a mini tablet, and adjust individual app DPI's and colour schemes.

Custom DPI

Customized DPIs can help squeeze that little bit of extra space and functionality out of tablet optimized apps, even on my modest 4.3 inch, 480×800 pixel display.

At first, I didn't like the look or feel of shrinking everything down to fit in a tablet-like notification and a lot of apps looked a bit weird. But after messing around with the options for a while, I eventually stuck a delicate balance between squeezing a little more on screen without making everything too small to read.

It depends on the app, but sometimes having the tablet optimized version on your smartphone is a really big help when it comes functionality; email is a good example of this.

The changeable app colors are also a nice touch if you're really into customization, as it blends the notification bar to better fit the look of whatever app you're currently running. If you find yourself using any of these features, then PA is a clear choice over CM.

And the winner is…

On the whole, Paranoid Android feels like a more unique ROM, with a perfect balance of unique features and small tweaks which improve on the default Android experience, which also give it a slight edge over CyanogenMod. Some of the features will obviously boil down to preference, and CyanogenMod is still an excellent ROM if you're looking for a more standard experience. But I don't think I'll be switching back to CM, at least not until the 10.2 update.

    


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Android World Update # Android Community

Android Community
Tracking the Android Platform Revolution 
Moto X tipped to go on sale as soon as this weekend
Jul 29th 2013, 17:38, by Cory Gunther

Many of us are counting down the days to August 1st, where Motorola and Google will finally unveil the new Moto X smartphone. They’ve been busy teasing us about it all month long, and last week sent out invitations for the announcement. Today though, we’ve received yet another tip suggesting that the Moto X has actually started shipping to carriers already.

Screen-Shot-2013-07-12-at-2.02.10-PM-540x4501

There is a lot of hype and anticipation surrounding this new smartphone, for multiple reasons. Obviously with Google being basically in charge makes it important, not to mention the customization options, and most importantly the price. Which is rumored to under cut the Nexus 4 and be a stellar device for just $199 outright.

We’ve seen countless leaks of the hardware and even the software, so today we have something else for you. The notorious Taylor Wimberly, who’s been deadly accurate as of late with his Motorola leaks, just revealed some interesting info over on Google+. According to his “unverified sources” the device has actually started shipping to US carriers already, and it should arrive in stores starting tomorrow. Of course it won’t be up for sale yet, but we all know how that goes.

Taylor goes on to mention they are shipping to carriers this week, and then takes things up a notch by suggesting they could in fact go on sale THIS WEEK, following the big reveal by Google and Motorola. All the details will be released on August 1st at their event, which is Thursday, so possibly Friday and all weekend we’ll see them hit the shelves.

This hasn’t been confirmed but the device has cleared the FCC for all major US carriers already, so expect pre-orders to probably fire up right away Thursday evening.

Nexus 7 (2012) getting performance boost with Android 4.3 update
Jul 29th 2013, 17:31, by Robert Nelson

The new Nexus 7 is the hot tablet in the Android world right now and while there are some decent improvements in terms of the specs, that doesn’t mean your older model Nexus 7 will instantly turn into trash. Then again, some of those older model Nexus 7 tablets have been suffering from serious lag issues in recent months.

3T8A95251-540x360111111

If you happen to have a 2012 model Nexus 7 that is sluggish — the Android 4.3 update should bring some improvement. It seems the issue of sluggishness with the Nexus 7 is due to a feature called TRIM. This is described as being something that basically acts as a garbage collector picking up the trash.

The folks at AnandTech mention how TRIM will run when your tablet is idle with the screen off and sitting with a battery life of 70 percent or greater. The issue with the previous model Nexus 7 is that while TRIM support has been around since Android 4.2 — it wasn’t enabled. And regardless of how good a feature can be, if it is turned off then it will not do anything.

Anyway, looking forward you will likely want to grab that Android 4.3 update because it has enabled fstrim. The one important factor to remember — this is not an instant fix. In other words, you are not going to have a magically faster Nexus 7 immediately after your tablet first boots into Android 4.3.

Instead you should update, make sure you have a good battery life and let your tablet sit so this can work some magic. That all being said, while it is nice to see Google has addressed this issue with the 4.3 update, this was something that could have been taken care of in the past. There are some ‘fstrim’ related apps in Google Play, however those were limited to those who had rooted their tablet.

Nexus 7 sign-up page for users outside the US goes live
Jul 29th 2013, 16:45, by Cory Gunther

The brand new and highly anticipated Google Nexus 7 is finally available. Well, available to those in the US at the moment, while other regions were simply told “in the coming weeks” from Google’s event last Wednesday. Google hasn’t been very straight forward as to when other regions will be able to enjoy the new slate, as well as when we can expect to see those LTE models hit the street.

Screen-Shot-2013-07-28-at-3.08.27-PM-540x318

Don’t worry though folks, because good old Google has you covered. They’ve just launched a brand new Nexus 7 sign-up page on their UK site, which will allow eager buyers and Nexus fans to sign-up for additional details as they become available. Regions such as the UK, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and many other places are all still waiting for a concrete date.

So while for now all we have to tell you is “in the coming weeks” hopefully the UK, Canada, and many other larger regions will get the slate in the next week or two, but some leaked documents have others waiting until September for it to arrive. We’re hoping the wait won’t be over a month, but who knows, as it’s already flying off the shelves.

Screen Shot 2013-07-29 at 9.36.18 AM

The page simply states that if you sign-up now, you’ll get notified by the folks at Google with a little heads up as to where you can get it, what retailer near you, and when. If you’d like to join the list to be notified hit the link below, otherwise we’ll update the minute we know more, as usual. Don’t forget some UK retailers are already accepting pre-orders, so you might want to hurry.

SOURCE: Google

CyanogenMod considers removing the need for root access
Jul 29th 2013, 16:16, by Robert Nelson

Rooting an Android device is often associated with installing third party ROMs. And while that is a step in the process, you could simply root your device and keep the stock firmware installed and running. Those who root without using third-party ROMs likely do so for a variety of reasons. One of those is for backups. But it seems there is now some discussion about running CyanogenMod without root.

Screen-Shot-2013-03-04-at-4.08.52-PM-540x41711

This topic was recently brought up by Steve Kondik. In a Google+ posting he talks about how many of the ‘root required’ types of apps can actually be done without the need to expose root. Or perhaps more important, he talks about how they can be done in a very secure way without the need to have root.

Aside from backups, root can also be used to get something like Google Wallet working on an unsupported handset. Kondik mentions a few other reasons to need root as being the ability to manage the DNS resolver, tweaking the sysfs notes to control the kernel and even to mess with firewall and network software.

Perhaps key here though, Kondik talks about how “all of these can be done without exposing root, and they can be done in a very secure way.” With that in mind, it looks like there has been talk of pushing things to a point where root is no longer needed. Of course, we should make it clear that a root-free version of CyanogenMod is not currently in the works. At the moment Kondik simply mentions how he is “interested in building framework extensions and APIs into CM to continue to abolish the root requirement.”

On the flip side though, what has recently gotten underway is work on CM10.2 (Android 4.3). It was confirmed the work began last week and more recently we got a “general order (not a steadfast rule)” timeline that showed work will proceed with Nexus, Qualcomm, OMAP, Tegra 3 and then Exynos devices.

SOURCE: Google+ Steve Kondik and CyanogenMod

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Android World Update # Minx Go bluetooth speaker review

AndroidGuys
Android news and opinion 
Minx Go bluetooth speaker review
Jul 29th 2013, 17:14, by Scott Webster

Today we’re taking a look at Cambridge Audio’s recently released Minx Go portable Bluetooth speaker. With a promised 18 hours of playback per charge, does this $150 speaker justify its price? You bet it does.

Save for its size, the Minx Go looks remarkably similar to Cambridge Audio speakers in the Minx Air family. The portable speaker measures a shade under 10-inches wide and five-inches tall and features a shiny black (or white) finish.  The corners are rounded and the unit feels comfortable in hand; the diminutive stature is deceiving.

minx_go_02

We were impressed with the sound quality that came from the Minx Go as it was both louder and clearer than we expected. As thin as the speaker is it really fills a room nicely. Speaking of which, the narrow design is helped by an extendable foot that keeps your speaker from tipping over. This was helpful in cases where we placed the speaker on a less than flat surface.

In terms of features, the Minx Go is almost your run-of-the-mill Bluetooth speaker. There is an
auxiliary 3.5mm input jack, power, and USB. Indeed, you can power your phone up through the speaker and daisy-chain that power outlet. The drawback is that it only works when the speaker itself is powered. Nevertheless, it’s a handy feature.

Perhaps our favorite part of the Minx Go is the advertised battery life. Promised at 18 hours of playback per full charge, it certainly delivers. It seems strange how long we have gone without charging the speaker up.

Click to view slideshow.

After a few weeks of using around the office, pool, and deck out back, we’ve only had to plug it in twice. And really, we felt no qualms about taking it with us a time or too and leaving the power cord at home. You might actually forget that it needs to be charged. Naturally, the louder you play the speaker, the less battery you might expect. With that said, don’t expect to charge this very often.

As far as sound goes, the Minx Go plays very clear on both the highs and lows. Even at higher volumes, the speaker does not give any rattling or distortion. While we don’t always play our music at high levels, the sound stays consistent and clean. Conversely, the lower volumes maintain a nice balance of sound as well. We expected to lose some of the deeper tones for more quiet playing but were surprised and pleased with the even sound.

If there were one feature we’d like to see integrated on the Minx Go it would be to allow for speakerphone functions. We’ve tested other speakers in the $99-$150 price point that offer this option and it’s really convenient. For something that typically stays in the office during the work week, we’d like to be able to take calls through the desktop speaker. It’s not a deal-breaker, mind you, just icing on an already delicious cake.

Cambridge Audio

The post Minx Go bluetooth speaker review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

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Android World Update # Samsung’s Snapdragon 600 powered Galaxy Note 2 made official… in China

Android Authority
Android News, Reviews, How To 
Samsung's Snapdragon 600 powered Galaxy Note 2 made official… in China
Jul 29th 2013, 17:22, by Brad Ward

galaxy-note-2-n7100-2913

It seems that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 hasn’t been removed from the limelight just yet. According to Android Beat and Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social network, a Snapdragon 600 powered Galaxy Note 2, going by the name of GT-N7108D, has been announced on China Mobile.

So, why is China Mobile getting its own Snapdragon 600 powered Galaxy Note 2? China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator, has a complicated network, meaning that the Exynos 4 chip just can’t support the carrier’s network. However, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 can support the carrier’s TD-SCDMA, W-CDMA, TDD-LTE, and FDD-LTE bands.

That, of course, raises a couple of more questions. If China Mobile’s network is so difficult, why is Samsung making a device specifically for China Mobile, and will any countries outside of China see the device? First of all, as of November 2012, China Mobile is the world’s largest mobile operator with over 703 million subscribers. Chances are, Samsung wanted to make sure that some of its most popular devices are available on China Mobile because of the 703 million potential buyers.

As for the second question, it’s not likely that we’ll see this device outside of China. There’s really no reason to bring it to more markets — the Exynos 4 chip does a pretty darn good job. Not to mention the fact that the Galaxy Note 3 should be announced pretty soon, which is also rumored to have a Snapdragon 800 chip. It’d be almost pointless to bring a Snapdragon 600 powered Galaxy Note 2 to other markets with that in mind.

    


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Android World Update # Editorial: The only secure option is the one that lets us read the code

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Editorial: The only secure option is the one that lets us read the code
Jul 29th 2013, 17:22, by Jerry Hildenbrand

Android license

Unless you can see what it's doing, you have to trust that the software running on your mobile device is for your eyes only

We're going to spend a bit of time talking security on Talk Mobile 2013 this week. A lot of the discussion is going to be about what you share online, with or without your knowledge, and ways we can keep our mobile devices secured when they leave our hands. It's all very important stuff, but there is one other thing I want to bring up, and that's what I like to call the transparency factor.

To put it simply, the only time you can trust any software is when you can read the code and see what it is doing. Maybe you (and often times, me as well) don't understand all of it, but rest assured someone out there does. And they are looking. Putting code online for peer review is the only way independent third parties can see what it is really doing. And that can be pretty damn important.

read more

    


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