| Rom Manager updated, now you can download flashable zip backups to your computer Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:08 PM PST 
If you use Rom Manager to manage your flashing habit and curate all your CWM backups, you're going to want to take a look at the latest update. Beside the theme fixes for older devices, there is a new feature that plenty of folks are going to find useful -- a backup server built right into the app. It's not just any backup server though. There are plenty of options out there to browse the files on your phone or tablet via Wifi. What Rom Manager is doing provides an extra handy service -- it transforms the backup files into a flashable zip file that you can flash back to your device (or any device) from ClockWorkMod Recovery. Granted, it's always been possible to pull and share CWM backups, but the new Rom Manager update takes the confusion away and makes it easy for everyone to pull a backup file that's ready to flash, without worrying about the right folder structure or location. As Koush says, this is the first version so there may be a few quirks in it. Be sure to report any of these you may run into back to him. I just tried it, and what I'm seeing works exceptionally well. Give it a go yourself with today's update. Via: +ClockWorkMod     |
| The Nexus 7 giveaway winners list is here Posted: 24 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST 
You might remember that we hooked with Google last week and set up some giveaways for Nexus 7 tablets and Google Play gift cards. That's the kind of awesome stuff we do around these parts, and spreading the Android love around is something we enjoy. Anyhow, back to those giveaways. We went through the forums threads and picked out our winners, and here they be. Congrats all around! Keep an eye on your inboxes, as I'm going to need to know where to send the Nexus 7s. Thanks everyone for entering, and keep an eye out for more big contests.     |
| HTC One S getting its Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update with Sense 4+ Posted: 24 Dec 2012 01:28 PM PST 
Not sure that pushing out OS updates on Christmas Eve is the wisest of moves, but we're not going to knock them either. HTC's following in Motorola's footsteps today, pushing out the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for the international One S. The 612-megabyte update (jeez, that's big) brings the software version up to 3.16.401.8 (for those of you keeping track at home). Bullet points for the update include: - Android 4.1.1 and HTC Sense 4+
- Enhanced UI with better performance in Camera
- New landing page and event/map view in gallery
- Power management improvement
We're installing now. This sucker's big. More: HTC One S forums; thanks, @SebasB37!     |
| Original Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX receiving Jelly Bean OTA update Posted: 24 Dec 2012 12:02 PM PST  
It's a Christmas Eve miracle! Seemingly out of nowhere, the original Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX are pulling down an OTA update to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Several different users in our forums are reporting that their handsets are (often slowly) downloading a very large update, and being greeted with Jelly Bean goodness when they reboot. We don't have any official support documentation from Verizon yet, but it doesn't get much more official than updates currently being downloaded. So are any of you seeing the update hit the notification bar of your RAZR or RAZR MAXX? Head to the forums and let us know. Source: Droid RAZR Forums; Droid RAZR MAXX Forums; Thanks, Sean!     |
| From the Editor's Desk: Who's naughty, who's nice Posted: 24 Dec 2012 10:48 AM PST 
Ah, Christmas Eve. The day we remind our kids that they still have to be good for at least one more day, and remind ourselves that a little extra patience probably wouldn't hurt anyone. Easier said than done, for sure. But it's more important than ever to take a step back, take a breath, and keep some perspective. In keeping with the spirit of things, here's my naughty and nice list. read more     |
| Stuff your stocking with Android Central returns! Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:01 AM PST  OK, so our stocking-stuffing schedule got thrown off a little bit thanks to some other, bigger, giveaways. These things happen, right? But it's Christmas eve, we're back on the horse, and we're ready to throw more $10 Google Play Gift Cards your way.
For today's entries, we'll keep things simple: Just leave a comment on this post, telling us what sort of Android kit you'd love to see this holiday season. That's it. We'll keep giving away a gift card a day until we run out, which looks to be in early 2013 at this point. And remember that these gift cards are good for apps, books, movies, TV shows and magazines, if you're in a region that supports them. (And if you're not, there are, ahem, ways around that.) So good luck, happy posting, and Merry Christmas!     |
| How we're tracking Santa on Android this Christmas Eve Posted: 24 Dec 2012 05:55 AM PST |
| Monday Brief: EiCs name their Best Devices of 2012 Posted: 24 Dec 2012 05:39 AM PST |
| Amazon MP3 stuffing virtual stockings with $5 albums Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:15 AM PST 
Amazon is doing its best to help you get some last-minute gifts if you're completely out of ideas. It's far too late to order anything that needs to be shipped, and stores are all but closed, but you can still buy digital goods. Amazon has let everyone know via its official Twitter account that it has over 2,000 albums on sale right now for just $5 a piece, a darn good price. Buy some as a gift -- or maybe just a few albums for yourself. If you're interested in filling up your Amazon Cloud Player with some quick and easy music, hit up the source links below. It is running this promo through January 31st, 2013, so you have some time to think about it if you're not buying for a Christmas present. Source: @amazonmp3; Amazon     |
| Sony Xperia TL shown running new Android 4.1.2-based firmware Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:17 AM PST The first official Xperia Jelly Bean updates aren't expected until late February, but a leaked video has given us an early sneak peek at what to expect from upcoming Android 4.1-based firmwares from Sony. Vietnamese Sony community SonyViet has published a video of pre-release Xperia TL software in action, demonstrating a familiar Sony UI with some brand new features. Among these is a new home screen launcher with new wallpapers, as well as new "Album" and "Movie" apps for photo and video content. There's also a new ClearAudio+ option for improving audio quality, a feature expected to ship in the upcoming Xperia V. Despite these new additions, the overall look and feel of the UI seems mostly unchanged from current ICS-based Xperia ROMs. Sony is expected to show off a new 5-inch, 1080p-resolution handset at CES in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks, and it's likely that similar software will be running on this new handset. The device, rumored to be called the Xperia Z, is said to pack a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU and 2GB of RAM. Source: SonyViet, via: XperiaBlog     |
| Benchmark listing provides further evidence for more Galaxy Note tablets Posted: 24 Dec 2012 01:57 AM PST 
If you were paying particularly close attention to upcoming Galaxy Note rumors around late October, you may recall that a Samsung "GT-N5110" device appeared in a DLNA certification listing. This prompted speculation of a possible 7-9-inch Galaxy Note variant, on account of Samsung's naming scheme for Note devices. (The original international Note was GT-N7000, the Note 2 is GT-N7100 and the Note 10.1 is GT-N8000.) Today there's further evidence to suggest more Galaxy Note tablets are in the works. A GLBenchmark listing for a Samsung GT-N5100 has appeared, indicating a device running Android 4.1.2 on a 1.6GHz Exynos 4412 processor -- same as the Galaxy Note 2. The screen resolution of 1280x800 also hints at a tablet device rather than a new phone, and the firmware version (N5100XXALL3) indicates something built during the month of December. These details wouldn't be impossible to fabricate, but the consistency seen here suggests to us that this is in fact a real device. Samsung's naming scheme points to GT-N5110 and GT-N5100 being different variations of the same device. Typically, tablets with model numbers ending in 00 are Wifi-plus-cellular options, while those ending in 10 are Wifi-only. For example, the Wifi-only Note 10.1 is GT-N8110, while the Wifi-plus-3G version is GT-N8100. Unfortunately there's no information as to what form this device will take, though a 7-inch tablet would fit quite elegantly between the existing 5.5-inch Note 2 and 10.1-inch Note 10.1. It's possible we might learn more about this device at CES in a couple of weeks, but given Samsung's track record, we think an unveiling at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in late February is more likely. Whatever happens, we'll be at both shows, and we'll keep you posted on any further developments. Source: GLBenchmark; via: SamMobile     |
| LG releasing new Google TV products in the first half of 2013 Posted: 24 Dec 2012 01:27 AM PST 
LG has just announced that it will be releasing a new line of TV's powered by Google TV 3.0 software in the first half of 2013. The new units, which you can see are quite slim and interestingly designed, will come in several different sizes from 42 to 60 inches. Running Google TV integrated in the panel itself, LG claims it will have voice recognition "beyond simple voice input." With two new features called Quick Guide and Prime Time, the TV's will also let users watch and search for content at the same time. 
The new sets will have OnLive cloud gaming built-in, to be used with a controller that connects directly to the set. They will also have a new remote that has a microphone, gesture input controls and a QWERTY keyboard as well. LG is planning to show off the new line starting at CES in 2013, aiming to launch in the U.S. in the first half of the year.     |
