Showing posts with label Cyanogenmod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cyanogenmod. Show all posts

Monday, March 2, 2015

Cyanogen Partners with Alcatel for Onetouch Hero 2+

Earlier today, Cyanogen announced it's re branding and partnership with Qualcomm, read more about it here.


After getting ditched by the Oneplus team for Oxygen OS, an OS developed by the Paranoid Android team, Cyanogen has today announced it's next OEM partner, Alcatel. The Alcatel Onetouch Hero 2+ will be available on the Alcatel OneTouch Amazon store starting Q2 of this year.

The Hero 2+ improves upon the OneTouch Hero by replacing the MT8392 for a MT6592, an octa core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz, although, both the chipsets are made by MediaTek. 

The screen size is a whooping 6" with a resolution of 1080p and it will be the first Cyanogen OS device to support a stylus. 

Full specs:
Display: 6-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) TFT 16M color display + built in stylus
Processor: MT6592 2.0 GHz octa-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor
Camera: 13MP main camera + 5MP front camera for the perfect selfie
Video Capture: Full HD 1080p at 30 fps
Memory/Storage: 2GB RAM / 16GB of storage (Expandable to 32GB via MicroSD)
Operating System: Cyanogen OS 11 on Android KitKat 4.4.4 
Dimensions: 160.5mm x 81.6mm x 7.9mm

The launch of the HERO 2+ is the first device brought to North America as part of the strategic partnership between ALCATEL ONETOUCH and Cyanogen, with plans to bring more devices to market in 2015 and beyond.

Read more posts about CyanogenMod here!

Cyanogen Gets a New Logo and Lands a Partnership with Qualcomm

Cyanogen Inc., the famous company responsible for the custom ROM CyanogenMod has announced a rebranding. The company is continuously trying to be a generic, consumer company instead of a hacker community and as a result of this, more and more people are getting to know this awesome team of people!


By looking at this new logo, you can notice that Cyanogen is moving away from the "Android" branding and wants to make a name of its own. 

This is not the only interesting news but also, Cyanogen has announced a partnership with Qualcomm to provide the software for their Reference Design (QRD) phones, mainly, Snapdragon 200, 400, and 600. QRDs are basic devices designed by Qualcomm for OEMs to look at what the chipset's capabilities are.

You can read more Cyanogen related posts here!

Monday, December 29, 2014

First Impressions of Micromax Yu, Official Cyanogen OS Phone

Micromax unveiled the Yu on November 18th and announced it's partnership with Cyanogen Inc. It is now selling the phone in India exclusively on Amazon.in and here are my first impressions and whether it is a good phone to buy or not.



Think about the Oneplus One and it's bang for the buck, and double it. Yes, the Micromax Yu is so cost effective. Priced at just Rs 9000 (~142$), it offers a Qualcomm 64 bit Octa core processor, an Adreno GPU and 2 GB of RAM. Despite of this, there are some cons which are acceptable for the price.

Micromax has the official rights to sell phones with Cyanogen OS in India and this lead to the controversial lawsuit with Oneplus, whose One is also sold in India exclusively on Amazon. However, the Delhi High Court lifted the ban on sales on the OPO in India on 24th December, 2014. 

Full Specs:
  • Quallcomm Snapdragon 615 64-bit Octa core CPU
  • Adreno 405 GPU
  • 2 GB DDR3 RAM
  • 5.5" 720p display (267 ppi)
  • Dual Sim: 4G + 3G
  • Cyanogen OS 11 (4.4.4 KitKat)
  • 13 MP Primary and 5 MP Secondary Camera
  • 2500 mAH Battery
Pros:
  • Low price
  • LTE compatibility for Indian Service Providers
  • Rooted out of the box 
  • 4G + 3G dual sim
  • Qualcomm CPU and GPU (more reliable than MediaTek)
Cons:
  • Battery too small for 5.5" phone
  • Pixel Density low for today's standards
There are not many cons and as I told above, the cons can be overlooked considering the price tag.

For me, this phone is a good buy for customers who need dual sim but because of lower availability, I would recommend the Moto G 2nd Gen for people who need to buy a good dual sim phone urgently. Also, with 4G on the horizon for India, it would be good to buy a LTE enabled phone.

That's all guys, thank you for reading! If you liked this article, follow me or our official page on Google+ so that you will be one of the first ones to know whenever we post more awesome content like this! :D

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

CyanogenMod 11.0 M9 Changelog


Another month, another release to mark the occasion – today the CyanogenMod team fires off the builds for CM11 M9. The M9 build incorporates changes from June 31st through its branch date on Sunday July 27th.


This release marks the first ever (non-nightly) release for the Xperia Z2 ‘sirius’, Xperia Z2 Tablets ‘castor’ and the HTC One ‘M8′ – kudos to their maintainers and all the other maintainers that bring you these releases every month! If you encounter any bugs or problems, you can report on CyanogenMod's JIRA instance.

Changelog:
* Themes support for additional UI elements
* Heads Up Notifications – Bug Fixes
* Lockscreen – Allow doubletap to sleep when using secure keyguard
* Torch – Improve performance
* Safe Headset Volume – prompt when interfering with 3rd party device (Jawbone, Square, etc)
* Center clock support
* Quick Settings – respect locale changes on additional tiles
* Proximity Wake-Up support – prevent accidental wake-up of device by checking to see if proximity sensor is blocked (eg. Device is in a bag or pocket).
* Spam notification filtering – Set notifications to auto-ignore based on content (perfect for those pesky games that want you to ‘Save 20% on our new game’). Long-press offending notification to set as ignored; manage in Privacy settings.
* Settings Search – Additional improvements and highlighting
* Data Usage Info – Add support for CDMA devices without sim cards
* Bluetooth – Add additional A2DP profiles
* Bluetooth – Disable AVRCP 1.5 by default (fixes various car unit compatibility)
* Email – Fix saving attachments to storage for POP3 accounts
* Translations (Thanks CM Crowdin Team!)
* Account for Play Services induced wake-locks
* Fix encryption on some LG Devices
* Dialer – add support for Korean and Chinese to smart-dialer

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Hidden Feature Found in AOSP; Called "Heads Up" and Tutorial to Install it!

Google have a history of implementing changes that custom ROM developers have invented and implemented into the AOSP. Nothing wrong with that. The AOSP is there for a reason. One of its purposes is for developers to try out new things and feed the changes they make upstream and back into AOSP. Google also keep an eye on the custom ROM community and their customization and if they see something they like, they will implement it with their own spin on it.


Heads Up is a new notification mode that was buried in the AOSP source code and should probably be implemented in the next major Android version! The Cyanogenmod team have already started giving that option to users in the nightlies and hopefully, it will come in the next Monthly build.


Heads Up allows for a floating notification to display on top of your current activity, with the full access (eg. Expand, Reply, Interact, etc) that you would expect from a standard notification. This allows for a quick and easy way to read incoming notifications while in otherwise full-screen applications (ie Games). Obviously, no one likes being nagged in the middle of their favorite Youtube video of cats – so, the Cyanogenmod team have introduced a ‘Do not disturb’ filter to this functionality. You can select which apps the new Heads Up functionality should not interrupt.


According to me, this feature looks very similar to Hover by +Paranoid Android. Ofcourse, because it is in the AOSP, it has less features as compared to Hover. For e.g.: Hover opens apps in floating mode when clicked directly. It also has a blacklist feature that allows Hover to ignore notifications for certain apps.


GravityBox is easily one of my favorite Xposed modules and the creator has already implemented Heads Up in the module! The GravityBox implementation allows for deciding which notifications will appear as Heads Up windows and which will be ignored, and users can expand notifications (if supported) with a two-finger swipe. Other nifty additions to the tool set include better options for the "quiet hours" function, an expanded battery tile in the quick settings menu, user-definable actions for plugging in or unplugging headphones, and a lot of bug fixes and language translations. Check out the update post for a full list.

In order to run GravityBox, you'll need a rooted Android device running 4.1 or higher, and preferably a Nexus/Google Play Edition one, since it's designed for AOSP hardware and ROMs. Then you'll need to install and configure the popular Xposed Framework. Finally, grab GravityBox from its home on the original XDA thread. As always when tinkering with root-enabled software, it's probably a good idea to make a backup before you go digging into the various settings. NOTE: For UNC, you need to donate to GravityBox.

EDIT: There is another module on Xposed framework exclusively for Heads up. Get it here!

So guys, that's all about Head Up! Let me know any suggestions in the comments section below. If you liked this article, you can read similar ones by using the labels on the right hand side. Follow me on Google+ to be one of the first people to know when we post more awesome content! Keep reading! :D

Monday, May 5, 2014

CyanogenMod 11.0 M6 Changelog

The Cyanogenmod team have made sure to release a comparatively stable build every month for the users who don't like much to live at the edge of a cliff. They have announced the CM 11 M6 build on Star Wars day! In a blog post, the Cyanogenmod team has announced that there will be no more "Stable" or "RC" builds that we are used to see whenever the next version of Android is announced.




Nevertheless, the team has ensure that the monthly "stable" builds will still be continued with and they will try to change the cycle to every 2 weeks. You can even fool someone that a 'M' build is a stock firmware! Anyways, here is the changelog to the M6 build:

  • Quiet Hours – Fix longpress QS tile option
  • Voice+ – Integrate into settings (under Wireless and Networks > ‘More’)
  • Blacklist – Add provider permissions
  • Lockscreen – Fix custom wallpaper crashes and album art issues
  • Display – Consolidate screen-off animation options (remove checkbox)
  • Bluetooth – Upstream updates and fix issues with audio routing to select car makes/models and disconnect issues
  • MultiSim – Additional support patches (15+) and UI/UX modifications
  • Lockscreen – Disable elements when in custom lockscreen
  • Quick Settings – Options to show smaller tiles; add BT device name to tile
  • Quick Settings – Fix QS tiles layout in landscape mode
  • Usage Stats – Fix screen on stats after boot
  • Resolve memory leaks in Frameworks
  • Settings – Show ‘eject card’ action for USB storage
  • Theme Engine – Introduce new Engine capabilities (chooser to arrive in nightlies this week) (New UI)
  • Parallel Shutdown – Decrease shutdown time
  • Address security vulnerability for icons
  • Downloads – Add pause/resume support
  • Trebuchet – Hidden apps and labels support
  • Remove parallel boot dexopt from stable/cm-11.0 branch
  • And more (all changes from Mar 29th to April 30th)
New logo announced for Cyanogen Inc.


Also, the Paranoid Android team is also on a roll with the announcement of Hover, a notification delivery system with a first of a kind UI. Let me know in the comments section if you want me to write an article on Hover if you would like to learn more about it!

Read the original full article here.

So, that's it guys, hope to see you soon. If you liked this article, please also read our other articles which are listed on the right and share it with your friends who love Android too! Also, if you want to make sure you are one of the first persons to get notified when we write more awesome stuff like this, add me in your circles, +1 or follow the blog via e-mail!

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Best Online April Fool's Jokes!

When it's April 1st, you kind of know not to believe everything you see online. Nowadays, tech companies have a lot of fun besides innovating awesome new technology. And this year, mostly all major companies are involved from a legacy I believe was created by Google. Google has always been an awesome company which can be dubbed as a "Community of Geeks" (if it isn't offensive :P) But this year was really special because even sites like The Pirate Bay were involved. Anyways, here is a list of all pranks that I found. Btw, I will keep updating this list whenever I find new ones.

Google Maps: Google release an update to Google Maps yesterday in which when you update the app, open it, press on the search bar and press start, it takes you to a virtual world in which Pokemons are hidden everywhere and the first person to collect them all wins! They also released a pretty hilarious video.


Samsung Fingers: Samsung was the first one to mock wearable devices this year and this was probably the most detailed prank in the history of April Fool's day including specifications and everything. See whole article here.


HTC Gluuve: HTC was quick to follow in the footsteps of Samsung (didn't see that coming XP)  and mocked a wearable HTC M8 lookalike with BoomSound and a camera. Read the full article here.


PA Hover: Perhaps this April Fool's joke hurt me the most. Paranoid Android, a custom ROM maker, were teasing Hover, a remake of Halo(floating window feature) and I was super happy to know they finally announced it. But it was just another prank :( The Google+ post is here.


Youtube Trends: Almost every department of Google have their own prank so who can stop YouTube? In  a released video, YouTube "revealed" every viral video ever was meticulously crafted by the YouTube staff and they even predicted the future viral videos of 2014.
Extra tip: If you search "clocking" on YouTube, you will see a stick figure clock! (See the video below if you don't know what clocking means)


XDA Boots: XDA is another geek community who always have fun while making awesome new ROMs. Today, XDA announced "Boot" which allows any user to request to 'boot' their account which basically means they won't be able to access it for the specified duration of time. Full article here.


Nokia 3310: The Nokia 3310 is one of the most famous "non-smart" phones ever. It is speculated that Chuck Norris once dropped his Nokia 3310 and it caused an earthquake in Haiti :P Anyways, the only thing that held back the 3310 was it's camera. But this is no longer. Nokia officially announced that they will be re-releasing the 3310 with a 41 MP pureview camera!! Read full article here.


Google Chrome emoji: The Chrome department of Google release an update to the Play Store and Apple App Store with a simple slogan, "Emojify the Web". After installing the update, you can see in the menu, an option to "Translate to Emojis", clicking which, will try to translate the text into Emojis! If you are reading this on Chrome browser on you iPhone or Android device, tell me what things in this article are Emojified in the comments section! Watch the full video here.

Oppo O lenses: Oppo is desperately trying to join the "Elite" smartphone manufacturers of the world and in my opinion, it is succeeding! When the engineers at Oppo aren't designing a next-gen 2K display, they design O-lenses! O-lenses are smart contact lenses that everybody dreams of! Read full article here.


Sony power food: This prank is pretty simple. The people at Sony have discovered a new enzyme called Voltaic enzyme. This enzyme can convert food fats directly to power and you can be saved at crucial times!


Google Magic Hand: This prank comes from the Japan division of Google. The Google Japanese input keyboard has a swipe to type feature and this "magic hand" is basically a joystick which can make it easier for touch controls. The video also contains other little jokes like wearing your magic hand as a tie!
Note: Turn on the Closed Captioning in English as the video is in Japanese.


Motorola Boot animation: The work environment at Motorola has become very similar to Google after it's acquisition and take over by Lenovo. A few days ago, it was confirmed that Google had started asking manufacturers to brand boot animations with a specific "Powered by Android" lockup as part of Google's Mobile Services license. Samsung's Galaxy S5 and HTC's new One M8 both carry the branding, and today Motorola's Moto X and Moto G have joined the party, but Motorola has something else in store as well - a new boot animation just in time for April Fools Day. The animation features a UFO, bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster, all exposed by Motorola's spotlight. Check out the full sequence below.


The Pirate Bay: The Torrent search giant announced that they deleted all torrents and now we can see, feel and hear Pirate Bay. Read full article here.

Virgin Mobile Canada: Smart Shoes were the only thing left and Virgin Mobile Canada has made it a reality in the form of a April fool's prank. There are two versions of this "smartshoe": Smartsneak and Smartletto. Read full article here.



Mycolorscreen's MyColorLife: Mycolorscreen is the best Android homescreen theming sites and today they released a video stating that from now on, they will also help in "theming" your home, choosing wallpapers, locks etc. If you own an Android device, I personally recommend you to go to Mycolorscreen for theming your device!


Chromecast for squirrels: Squirrels need entertainment as well, don't they? That's why Google decided to make chromecast in a way that is very easy for squirrels to watch shows like "Squirrels got Talent" on their TV from the internet!


Google+ Auto Awesome David Hasselhoff: Google+'s Auto Awesome feature is really awesome and for today, the Baywatch star can photobomb into any of your photos!


Franco Kernel updater: Okay, this is another one of those Android power user kind of things. The Franco Kernel is a kernel for Nexus devices that makes your device feel super fast and smooth. There is also an app on the Play Store called the Franco Kernel Updater which helps you to easily update your kernel whenever a new version is available and the money can also help +Francisco Franco to develop. Franco posted on Google+ today that the app is free from today. But after checking the Play Store, I got sad. Well played Franco, well played. :P

Swiftkey Flow Hard: This is the only April Fool's prank that is quite awesome and actually works! Swiftkey is a very famous aftermarket Android keyboard and I think it recently made an appearance in iOS as well. Swiftkey Flow Hard allows you to swype with your physical keyboard and it worked almost 6/10 times for me in the test space thay have provided. Read the full article and try swiping here!


CyanogenMod: If Paranoid Android was involved into April fool's day, what can stop Cyanogenmod? In yesterday's nightly, Cyanogenmod turned all ringtones into voices of sheep!



Samsung Galaxy Spoon: Our friends at Samsung Austria seem to understand our passion for food and taking pictures of food. The Samsung Galaxy Spoon allows you to eat and share picture of the food that you are putting in your mouth in real-time. There is also a feature where you can receive a warning message when you have eaten too many calories or when the food is still too hot for your mouth. Now all wehave to wait for is the Samsung Galaxy Dinner table set.


Samsung Fli-Fy: Samsung Mobile UK has unveiled Samsung Fli-Fy pilot scheme in London. Fli-Fy, a micro-router, delivers free Wi-Fi and is able to connect thousands of devices with superfast download speed by enabling Micro-routers on pigeons. Pigeons have hollow legs, which allow for an electric charge to flow up into the micro-router; pigeons can keep the network powered by simply standing on power lines. So no worries about the power supply. This innovative pilot scheme can potentially support up to 20G network, which is super innovative super-fast. If this pilot scheme is successful, Samsung will roll out the network across the entire UK. This will also include the release of the free Samsung Fli-Fy app – available on Samsung Apps – which will allows users to check the strength of their local network. So next time you see pigeons, feel free to feed them and keep your wi-fi karma going strong.


Samsung Puppy Fit: To have a healthy relationship with your puppy, it is not only important for you to stay healthy, but it is also important for your puppy to stay fit as well. A relationship is a two way street and both parties need to put effort into it. Samsung Puppy Fit will help your dog get in shape with its various innovative features. We have no idea how many colors Samsung Puppy Fit comes in, but so far the dog communities seem to show their enthusiasm with their tails.


Woah! Those are a lot of merry pranksters on the internet! So... That's it guys, hope to see you soon. If you liked this article, please also read our other articles which are listed on the right and share it with your friends who love Android too! Also, if you want to make sure you are one of the first persons to get notified when we write more awesome stuff like this, add me in your circles, +1 or follow the blog via e-mail!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

CM11 M2 changelog

Android power users like me are always happy to see updates or new ROMs. Cyanogenmod is one of the best Android after-market ROMs available. Today, the CM11 M2 was release which is a monthly build or in between nightlies and release candidates. Nightlies are highly experimental with new features and release candidates are stable with very few bugs intended to use as daily drivers. Monthly builds also have comparatively much less bugs but may have less features. I have personally been using the CM11 M1 since December 6, 2013.


The Cyanogenmod team did not release a changelog with this new release so I decided to do it. Please note that these are only noticeable changes, after using for ~1 hour on my Nexus 10 and these may vary from device to device. I will keep adding changes when I notice them. Anyways, here is the changelog:

1) Settings has Tablet UI


2) Feels smoother

3) Settings has new Profiles section


4) New battery styles: battery portrait and landscape. Circle with % is removed.


5) Transparent Status bar and navigation bar in launcher and lock screen



6) Navigation bar quick launch shortcuts are smaller


So that's it guys, hope to see you soon. If you liked this article, please also read my other articles which are listed on the left and share it with your friends who love Android too! Also, if you want to make sure you are one of the first persons to get notified when we write more awesome stuff like this, add me in your circles, +1 or follow the blog via e-mail!