It should fast-track software updates on ASUS's end for the phone, but for ROM developers, it's two steps forward and a step back.
The post ASUS joins Project Treble with ZenFone 4 Android Oreo update appeared first on Pocketnow.
Now Playing feature from Pixel 2 has been ported to an AOSP ROM
That ROM is called CarbonROM and, unfortunately, the feature has only been enabled on the Pixel 2 XL. But for tinkerers that would've otherwise lost the feature, this is a good step.
The post Now Playing feature from Pixel 2 has been ported to an AOSP ROM appeared first on Pocketnow.
Get your Essential hack on: kernel released, factory images coming soon
Essential has a mission to open source its essence out to the people. It has started with its first smartphone and will have factory images out, too.
The post Get your Essential hack on: kernel released, factory images coming soon appeared first on Pocketnow.
Quick handiwork brings open sourced Android Oreo for Xiaomi Mi 3, Mi 4
It's nary a week since Android 8.0 debuted and the AOSP repository got updated and owners of a couple of older Xiaomi smartphones are getting sweetened up.
The post Quick handiwork brings open sourced Android Oreo for Xiaomi Mi 3, Mi 4 appeared first on Pocketnow.
Wileyfox after Cyanogen: Android Nougat is coming
Wileyfox is one of two prominent manufacturer partners to Android ROM vendor Cyanogen. And, at least for the next few days, it still is.
But beyond December 31, the UK startup will have to figure out how to bring fresh updates to the deprecated software on its six devices out in the market.
Luckily for its customers, the company looks committed to the challenge and is addressing the issue in a statement through its live chat support staff:
Hi, Our OS Strategy and Software plan moving forward will be complete soon.
We have agreed a smooth transition where we will continue deliver constant and consistent software and OS updates.
Our plan is to bring our entire Wileyfox portfolio onto Android N, the latest version of Google Android’s OS, in a timely manner – while still continuing to protect the range with Google software security updates.
We will share our full and final plan in due time.
The message received by Redditor /u/BurkusCat (linked in our Source spot) also added that Wileyfox does not represent Cyanogen in its comments and that it is confident that the “software will continue to evolve and stay pure to Android, enhanced to maximise our consumers’ user experience.”
While there are some stray manufacturers with the odd Cyanogen phone or two (like ZUK and bq) Micromax sub-brand Yu is the only other company with a Cyanogen-dependent product portfolio that will either need weaning off or reworking altogether. We shall see how these companies evolve.
The post Wileyfox after Cyanogen: Android Nougat is coming appeared first on Pocketnow.
Cyanogen dies, CyanogenMod officially becomes Lineage OS
“A company pulling their support out of an open source project does not mean it has to die.”
So begins a new thread of history for the Lineage OS Android Distribution, the all-new forking of CyanogenMod we’ve all expected. The change —announced on the community’s blog — was warranted after Cyanogen Inc., the commercial effort attempting to spread the software, decided to shift focus and co-founder Steve Kondik pulled out of the venture to work on Lineage.
At the same time, Cyanogen Inc. has decided to shut down services for its Cyanogen OS fork. No more updates and nightly builds will be produced beyond December 31, though any open source material will remain free to download.
LineageOS.org is the new home address for the original open source project with links to social media and the GitHub repository dedicated for the refresh — we presume that files are still being migrated over from Cyanogen’s Seattle facilities through the end of the year.
Both entities are being watched closely for their next moves as Lineage figures out how to plant new infrastructure and find a way to keep lights on. Cyanogen Inc., on the other hand, is now centering itself in Palo Alto, California, and will likely deliver on some missions first rumored long ago. Maybe not.
The post Cyanogen dies, CyanogenMod officially becomes Lineage OS appeared first on Pocketnow.
Cyanogen move is official and so is Steve Kondik’s departure — wither CyanogenMod?
Whispers about another major shakeup at Cyanogen were verified. The Android ROM distributor’s CEO, Lior Tal, has confirmed on Wednesday that it will move out of its longtime Seattle headquarters by the end of the year and has broken ties with co-founder Steve Kondik.
The purpose of the change is to improve the communication and performance of the team which will now operate under one roof. This consolidation effort will allow us to build in greater efficiencies and reduce restrictions in our product development lifecycle. Understandably some are unable to follow their role and relocate. We appreciate and value all of the amazing work these individuals have provided to the growth and success of Cyanogen.
Tal mentions that the company is “well funded” to continue its operations at its facilities in Palo Alto, California.
Kondik had recently expressed his grievances over how the company was managed by his founding partner, Kirt McMaster. McMaster was framed in a Google+ Post by Kondik as the one that brought new management to the company that led to a spate of recent downsizing measures.
There is still no public word on whether Kondik will be allowed to extricate assets of the community-driven CyanogenMod project from Cyanogen property, something he has wanted to do.
The post Cyanogen move is official and so is Steve Kondik’s departure — wither CyanogenMod? appeared first on Pocketnow.
OnePlus 3 RAM management is aggressive for a reason, but you can change it
The OnePlus 3 has caught plenty of fire for the way it handles its memory. But maddening as it is to watch the device dump app after app, there is some solace for spec nerds.OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei explained that the phone’s programmed more aggressively to be energy-efficient. Indeed, the launch of this ...
The post OnePlus 3 RAM management is aggressive for a reason, but you can change it appeared first on Pocketnow.
IHS: 32GB iPhone 7 will be baseline
The iPhone is a very expensive mobile device that can come with very little native storage. Complaint after complaint from the tech media has criticized Cupertino and several other manufacturers for the folly of its baseline memory option of 16GB.To the healthy smartphone user with an Apple in ...
The post IHS: 32GB iPhone 7 will be baseline appeared first on Pocketnow.
A basic Windows 10 Mobile phone now officially needs double the memory
Microsoft has officially changed the goalpost in overtime.The previous minimum memory requirements for Windows 10 Mobile have been annulled and replaced on Microsoft’s Hardware Dev Center. Instead of 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, phones will need at least 1GB of RAM and 8GB of RAM.The move was made after several Windows Phone 8.1 devices that were promised an upgrade didn’t get ...
The post A basic Windows 10 Mobile phone now officially needs double the memory appeared first on Pocketnow.
HP TouchPad still relevant as Android Marshmallow is hacked into it
It. Won’t. Die. While the HTC HD2 made for a terrific developer trick pony, it seems that the HP TouchPad has it beat. It’s an odd sight to witness as we’re getting word that Lenovo may plan on pushing Android Marshmallow on some of its devices Indian in a whole year’s time.It’s the work of devoted devs, unpaid for side projects like these, to really pull up something interesting like porting Android Marshmallow onto ...
The post HP TouchPad still relevant as Android Marshmallow is hacked into it appeared first on Pocketnow.
Confessions of a former “flash-aholic”
A little while ago, I powered up my first smartphone for the first time in a very long time. It’s the infamous and now forgotten Optimus 2X. It’s quite old and frankly ancient by mobile tech standards- it was first released back in 2010 and I’ve had mine since 2011. But there’s something about my three years of using the device that will stay with me forever.The ...
The post Confessions of a former “flash-aholic” appeared first on Pocketnow.
Android 5.0 for Galaxy S5 leaked and available, sort of
OEMs are still hard at work to bring Android 5.0 Lollipop to existing flagship handsets. We already know that HTC is a few weeks away from sharing some love with us all, and we’ve already seen OEMs like Motorola beat Google to the punch in some cases. That said, we know that the Android space is full of ...
The post Android 5.0 for Galaxy S5 leaked and available, sort of appeared first on Pocketnow.
How to Flash KitKat on your Android today
Android 4.4 KitKat is literally days old, so how can you get it on your Android-powered smartphone or tablets? Luckily, Google released the code into the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and developers have been working non-stop to bring the latest goodness to otherwise unsupported devices. Are you feeling a little daring and want to give KitKat a try on your device? If so, here’s what you’ll need to do: 0. Assume the risk Doing this sort of thing could render your device useless — or awesome — but don’t continue unless you’re willing to assume the ...
The post How to Flash KitKat on your Android today appeared first on .
Early Android 4.4 ROMs become available, following the code’s arrival at AOSP
We may still have a number of weeks to go before Google makes with some official release of Android 4.4 for the Neuxs 4, Nexus 7, and the other Nexus models that will be seeing support for the software, but since the KitKat code has already been pushed to the Android Open Source Project, some independent developers have been rushing to give us an early taste of this latest Android build. If you’ve got a Nexus 4, and don’t mind doing a little bit of flashing, you can get started playing with this AOSP-based Android 4.4 ROM ...
The post Early Android 4.4 ROMs become available, following the code’s arrival at AOSP appeared first on .