Sunday 3 November 2013

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


[Video] See Android KitKat’s amazing photo editor in action

Posted: 03 Nov 2013 09:53 AM PST

This image has no alt text

kitkat photo editor

It isn’t going to be just the Nexus 5 users who are going to benefit from Google’s emphasis on photography in their latest flagship device: as it turns out, the camera app, which is part of AOSP, comes with a photo editor which in my opinion is one of the most powerful ones ever.

While it offers a significant number of preset filters for the casual user, there are numerous options for those who want finer control, and also allows them to save their combination of effects as a preset that they can reuse on different images later on. The editor is also non-destructive (i.e., your originals are safe). Do check out the video below to get the complete picture.

Nexus 5? That’s old stuff. Let’s talk about the Nexus 8

Posted: 03 Nov 2013 06:52 AM PST

This image has no alt text

nexus 8You weren’t really naive enough to think that the leaks from Mountain View were going to end once the Nexus 5 went on sale, were you? No, sir, that’s not the way Google rolls these days. Having updated their Android.com domain with the release of Android 4.4, the above tablet, which we have so far not seen anywhere, was very visibly featured under the section A Library that goes with you.

Most of the web is considering the tablet to be an 8-inch one, particularly considering the slimmed down bezels from the top and bottom which I’m sure pretty much every one would welcome. While it’s difficult to estimate the size of the device from a single photo, if this is a real device that would be released significantly before summer 2014, it only makes sense that they build something in between their small and large tablet offering.

Is there a market for that size? I prefer 10″ tablets because I use them primarily for watching movies while travelling, and if the tablet is light enough, I don’t have fatigue issues holding it up for longer periods of time while reading. Having said that, the 7″ mark is where Android has excelled commercially. And if the tablet doesn’t take up any more space or weight than the current Nexus 7 and the cost is in the same vicinity, I’m quite confident that consumers would opt for the larger version.

Verizon Galaxy Nexus gets Android 4.4 KitKat ROM

Posted: 02 Nov 2013 09:19 PM PDT

verizon-galaxy-nexus-front-

When Android 4.4 KitKat was officially announced on October 31st, Android fans around the globe rejoiced. That is, unless they owned a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. With the roll-out of Android 4.4, Google had dropped support for their two year old Nexus device, only announcing that the Nexus 4, 7, and 10 would be getting OTA updates in the coming weeks. While this should be no surprise as it follows within Google’s 18 month life cycle, many Galaxy Nexus were upset to hear the news. Thankfully, we have talented Android developers here to save the day.

Android developer baldwinguy77, known for his OTA-like builds for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, has released a brand new, “Shiny” Android 4.4 KRT16M ROM for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus (toro). What does OTA-like mean? For starters, it’s built from AOSP with very few modifications done to the ROM, besides those needed to make it work. Next, he’s included the standard set of Verizon apps and Google apps you’d likely find on an official update. And lastly, because this is OTA-like, this ROM is not rooted (yet, it can easily be done if you choose).

If you’re a Verizon Galaxy Nexus user and wish to add a little KitKat to your life, head on over to the official Verizon Galaxy Nexus KitKat ROM thread on RootzWiki. Please remember while this ROM states “no bugs”, Android 4.4 ROMs are still very new and there’s likely to be a hiccup along the way. That said, baldwinguy77 has a good track record and plans to continually update the ROM as needed.

No comments:

Post a Comment