Articles about Smartphone

Modding is a very popular activity among Android users, which sometimes is a relatively cumbersome process. To make tweaking your green robot-based smartphone or tablet easier Pimp My Rom comes into play by promising to suit any Android distribution and device, while delivering an impressive number of customization possibilities. Pretty neat, isn't it?

Pimp My Rom, besides having a "naughty" connotation, is a script based on AROMA Installer that is designed to customize Android distributions and brings a number of features, mods and tweaks that can be selected and applied from a touchscreen interface. According to the developer, it can run on any device using Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 3.0 Honeycomb, 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or 4.1 Jelly Bean, basically covering more than 75 percent of all Android smartphones and tablets that run today.

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As a CyanogenMod 10 user I religiously check for nightly builds, and today I received a bonus. Yesterday my colleague Joe Wilcox wrote "Google updates Nexus 7 to Android 4.1.2" and, while it will take some time for the update to push throughout the Nexus lineup, Android 4.1.2 is already incorporated into the latest CyanogenMod 10 nightly.

CyanogenMod 10 nightly, October 10 build, is based on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and sports the JZO54K build number, from the previous nightly that used Android 4.1.1 build number JRO03R. Upon a bit of research, for my Samsung Galaxy Nexus the popular Android distribution has undergone massive changes to include the "jb-mr0-release", similar to other devices such as the popular Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X or Google Nexus 7. Upon a bit further research it seems that apart from allowing launcher rotation, the build also includes a significant number of improvements from the previous build.

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Launched with Android 2.1 Eclair in January 2010 the HTC-built Google Nexus One is more than two years old, but that is not stopping NASA from re-launching the smartphone... into space this time around.

Part of the PhoneSat program designed to create "small, low-cost, and easy-to-buid nano-satellites", in 2013 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will launch Google's former Android flagship smartphone into space. According to HTC, NASA will not unbox the Google Nexus One and strap it on a rocket, as it was already put through thorough testing. The smartphone's first contact with space was in 2010, when it was attached to a rocket and launched to the edge of space, while also recording every step of the trip.

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U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile on Wednesday announced that it will bring the Samsung Galaxy Note II to its product lineup, but unlike the previous model this one does not have to make due with underpowered hardware compared to its international sibling.

Just like the international model, the T-Mobile variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note II comes with a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display sporting a 1280 by 720 resolution, and is powered by the same 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor and 3100mAh battery with a quoted talk time of up to 15 hours. It will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz, and it will be available in two color options, Titanium Gray and Marble White.

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QR Codes are pretty much everywhere these days, but few companies really make the most of the possibilities they offer. TagMyDoc is a great example of what can be done with them, and lets you add a QR Code to your own physical documents, directly from within Word, Excel or PowerPoint. When someone scans that code, they’ll get a full copy of the document on their device.

It saves on printing costs, and means you don’t have to worry about how many copies of a document or presentation to output for a meeting, for example, because anyone with a QR reader can get a copy of their own. It’s a great service, but TagMyDoc has just been made even more useful, as it now lets you connect to popular cloud storage services Box and Dropbox, and tag and securely share documents you store there.

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Samsung Galaxy S III may be T-Mobile USA's all-time best-selling smartphone, but the carrier has other ambitions. The title is easily claimed on the network that doesn't offer iPhone, no thanks to Apple. But T-Mobile does want your iPhone 5, even if the carrier can't sell it to you. Several corporate stores confirmed to BetaNews that before month's end they will carry nano-SIMs for the handset.

That's assuming you can find one at an affordable price. iPhone 5 isn't yet available unlocked, carrier-commitment-free and likely won't be for as long as supply shortages persist. Apple's US online store currently puts delivery times at three to four weeks. iPhone owners, T-Mobile really wants your business. Big promotion: "Bring your own phone to T-Mobile and save $50 a month".

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HTC promised the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the One X since almost three months ago, and alongside the newly introduced One X+ the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer announced the elusive update will hit its "One" family at the end of October. But if waiting is too painful, you can now download leaked Jelly Bean ROM for your HTC One X.

Aside from updating to the latest Android version available, the deveveloper-only leaked ROM also comes with new Sense version 4.5 that according to the press release issued by HTC should be the same version as the one that will ship with the One X+ flagship. The only catch is that the update does not install in a breeze and requires a certain CID number, which might exclude branded versions; on top of it, at the moment, there is no way to downgrade to an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM. Seems rather difficult, doesn't it?

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Samsung announced Galaxy Note II at IFA little more than a month ago, and the handset was among the first smartphones to come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. Acknowledging the popularity the previous model has among modders, the South Korean electronics giant has released the open-source code for its latest phablet.

The source code is available to download from the Open Source Release Center and covers the international model, as well as what appears to be three regional devices (codenamed SEA, MEA and SWA). By using the source code, modders can customize the stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz to create custom images that include various tweaks, but can just as well take a number of elements to use in custom Android distributions such as CyanogenMod 10.

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Apple tends to have unintentionally witty responses to most problems associated with the iPhone. Cofounder Steve Jobs told a user "you're holding it wrong" in response to "Death Grip". Now comes similar response to the purple haze in pictures taken with the iPhone 5.

Apple updated a knowledge base article in which it acknowledges the discoloration issue with the iPhone 5 camera, represented by a purple haze, flare or spot that appears due to the position of the light source. According to the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation the problem isn't new and affects all iPhone generations.

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Life for a modding enthusiast is never easy, but sometimes manufacturers lend a helping hand. After the Droid Razr HD Developer Edition was introduced three weeks ago, Motorola added the international Razr HD and Razr i to the "Bootloader Unlock" program.

The "Bootloader Unlock" Motorola Razr HD and Razr i are addressed to modding fans that want to avoid any hassles associated with manually trying to unlock the bootloader, making the factory-available solution an easier choice. Just like with previous models, such as the Motorola Razr Developer Edition, they both come with no warranty and the "obligatory" hefty price tag associated with a no-contract smartphone. But that shouldn't stop enthusiasts looking to get their favorite custom Android distributions up and running.

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I must take a moment to share the love -- the exact same given me by the Windows Phone team offered in return. Nothing! Bwhahahaha. Microsoft sent out invitations to a Windows Phone 8 event -- hey, you know it's the launch -- for October 29. Not that I received one. (Yes, I checked spam messages.) Apologies to the good editors at Wired. I lifted the invite image from you. It reads "save the date" -- well, I guess not.

The phone OS event comes just three days after Microsoft launches Windows 8 and Surface tablets in New York City. I have three sisters, and their birthdays are October 26 and 29. Should I regard these product launches as presents or distractions, since Microsoft will have me too busy writing about the new stuff to celebrate with them? Well, girls, there's always Google+ Hangout or, maybe, just maybe, Skype. :)

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For the second time in a week -- once being a rarity -- I write about new Android device rumors. There's renewed buzz about five Nexus branded devices coming within the month. Talk of five, instead of the typical one, started in May from Wall Street Journal. Soon after, writing for Talk Android, Robert Nazarian claimed that five new Nexus devices would come on November 5, which is the fifth anniversary of Android's release -- well, in beta. The OS wasn't officially available for public consumption until the T-Mobile G1 launched about 10 months later.

This rumor actually makes sense to me, not that I really believe it. Nazarian cited a single source and hasn't much pursued the topic since. But it's oh-so convenient the idea that five Nexus devices will debut as a fifth-anniversary thing. It's a tempting enough rumor. Do you believe it, or even hope it's true?

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Do you find the standard Android maps app to be lacking? There is a solution -- the popular navigation software TomTom is now available for Android smartphones.

Unlike cloud-connected software solutions, TomTom relies on offline maps to offer guided navigation on Android smartphones and considering the 2.3GB free storage requirement the download is consistent to say the least. The app comes with a number of useful features, such as live traffic information via HD Traffic, lane guidance, spoken street names, eco routes to save that extra bit of gas or electricity, automatic day and night modes, as well as other features. There are maps for United States, Europe, United Kingom as well as other geographical locations.

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Apple has received pointed criticism for its own Maps application used in iOS 6, which eventually forced CEO Tim Cook to issue a public apology for delivering a less that competent alternative to Google Maps that until the latest mobile operating system iteration was the default app. Wanting to divert from the Mapplegate mishap, Onavo Team calls the app "Maptastic" -- and the pot will likely be stirred yet again...

Onavo Team, recognizing the faults of the built-in app, takes a different approach to Apple vs Google mapping by comparing a set of data that wasn't analyzed until now -- data consumption. According to the blog post, standard and satellite map views were used to provide a basis for comparison between the two, and the result is staggering. Which one came out on top?

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If you live in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, you’ll soon be able to access free WiFi through cafés, restaurants, hotels and shops, courtesy of Skype and wireless provider Wicoms.

The new WiFi network initiative, called Free Skype WiFi, will be available to all Skype users and accessed using the free Skype WiFi app. This already allows users to connect to over a million hotspots around the world, but for a fee. Users who don’t currently have a Skype account will be able to sign up on the spot by entering their email address.

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