Games, Apps, Softwares, Operating Systems and Software Hacks
Steve Kondik and the CyanogenMod team usually are really quick in bringing latest updates for Android to existing users. According to the team a few minor tweaks are needed to merge Google’s latest with the custom Android code, making CyanogenMod 10 easy to release.
According to the team any device that runs CyanogenMod 9 will also run CyanogenMod 10 easy. Stay tuned for more updates.
[CyanogenMod ]
Google Indoor maps was launched in the US last year mapping all the insides of malls, hotels, etc. But now Google has started to expand the reach of indoor maps, extending to more than 40 indoor venues in the UK including a mix of museums, stations, malls and airports in the main mostly in London. With building owners being able to upload their own maps, however, this should / could expand quickly. Hit the Google Lat-Lon blog for more info.
While Android fragmentation continues with Jelly Bean being announced just 6 months away from the ICS update. Android owners have started to shift to ICs with most companies now offering ICS updates for the devices.
While Gingerbread still remains at the top with 64 % of the Android base. GFroyo follows by 17.3 %, and Google’s recently announced Jelly Bean update was not included in this stat.
An XDA user “tgascoigne” has been able to port Nexus Jelly Bean to the HTC One X and has made it available as a ROM on the XDA website. With a lot of things currently not working. Including Wifi, Radio, Audio and Camera the OS itself is very stable and can be felt including those greasy project butter tweaks.
The ROM is originally based on CyanogenMOD and the developer states that he seems to have found a fix for most of the errors and bugs and is in the testing phase.
Once the radio and wifi do get working, expect a full hands on from iGyaan, till then check out the screenshots below and if you are feeling the excitement then rush to the link below to give it a try yourself.
[XDA]
Ready to jump to Windows 8 ? Microsoft is following in Apple’s footsteps by making the upgrade to Win 8 more pocket friendly. If you have an existing installation of Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will able to download a Windows 8 Pro upgrade for just $39.99 (IN Rs. 2200/-).
That’s a big drop from the company’s earlier upgrade prices, which were as high as US $ 99 (In Rs. 5500-7500) . If you want the DVD you can purchase it for a price of US $ 69.99. According to Microsoft the prices will increase when the promotion ends on January 31st 2013.
Each OS will have a different upgrade option, some bringing only personal files and some only files and settings to Windows 8. In most cases legacy apps will not be ported.
Within days of it being announced for Apple’s iOS, Google Chrome rocketed to the top by becoming the no. 1 free app on the iTunes app store.
It’s getting decent reviews from users who so far have cumulatively ranked it at 4.5 stars, although the biggest complaint they seem to have is the browser is slow compared with Apple’s Safari which is due to the fact that Apple restricts the use of its Nitro JavaScript engine to Safari and other apps don’t have access to it.
We will be coming out with the Chrome’s review soon, stay tuned.
Already jumped on the dual sim Android bandwagon with a 1 GHz processor? Then you must be sporting one of these bad boys, The Karbonn A9 and Spice Mi425 essentially have the same set of hardware underneath. So they end up with the same rooting process.
A XDA-Dev forum user by the name of “fonehacker” has been able to root his Karbonn A9 and has passed along the information in the threads. All other users have then been able to successfully root their devices including Spice Mi425s with the process.
If you are sporting either of the two and feeling the urge to get root access into your Android phone, then use the process at your own risk. We are yet to test the process, and see no real advantage from it as of now. Hit the link below to try it out for yourself, be warned rooting might lead to warranty termination.
[XDA]
Google at the I/O Conference has announced that the usage of their web browser Chrome has almost doubled since last year and now tops 310 Million users. 1 TB of data is downloaded daily by these users, and according to Google the speedy browser has saved users 13 years of total browsing time.
While the whole world was skeptical, Google just went ahead and put Chrome mobile on iOS. Both iPad and iPhone users will get the app, either with incognito browsing, syncing and that unique tabbed browsing interface intact.
With the restrictions on the Apple App Store the Chrome webkit will not be allowed on iOS, but either way the download is now live!
HTC has started pushing out the new Android 4.0 ICS update only for the non co-branded smartphones(contract-free) HTC EVO 3D devices in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region as of now. the Over the Air update consist of a deployable package which will update your existing EVO 3D to Android 4.0.4. The update is 300 MB in size and consists of the Android 4.0 ICS code with Sense UI on top,
No release notes were found attached with the update but we can expect the regular set of Android 4.0 ICS features included in the update.
Have you already upgraded to Android 4.0.3? Does the EVO 3D now perform as smoothly as you expected? Are there any bugs or glitches to report?
Other HTC devices are expected to start getting the ICS update in the coming days.
Sony has started pushing the Android 4.0.4 update to the Xperia Line in India today. The Update went live in the morning and we have already updated the Xperia S, So, we should be ready with a kick hands on Video Soon. In the mean time see what Sony has to say about their new update.
Some new Android 4 features:
The new apps including the “WALKMAN”, “Album” and “Movies” applications will come standard with the update.
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Today, we bring you some exciting news! As planned, we’re now starting our software rollout for Xperia S including, Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 upgrade and new unique media applications.
First off, we’re excited to introduce a completely new way to experience your media – your music, images, videos, movies and films – with our new “WALKMAN”, “Album” and “Movies” applications:
And now for the software upgrade to Android version 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich– some of the cool features you can look forward to are:
Be sure to check out our video above for a look at some of this new functionality!
The update will be directly accessible in your phone over mobile networks and WiFi, but also with the option of upgrading using a computer – either with our web-based Xperia Update, PC Companion or Bridge for Mac.
If you’d like or need help on installing the software, we’ve pulled together a step-by-step run through video on our Xperia support YouTube channel.
All Xperia S users will get a notification when the upgrade is ready, but direct availability in the phone may vary across different carriers.
It’s also worth noting that the software package required for download is around 200MB, so you might want to consider using WiFi, if directly upgrading from your Xperia S.
The rollout will continue over the next few weeks* and as usual, we will continue to keep you up-to-date with our progress, handling as much of your feedback along the way as possible.
Just as before, you’ll also be able to see the released software kits (customized software specific to your operator) on our support community; http://talk.sonymobile.com – please continue to check in if yours is not yet listed, as it’ll be updated when new kits become available.
I’ve enjoyed getting to grips with my Xperia S over the past few weeks and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to taste this sweet software treat 
[/toggle_box]
Apple has finally started to branch out into what is a major chunk of their earning region. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam are among the dozen new countries where Apple has just launched their iTunes store for music and movies. Other countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. If you are asking then the answer is no, India was not included.
The company has left out India from the mix, possibly in comparison to the number of account holders. Hopefully, they can roll out the store in the coming months.
[Apple]
While everyone waits the arrival of the next big OS for your iDevice, Apple is working hard to get it ready. The company has pushed out Beta 2 to the developers for testing, there are no special additions the primarily focus is on the bug fixes leading the software closer to a final release. There are still other betas expected before the final release comes out, So, hold on to your horses.
Those who have active developer accounts can download the latest betas from their accounts now.
[9to5 Mac]
Several reports came to light when images of supposed Siri like voice assistant from the Taiwanese manufacturer came into being. The image shows a very Siri like interface on the HTC One X. Recently, LG introduced Quick Voice after Samsung announced the S-Voice feature with the Galaxy S III. All these voice commands driven personal virtual assistant services are set to compete with the Apple Siri.
Speculations of HTC-branded voice recognition software were triggered after the company put a strange image on their official Twitter and Facebook pages. HTC has apparently taken a hit at the rival companies, which are extensively promoting their voice-recognition applications. Apple initiated the war in the voice control segment with Siri, which is due to launch for iPad tablets and remaining countries, including India, very soon, along with iOS 6.
Interestingly the Google version of Siri Substitute which was slated for late 2012 release might be announced with Android Jelly Bean at the Google I/O this week.
After many months of trials and tribulations we got Siri on the iPhone 4S to go Balle Balle!
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