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When we last covered the LineageOS project, support for the Nexus 9 was added along with a few phones from Xiaomi. Since then, more devices have been added to the official builds, and there are a wealth of new features in the ROM. Without any further ado, let's take a look.
Time to dust off your old phones. That Droid 4 in the back of your drawer, that Droid Bionic in the shoe box in your garage, and those RAZR and Droid RAZR that you can't even remember hiding or throwing away, they've all gotten a fresh breath of air. If you own of these you've probably scoured XDA's forums for months and found several custom ROMs based on Marshmallow for them, but if you prefer the CyanogenMod flavor in your ROMs then today is the day you can start flashing it.
It's that time again, custom ROM fans. The oh-so-versatile Android Open Kang Project has released its fourth 4.2 build, this time updated to the latest 4.2.2 AOSP code. While feature additions beyond the ones added by Google themselves are few and far between, the list of supported devices for AOKP 4.2 has greatly expanded. Most of the phones in question come from Verizon's Motorola stable.
Motorola Confirms Via Twitter That Older Devices Will Not Receive Bootloader Unlock Tools
Motorola Confirms Via Twitter That Older Devices Will Not Receive Bootloader Unlock Tools
Bad news, owners of older Motorola devices. According to a tweet from Motorola's official Twitter account, if you own an aging Moto phone—including the Droid 3, Bionic, and Droid X2—you will not be receiving a bootloader unlock tool. While newer products like the Photon Q, as well as developer-centric devices like the RAZR Developer Edition and the not-quite-Nexus Xoom are supported, Moto has no plans to add any of its older lineup to the supported list.
If you're a BIONIC owner (sadly, I am), you've probably been itching for a major update to the device for quite some time now to fix a number of bugs, glitches, and other technological gremlins the phone has had since release. This latest update promises to excise quite a few of the BIONIC's worst software demons, including the dreaded black screen bug. The update has just hit Verizon's support site, so that means a rollout will likely be taking place in the next couple of weeks. Check out the changelog, below:
2011 was a great year for Android - Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was announced. The Galaxy Nexus was released. A whole truckload of Android tablets came out. The first 4G LTE smartphones appeared. But there were some significant speed bumps as well. Here are, in no particular order, the five things in the world of Android in the last year that really got our hopes up, but ended up being a little disappointing.
Hot on the heels of the Droid Razr's leaked fastboot files, two more Motorola devices can now be restored to stock configuration in case of emergency.
After Google's Ice Cream Sandwich announcement, the obvious question on everyone's mind was will my device get it? Motorola has started to address that issue, albeit very slowly.
Earlier today, Samsung made available the kernel source code for T-Mobile's Galaxy S II -- the latest of many source releases from Sammy. Of course, if you're not into developing, hacking, or modding Sammy phones, this sort of thing is of little value to you. However, if Moto is your flavor, and you want to make a beastly phone a bit more beastly, listen up: Motorola just released the Bionic source.
Not one hundred dollars, not ten dollars, not one dollar, one cent. That's right, the LTE-packing Droid Bionic can be yours for a penny from Amazon Wireless if you're a switcher. Current Verizon customers have to pay the full $220. The usual hooks apply, it's a penny only on a 2 year contract.
I hate phone cases. When I bought my Nexus One back in March of 2010, the first thing I did with my very first smartphone was head over to Amazon and start searching for a cool and convenient way to protect it. So I bought some leather ordeal with a flip cover and all sorts of gimmickry, and I hated it. I used it for 2 days, and since then, it has occupied my box of unwanted electronics and related accessories. It was probably one of the worst $25 I ever spent. I swore off cases from that day forward.
The DROID BIONIC, it's no secret, hasn't been launched bug-free. In fact, there's a number of bugs, particularly the dreaded data connection drop, that make using the BIONIC a major annoyance at times. Verizon has apparently been keeping track, and has a very detailed list of the glitches currently afflicting the phone, given to a customer in a support e-mail (weird, we know). The good folks over at Droid-life have compiled a "Top 10" bug list along with all the reported issues (here), and we've excerpted a few that we've noticed most:
Did you recently do something horrible to your Droid Bionic? Tired of staring at that red Motorola logo? This freshly released recovery file will have your bionic running like new in no time.
We may have already featured the Bionic for $180 from Amazon Wireless, but that deal only applies to new contracts, so existing VZW customers are left paying nearly full price. It's always hard to get a price break while using an upgrade, as the best deals are generally reserved for customers looking to switch carriers.
The DROID BIONIC has probably been the single most anticipated Android smartphone in the US. Since its unveiling at CES, subsequent total re-design, and sort-of-delayed release, it has been a long and winding road for Motorola's newest flagship handset. Verizon's massive marketing arm hasn't failed to promote this thing, either - walk into any Verizon store and you'll see employees garbed in BIONIC t-shirts, armed with BIONIC accessory display boxes and a tailor-made marketing spiel, ready to meet you with more LTE and dual-core madness than you can shake a stick at.
With over 3800 entries from Facebook, Google+, and Twitter (in order of popularity), it's now time to conclude the 7th "special edition" giveaway and announce the winner of the brand new Droid Bionic, the lapdock, the HD docking station, and the Webtop adapter.
I've had the BIONIC just about 24 hours now, and that's enough time to draw a few, basic conclusions about the phone. It's not sufficient for a full review, obviously, but if you're itching to know more about how using the BIONIC is from an Android addict's perspective, you might want to check out my first impressions video.
They say that a smartphone is only as good as its accessories, and if that's the case, then the Bionic must be among the best. (Okay, they don't really say that, but everyone loves extra stuff for their phone.)
Yep, you read that right - we're giving away a DROID BIONIC, and it's not even out yet (well, it will be in less than 24 hours), courtesy of the awesome folks over at Stack Exchange. Why? Because we want to help supercharge Stack's amazing Android Q&A site, Android Stack Exchange.