04
Jun
unnamed (7)

Soft navigation keys are desirable in post-4.0 Android device... at least for some users. Some people love 'em (and curse the likes of Samsung and HTC every time a new flagship with hardware keys comes out) and some don't. For those who don't, Good Mood Droid (whom we've featured before) has created GMD Hide Soft Keys root. It's a root-only application that gets rid of the navigation bar in all areas of the device.

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We've seen this implemented in a few different ways, mostly on custom ROMs like CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, and AOKP. We've also seen similar apps in the Play Store, like full!screen.

25
Apr
softkeyz

Android's navigation soft keys have proven to be a hit with many users, despite the fact that some manufacturers refuse to utilize them. As nifty as they may be, however, they get kind of boring to look at after a while. And, of course, most Android users love to tinker with things to make them look however they want. Up until now, though, there hasn't been an easy way to add a little flare to them.

Say hello to SoftKeyZ – an app that makes swapping out the nav bar keys super simple.

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Basically, so long as you have root and busybox is installed, all your bases are covered – just install the app and fire it up.

06
Aug
2012-08-06_10h36_11

According to a new report from DigiTimes (hang on!) this morning, HTC is preparing a new monster flagship phone for launch this fall. The Taiwanese publication says the device will come with a 5" display and a resolution of 1794x1080. If that number sounds a little off to you, it's because those dimensions probably exclude 126 lines to make room for the navigation buttons.

Of course, it's there that the story gets interesting. Typically, manufacturers don't omit lines of resolution from a spec sheet, especially when it would make a nice marketing bullet point like "full 1920x1080 resolution." Neither do supply chain vendors.