05
May
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Paranoid Android Halo Alpha Builds For The Nexus 4, Nexus 7/3G, Galaxy Nexus (GSM), And Oppo Find 5 Are Out For Testing

Posted by in Development, News

Paranoid Android made headlines last week when it announced a new take on mutitasking called Halo. While the feature wasn't available for user testing at the time, the team has now pushed out early alpha builds for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 7 3G, GSM Galaxy Nexus, and Oppo Find 5.

This is still a "very early build" of the ROM, so expect bugs, crashes, and other odd side-effects that come along with using alpha software; in other words, don't expect to use this as a daily driver.

Still, the PA team claims to be about halfway through its Halo implementation, as it has broken integration into three phases: rewriting the framework, getting Halo performing its basic functions, and allowing notification-switching directly through the Halo interface.

30
Apr
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Paranoid Android Says Hello To Halo – 'This Is How You Do Multi Windowing On Android'

Posted by in Android OS, Development, News

After some teasing, Paranoid Android has unveiled (in a lovely promo image) their plan for multi-window functionality on Android, which they promise to "get right," – Halo.

The premise is simple, yet extremely ambitious in scope – allow apps to give you notifications right on top of your screen, which allow you to pop into that app without leaving the one you're in (no matter what it is), take care of business, and resume your experience uninterrupted. The general concept, which rejects the notion of a distracting notification shade, and shuns implementations like "whacky s-multiwindow,"  is no doubt inspired by Facebook's admittedly awesome Chat Heads functionality, perhaps the most compelling feature of its new Home app.

29
Apr
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Paranoid Android Teases A Multi-Window-Like Feature, Not Yet Available For Use

Posted by in Development, News

Running multiple apps side-by-side is something that many users – especially those with tablets – have wanted on Android for a long time. And while we've seen a few implementations before (remember Cornerstone?), none have really taken off. Sure, Samsung has an option for multi-window on its more recent devices, but that's still a far-from-perfect solution, as it only allows certain apps to run together.

Given how oft-request/desired/lusted after this feature is, the devs behind the Paranoid Android ROM decided to try to bring it to life in a practical, usable way. However, it's probably not yet exactly what you're expecting, as it's little more than just pop-up windows with containerized apps held within.

26
Mar
1[5]

Paranoid Android's PIE Navigation System Making Its Way To CyanogenMod, Should Be Available In Today's Nightlies

Posted by in News

If you love the idea of the PIE controls found in Paranoid Android but can't bear the thought of parting with CyanogenMod, break out the champagne, because the two are to be wed today. That's right – PIE controls are coming to CyanogenMod 10.1.

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For those who may not be familiar with Paranoid Android, PIE is a unique navigation method that essentially removes the stock nav bar and turns it into a floating control panel, much like the Quick Controls option in the now-defunct stock browser. This provides more usable space on the screen without taking away the necessary navigation controls.

22
Jan
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Paranoid Android's PIE Navigation System Is Almost Out Of The Oven, And It Smells Fantastic [Video]

Posted by in News, Videos

When it comes to custom ROMs, we generally stick to covering CyanogenMod and – more recently – AOKP. Every once in a while, though, something really special, unique, or just downright awesome shows up in another ROM. In this case, it's PIE. A ROM that can make pie. No, wait, that's not right. It's a feature baked into the Paranoid Android ROM that completely revamps the navigation area. 

All pastry jokes aside, PIE is a fully-customizable replacement for the stock on-screen navigation buttons found in more recent versions of Android. It stays hidden off-screen, only to be brought to life by a predefined gesture.