Jelly Bean 4.2 - 5/8 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Dec

Yota Devices Unveils YotaPhone – A Phone With Dual LCD/E-Ink Displays That 'Keeps You Different'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Looking to "rebalance the relationship" between humans and their smartphones, Moscow-based Yota Devices has announced the YotaPhone, a smartphone with an LCD display on one side, and an e-ink screen on the back.

The reason behind (between?) the dual screens, Yota says, is to deliver the information users want, right when they want it, without disengaging from the real world by pressing a power button and unlocking a screen. Users can choose to see information ranging from news stories to social media updates, calendar entries, and more. The information updates itself constantly, and is always ready to be looked at. Since the e-ink display uses very little battery power, the phone's 2100mAh pack should allow users to enjoy usage comparable to devices with a single display.

Dec

[APK Teardown] Google Search - Reply To SMS With Voice, Post To Facebook & Twitter, An Android@Home Card, And More

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, Applications, Features, Jelly Bean 4.1, Jelly Bean 4.2

Ok - here's the deal. A Google Search update happened, which means it's teardown time. Normally I post about unreleased, work-in-progress stuff, but Google Now is so context dependent, that it's pretty much impossible for me to tell if something is implemented or not. The one thing I've learned from my months of using Now is that Google Now is in charge, and you're just along for the ride. So, for today's post, we're just going to shoot for "new things that didn't make it onto the 'What's New' list." If you can get them to show up, awesome. Send me a screenshot and I'll update.

Dec

Google Releases November's Platform Distribution Numbers – Gingerbread At 50.8%, Jelly Bean Up To 6.7%

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

With the end of another month comes a fresh batch of Android platform distribution numbers. Like clockwork, Google has once again updated their numbers, showing Gingerbread's cold, withered hand still holding almost 51% of the pie (though it's down from 54.2% in October), with Jelly Bean making gains to 6.7%, up 4% from last month.

Predictably, Ice Cream Sandwich is still making some gains, rising about 2% to 27.5% from October, Honeycomb is holding tight at 1.6% with a mere 0.2% change for API level 13, and pre-2.3 releases are still dropping off (though Cupcake and Donut are still holding on for dear life).

Dec

[APK Teardown] The Mysterious Leftovers Special: The Jandycane Logo, Google+'s Coffee Mug Notification, And Lightcycle Instructions

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, Jelly Bean 4.1, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Normally I rip apart APKs looking for news-worthy items and unreleased features, but I've covered everything that's currently out, so this teardown session is going to be a little different. During my usual digging for features, I've stumbled across a surprising amount of unused files, movie references, and canceled beta assets. I've always thought it was a shame that no one knows about them, so today we'll be exploring all the crazy leftover files that ship on our phones and tablets. If you've ever checked out the deleted scenes section of a DVD, this article will be right up your alley.

Dec

First CyanogenMod 10 Nightly For The Nexus 10 Released

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Jelly Bean 4.2, News, Nexus 10

If you're itching to ROM up your Nexus 10, now's probably the time to start - CyanogenMod 10 nightlies have officially landed for Google's large Nexus slate, available now at the CM website.

Not much else to say about that - other than hoping it'll solve some of the various issues we've been seeing with Android 4.2, like the Nexus 10's delightful little random reboots. Head to the source link to grab it.

CyanogenMod

Nov

Getting To Know Android 4.2, Part 2: The Revamped Gallery

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Features, Getting To Know Android, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

It's time for another installment of Getting To Know Android, the series where we show you every polished pixel in Google's latest Android update. Today's target is the Gallery, which, in a rare APK Teardown whiff, is not white. I have no idea what was going on with our crazy 4.2 alpha version, but the Gallery is still black, and the icon is still the same. Sorry about that. There is lots of new stuff to talk about, though.

About

First up is the "App Info" screen. As always, the old version is on the left, and the new version is on the right.

Nov

Yet Another Android 4.2 Bug: Weird In-App Transparency Glitch On Secondary User Accounts

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Earlier today, we noticed a bug report for a very strange issue with multiple user accounts on the Nexus 7. Apparently, certain applications are displaying the underlying screen - be it the wallpaper, app tray, or the Play Store (depending on where the app was launched from) - through the foreground app. But here's the kicker: it's only happening on secondary accounts. Yeah, it's confusing and strange.

There's also a Reddit thread that confirms this is happening, and it seems to only be affecting apps that call on some sort of transparency. To make sure it's not just a N7 bug, though, I grabbed the N10 to see if it suffers the same issue.

Nov

Google Posts Android 4.2.1 JOP40D Factory Images And Binaries For Multiple Devices (Nexus 4, 7, Galaxy Nexus)

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Galaxy Nexus, Jelly Bean 4.2, News, Nexus 4, Nexus 7

If you head on over to Google's factory image site, you'll find brand-new images based on the incremental update to Android 4.2.1. The devices with factory images currently available include the Nexus 7, Nexus 7 3G, Galaxy Nexus (takju, yakju), and Nexus 4. The 4.2.1 image for the Nexus 10 has been delayed, according to JBQ, due to an issue with JOP40C not being flashable over older builds. This has since been fixed, and you can download the new 4.2 factory image for the Nexus 10, though it's still build JOP40C.

This comes shortly after the rollout of the minor 4.2.1 update to numerous devices (here's the changelog).

Nov

Android 4.2.1 (JOP40D) Rolling Out To Galaxy Nexus – Manual Update Available [Update: Yakju Too]

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Nexus, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Not to be left out, it looks like the Galaxy Nexus Takju is getting its own 4.2.1 update just after the 1.1MB package started hitting the Nexus 7 and 10.

If you've got a Takju Galaxy Nexus and don't feel like waiting around for the OTA to find its way to your device, you can – as always – install it yourself.

It should be noted that this update package is only meant for Takju – that is, the Galaxy Nexus available in the Play Store. You should also be certain that your device is running 4.2 JOP40C before installing this update.

Nov

No Nexus 4 You - Anatomy Of A Smartphone Launch Disaster

Posted by David Ruddock in Editorials, Jelly Bean 4.2, News, Nexus 4

I understand that there have already been dozens of rants in regard to Google's "launch" (and yes, that requires ironic quotes) of the Nexus 4. And I understand that sitting here whining about it doesn't help anyone - so I'm going to avoid that. Really. I mean it. Mostly. But I am going to be critical.

From day one, the Nexus 4 has seemed - essentially - cursed. Victim to some dark techno-magic that has ensured nearly every step of the way that Google's flagship $300-350 phone would be delighting as few consumers as possible in the critical holiday sales season.