Android OS - 30/165 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

Google Posts Updated Binaries And Android 4.1.2 Images For Multiple Nexus Devices

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7

If you're a developer, you've likely been chomping at the bit for Google to release the updated binaries and full device images after yesterday's Android 4.1.2 release. Just moments ago, Android maintainer JBQ placed 4.1.2 driver binaries for all maintained Nexus devices on the Google Developers site, as well as updated factory images (JZO54K) for the Nexus 7 and "takju" and "maguro" variants of the Galaxy Nexus.

These files are absolutely essential for tinkerers and developers wanting to stay on the cutting edge of Android, and Google has always been pretty on top of getting them out in a timely fashion.

Oct

Getting To Know Android 4.1.2 - A Location Settings Revamp, On-Demand 'Bug Reports,' Smoother Button Glows, And More

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Getting To Know Android, Jelly Bean 4.1

Hello and Welcome! Android 4.1.2 hit yesterday, and, in record time, we are pumping out a new version of everyone's favorite series. If you want to know about everything new in 4.1.2, you've come to the right place. To be perfectly honest, there isn't much to cover. 4.1.2 is just as minor as its 0.0.1 version bump would suggest. I've gone over all 164 system APKs (old and new) with a fine tooth comb, and this is all I could come up with.

First up, by now you've probably heard of the new, one finger notification expansion trick, and that the launcher has finally learned how to rotate.

Oct

New Feature In Android 4.1.2: Expanding/Collapsing Notifications With One Finger [Video]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Videos

Buried deep within the changelog of Android 4.1.2 that arrived today is a very welcomed change to the way expandable notifications are handled by the OS. Introduced in Jelly Bean, expanding and collapsing notifications originally required two fingers to operate. Not anymore! A handy gesture now allows easy expansion and collapsing with just one finger, making it easier to perform this task while holding a device in one hand.

Collapsing is a little tricky at first and requires first pulling down and then up. Once you figure it out, it becomes a no-brainer, but is a little confusing if you don't know what you're doing.

Oct

Here's What's New In Android 4.1.2 At The Low Level [Developer Commit Logs]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

As a developer, I absolutely love days like today. If the high-level "improves performance and stability and fixes bugs" changelog of Android 4.1.2 isn't good enough for you, how about we dive into the actual low-level source code commit logs Android engineers made into AOSP since 4.1.1_r1.1 (JRO03D) all the way through today's release 4.1.2_r1 (JZO54K). These commit logs are spread over probably 100+ repositories, so hunting for all of them manually would probably take you days. However, thanks to Al Sutton, you can check them out all in one place.

Be prepared for lots of code jargon and incomplete git commit messages, which probably won't mean much to most of you.

Oct

How To: Manually Update Your Nexus 7 To Android 4.1.2 (JZO54K) With Stock Or Custom Recovery

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: November 13th, 2012

If you want to update your Nexus 7 to official Android 4.1.2 that started rolling out earlier today but your turn hasn't come yet, you have two options: wait (possibly for a while) or flash it manually. The latter is absolutely safe and lets you bypass the line without any risk whatsoever. Even better - you don't even need to be rooted or running a custom recovery - updating with Jelly Bean and full stock recovery is easier than ever before.

Let's get to it.

Prerequisite: Your Nexus 7 should be running Android 4.1.1 build JRO03D.

Step 1.

Download the JZO54K Android 4.1.2 update zip from Google's servers (32,862,193 bytes, MD5: 1a68f499129ae2ee373806a9cad13174).

Oct

Android 4.1.2 OTA Update Now Rolling Out To The Nexus 7 - Adds Landscape Mode

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Device Updates, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7

Android maintainer "JBQ" just broke the news that Android 4.1.2 was being released into AOSP today, and now we're hearing that a matching OTA update is being pushed to the Nexus 7 as we speak. It's 31.3MB in size, and the build number JZO54K. If you're not finding the update when you check, don't worry - it'll get there. The rollout is likely staggered and limited to a smaller group of devices to start. None of our N7s have found the update yet, either.

Update: Here's how to flash the update manually, even if you're not rooted.

Images via EETimes

Aside from the addition of landscape mode in the launcher, the update dialog indicates performance and stability improvements, as well as bug fixes (thanks for the fine detail there, Google).

Oct

Google Announces The Android 4.1.2 Update - Being Released To AOSP Today

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Last Updated: October 10th, 2012

Google's chief release engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru just announced via the Android Building group that version 4.1.2 of Android is being released to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) today.

The release follows Android 4.1.1, which was the final version of Jelly Bean, and is marked as minor. The build number, which we spotted in the logs yesterday, is JZO54K, while the AOSP tags are android-4.1.2_r1 and jb-mr0-release.

It's also a good time to bring up the fact that the LG Nexus prototype that we saw yesterday was also running 4.1.2. Today's announcement seems to add further credibility to that story.

Oct

More Android 4.2 Rumors Surface: Customization Center, Project Roadrunner, Updated Google Now And Play Store

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Leaks, News, Rumors

The rumor mill is going strong with Nexus hearsay now, and Android & Me is currently leading the pack with details about the upcoming version of Android and at least one of the devices that will run it. Thanks to "an inside source" A&M is reporting more details about the "customization center," updates to Google Play and Now, and a new feature called "Project Roadrunner" that we haven't previously heard of.

Before we get into Android 4.2, though, there are some more details about the rumored Nexus program that are worth discussing.

Nexus, Nexuses, Nexi

As you probably already know, rumor has it that there will be multiple Nexus devices this year.

Oct

Clues: Android 4.2 May Already Be Running On A New Phone, And A New Nexus Tablet - Both Motorola?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Motorola, News, Rumors

As we come ever-closer to launch of the next version of Android, our server logs are picking up more and more traffic from devices running it. We know for a near-certainty at this point that the next version of Android will be 4.2 (actual name seems to still be Jelly Bean, based on build numbers). What we don't know is what device is going to launch to introduce this, the latest iteration of our beloved OS. But we think we have some clues.

Laying The Foundation

This is conjecture, so bear with me. First, let's lay down some of the less controversial evidence, from our server traffic logs (all from different IPs):

Linux; Android 4.2; Nexus 7 Build/JOO92B
Linux; Android 4.2; Nexus 7 Build/JOP02B

Linux; U; Android 4.2; en-us; Galaxy Nexus Build/JOP04C
Linux; Android 4.2; Galaxy Nexus Build/JOO92B
Linux; Android 4.2; Galaxy Nexus Build/JOP04

Now, you can see these devices are actually quite familiar to us: the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus.

Oct

Editorial: Does Samsung Really Innovate, Or Is TouchWiz Just A Big Bag Of Gimmicks?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Samsung

Nothing quite stirs me up like people heaping praise on Samsung for "innovating" with TouchWiz’s software features. And every time I try to dismantle this notion, I get called a Luddite. I’m not forward-thinking. I don’t appreciate new technology that’s in its infancy. I’m not curious.

Which is interesting, considering how fascinated I am by it, and how generally up to date I like to keep with technology at large. I make no qualms of the fact that I am a cautious adopter of cutting-edge gadgets, though. I don’t look at a new phone or feature on one and suddenly become enamored with the possibilities it portends gazing 10 years into the future.