04
Jan
PR-ASUS-Eee-Pad-Transformer-Prime-front-Amethyst-Gray_thumb1

Update: We're getting reports that NachoRoot also successfully roots the original Transformer, which, until now, has been unrootable on the latest firmware. Simply follow the directions listed below!

Transformer Prime - two words that we've heard quite a bit over the last week or so. Root - a word that we hear on a daily basis in the world of Android. What do you get when you put the two together? Transformer Prime root. That's right -- the TP has been rooted by none other than our good buddy Justin Case. And we have the details for you right here.

03
Jan
android-under-construction1

We are going to need some restraint and careful explanation for this one.

Google is making life a little easier for developers. Today a post on the official Android Developers Blog announced a new rule for OEMs that insist on skinning Ice Cream Sandwich: You must also include the unmodified ICS "Holo" Theme files. Regular users still have to deal with a skinned OS, but developers can opt out of the skinned parts for their app. Observe:

screen_20120103_2011 Screenshot_2012-01-03-23-15-53

This is what developers currently have to deal with. Apps will look wildly different depending on what skin your phone has. On the left is Motoblur, on the right is stock ICS.  It's the same APK, but everything looks different because apps take many parts of their UI from the OS.

02
Jan
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The minds behind CyanogenMod have done it again, bringing nightly updates to several LG Optimus variants, and adding official CM7 support for the Epic 4G (not to be confused with Sprint's Galaxy SII variant).

Among the newly-supported LG devices are the Optimus 3D (p920), Hub (e510), Pro (c660), and Black (p970) (which is technically seeing the return of nightlies). It may be worth noting that the Optimus Hub and Pro both received RomManager support tonight, making it excessively simple to get CM goodness on the devices.

Update #1: The Epic 4G (epicmtd) nightly just showed up as well.

Update #2 1/2/12: LG Thrill (p925) appeared today.

30
Dec
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Just after expanding Nightly support to Samsung's Epic 4G and a slew of LG handsets, the CyanogenMod team has brought nightlies to a handful of Xperia devices, including Coconut (the Xperia Live with Walkman), Iyokan (the Xperia Pro), and Satsuma (the Xperia Active).

image image image

In a Google+ post earlier today, CyanogenMod announced that CM7 support had arrived for multiple new devices, throwing out a special hint to Xperia users.

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For those not familiar, a "nightly" is a brand new released, built on a daily (or nightly) basis with a day's worth of new code. Often times, new features contained in nightly updates may be unstable or not fully tested.

30
Dec
boot-image-bootloader

In a continued effort to unlock bootloaders everywhere using their online tool, HTC has added several exciting entries to the "supported devices" list. Perhaps the most notable of the new entries are the Droid Incredible 2 and HTC Thunderbolt. Officially, HTC's online unlock tool is compatible with all devices launched after September 2011, but the new additions reflect an effort to add compatibility for older devices.

Update: HTC just added the Incredible S to the mix. Go get unlocked!

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"What does this mean for users of the Incredible 2 or Thunderbolt," you may ask. An unlocked bootloader basically allows users not only to root their device with (relative) ease, but also to write to partitions that may otherwise be protected (namely the recovery partition), opening up even more possibilities for those interested in tweaking their phone to perfection.

29
Dec
ATRIX2

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.

Motorola's Atrix 2 and Droid Bionic have both had their fastboot files leaked in recent days, providing a bit of insurance for daring users and developers alike. The Atrix 2's files are available here, while the Droid Bionic's fastboot set can be found here.

image image

For those not in the loop, fastboot allows users to flash unsigned partition images via USB (including recovery images), meaning it is possible to bring a device back from a soft brick.

28
Dec
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Motorola Droid RAZR owners (and developers) received a bit of good news yesterday, thanks to a leaked set of fastboot files which allow your RAZR to be restored to stock in case of a soft brick or other unforeseen issue.

motorola-droid-razr-550px

Many users over at XDA and DroidRZR.com forums have already reported success in flashing the files and restoring their devices, indicating that the fastboot set is, in fact, the real deal.

For users, this means that there is always a way to get the RAZR back to stock configuration. The same goes for developers, meaning development for Moto's latest addition to the Droid family will liven up considerably.

23
Dec
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Auckland GTUG, a New Zealand-based Google Technology User Group, uploaded a video to YouTube today demonstrating the power of the Android Open Accessory platform via an impressive Christmas-themed light show.

A product of GTUG's November coding session, the light show is controlled by an Acer Iconia A500 tablet, and the controller app allows for predetermined sequencing of up to 9 channels, and even supports syncing with music. Without further ado, here's the video:

On that note, all of us here at Android Police would like to wish you and yours a happy holiday season, and a joyous new year!

22
Dec
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As an Android developer, the first thing I do when I set up Eclipse with ADT on a new machine is hunt down the Android source for the API level I'm working on.

Earlier this month, I added a request for Android 4.0 source to be added to the plugin, and I'm pleased to report that the plugin maintainer just added it to the latest version.

Honeycomb sources are being worked on.

Note: If you already have the plugin installed, you'll need to re-install for this addition to show up.

Developers should understand what I'm talking about, but for the rest of you - this priceless little addition to our development process means whenever we want to see just what exactly Android is doing at a certain point in our programs, we can actually take a peek.

20
Dec
ShowCover.aspx
Last Updated: December 29th, 2011

Who's ready for another developer book giveaway? This go around you'll have a chance to win one of two different books: The Android Developer's Cookbook: Building Applications with the Android SDK, or Android for Programmers: An App Driven Approach, both of which are coming from our friends at InformIT.

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:

The Android Developer's Cookbook:

  • phill henry
  • Tristan
  • Frederic Müller
  • Ben Bw*
  • Siva
  • Kiran
  • Milind
  • Tori
  • Daev
  • Svinkall

Android For Programmers:

  • John Ex*
  • Schubatis1
  • Dennis F. Heffernan
  • D Law*
  • Greg Back*
  • Dharmin Kansara
  • JonathanWardRogers
  • Clayton REEVES
  • Gregg Martinson
  • Kiran Parmar

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

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