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It's no secret why CyanogenMod is the most popular custom ROM out there; not only does it support a metric crapload of Android devices, but it also keeps them going far past their primes. The latest devices to get support for CM14.1 (Android 7.1 Nougat) nightlies include two variants of the Galaxy S III, the second-generation Moto X, a few Oppo devices, two versions of the HTC One Max, two Xiaomi phones, and more.
TWRP is the recovery of choice for most custom ROM users. You can flash ROMs, manage your files in a pinch, install custom themes, and backup/restore your whole device. TWRP is also incredibly portable, meaning it is easily ported to more devices. Five more phones and tablets are now receiving official TWRP builds, and three devices now have a unified build.
HTC seems to have forgotten about its sole entrant into the "phablet" market - they haven't released anything as large as the 5.9-inch One Max since its debut way back in 2013. But presumably the people who own it still like it, or at least use it, so the news that HTC is finally updating the device to Android 5.0 should be welcome. Numerous users have started receiving the Lollipop OTA as evidenced by posts to Twitter and XDA-Developers.
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If you're going to do any serious modding on your Android smartphone, your first step is going to be unlocking the bootloader. This is a simple procedure on Nexus devices and a few other handsets, but many of the top OEMs have added security measures to prevent regular users from mucking about with their stock software. For these devices, there's a tool called Sunshine by recognized developers Justin Case (jcase), beaups, and friends. Version 3.0 just came out, and it can unlock the bootloader and acquire S-Off with almost every modern Motorola and HTC smartphone on the market.
Update: It looks like users with qualifying phones who have already redeemed their free storage are automatically getting bumped up to 100GB. Thanks to reader Aaron Blecher for letting us know!
If you hopped on the I want a really big HTC phone train, then you probably have a One Max. If that One Max also happens to be on Verizon, it's time to start checking for updates, because Sense 6 is rolling out now. Woo for you.
Some lucky devices are getting their first official taste of that sweet, sweet CyanogenMod ROM action today with the addition of nightly support for the HTC One Max and the Oppo Find 7. The old Kindle Fire is also getting some love with a new platform variant for improved support going forward.
The Android L release is so new it doesn't even have a name yet, but HTC wants to make sure you know it will be ready when it comes out. Or at least, shortly thereafter. Before the Google I/O 2014 keynote had even finished, HTC released the following statement on its software update page:
Update: Apparently the update should also bump HTC One Max owners up to Sense 6. This may turn out to be quite the OTA.
Back on Friday, HTC's executive director of product management announced that the One Max on Verizon should receive an OTA update bringing the latest version of KitKat after the weekend. Well, Monday's here, and so is the update. Verizon HTC One Max owners should now or soon receive an update notification that looks an awful lot like this one.
HTC has put a deal of effort into getting speedy updates out for the HTC One, and the Verizon version of the phone received the update at the beginning of February. Unfortunately, One Max owners have had longer to wait for the newer software, even though HTC has promised that it's on its way. Well, now we have a date. HTC's executive director of product management has now announced via Twitter that the Sense 5.5 and Android 4.4.2 update has received technical approval from Verizon.
HTC got KitKat out to the HTC One relatively quickly, doing a decent job of updating its Sense UI in the process. Now it's time to get the update out to the flagship's multiple variants. We still don't have news of an impending OTA, but HTC has now made open source kernel files for the HTC One Max available online.
HTC hasn't built up the best reputation when it comes to supporting its devices, but the company is working to change that. So far it has issued updates to the HTC One relatively quickly, getting KitKat out before Samsung. A few days ago, HTC took to Reddit to announce a new two year commitment to support new North American flagships with Android updates for two years. Now the company has made this promise official, enshrining it as part of its new HTC Advantage.
In case you haven't had the time to dig through our massive Black Friday weekend sales post, take note of the sales going on at Amazon right now. If you're in the market for a new phone, you can save some real cash up-front.
Looking to get your hands on HTC's new super-sized One? Then Wirefly is happy to offer it at a discount, at least if your preferred carrier is Sprint. Right now the service and hardware reseller is selling the HTC One Max for 9.99 for new Sprint customers and $199.99 for returning customers who re-sign their contract. Not bad for a brand-new flagship.
Verizon just released its variant of the HTC One Max for a cool three-hundred dollar bill this morning, but Wirefly clearly thought that was just too much, so it knocked a full 50 percent off that. Yeah, you can get the One Max for $150. Of course, that requires a new two-year agreement, but it looks like it's working for both new contracts and upgrades. That's hard to beat.
If you like massive phones, fingerprint scanners, HTC, and Verizon, today might just be the luckiest day of your life. Why is that, you ask? I'll tell you why! Because the massive HTC One Max is now available on Big Red. See, dreams really do come true.
Sprint wants everyone to know about its tri-band LTE network that could potentially reach speeds of 50 - 60 Mbps, so it gave it a catchy name - Sprint Spark. Once the rollout is complete, this could be the largest LTE network in the US in terms of spectrum usage. But that's the future. Right now, the network is available in only a handful of cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Tampa), and even fewer phones are currently set to tap into it (okay, just one). Fortunately, a couple of handsets will soon receive the OTA they need to make the leap.
The day you've been waiting for is here, "phablet" fans... assuming you're a prospective or current Sprint customer and you haven't already bought a Galaxy Note 3. The Now Network has launched its carrier-branded version of the HTC One Max (or "One max" if you're a brand manager) and it's currently available on the official online store for 9.99.