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Sony is making it easier to get AOSP ROMs up and running on its flagship devices with a few goodies for developers. After showing off stock Android 5.0 running on the Xperia Z3 recently, the company has posted source code and binaries for the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z1 Compact.
Look, we know most of you are probably more eager to see Lollipop software images for devices that you actually have instead of the ones that have just been released. But Google seems to be taking its sweet time with those, so in the meantime, we've got the software image and binary drivers for the Nexus Player. That's nice, right? Hello? Anyone reading this?
Sony's relationship with "pure" Android is an interesting one. As a company they generally make it easy to root or otherwise modify their phones or tablets, with a few notable qualifiers. The AOSP for Xperia project, which provides the basic tools for building standard Android ROMs on popular devices, is also one way that Sony stays relevant for those who buy phones with the intent to add aftermarket software. Today it gets two new flagship options, the older Xperia Z1 and Z2.
Following T-Mobile's heads up earlier today, Android 4.4.3 was just officially released by Google in the form of factory images and accompanying drivers. You can find builds KTU84M (Nexus 5) and KTU84L (Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10) at the usual locations:
You know how this goes - new software is sent out for a Nexus device, so posts on the Google factory image and binary repositories aren't far behind. The Nexus 7 LTE is the only Google device that's had an OTA update for a while, so today's additions are small: a single file on the Factory Images page and three binary files for the various hardware components.
Back on Halloween, Google promised that proprietary binaries and factory images for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 would arrive shortly after devices received their OTA updates. Even though some OTAs haven't even rolled out yet, as of a few minutes ago, all modern Nexus devices now have Android 4.4 KRT16O factory images and drivers available for download.
Hot on the heels of its release, the Nexus 5's factory image and drivers (including those from Qualcomm) have already been posted. As usual, the Nexus 5's newly uploaded assets are right in line with the rest of the Nexus family, though no other members of the family have gotten a 4.4 update just yet. Those developers or enthusiasts who want something to play with can hit the appropriate link below to grab the image and/or drivers.
Nexus 4, 7, And 10 KitKat Factory Images And Proprietary Binaries Will Be Released 'In The Coming Weeks' Following Respective OTAs
Nexus 4, 7, And 10 KitKat Factory Images And Proprietary Binaries Will Be Released 'In The Coming Weeks'
Just a quick note to anyone waiting for full OS factory images and drivers for existing Nexus devices (outside of the Galaxy Nexus, which bit the dust with KitKat) - as is customary, they will follow over-the-air updates released according to Google's favorite timeline: "in the coming weeks."
It's that time again, boys and girls. Last week the LTE model of the new Nexus 7 got an over-the-air update to Android 4.3.1, which was build number JLS36I for that specific device. As usual, Google has posted the factory software image for end users to download and the driver binaries for developers to play with.
The LTE version of the Nexus 7 2013 just started shipping to the US last week. If a week of running on a stock ROM is entirely too long for you, take heart: even while you read these words, modders and ROM developers are hard at work building all kinds of aftermarket goodies for your unlocked tablet. That's because Google just posted the first full factory image plus binaries for the new model.
Ready for some more Android Open Source Project woes? In addition to the Nexus 7 drama over AOSP builds in the last couple of weeks, it looks like there are some issues with the Nexus 10 as well. Don't worry, the Android 4.3 factory image for the N10 is sitting on the Google Developers page, proud and happy, but the binaries and drivers for some individual components on the tablet seem to be missing, most notably the graphics driver. It's available for 4.2.2, but not 4.3. What's up?
As the old saying goes, "when it rains, it pours down binaries for Nexus devices." That old idiom is proven true once again today, as Google has just uploaded the latest batch of binaries to the Nexus Device download page.
The Galaxy Nexus variant on Sprint might actually have a chance of being officially supported by Google in AOSP after all, which would be a big step in the right direction for carrier-branded Nexus devices.
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.
The newest sets of binaries for Nexus devices have been published and are now available to download on Google's Nexus drivers page. This new batch of binaries is for Android 4.1.1 build JRO03R, and covers basically all Nexus phones and tablets:
New Jelly Bean (JRO03H) Binaries Up For Nexus S/4G, Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi, And Verizon, GSM Galaxy Nexus
In a post to Google's Android Building group today, Jean-Baptiste Queru once again acted as the bearer of good tidings for developers and tweakers everywhere,
In a post to Google's Android Building group today, Jean-Baptiste Queru once again acted as the bearer of good tidings for developers and tweakers everywhere, announcing that "a new set of proprietary binaries for Jelly Bean are available."