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LineageOS 17.1 adds official support for OnePlus 2, Moto X Play, and other phones
Android 10 on phones from 2015
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, and version 17.1 is based on the newest Android 10 release. The Lineage project has been slowly updating older devices to 17.1, and in the time since our previous coverage, even more devices have arrived in the official roster.
We already covered the TWRP 3.1.0 update, which brings several new features and bug fixes to the massively-popular custom recovery. TWRP is also expanding official support to several new devices, including the HTC U Ultra and Xiaomi Mi Max.
There was a time some years ago that CyanogenMod was the surest way to get the latest build of Android on your phone. It's a little slower these days, but development continues to chug along. The CM team hopes to roll out the first nightly builds of CM14.1 later tonight, but not all devices will be supported right away.
Motorola was the first major smartphone maker to start putting its stock apps in the Play Store. Before that, OEMs would only update those apps as part of an OTA update. It sounds positively barbaric by today's standards. Motorola isn't done yet, though. Just today it added its stock file manager to the Play Store. You won't see much in the way of improvements this time, but who knows what the future could bring?
I'm a big fan of the 3rd gen Moto G. For the price of a down payment on a flagship, you get a competent smartphone that most people wouldn't know was inexpensive. With a 720p 5-inch display, the phone looks and feels like a high-end smartphone from a couple of years ago.The starting price of $179.99 isn't that bad, but right now Amazon is letting the 8GB model go for less. That's significantly more affordable than the $219.99 16GB alternative. At regular price, I'd say go for the bigger version, as it comes with twice the RAM (2GB). With this big a gap, I don't know.Before you give your money to Amazon, consider shopping at B&H instead. There the smartphone is on sale for the same price. But if you go this route, you also get a 32GB microSD card and to spend at the store. With all those perks, this really isn't a bad way to get up and running with Android.Source: Amazon,B&H
Android aficionados in India have a few more options today when it comes time to get a new device, courtesy of Motorola. As promised, the Moto X Force is on sale, and the previously available Moto G variants have come to Amazon India.
The open source code from Motorola's third-gen Moto G was first made available back in August, but now the company has added the Marshmallow version to its Github. Interested parties can head over and download all the code to begin poking around inside.
Motorola has a little new year's treat for Moto G owners in India. The third-gen phone is now getting the Android 6.0 update from 5.1.1. The announcement came by way of a tweet, so there's not a ton of detail on the timing of the rollout.
Do you know what appears when your phone boots up? Nexus devices have this spunky way of showing off the Android logo. Other manufacturers have their own way of introducing their brand. Motorola tends to get particularly creative. Turning on a Moto E feels a lot like watching the launch trailer.
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The hybrid cellular-WiFi carrier Republic Wireless is launching a new budget device this month, and it's a good one. The 3rd generation Moto G will be available for purchase from Republic on October 27th in both 8GB and 16GB versions. The pricing isn't as competitive as past Republic Wireless phones have been, but the Moto G is a crazy-good deal already.
Let's say you like to live on the edge. You enjoy flashing ROMs and tinkering with your device. Given the risks, it's nice to play around with something that won't cost $600 to repair if something goes wrong. That makes it pretty good that the 2015 Moto G has gained Cyanogen nightly support.
Ever since its introduction the Moto G series has been a leader in the mid-range market, arguably outshining the flagship Moto X thanks to its excellent value and featureset. The third version was released just a few hours after Motorola announced it on stage late last month, and as is the company's wont, it's running the latest public release of Android (5.1.1) at launch. Now the open source kernel for the Moto G 2015 is available, just like its predecessors.
Google and the various major Android device vendors and carriers are scrambling to patch the recently-discovered Stagefright exploit, a weakness in Android's multimedia processing that can allow remote access via a simple MMS message. Google has already begun patching Nexus devices, and Samsung is working its way through its extensive product range starting with flagships. Yesterday Motorola released its plans to update its phones.
As we know, most smartphone commercials are, at best, OK. Many are less than OK, and some are just downright awful (see also: HTC-RDJ). Apple manages to score a hit every once in a while, but even their ads can come off as corny and contrived (or just boastful) sometimes.
Motorola started its livestream event at 9:00 AM Eastern US time, which means that a huge portion of the US and Europe was either asleep, in traffic, or at work while it was showing off its new wares. If you'd like to view it all again, Motorola has posted the event to its official YouTube channel.
Hey Brazilian readers, that fancy new Moto G is available to purchase right now. Go to Motorola.com.br if you want one - it's 849 Reais for the base model. But why get the base model, when for the first time you have access to the Moto Maker cusotmization website? Motorola announced the expansion to Brazil on stage, and it looks like it's already live for the new Moto G. Go check it out.
