AOKP team posts giant update to its Jelly Bean build, allows rotation and tablet UI anywhere

AOKP team posts giant update to its Jelly Bean build, allows rotation and tablet UI anywhere

Custom ROM fans will know AOKP (Android Open Kang Project), but the first build derived from Jelly Bean was knowingly rough around the edges. What a difference a month makes: along with the usual round of bug fixes, the team’s second build has added options to force screen rotation and the tablet interface on any device. Not-quite-so-early adopters also get fine-grained control over the interface DPI, LEDs, theming and vibration, and the device list has grown to include the Verizon Galaxy S III, the Galaxy Note and multiple variants of both the original Galaxy S and the Galaxy Tab family. If you were waiting to stay just short of the bleeding edge before trying AOKP, your version is ready.

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AOKP team posts giant update to its Jelly Bean build, allows rotation and tablet UI anywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II firmware update appears, points to Jelly Bean and HSPA+

Samsung’s new full-fat smartphone has hinted at appearances on both Verizon and AT&T, and now an update spotted at SAM Mobile suggests that — just under two months since the original appeared — there will be a Magenta-branded version of the Galaxy Note II… too. Going under the SGH-T889 model number, firmware from September 15th is now available to try — if you have a phone that’s not yet out on any official channels. The site’s sources have said that the device runs closer to a global iteration, lacking any true LTE capabilities, but it’s more than happy to substitute that for HSPA+ support. If you’re part of Samsung’s secretive cabal of handset testers you can seek out the new build at the source below.

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II firmware update appears, points to Jelly Bean and HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of September 10th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of September 10th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you’re like us and really want to know what’s going on, then you’ve come to the right place. This past week, C Spire Wireless activated its first LTE networks and we discovered strong indication that Isis will leverage the GSMA’s SIM-based NFC standard for its mobile payments system. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of September 10th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of September 10th, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany: week of September 10th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s Galaxy Note II purportedly poses for the camera, over-branding included

Verizon's Galaxy Note 2 purportedly poses for the camera, over-branding included

Phablet lovers on Verizon may have reason to rejoice, because the carrier’s variant of the Galaxy Note II may have been captured in the flesh. The white device is aesthetically identical to the version straight from Samsung’s house, save for its questionable carrier-branding. While the back of the phone sports a seemingly legit “Verizon 4G LTE” logo along with its moniker, you’ll notice a rather obnoxiously-planted “Verizon” logo on its home button — perhaps a bit too ridiculous to be the real deal. That said, it’s almost certain that the Note II will officially make it to Verizon, no matter if it’s dressed like the photos above or not; this purported variant lines up nicely with screenshots leaked earlier this week showing AT&T and Verizon compatibility. Now, if only we could have further confirmation — perhaps in the way of a second visit to the FCC in the near feature or some leaky memos.

[Thanks, Sean P.]

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Verizon’s Galaxy Note II purportedly poses for the camera, over-branding included originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 16:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel completes successful Android 4.1 Jelly Bean port

Jelly BeanAndroid has typically been created for ARM processors, at least until Intel decided to enter the mobile market with their Medfield Atom processors, but that also meant that Intel was limited to Android versions such as Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. While Android 4.0 is still an acceptable version of Android, we’re sure that many Android users out there would prefer to purchase a phone with the latest version of Android installed. Well the good news is that if you’re interested in how Intel-powered Android phones perform, it seems that Intel has managed to successfully port Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

However when they were asked as to when we can expect to see this Jelly Bean update make its way onto devices like the Orange Santa Clara, Intel responded by saying that the updates weren’t up to them but the carriers who had to put the update through acceptance testing. Either way we’ll be interested to see if this successful port of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will be making its way onto the Intel-powered Motorola RAZR M which is expected to be revealed next week on the 18th of September.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Intel reportedly partners with more smartphone makers in India, Sharp debuts Intel Medfield powered education tablet, will run on either Android or Windows 8,

Intel wraps up Jelly Bean port for Atom smartphones, can’t say when devices get it

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean landscape

Intel was fast to promise a port of Jelly Bean to Atom-based smartphones. We were left in the dark as to when that port would be ready, but mobile group general manager Mike Bell has put that to rest for PCWorld with news that the Medfield-native Android 4.1 build is both complete and running on Intel workers’ devices — including his. Before dreaming of Google Now searches on an Orange San Diego, though, we’d warn that the usual delays apply. Bell notes that phone makers and the carriers still need go through the lengthy process of signing off on any upgrades. Existing owners will no doubt find it frustrating to be so close and yet so far, although the limbo at least proves that Intel-based hardware isn’t being held back relative to its competition; ARM-running phone manufacturers are in the same boat.

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Intel wraps up Jelly Bean port for Atom smartphones, can’t say when devices get it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 22:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrome for Android’s first post-beta update brings better sandboxing, other tweaks

Chrome for Android's first postbeta update brings better sandboxing, other tweaks

Chrome users on Android might have felt a bit neglected over the last couple of months, during which Google pushed a few updates to its browser on iOS while leaving its own platform untouched after it dropped the beta tag in June. That changes today as the Android version is getting its own update, which the team says automatically brings improved sandboxing technology on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to keep any potentially malicious websites contained thanks to the operating system’s user ID isolation technology. According to the changelog it also integrates location preferences with system level Google apps settings, brings playback controls to fullscreen YouTube videos and fixes aimed at third-party input method editors (IMEs), which is helpful if you’re typing in another language. There’s also a few other security fixes and bugs squashed, check the Chrome releases blog for cash payout details or hit Google Play to grab the update.

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Chrome for Android’s first post-beta update brings better sandboxing, other tweaks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 4.1 Jelly Bean headed for Samsung Galaxy S2 in November

Jelly BeanEarlier today we reported that Samsung had revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be getting its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update in October, but we’re sure that there are plenty of Galaxy S2 owners out there who are curious about the status of their device – when will they be seeing the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for their device too? Well thanks to Samsung Sweden, it has been revealed that Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S2 will be released in November, a month after its successor gets it. No specific dates were mentioned and we are assuming that this update will be for the international version of the Galaxy S2, especially since some Galaxy S2 variants in the US are tied to carriers where the update will have to go through them first before being pushed out to the user. In any case we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled, so be sure to check back with us at a later date where hopefully we will have some specific dates for you!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean “confirmed” for the Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S2 gets a Crystal Edition, designed for the ladies in mind,

Galaxy Note II makes first FCC appearance, variant lacks US-friendly LTE bands

Galaxy Note II makes first FCC appearance, lacks USfriendly LTE bands

Samsung pegged its new Note for an October launch in Europe and Asia, in typical FCC fashion, it’s passed through those wireless testing labs ahead of its arrival in stores around the world. For US readers, there’s a severe lack of compatible US LTE bands on this Galaxy Note II, which suggests this is a global model we’re dealing with, likely to connect with other 4G networks — there’s a whole lot of them out there. Aside from that, there’s a typical selection of 850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 850 WCDMA/HSPA radios inside this GT-N7105 model. However, we’re expecting another Note II iteration — packing friendlier LTE frequencies — will make an appearance at the FCC pretty soon.

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Galaxy Note II makes first FCC appearance, variant lacks US-friendly LTE bands originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 05:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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