Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re accustomed to flashing custom firmware and ROMs, you would have probably heard about the Titanium Backup application for Android devices. Its a life saver if you’re into tinkering with the firmware on your device. Basically the app eliminates the need to reinstall your apps and reconfigure settings once a custom ROM or firmware has been flashed, because when you do flash them, the device is wiped and all data is deleted. The Titanium Backup app has now been updated to support the ART runtime introduced with Android 4.4 KitKat.

Basically the ART runtime is an entirely new way for Android devices to run apps. The aim here is to make apps much more efficient and fast while cutting down on CPU usage. The updated app now has support for both ART and Dalvik, the latter being the old way of running apps on an Android device. Given that ART is completely different from Dalvik, developers have to tweak their apps so that they’re compatible with ART. As Android 4.4 KitKat slowly but surely rolls out to millions of Android enthusiasts around the world, its the perfect time to release an updated Titanium Backup application, so that when they start tinkering with KitKat, at least they’ll know that their data is safely backed up. [Image via AndroidPolice]

Titanium Backup Now Supports Android 4.4 ART Runtime original content from Ubergizmo.

Google’s latest Android 4.4 update is in the process of being rolled out, it will be initially released for compatible existing Nexus devices over the next few weeks. OEMs have yet to reveal when they’ll be releasing Android 4.4 KitKat for their devices, Samsung has apparently begun testing the update for Galaxy Note 3. Until the official release happens, Android enthusiasts longing to get a taste of KitKat can turn toward version 4.4 custom ROMs based on AOSP. Today, a Sony Xperia Z Android 4.4 custom ROM has been released, it is a stable build with very few bugs.

All main functions of the Xperia Z such as GPS, telephone, texts, Wi-Fi, camera and more are working in this ROM. The developer notes two glitches, one with manual selection of a mobile network, where the “Please wait…” dialog stays even after the Xperia Z is registered on a network. Tapping the home button makes the dialog vanish, so its a simple fix. Calendar sync with Google is another glitch that might be faced on a fresh installation, rebooting the device two times is described as a fix to get the Calendar syncing again. The compatible Google apps package comes bundled with this ROM, so you won’t have to search for it once you’ve flashed it. Flashing custom ROMs is tricky if you’ve never done it before, so proceed only if you know exactly what you’re doing. The Android 4.4 custom ROM for Sony Xperia Z can be downloaded from here.

Xperia Z Android 4.4 Custom ROM Released original content from Ubergizmo.

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!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

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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HTC wasn’t too popular when they denied Desire HD owners a hearty mouthful of Ice Cream Sandwich, but as usual, the community over at XDA Developers has stepped up to make it happen. Despite HTC claiming various technical issues as barriers for the upgrade, Team Blackout’s Android 4.0.4 build (aka Blackout ICS Incredible) is said to work perfectly on the device. The complete ROM is based on an ICS build for the Incredible S, and it requires you sacrifice your data in a full wipe before you can enjoy that Sense 3.6 UI. However, if you’ve got the knowledge to take advantage of this gift, you probably know how to backup all those bytes anyway. Hungry? Then head over to the source for your desirable dessert.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Custom ROM brings Android 4.0.4 to the Desire HD, does what HTC wouldn’t originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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