Canonical Dropping Ubuntu Touch Support For Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 (2012), and Nexus 10

Canonical has officially supported the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, 7, and 10, to date and let the Ubuntu Community handle building support for other devices (the community has added support for approximately 50 devices). We expected the Nexus 5 be added to the list, but now it seems Canonical will not be officially supporting Google's latest Nexus handset.

Canonical is focusing down its efforts for official support, and is dropping the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 (2012), and Nexus 10 from the official support list. This means that the only devices Canonical will be working on are the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 (2013). Of course, the community will likely pick up the slack on the rest; and, Canonical has not left those devices out completely, simply saying that they won't be part of the current release cycle aiming at April 2014 (and Ubuntu 14.04), although work on supporting the Nexus 5 could start as soon as the end of January.

Canonical said in today's Ubuntu Phone mailing that the issue is that all of the work so far has been focused on the Android 4.3 enablement stack, and to "reinvest" in all of the Nexus devices with the new Android 4.4 enablement stack would be "too high" a cost right now. Instead, the team will be focused on optimizing the platform for use on the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 (2013), as well as building ARM and x86 emulators this month. 


Source: OMG! Ubuntu!

Google Reportedly Chooses ASUS To Make Next Generation Nexus 10

According to a new report, Google will be dropping Samsung and picking ASUS to manufacture the next-gen Nexus 10. The site has correctly reported on a few product releases in the past, but today’s report goes against what we heard earlier straight from Google’s own Sundar Pichai. 

Following the launch of the new Nexus 7, Google’s head of Chrome and Android told The Wall Street Journal’s Amir Efrati that a new 10 inch Nexus 10 tablet would be arriving in the near future. He also told Efrati that the device would indeed be once again be manufactured by Samsung. It’s possible he was misquoted, and multiple companies often submit designs for upcoming Nexus devices before Google ultimately decides on a manufacturer.

While Samsung made the original Nexus 10, it might make sense for Google to stick with ASUS the maker of the new Nexus 7 if the next generation Nexus 10 is to follow the design aesthetics of the new Nexus 7.

Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview Now Available

Canonical has launched a developer preview of the new mobile OS. Designed to play nice with Android development phones, the Linux-based Ubuntu Touch features support for the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. But if you are thinking about moving to the operating system as a daily driver, take note of the “developer preview” tag.

As the build is being released with development for the platform in mind, it does not support the full range of functions  you would get from a fully-baked smartphone experience. The software is described as “very new and unfinished.”

Hit the source link for details and install instructions. 

Source: Ubuntu

Paranoid Android 3 (PA3) Released For Nexus Devices

I'm sure by now you've heard of Paranoid Android. There’s also a good chance that if you own the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, or Nexus 10 you’re either running the ROM yourself or you’ve given it a try in the past.

For these unfamiliar, Paranoid Android’s defining characteristic is what they call Hybrid Engine. Contrary to what many believe, this is not “tablet mode” though that is one of many things that can be accomplished using Hybrid Engine. Rather, Hybrid Engine allows you to select both dpi and layout on a per-app basis. Rather than being forced to modify the look of your entire device, you can optimize your applications to what works best for each and every one.

A new and important feature that has come to light in the recent beta builds, and now sees light in the official release of PA3 is the PIE control system. What this allows one to do is to disable onscreen buttons and use a swipe gesture to access various common functions, thereby freeing up valuable screen real estate. The menu can be seen in the header image above, as well as the video below.

Per-app color, another significant feature in PA3 and recent pre-release builds, allows you set system UI colors on a per-app basis. Want a black system bar for your launcher, but a blue one for Facebook? No problem. Have more eccentric choices in mind? That’s fine too.

The most recent addition is screen calibration for the Google Nexus 4. While the vast majority of third-party reviews have praised the device for its screen, build quality, responsiveness, and overall value; some have been quick to point out that the screen seems under-saturated, especially to those coming from  overly saturated S-AMOLED devices. Rather than trying to offer a simple band-aid solution with RGB calibration, PA3 also corrects for the device’s gamma issues to give it the punch the IPS panel deserves. While you’ll be hard-pressed to find  anyone who says that the Nexus 4 screen looks “bad,” the calibration has been met with much praise thus far, and the team only hopes that these changes are incorporated upstream.

Those eager to get started should visit the link below.


Samsung Galaxy Nexus
LG Nexus 4
Asus Nexus 7
Samsung Nexus 10



Source: XDA Developers

Android 4.2.2 Reportedly Rolling Out In “Next Couple Weeks”

Google will begin pushing Android 4.2.2 to the Nexus 4, the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 in the next “couple weeks,” International Business Times reported recently. The news outlet didn't have much to say about what’s included in the release other than there are several bug fixes related to Bluetooth streaming, and performance enhancements.

This won’t be as big of an update as Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, which will likely make its debut during the Google I/O developer conference in May, but it shows Google’s constantly tweaking its operating system releases to make them as efficient as possible. We’re curious at this point if existing Jelly Bean devices will ever see Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean of if owners will simply have to wait for Key Lime Pie if they ever get another update at all.

Source: International Business Times

AOSP Updated To Revision 1.2, Build JOP40G

The AOSP has been tagged as 4.2.1 r1.2, and the small change log lists a few interesting bug fixes. Version JOP40G will have some power management fixes as well as a tweak to the way an EXT4 partition handles file creation. These fixes are not device specific, so they will affect the Nexus 10, Nexus 7, and Nexus 4. We imagine the Galaxy Nexus will also see the benefits of this build.

In a nutshell some folks had issues where their device would shut off when removed from the charger, and these changes should address those. No word on when to expect an update, or if one is planned for this tag. There's plenty of bugs to squash in 4.2.1, and like we have seen with every other build of AOSP these things take a little time.

Source: AOSP