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!

LG Officially Announces The White Nexus 4

LG has officially announced the device is launching May 29 in Hong Kong, making its way around the rest of the world in the weeks to follow.

Spec-for-spec, the white Nexus 4 is identical to the original black model. It still comes with a Snapdragon S4 Pro, 4.7-inch 1280 by 768 True HD IPS Plus display, 2GB of RAM, and of course, stock Android. The only way the two models are different is how they will initially be sold. The black Nexus 4 was released first in the US through Google Play, while the white Nexus 4 will be released first in Hong Kong, and then “will roll out globally in select markets in Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East over the next several weeks.”

Google And LG Reportedly Prepping 32GB CDMA Nexus 4 With LTE For I/O

When Google takes the stage during its I/O conference next month, we’re expecting great things: Key Lime Pie, unified messaging, a Nexus 7 follow up and more. But what we won’t get, according to SidhTech, citing unnamed sources, is a Nexus 5, or even an X Phone. Apparently the search giant is planning on introducing a Nexus 4 with more storage and LTE support that’s it in the phone department.

SidhTech’s report claims Google will reveal a 32GB Nexus 4 that will support LTE and CDMA bands for wider availability across the biggest carriers in the U.S. The two biggest gripes you could throw at the Nexus 4 was its storage and lack of LTE, but it appears Google wants to address both issues. But will that be enough to please those in search of a more up-to-date vanilla Android experience?

The Nexus 4 is still one of the best Android options out there, even if it doesn't sport the latest specs. The device certainly wouldn't be a bad candidate to run Key Lime Pie first, and it’ll certainly garner more interest once LTE and higher storage options are available.

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

Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview Will Be Available On Feb 21st

Canonical has announced that the Developer Preview for Ubuntu Touch will be available on Thursday, February 21st, with compatibility for something with a lot more power, namely, the Nexus 4.

For those of us attending Mobile World Congress in just a little over a week, Canonical has assembled teams ready and willing to flash their Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview onto compatible devices. Now that’s what I call service. Of course tools will be made available that will allow regular users like yourself flash the OS onto your device and if you’re already accustomed to flashing custom ROMs, should prove relatively easy.

First official smartphone models to launch with the Ubuntu OS pre-loaded are scheduled to arrive sometime in October of this year. Anyone somewhat interested in Ubuntu’s mobile OS, or do you think it will be dead in the water? Full press release below.

Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu to be published on 21 February 2013

• Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu for Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 will be available
• Daily update mechanism to follow progress in Ubuntu
• Canonical will flash phones at MWC for industry, developers and enthusiasts
• Preview SDK and App Design Guides already available for developers building touch apps for Ubuntu
• London, 15th February 2013: Images and open source code for the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu will be published on Thursday 21st February, supporting the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 smartphones.

They are intended for enthusiasts and developers, to familiarize themselves with Ubuntu’€™s smartphone experience and develop applications on spare handsets. Tools that manage the flashing of the phone will be available on the same day in the Ubuntu archives, making it easy to keep a device up to date with the latest version of the Touch Developer Preview.

Attendees of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, 25th – 28th February can have their phones flashed to Ubuntu by Canonical team members at the Ubuntu stand, booth number 81D30, App Planet Hall 8.1, where Ubuntu will be shown on a range of devices.

The code release is a milestone in the development program for Ubuntu’€™s phone experience, and enables developers to port the platform to other devices. “€œOur platform supports a wide range of screen sizes and resolutions. Developers who have experience bringing up phone environments will find it relatively easy to port Ubuntu to current handsets”€ said Pat McGowan, who leads the integration effort that produced the images being released. €”We look forward to adding support for additional devices for everyday testing and experimentation.”

The install process and supported device list are maintained at wiki.ubuntu.com/TouchInstallProcessand will be updated as new devices are added.

The release also marks the start of a new era for Ubuntu, with true convergence between devices. When complete, the same Ubuntu code will deliver a mobile, tablet, desktop or TV experiences depending on the device it is installed on, or where it is docked. Ubuntu 13.10 (due in October) will include a complete entry-level smartphone experience.

Canonical has published a Preview SDK and App Design Guides to allow developers to create applications for the full range of Ubuntu platforms. The toolkit provides a range of documented templates to enable native applications to be created quickly and easily. The App Design Guides explain how these templates can be used to design and build beautiful and usable apps. Blackberry Touch developers will be familiar with the Qt/QML environment, which supports rich native touch apps. Developers will not need to cross-compile or package applications differently for phone, tablet, PC and TV. One platform serves all four, a single application binary can do the same.

On Ubuntu, native and web or HTML5 applications sit as equal citizens and so those developers already developing HTML5 applications will easily gain support for Ubuntu.

“This release marks the threshold of wider engagement both with industry and community.” says Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu. “€œFor developers, contributors and partners, there is now a coherent experience that warrants attention. The cleanest, most stylish mobile interface around.”


Availability: 
Go to wiki.ubuntu.com/TouchInstallProcess to download Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu from Thursday 21st February.
Go to developer.ubuntu.com to download the SDK to develop applications for Ubuntu.
Go to http://design.ubuntu.com/apps to read the Apps Design Guide giving advice about designing and building beautiful and usable apps for Ubuntu on the phone.
Visit Canonical at Mobile World Congress: Booth Number: 81D30, App Planet Hall 8.1.



Source: Canonical

Google Posts Factory Android 4.2.2 Images For Nexus Devices

With the Android 4.2.2 update finally rolling out for most Nexus devices (minus Sprint / VZW Galaxy Nexus), Google has posted factory images of each on the Nexus Factory Image page. These images are useful for flashing your Nexus device back to stock, whether to get an OTA update, or fix that brick you just caused.

These images are for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi and 3G), Nexus 10, and Galaxy Nexus (Yakju / Takju variants). If you want to see what's new in Android 4.2.2, check out our post detailing some of the changes. For a deeper dive, take a look at the developer changelog.


Source: Google Developers

Nexus 4 Wireless Charging Orb Now Available

We’ve been waiting for the wireless charging orb for the Nexus 4 to hit the Google Play Store, today is your lucky day. Google has finally listed the accessory in the Google Play Store, and you can walk away with it for just $60. With it, you’ll be able to prop your Nexus 4 up in horizontal or vertical orientation and have your device charge just as effectively as it would via USB.

There’s not much else to the thing aside from its ability to charge your phone and make it look good at the same time, but the convenience of being able to plop your phone down without having to fiddle around with flimsy USB connections is a treat.

Source: Google Play Store

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

LG Denies Nexus 4 Supply Issues

Buying a Nexus 4 from the Google Play store has been nearly impossible since the device first launched in early November. A while back, Google described the supply of Nexus 4 handsets from LG as “scarce and erratic,” but an LG company official spoke with South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, to set the record straight.

The LG official claims the “Nexus 4 has been produced without a hitch” and that “there is no problem in supply.” This leads us to believe that Google simply underestimated demand for the Nexus 4. The LG official also commented on the recent rumors that LG has halted Nexus 4 production to “focus on the development of its future offerings” saying that they were completely “unfounded.”

For now, it’s impossible to know if or when Google and LG will resolve the supply issues which have plagued the Nexus 4. If you’re still hoping to get your hands on the Nexus 4, your best bet will most likely be your local T-Mobile store.