Android 4.2 Is "A New Flavor Of Jelly Bean"

Google has retained the operating system's name in the latest Android release, calling 4.2 "A new flavour of Jelly Bean". Here's a look at the new features in this iteration:

Photo Sphere camera: We have been using the Panorama feature in some cameras for ages. Photo Sphere camera works the same way: It snaps pictures in every direction. Check out this video for a live demo of the feature:

Keyboard With Gesture Typing: If you've used the Swype app with your Android smartphone, you might be aware of what gesture typing is. Basically, you glide your fingers over the letters, and the software predicts the words. Predictive typing has been improved, and better text-to-speech capabilities have been added.

Multi-User Support (For Tablets Only): Taking a cue from the Xperia Tablet S, Google has provided multiple user accounts to sign in to tablets. This ensures that one tablet can be customised for several users. With this feature, each user gets a seperate homescreen, background, widgets, apps, and games. Further, there is no need to log out to get into another account; you can switch users, too.

Wireless Display: Users can share anything from the screen to an HDTV, but you will need a wireless display adapter. It's similar to the Air Play feature on Apple devices.

Daydream: Adds life to the idle screen of your Android device. The screen can now be lit up with your album photos, the latest news, etc.

Expandable, actionable notifications: Smartphones have had Notifications for ages, but this time, Google plans to add more functionality to notifications: Relevant actions can be selected directly from the notifications shade.

More details about these features are at this link. Did you get what you had expected in Android 4.2? Let us know in the comments below.

source:"techtree"

Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean finally lands on the HTC One X

There was a time in the smartphone competition when the HTC One X reigned supreme in the market because it was the only quad-core powered smartphone available to the smartphone-buying population. This was way before other quad-core powered monsters such as the Samsung Galaxy S III became available for public consumption. This is not surprising really because after all, the HTC One X holds the distinction of being the first smartphone in the world to be powered by a quad-core processor under the hood. This dates back to late last year when the handset was still known by its codename as the HTC Edge.

The Edge moniker however did not stick and the handset went through a couple of name searches first before it finally settled for HTC One X when it was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February. During the time the handset hit the shelves in May, the handset shipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for its operating system but when Google unveiled Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as the latest iteration of its Android operating system a couple of months ago, HTC was one one of the first OEMs to take center stage and share details about its Jelly Bean plans for the smartphones in its portfolio.

At that time, the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer confirmed that the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is sure to land on the HTC One X although there was no mention of a specific date as to when exactly this is supposed to happen. If you happen to rock an HTC One X for your mobile weapon of choice, you will surely be interested to know that the manufacturer has already started the rollout of Jelly Bean to the handset today.

This much was confirmed by Jack Tong, HTC General Manager for North Asia, in a press conference today. This new firmware update ought to give the HTC One X a taste of Android’s latest and greatest in addition to bringing it up to the latest version of HTC Sense UI. In addition to that, Mr. Tong also confirmed that the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update will also land on the HTC One S although he failed to mention a specific time frame as to when we can expect the update to land on the One S.

As for the HTC One X, the handset remains as one of the more capable devices available in the smartphone market today. It relies on its QualComm MSM8960 SnapDragon chipset to power its operations while a dual-core Krait processor clocked at 1.5 GHz works in conjunction with a full gigabyte of RAM in generating the computing muscle required by the handset for its flawless performance. Storage space on the handset is pegged at 16GB while its display is a 4.7-inch SuperIPS LCD 2 panel with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Its camera department is just as impressive with its main 8MP shooter at its back panel coupled with a 1.3MP video call and self-portrait camera out front.

Verizon Galaxy S III tech specs review for one of the hottest devices on the Network

To say that the Galaxy line of handsets has been successful for Samsung would be a vast understatement. The Galaxy S III for Verizon has helped that handset globally sell more than 20 million units its first 100 days of availability, breaking a Samsung sales record. The handset even temporarily outsold the iPhone 4S for a short period of time, the first time that has happened in the United States while both phones were available at the same carriers. What is making the Verizon Galaxy S III so popular is the combination of a large high-resolution screen, powerful dual core processor, Near Field Communications (NFC) support out-of-the-box and Android’s 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) operating system.

The Samsung Galaxy S III on the Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile Network is now on sale starting at $99.99.

The handset also offers the ability to simultaneously record high definition video and images with its rear mounted 8.0 megapixel camcorder. Also, the Verizon Galaxy S III running on the 4G LTE system in the United States which is larger than all other 4G LTE systems in that country combined, offers anywhere from 12.0 to 15.0 hours of run time from a single battery charge, more than 50% better than the average 4G LTE handset. Arriving on July 12 in the US on that Verizon 4G LTE network, the Verizon Galaxy S III offers a handy wireless data transfer application called Android S Beam. After selecting some data, application or other content, lightly tapping the phone with another Galaxy S III immediately transfers the selected content.

The handset measures 5.39 x 2.80 x 0.34 inches (137 x 71 x 8.6 mm) and weighs 4.70 ounces (133 g), making it thin and light. And the 4.80 inch Super AMOLED display is one of the largest found on any smartphone. The high-end resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels is delivered at 316 pixels per inch, again at the high end of the smartphone marketplace. A second generation layer of protective Corning Gorilla Glass overlays the display, and visuals are rendered in more than 16 million colors.

Powering the handset and at the core of the hardware package is a powerful 1.5 GHz dual core central processor, and a separate Adreno 225 chip exclusively handles all graphics processing. As one of the first smartphones in the world to deliver 2.0 GB of RAM system memory, the handset also delivers the most out-of-the-box, built-in data storage at 32 GB. Video capture is provided at 1,080P HD resolution by the rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder mentioned above, and a 1.9 megapixel chat cam is up front facing the user, with popular applications Picasa, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pre-installed.
source: TechBloom

How to develop your first android app ?

Building Your First App

This class teaches you how to build your first Android app. You’ll learn how to create an Android project and run a debuggable version of the app. You'll also learn some fundamentals of Android app design, including how to build a simple user interface and handle user input.

Before you start this class, be sure you have your development environment set up. You need to:

1. Download the Android SDK.
2. Install the ADT plugin for Eclipse (if you’ll use the Eclipse IDE).
3. Download the latest SDK tools and platforms using the SDK Manager.

If you haven't already done these tasks, start by downloading the Android SDK and following the install steps. Once you've finished the setup, you're ready to begin this class.

This class uses a tutorial format that incrementally builds a small Android app that teaches you some fundamental concepts about Android development, so it's important that you follow each step.

Creating an Android Project

An Android project contains all the files that comprise the source code for your Android app. The Android SDK tools make it easy to start a new Android project with a set of default project directories and files.

This lesson shows how to create a new project either using Eclipse (with the ADT plugin) or using the SDK tools from a command line.

Note: You should already have the Android SDK installed, and if you're using Eclipse, you should also have the ADT plugininstalled (version 20.0.0 or higher). If you don't have these, follow the guide to Installing the Android SDK before you start this lesson.

Create a Project with Eclipse

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1. In Eclipse, click New Android App Project  in the toolbar. (If you don’t see this button, then you have not installed the ADT plugin—see Installing the Eclipse Plugin.)


Figure 1. The New Android App Project wizard in Eclipse.
2. Fill in the form that appears:
   • Application Name is the app name that appears to users. For this project, use "My First App."
   • Project Name is the name of your project directory and the name visible in Eclipse.
   • Package Name is the package namespace for your app (following the same rules as packages in the Java programming language). Your package name must be unique across all packages installed on the Android system. For this reason, it's generally best if you use a name that begins with the reverse domain name of your organization or publisher entity. For this project, you can use something like "com.example.myfirstapp." However, you cannot publish your app on Google Play using the "com.example" namespace.
   • Build SDK is the platform version against which you will compile your app. By default, this is set to the latest version of Android available in your SDK. (It should be Android 4.1 or greater; if you don't have such a version available, you must install one using the SDK Manager). You can still build your app to support older versions, but setting the build target to the latest version allows you to enable new features and optimize your app for a great user experience on the latest devices.
   • Minimum Required SDK is the lowest version of Android that your app supports. To support as many devices as possible, you should set this to the lowest version available that allows your app to provide its core feature set. If any feature of your app is possible only on newer versions of Android and it's not critical to the app's core feature set, you can enable the feature only when running on the versions that support it.
     Leave this set to the default value for this project.
   Click Next.
3. The following screen provides tools to help you create a launcher icon for your app.
   You can customize an icon in several ways and the tool generates an icon for all screen densities. Before you publish your app, you should be sure your icon meets the specifications defined in the Iconography design guide.
   Click Next.
4. Now you can select an activity template from which to begin building your app.
   For this project, select BlankActivity and click Next.
5. Leave all the details for the activity in their default state and click Finish.

Your Android project is now set up with some default files and you’re ready to begin building the app.

Running Your App

If you followed the previous lesson to create an Android project, it includes a default set of "Hello World" source files that allow you to immediately run the app.

How you run your app depends on two things: whether you have a real Android-powered device and whether you’re using Eclipse. This lesson shows you how to install and run your app on a real device and on the Android emulator, and in both cases with either Eclipse or the command line tools.

Before you run your app, you should be aware of a few directories and files in the Android project:

AndroidManifest.xml

The manifest file describes the fundamental characteristics of the app and defines each of its components. You'll learn about various declarations in this file as you read more training classes.

src/

Directory for your app's main source files. By default, it includes an Activity class that runs when your app is launched using the app icon.

res/

Contains several sub-directories for app resources. Here are just a few:

drawable-hdpi/

Directory for drawable objects (such as bitmaps) that are designed for high-density (hdpi) screens. Other drawable directories contain assets designed for other screen densities.

layout/

Directory for files that define your app's user interface.

values/

Directory for other various XML files that contain a collection of resources, such as string and color definitions.

When you build and run the default Android app, the default Activity class starts and loads a layout file that says "Hello World." The result is nothing exciting, but it's important that you understand how to run your app before you start developing.

Run on a Real Device

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If you have a real Android-powered device, here's how you can install and run your app:

1. Plug in your device to your development machine with a USB cable. If you’re developing on Windows, you might need to install the appropriate USB driver for your device. For help installing drivers, see the OEM USB Drivers document.
2. Ensure that USB debugging is enabled in the device Settings (open Settings and navitage to Applications > Development on most devices, or click Developer options on Android 4.0 and higher).

To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project's files and click Run  from the toolbar. Eclipse installs the app on your connected device and starts it.

Or to run your app from a command line:

1. Change directories to the root of your Android project and execute:

   ant debug

2. Make sure the Android SDK platform-tools/ directory is included in your PATH environment variable, then execute:

   adb install bin/MyFirstApp-debug.apk

3. On your device, locate MyFirstActivity and open it.

That's how you build and run your Android app on a device! To start developing, continue to the next lesson.

Run on the Emulator

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Whether you’re using Eclipse or the command line, to run your app on the emulator you need to first create anAndroid Virtual Device (AVD). An AVD is a device configuration for the Android emulator that allows you to model different devices.

Figure 1. The AVD Manager showing a few virtual devices.

To create an AVD:

1. Launch the Android Virtual Device Manager:
   1. In Eclipse, click Android Virtual Device Manager from the toolbar.
   2. From the command line, change directories to<sdk>/tools/ and execute:

      android avd

2. In the Android Virtual Device Manager panel, click New.
3. Fill in the details for the AVD. Give it a name, a platform target, an SD card size, and a skin (HVGA is default).
4. Click Create AVD.
5. Select the new AVD from the Android Virtual Device Manager and click Start.
6. After the emulator boots up, unlock the emulator screen.

To run the app from Eclipse, open one of your project's files and click Run  from the toolbar. Eclipse installs the app on your AVD and starts it.

Or to run your app from the command line:

1. Change directories to the root of your Android project and execute:

   ant debug

2. Make sure the Android SDK platform-tools/ directory is included in your PATH environment variable, then execute:

   adb install bin/MyFirstApp-debug.apk

3. On the emulator, locate MyFirstActivity and open it.

That's how you build and run your Android app on the emulator!

Source: http://developer.android.com/training/basics/firstapp/index.html

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANDROID 2.3 (GINGERBREAD) AND ANDROID 4.0 (ICE CREAM SANDWICH) ?

• Android 3.0 was released in between Android 2.3 and Android 4.0
• Android 4.0 was officially released in October 2011, and it’s code named “Ice cream sandwich” while Android 2.3 was officially released in December 2011, and was code named “Gingerbread”
• Android 4.0 is the first Android version optimized for both tablets and smart phones while Android 2.3 is more suitable for smart phones (and Android 3.x is more suitable for tablets)
• Android 2.3 is the more stable and old version
• The user interface of both Android 2.3 and Android 4.0 has been improved and enhanced than their predecessors
• Android 4.0 is more refined and stylish than Android 2.3
• The navigation buttons such as back, home are available as soft keys on Android 4.0 where as Android 2.3 doesn’t have soft keys for similar navigation. In devices with Android 2.3, hardware keys are available for “back”, “home” and “settings” (and in some phones “search”)
• Both, Android 2.3 and Android 4.0 have widgets that allow users to view information without opening the application
• Switching between applications is more convenient in Android 4.0
• Only Android 4.0 has the ability to dismiss individual notifications. This feature is not available in Android 2.3 (the user can only clear all notifications).
• Voice input and voice activated commands are available in both Android 2.3 and Android 4.0
• The new voice input engine on Android 4.0 gives an ‘open microphone’ experience and allows users to give voice commands any time, while a similar capability is not available with Android 2.3
• On Android 4.0, users can do many actions (On Android 4.0 users can do many actions while the screen is locked) while the screen is locked, Android 2.3 only allows to answer a phone call while the screen is locked
• ‘Face Unlock’ feature, allowing users to unlock the home screen by face recognition is only available in Android 4.0
• Android 4.0 image capturing is enhanced with continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure and decreased shot-to-shot speed
• Between Android 2.3 and Android 4.0, an image editing software is only available in Android 4.0
• Both Android 2.3 and Android 4.0 supports Near Field communication if the device has the capability
• Android “Beem” is only available in Android 4.0
• Android 2.3 has many applications in the Android market than for the newly released Android 4.0 (but they are compatible)
• In terms of the market share also Android 2.3 beats Android 4.0 easily with more devices in the market with Android 2.3 installed

Source: WAVEBOY2U

How to Root Samsung Galaxy Y ?

How to Root Samsung Galaxy Y (GT-S5360) Step by Step Tutorial

Step 1. Download the zip files to your SD Card (not in any folder). Step 2. Switch off your phone. Step 3. Boot into recovery mode(Press Vol Up + Power Key + Home button together at the same time to boot in recovery mode). Step 4. Touch screen is disabled in recovery. Use Volume keys(UP/DOWN) for scrolling and home button to select the highlighted option. Step 5. Select Apply update for sdcard Step 6. Select update.zip (which you have downloaded). Step 7. Wait for it to show complete and then select reboot system. Step 8. Your device will be successfully rooted. Step 9. After booting, go to play store and update superuser app Step 10. Thats it, your device is now rooted with the latest binaries

Download Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?p0pj30e4tfad6u7

Android custom ROMs: What are they ?

With the constant rush to trumpet the latest phones it’s easy to think of old phones as obsolete. Most carriers encourage this with a spotty record on upgrading their existing phones to the latest and greatest software. Worse yet, some perfectly good phones are burdened with extra software and limitations, imposed by the carrier from the first day they ship.

Fortunately there is often a great solution to both of these problems: Installing custom ROMs (Read-Only Memories) on your phone. ROMs are the low level programming (also often called firmware) that contain the operating system and basic applications to make your phone work. For the iPhone and iPad those ROMs come from Apple and can typically only be updated when Apple issues updates. But for Android devices there are literally hundreds of developers working on custom ROMs for most common models of phones and tablets, which they are happy to share with the community. The big question for most users is whether it is worth the hassle of installing a custom ROM, and if so, what is the best way to do it safely.

The first thing to know is that messing with your phone’s firmware can be risky. You can potentially “brick” your phone so that it won’t be usable without some major low-level hacking. So, at least until you are comfortable with installing ROMs, it’s best to use an older phone or tablet to work with — proceed at your own risk.

The benefits of a custom ROM

The most basic benefit of custom ROMs is getting rid of “bloatware” — the trial or otherwise unwanted software carriers often include in the ROM to get you to buy more stuff, that you may not need, and that takes up precious room on your device. When ROM “cooks” (ROM terminology often uses a kitchen metaphor, with cooking being a common name for the process of building a custom ROM) create a ROM, the first thing they leave out is the space-consuming trial software. They may also leave out many of the included utilities, letting their users add them back only if they need them. Often they also strip out vendor- or carrier-specific versions of the launcher, replacing them with Google’s original versions or a version they prefer.

Beyond simple fixes, custom ROMs can also open a whole world of new possibilities for your device. In many cases newer versions of Android are available for your device as custom ROMs, beyond what your carrier has released or is planning to release. The Viewsonic gTablet is a great example of that, with several different custom Honeycomb (Android 3.0) ROMs available for it, even though there is almost no chance Viewsonic will ever bother to try to port Honeycomb to it.

Custom ROMs can also include other cool features, like overclocking, themes, private browsing support, and so on. The gTablet’s Nvidia Tegra chipset, clocked at 1GHz “by the book,” can be overclocked to 1.6GHz with the right combination of ROMs and a custom kernel, with corresponding performance improvements. In some cases custom ROMs can even completely re-invent existing devices. There is already an alpha version of an Android ROM out for the HP Touchpad, a webOS device, for example.

What is Root, and Why Root?

What is Root, and Why Root?


The good thing about having root is you can go back if you want. The same is not true of not having root. We do not know what steps Google/Tmobile will take to rid the end users of root in the future. For all we know the next OTA will remove the keys that allows the RC29 downgrade method to work and you could be stuck on a non rooted G1 forever. If you have root and for some reason it does not work for you there is always the option of going back.
What Does Root Give Me?

1.Full control over your system
2.Ability to alter system files. You can replace many parts of the "Android Core" with this including:
-Themes
-Core apps (maps, calendar, clock etc)
-Recovery image
-Bootloader
-Toolbox (linux binary that lets you execute simple linux commands like "ls") can be replaced with Busybox (slightly better option)
-Boot images
-Add linux binaries 
3.Run special apps that need more control over the system
-SuperUser (lets you approve or deny the use of root access to any program)
-Task Manager For Root (Lets you kill apps that you otherwise could not kill)
-Tether apps (like the one found at [android-wifi-tether.googlecode.com])
4.Backup your system
-You can make a folder on your sdcard and backup all of your .apk files to your sdcard (helps if an author decides to "upgrade" you to a version that requires you to pay to use the version you just had) 
5.Relocate your (browser/maps/market) cache to your /sdcard
6.Relocate your installed applications to your /sdcard
7.Reboot your phone from the terminal app easily (su <enter> reboot <enter>) 
What Do I Lose Having Root

-The ability to accept OTA updates (well, you can but you would lose root, so its been made so they get denied)
-The sense that someone else controls your phone
-The need to sit in an Android chat channel asking how to get root
-The need for a stupid useless "File Manager" that lets you see filenames but almost nothing else.
-The ability to have a knowledgeable conversation with a T-Mobile rep about your phone. (Ask one of them to spell root for you)
Source : Root

Tutorial: How To Root HTC Explorer...

Root HTC Explorer

1. Install HTC Sync on your PC

you can download it from: www.htc.com/www/help/htc-explorer/#download
(needed so computer recognises commands)


2. Unlock your phone's bootloader

- Following the steps in www.htcdev.com/bootloader

Note: HTC Explorer isn´t listed as a working device yet but it has been tested and works perfectly. Choose "all other supported models" when selecting device.


3. Add a recovery 

That will allow you to install .zip ROMs. You can access to it in the menu android phones have when booting the phone after removing-inserting the battery and pressing "volume down" and "power" buttons simultaneously. (Other phones have different button combinations).

- Download A310E Recovery.zip
- extract it in any window on your PC (ie: C:\HTC)
- run the recovery.bat with phone in fastboot mode (first option in the "3 android menu" ) and connected with usb.

Note: I edited the recovery.bat and removed any unnecessary commands so no errors occur

Done! You got the recovery installed if no errors, you can now install any compatible .zip ROM or app.


4. ROOT the device

- Place this Superuser.zip file somewhere in the microSD first.
- Go into Recovery mode ("volume down" + "power")
- install Superuser.zip with the option "install .zip from sd" from the recovery menu.

ROOTED !!
once rooted my advice is to install "link2sd". Excellent application after making a fat32 partition of your SD with programs like MiniTool partition wizard