CyanogenMod is a free, community built, aftermarket firmware
distribution of Android 4.2.1 (JB), which is designed to increase
performance and reliability over stock Android for your device.
CyanogenMod is based on the Android Open Source Project with extra contributions from many people within the Android community. It can be used without any need to have any Google
application installed. Linked below is a package that has come from another Android project that restore the Google parts. CyanogenMod does
still include various hardware-specific code, which is also slowly being open-sourced anyway.
WORKING:
* RIL (Data/Phone/Sms/Mic)
* 3D Acceleration
* Bluetooth!
* WiFi
* Touchscreen
* Youtube LQ/HQ
* Lockscreen Widgets
* Browser
* Sound
* Project Butter
* BNL
* USB Tethering
* WiFi Tethering
* Full HW/SW Encoding/Decoding
* CM10(.1) Themes
* USB
* NetworkLocation
* Video Player
* Camcorder
* Panorama
* GPS
NOT WORKING:
* -
ISSUES:
* -
cm-10.1-RC0-cooper.zip
MD5: 8aaac6104d52f648f085d1fd741bf99a
source
Last year was a tough one for Sony. The once mighty tech giant took a
beating on several fronts and vowed to come back stronger with a new
line up of irresistible consumer electronics. Naturally that includes
high-end TVs and new cameras, but there is also a renewed focus on
mobile. The Ericsson name is long dropped, the Xperia brand has been
building, and at CES 2013 Sony made it clear that Android success is
very important by revealing the flagship Sony Xperia ZL.
The current phone to beat is the best-selling Samsung Galaxy S3, which
has proven to be a smash hit success for Samsung. If Sony wants to get
into the game then the Xperia ZL has to eclipse the Galaxy S3,
especially when everyone knows that the S4 might be just around the
corner. So how does it measure up? Let’s take a look.
Display
The Galaxy S3 helped spark the trend towards larger displays in
smartphones. Some detractors thought it was too big on release, but
consumer demand suggests otherwise. Sony has a taken a leaf out of
Samsung’s book by adopting a large display, but the Xperia ZL is
actually even bigger at 5 inches.
The S3 has a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED with a resolution of 720×1280 pixels
which gives it a pixel density of 306ppi. The Xperia ZL has a 5-inch
Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and a full HD resolution of
1920×1080 pixels which gives it a pixel density of 443 ppi.
Sony’s Xperia ZL has a gorgeous display and it definitely outshines the S3.
Design and feel
Sizing up these two smartphones we find that the Xperia ZL measures
131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm which makes it slightly thicker than the S3 at
136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, not bad considering the extra screen size on the
Xperia ZL. The weigh in reveals that the S3 is a much trimmer 133g,
while the Xperia ZL is 151g.
In terms of build quality the Xperia ZL definitely wins out. The
stylish glass back and standout aluminium power button may account for
the extra weight, but they also make the Xperia ZL look and feel like a
really premium product. It’s not Gorilla Glass either, but
Dragontrail, which is allegedly six times stronger. By comparison the
Galaxy S3 is nice and light, but it feels and looks plastic. It has a
much more rounded design, while the Xperia ZL looks quite blocky. The
S3 has that physical home button on the front, while the Xperia ZL has
on-screen buttons only.
As a high-end, expensive Android flagship, the Xperia ZL design edges this one.
User interface and platform
With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box and a promised upgrade to
4.2 in the works the Xperia ZL compares favorably with the Galaxy S3
which has Android 4 ICS out of the box (although most S3 owners have
had the 4.1 upgrade already). The real point of competition is the
manufacturer overlays. Samsung’s Touchwiz skin actually has a lot of
useful features, but not everything works brilliantly and there’s a
good chunk of bloatware. Sony has thankfully learned that people prefer
toned down overlays (if they have to have them at all) and so the Sony
UI looks mercifully minimal, it also performs better than previous
releases thanks to the updated processor. You’ll find similar levels of
Sony bloatware, though; both companies are trying to push their own
services.
Tough to call this one, it’s down to personal preference really.
Processor and RAM
There was a dual-core version of the S3 with 2GB of RAM in the states,
but most of them have a quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processor and 1GB
RAM. With a quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor and 2GB of RAM the Xperia
ZL should outperform them both, but we’ll need to wait for some
benchmarks to see solid results on that.
Realistically the Xperia ZL takes this one.
Storage
We have 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for both
devices. There is also a 32GB version of the Galaxy S3 and it supports
microSD cards up to 64GB in size, while the Xperia ZL only supports
32GB microSD cards.
This is a victory for the Galaxy S3.
Cameras
Sony has been working on better cameras in its smartphone range and the
Xperia ZL boasts a 13.1MP camera with LED flash and all the features
you could hope to find. That includes 1080p video recording at 30fps
and a 2.2MP front-facing camera. The S3 has an 8MP shooter with similar
features and 1080p video recording capability along with a 1.9MP
front-facing camera.
The Sony Xperia Z wins this one.
Battery
You’ll find a 2100mAh battery in the S3 compared to a 2330mAh battery
in the Xperia ZL. Samsung claims longer battery life for talk time and
standby. You also can’t remove the battery from the Xperia ZL so
there’s no carrying a spare around.
We need to see some real world results in a head-to-head test, but it looks like the S3 wins this one.
Value for money
The Xperia ZL is more expensive than the S3, it’s more in line with the
Galaxy Note 2 in terms of pricing and it should be available on a wide
variety of carriers. Obviously the S3 has been around for a while so
the price has come down and you can get deals on it. Tough to say what
represents better value for money. You’re certainly getting some extras
to justify the extra cost for the Xperia ZL, but bargain hunters will
not be disappointed with the S3 and it’s still far from obsolete.
Video review
…and the winner is
The Galaxy S3 was the phone of 2012, but this is 2013. The overall
winner has to be the Xperia ZL. The thing is – it won’t be long before
the Xperia ZL has some real competition in the shape of the Galaxy S4
and that’s going to be a whole new battle. For now, let Sony enjoy its
moment in the sun, the Xperia ZL is a stunning Android smartphone.
source
source
A new version
of Jellybean 4.1.2 Firmware for Samsung GALAXY
Note N7100 smartphone is now available and in the due sequence of this
article we will be checking out on how you can apply the same. Samsung
Galaxy Note 2 N7100 received N7100XXDMA5 Jelly Bean firmware update in
Thailand.
I. Before You Begin:
1. The following procedure works for Samsung Galaxy Note N7100 smartphones.
2. Make sure your device have at least 80% battery power.
3. You must have ClockworkMod Recovery installed on your device.
4. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled
II. Downloading Required Files:
1. Android 4.1.2 N7100XXDMA5 for Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100
2. Odin 3.07
III. Install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROM:
1. Extract Firmware zip file and you will get a .tar file and some other files.
2. Extract Odin zip file and you will get Odin3 v3.07.exe along with few other files.
3. Switch off your tablet
4. Now, put the Galaxy Note N7100 in Download Mode by pressing and holding the Volume Up key and Power button.
5. Then, a warning message appears, press the Volume Down key to continue.
6. Now run Odin3 v3.07.exe as an Administrator because Admin privileges is required to complete the process smoothly.
7. Now connect your Galaxy Note N7100 with your PC using USB cable.
8. Then a message will arrive under Odin’s message box in the bottom left saying “Added!!”
9. Select these files in Odin at respective tabs from extracted firmware folder:
- Click the PDA Button, and select the .tar file here with *code* appearing in its name
- Click the Phone Button, and select file with *modem* in its name (leave if there is no such file)
- Click the CSC Button, and select file with *csc* in its name (leave if there is no such file)
- Click the PIT Button, and select the .pit file. Use only if you got it while extracting in step 1 above, otherwise ignore it.
11. Double check everything that we mentioned in Step 9 & Step 10 above. Now, once satisfied hit the START button to begin the flashing process.
12. Once flashing completed, you will see a PASS message with green background in the left-most box at the very top of the Odin. The tablet will then automatically rebooted and soon you will see the Samsung logo. You can then unplug the USB cable to disconnect your device from computer.
source
●► Welcome to Project Silk for the Galaxy Ace.
This is a script / Mod package that enhances various features of the Galaxy Ace, such as RAM, GPS, Display and many more.
This is a script / Mod package that enhances various features of the Galaxy Ace, such as RAM, GPS, Display and many more.
Please don't use this script package with any other script, unless you are completely sure it would work. It could cause a bootloop. Always backup.
I tested and It does work with the following
● SlaidyBoost V2.3
● Adrenaline™ Task Manager
● Amarullz Script Thanks to aniket_dust For confirming.
● Modded services.jar
●► What's included in this package
● Seeder entropy generator to provide significant lag reduction. (Phone is about x3 Faster)
● v6 super charger script
● ThunderBolt script
● Adrenaline Engine
● Adrenaline Boost (Need to Activate in Terminal) Not working at the moment.
● VM Tweaks
● SD card tweak
● cache cleared at every boot
● Forced GPU rendering, and disabled CPU rendering (Improves system overall speed and graphics.)
● Zram script
● loopy smoothness tweak
● darky zipaling
● Battery tweaks ( Battery lasts about 2 Hours longer.)
● ext4 smart mounting ( Roms that use ext4 will run much smoother.)
● Reduced /dbdata, /data, /sdcard usage of *.db files and faster database access
● Increased touchscreen sensitivity ( Not too much, just enough to improve the touchscreen.)
● Internet speed tweaks (Better DNS Servers.)
● A lot of Build.Prob tweaks
● Disabled logger (Faster boot time, Not great for developers tough)
● I/O scheduler tweaks (Faster SD card.)
●► How to install
● Reboot to Recovery
● Mount /System and /Data (Won't work if you don't do this)
● Flash Script
● Reboot
◄●Download V1.0●►
●► Changelog
● V1.0 - Initial Release
● V1.0 - Initial Release
●► Working on
● Tested on CM7.
● Tested on Stock.
● Tested on CM7.
● Tested on Stock.
We first learned about the existence of Galaxy Pocket Plus back in December. We knew it will be a refreshed version of the original Pocket and will run on Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
Today we can shed some light on the specs too. According to the leaked info the Pocket Plus will get a hardware update too - the processor will be upgraded to 850 MHz and presumably a new architecture (from 832 MHz), the RAM jumps to 512 MB (from 384 MB) and the internal storage goes from 3 GB to 4 GB.
The rest of the specs are pretty much the same - a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, a 2MP snapper, quad-band GSM/dual-band 3G support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio and a microSD card slot.
The new Galaxy Pocket Plus will sell under the GT-S5301 model number and GT-S5301L for Latin America. It is expected to launch in the first half of this year, but there is still no official announcement or pricing details.
SOURCE
I’ll share
to you a custom ROM named Cyanogen Mod 10 for Samsung Galaxy Ace
GT-S5830 based on Cyanogen Mod 10 .
This ROM made by lagloose (JellaxyTeam) .
Don’t
use this ROM in other device, because this ROM only for Samsung
Galaxy Ace GT-S5830 , or your device will be bricked.
Do
With Your Own Risk.
Please read this post until done, before you do something to your phone.
___________________________________________________________________________
What's not working:
- Native USB Tethering
- Native WiFi Tethering
- Google Now
Download:
Instruction:
- Boot to CWM
- Factory Reset
- Go to 'mount and storage' and format /system
- Flash the ROM
- Reboot and wait 2 minutes
For changelog and more information CLICK ME
CyanMobile initial A Full Release
Download Link
">>>>>>>>> Download Here <<<<<<<<"
FLASH VIA CWM
Now For Every Update, you need to RUN LilGUpdater app, and you'll get info about NEW RELEASE
MUST WIPE DATA AND CACHE AFTER APPLY ALL UPDATE
How to Flash CyanMobile ROM :
- Download and copy the latest CyanMobile ROM to SD Card
- Reboot to Recovery Mode
- Select Wipe data and cache
- Select install zip from sd card
- Select choose zip from sd card
- Select the new Cyanmobile ROM
- Select Yes – Install update
- Wait till the Installation is finish
- Select Wipe data and cache
- Select Wipe cache partition
- Select reboot system now
Link Download Third update (includ first and second update)
source : xda-developers
hello im will discuss about MIUI Gingerbread 2.3.7 !!
This ROM based on Mebitek cm7 and thanks for mebitek
Screenshoot:
Thanks to:
- Cyanogenmod Team
- MIUI Team
- Team Mac
- MingYue for fixing battery icon
- Ajrty33
- mebitek
- Marinake
- etc...
Download:
Beta1: http://mir.cr/7QJWHX22
- To make themes is work, create "theme" folder at /data/system/
- if you apply the mdpi or etc lockscreen,, you can long press the back button and vol
up button to close the lockscreenChangelog:
- Fix Bluetooth
- Can install app like operamini, etc
- resize icon
- change clock
- ......
source : xda-developers
- Features:
- BASE latest ICS firmware XXLPQ
- Powered by latest CODEWORKX's kernel (CWM)
- Deodexed, Zipaligned, Rooted
- Themed
- Fully optimized
- Removed the unwanded samsung apps
- AOSP styled lockscreen
- CRT animations and custom ics transition animation
- 4 way screen and lockscreen rotation
- Custom autobirghtness level with more smooth transitions
- Sense like multitasking window
- 14 toggles
- Extended power menu along with 4 way reboot
- Build.prop tweaks
- Hard ware accleration (GPU rendered) and possible fix for the battery
- Fixed home button lag
- Fixed scrolling cache
- Disabled noise reduction and increasing ring
- Mms.apk no MMS auto-conversion -200 contacts per SMS
- Disabled camera sound and can now play music in camera app
- Added volume key as shutter (please use pinch to zoom)
- Camera audio hacked
- Statusbar brightness control enabled
- Added fastboot, faster GPS fix
- Increased bluetooth timeout
- Uses TOUCHWIX UX as default launcher
- More default TW wallpaers added
- Hacked youtube to play 720p hd Video
- Removed SWIPE TO UNLOCK TEXT (multilanguage)
- SIP enabled during phone
- 1% battery indicator
*screenshot:
************************************************** **********************
Download Link:
HERE
************************************************** **********************
INSTALLATIONS INSTRUCTIONS (read carefully)
Download the .rar file
Extract it there is a folder name Divine inside it
Connect your phone to the PC
Keep the folder (divine) in folder clockworkmod\backup\
Reboot into CWM
Wipe cache and dalvik
Go to backup/restore option
Select Divine
Do wipe cache, wipe dalvik-cache and fix permissions
Reboot
Please be aware that you are flashing at your own risk. I don't bear any responsibility for damage to your phone because of you using this rom.
Screenshots in another post
SOURCE
Imagine
a world where Samsung and LG made nearly identical devices. Weird,
right? Think of your Android world without manufacturer skins on the
device. What would life be like without HTC Sense? What if carriers
didn’t add bloatware? If everything was pure Android, would you still be
interested?
Let’s ponder a world where all Android devices were the same OS; no skins, no bloatware, no fun?
Customization is why Android is open source. Android not only accepts customization, it encourages it. If every phone looks and acts the same, why not just give up and get an iPhone? Manufacturer skins are important and add a layer of functionality to the device, and carrier apps exist to make your experience as best it can be.
If the argument that skins are somehow wrong is being made, then the argument for skins enhancing a device can also be made. Samsung is the most prolific Android manufacturer on earth, and they skin every one of their devices with TouchWiz (save for the Nexus devices). 100 million Galaxy devices have been sold, and all have Samsung’s take on Android. If a skin is so terrible, why do so many have devices with them?
Having the same look and feel to Android for all devices is important to success. Fragmentation is a huge problem, and skins only complicate the matter. If we get rid of the skins, we get rid of a lot of fragmentation. The ability to go into a store and decide on a device based on look and feel rather than the interface would be huge for Android. If customers knew they would be getting the Verizon network without all the Verizon bloatware, they would be over the moon about it.
While manufacturer skins are a kind of overlay, the Kindle Fire took customization to the next level. Amazon took an open source platform and made it proprietary. Nearly everything about a Kindle Fire points to you spending money with Amazon. You only have access to their store, and their list of products. You don’t even have Google Chrome!
The Fire gave us many great things, but not a crafty OS in which to hold on high as an example of how good customization can be is not one of them. Many people consider Amazon to have stolen something that was free, and that speaks to how offensive their OS is to Android fans. Let’s not confuse the matter by saying it’s a skin, or even an iteration. They created an entirely new OS from Android, and that was probably taking it too far.
Any skin, like Sense, has a few useful bells and whistles. As an example, when I went to use a calculator on my Galaxy Nexus for the first time, there wasn’t one. At first, I thought it silly to leave that out. People use calculators all the time! In objectivity, however, it made sense not to have Sense. I was now free to download any calculator I liked without having to negotiate my way around the stock calculator. What was once a handy set of on-board tools now seemed like wasted space.
Having the same device is also not a bad thing, necessarily. I have a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7. I have both set up the exact same, making it easier to switch between devices. If I want to read a story on Google Currents, I know where that app is on each device. I don’t have to pause and consider where it is each time I switch devices. Wake the screen, swipe right, open the folder, select the app. Each time, each device. For those of us who have multiple devices, especially multiple phones, a unified OS could be helpful.
Let’s take that one word, “device”, and define it a bit for this discussion. In talking about a mobile device, we’re talking about the actual nuts and bolts of a piece of hardware. We’re not concerned with who makes it, or when it came out. If we think about what we have now in a device (dual core, 16GB RAM, 380dpi, etc.), we know those specs exist in the interest of keeping up with us and how we navigate our day.
If we all had a stock Android experience, it may improve your device. If an HTC or Samsung didn’t have to focus energy, time, and money on developing how the OS was used, they could focus a bit more on other problems. Things like battery technology, processor speed, touch interface… those things can always improve. If those companies who utilize an overlay for Android no longer did, the wait for what’s next in terms of hardware could be much shorter.
We can damn manufacturers all we like for altering the way Android is presented on their devices, but innovation is undeniable. TouchWiz is important in that it does much more than change the device appearance and interface. Its got many features and functions that improve your productivity and enjoyment, and that’s what a skin should be about. The concern is that in doing so, Samsung is making TouchWiz a bit too proprietary, and that is something we’d rather not see.
Stock Android is what all those custom ROMs are based on, so in a way… a custom ROM is a skin, too. Many consider a ROM, which is usually open source with a ton of bright people working on it, better than a skin a few dudes locked away in some office at HTC came up with. The rooting community embraces and encourages everyone to pool their intellect and write for a ROM, so what you’re getting is a collective thought. Is that a better concept than being fed a skinned Android?
Another trump card rooting and flashing a ROM has is the ability to choose a theme. Not only can you have a ROM that may improve your device’s utility, but you can also choose (or even design) a theme. You choose the way your device looks and acts, and that is the true brilliance of rooting. A unified Android may encourage more people to take control of their devices.
We’d also be privy to manufacturers really pushing the envelope with hardware design and function, and that could be great. We may always have the same touchscreen interface, but we may also get phones that blow us away. A more dynamic device lets developers stretch their legs a bit, and a developer with nearly unlimited resources is a wonderful thing.
source
Let’s ponder a world where all Android devices were the same OS; no skins, no bloatware, no fun?
Bad angel
If Android loses its customization, where is the character? What distinguishes one phone from the next? When we say “pure Android”, it’s like saying “vanilla ice cream”. We need toppings! We need something that differentiates from one device from the next! Having one iteration of Android across the board is just silly. The founder of Android has even said we need more customization from device makers.Customization is why Android is open source. Android not only accepts customization, it encourages it. If every phone looks and acts the same, why not just give up and get an iPhone? Manufacturer skins are important and add a layer of functionality to the device, and carrier apps exist to make your experience as best it can be.
Personality
It’s worth mention that some people buy HTC because they love Sense. It could be said that HTC simply enhanced the Android experience with their take on it, so dismissing it really isn’t all that fair. If a manufacturer is putting all that hardware together, and has a better method for making it work, how is that wrong?If the argument that skins are somehow wrong is being made, then the argument for skins enhancing a device can also be made. Samsung is the most prolific Android manufacturer on earth, and they skin every one of their devices with TouchWiz (save for the Nexus devices). 100 million Galaxy devices have been sold, and all have Samsung’s take on Android. If a skin is so terrible, why do so many have devices with them?
Good Angel
Android is the personality. Each Android iteration gets us closer to a better experience, and putting a skin over it only takes away from what Android really is. The open source nature of Android is simply meant to lend itself to manufacturers making devices for the platform, and should be left at that.Having the same look and feel to Android for all devices is important to success. Fragmentation is a huge problem, and skins only complicate the matter. If we get rid of the skins, we get rid of a lot of fragmentation. The ability to go into a store and decide on a device based on look and feel rather than the interface would be huge for Android. If customers knew they would be getting the Verizon network without all the Verizon bloatware, they would be over the moon about it.
Fixing a problem
We touched on fragmentation a bit, and that deserves to be extrapolated a bit. The reason fragmentation is a problem is due in large part to support of devices by manufacturers and carriers. When a new iteration of Android comes out, manufacturers are left to retrofit it to their devices. On the same token, carriers feel the need to run it through their tests before supporting it. Just about any device that is released will have different hardware and specs, making the retrofitting process time consuming and difficult. It’s a bit like translating a book into 10 different languages, and doing it all at the same time. The task of supporting older devices is hard enough, and adding a skin or bloatware to the process makes it that much harder.Firestarter
Oh, that pesky Amazon Kindle Fire. It seems to encompass all we hate about things like skins and open source. While brilliant, the Kindle lineup fails miserably in some areas. A severely altered Android experience that hijacks the status quo. It’s seen as something otherworldly, even though it’s Android at the core.While manufacturer skins are a kind of overlay, the Kindle Fire took customization to the next level. Amazon took an open source platform and made it proprietary. Nearly everything about a Kindle Fire points to you spending money with Amazon. You only have access to their store, and their list of products. You don’t even have Google Chrome!
The Fire gave us many great things, but not a crafty OS in which to hold on high as an example of how good customization can be is not one of them. Many people consider Amazon to have stolen something that was free, and that speaks to how offensive their OS is to Android fans. Let’s not confuse the matter by saying it’s a skin, or even an iteration. They created an entirely new OS from Android, and that was probably taking it too far.
How would a unified Android affect you?
The answer to that depends in large part on what device you have and how it’s used. For many, a pure Android iteration experience is the best. Personally, I enjoy it much more than a skinned device. Prior to my first daily-use Galaxy Nexus, I used an HTC Evo with Sense. I enjoyed Sense quite a bit, and getting used to a seemingly stripped-down version of Android took a little getting used to. Once I navigated the changes, it was heaven for me.Any skin, like Sense, has a few useful bells and whistles. As an example, when I went to use a calculator on my Galaxy Nexus for the first time, there wasn’t one. At first, I thought it silly to leave that out. People use calculators all the time! In objectivity, however, it made sense not to have Sense. I was now free to download any calculator I liked without having to negotiate my way around the stock calculator. What was once a handy set of on-board tools now seemed like wasted space.
Would we all have the same device?
In a very interesting way, yes. We’d all have the same version of an OS, so each device would look the same at the core. That’s not to say Android doesn’t have its obvious personalizion options like wallpaper, widgets, etc. The array of personalization options on the Play Store are amazing, and it seems like each day brings a cool new app or widget for us to try out.Having the same device is also not a bad thing, necessarily. I have a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7. I have both set up the exact same, making it easier to switch between devices. If I want to read a story on Google Currents, I know where that app is on each device. I don’t have to pause and consider where it is each time I switch devices. Wake the screen, swipe right, open the folder, select the app. Each time, each device. For those of us who have multiple devices, especially multiple phones, a unified OS could be helpful.
Is a unified OS really better?
That’s a good question. While we can debate the merits of skinned versus stock Android all day long, that’s the end user experience as we see it now. What we can also consider is how those skins came to be, and why dropping them from devices would lead to better hardware.Let’s take that one word, “device”, and define it a bit for this discussion. In talking about a mobile device, we’re talking about the actual nuts and bolts of a piece of hardware. We’re not concerned with who makes it, or when it came out. If we think about what we have now in a device (dual core, 16GB RAM, 380dpi, etc.), we know those specs exist in the interest of keeping up with us and how we navigate our day.
If we all had a stock Android experience, it may improve your device. If an HTC or Samsung didn’t have to focus energy, time, and money on developing how the OS was used, they could focus a bit more on other problems. Things like battery technology, processor speed, touch interface… those things can always improve. If those companies who utilize an overlay for Android no longer did, the wait for what’s next in terms of hardware could be much shorter.
What are we losing by having a unified Android?
Samsung is doing some very interesting things lately with their devices, which also means their Android skin. Let’s take the very popular Galaxy Note 2 as an example. In that device, there is a function to basically split the screen and have two things open at once: right next to each other, on the same screen, you can work on two separate documents. Search the web and email at the same time… on a mobile device. That’s pretty revolutionary, and only available on the Note series. More to the point, only available on a Samsung device as a result of them modifying Android with TouchWiz.We can damn manufacturers all we like for altering the way Android is presented on their devices, but innovation is undeniable. TouchWiz is important in that it does much more than change the device appearance and interface. Its got many features and functions that improve your productivity and enjoyment, and that’s what a skin should be about. The concern is that in doing so, Samsung is making TouchWiz a bit too proprietary, and that is something we’d rather not see.
Root access
With a unified Android universe, we would still have ultimate control. We want personality, and that’s why we don’t have iPhones or iPads. We like all the little quirks that come along with Android. Rooting is one of those quirks that push Android ahead of any other OS, and is a great equalizer among devices.Stock Android is what all those custom ROMs are based on, so in a way… a custom ROM is a skin, too. Many consider a ROM, which is usually open source with a ton of bright people working on it, better than a skin a few dudes locked away in some office at HTC came up with. The rooting community embraces and encourages everyone to pool their intellect and write for a ROM, so what you’re getting is a collective thought. Is that a better concept than being fed a skinned Android?
Another trump card rooting and flashing a ROM has is the ability to choose a theme. Not only can you have a ROM that may improve your device’s utility, but you can also choose (or even design) a theme. You choose the way your device looks and acts, and that is the true brilliance of rooting. A unified Android may encourage more people to take control of their devices.
Conclusion
If we had a pure Android experience, with no manufacturer interference, it would change the landscape very little. Even if you liked the skin your phone has, and could never get it again, there would undoubtedly be a custom ROM mimicking it. You’d simply have to do a little work to get it onto your device. It would also be nice to be able to have some functions available on a device that didn’t have a company protecting it’s intellectual property. If these manufacturers would embrace the open source aspect of Android and let some of their functions go free, we could experience a truly collaborative OS.We’d also be privy to manufacturers really pushing the envelope with hardware design and function, and that could be great. We may always have the same touchscreen interface, but we may also get phones that blow us away. A more dynamic device lets developers stretch their legs a bit, and a developer with nearly unlimited resources is a wonderful thing.
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