Android Bahrain

How To Root Google Nexus 10 & Install ClockworkMod Touch Recovery

2012-11-17T19:06:00.000+03:00

Google Nexus 10 rooted! Google seems to be churning up some very effective and potent Android devices this year, the likes of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, both of which have already gained root access. The Nexus 10 was not going to fall behind and why should it, it’s Google’s most prized tablet to date with a screen resolution and ppi density that out-specs Apples 4th generation iPad. If you are one of the lucky few who have ordered the Nexus 10 or already have got your hands on one, you can thank XDA-Developers forum member ‘Kidgoo’ for testing and coming up with the root method, and recognized developer, ‘Chainfire’ for the SuperSU zip and binaries.

The rooting method, while not that lengthy a procedure, is not exactly the most convenient either. You will be required to use command prompt or terminal, so in case that is not your cup of tea, wait around for a simpler, automated procedure. For now, this method can be performed on Windows, Linux and Mac.

Before we begin with the method, please note that the official ClockworkMod recovery for the Nexus 10 has been causing the device to reboot in roughly 20 seconds when in recovery mode. Thanks to the efforts of XDA-Developers senior member ‘damien667’, there is now a fixed recovery image available for the Nexus 10 that has eliminated the reboot bug. For now at least, we will recommend you use the modded recovery and not the official one, till the latter is fixed. What’s ClockworkMod Recovery, you ask? View our comprehensive guide on what is ClockworkMod recovery and how to use it.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. AddictiveTips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

Nexus 10 with an unlocked bootloader. Refer to our Android bootloader unlock guide for instructions on unlocking the bootloader.
ADB with fastboot installed on your system. You should see our guide on what is ADB how to install it.
Android Debugging enabled in Settings > Developer Options. Not sure how to? See our quick tip onhow to unhide Developer Options in Android 4.2.
CWM Touch Recovery 6 (modded).
CWM flashable SuperSU binary package.

Instructions

The guide will take you through flashing CWM Touch Recovery on the device, allowing you to flash the SuperSu binary package. Additionally, instructions to restoring to a pre-root condition will also follow.

To begin, download the CWM Touch recovery and copy the file to the ‘platform-tools’ folder where fastboot.exe is. For your ease and convenience, rename CWM Touch recovery to ‘recovery’.
Download SuperSU binary package, and copy it to the root of the Nexus 10 storage.
Time to flash the recovery.In Windows, open command prompt, switch to the path where ‘recovery.img’ is and enter the following command:
```
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
```
For Mac, navigate to the file’s location in the terminal and enter the following command:
```
./fastboot-mac flash recovery recovery.img
```
For Linux, navigate to the file’s location in the terminal and enter the following command:
```
./fastboot-linux flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.1.6-manta.img
```
Boot the Nexus 10 into bootloader mode, and once there, use the volume keys to navigate to ‘recovery’ and hit the power button to select it.
If you booted into the recovery just fine, now would be a good time to make a Nandroid backup from ‘backup and restore’ so you have a safe point to return to.
Navigate to ‘install zip from sdcard’ > ‘choose zip from sdcard’ and select the SuperSU zip file.
Once the package has been installed, simply reboot the device.

Now, when the phone reboots, check your app drawer for SuperSU. If you find it, you’re device has been successfully rooted.

Restore To Pre-Root Condition From Backup

If you want to go back to how it was before you rooted the device, or are stuck in that infamous bootloop and are unable to boot into CWM Touch Recovery (like in Step 4 above), there’s no need to panic. You can still restore the backup you made in step 5 of the above method.

Boot into fastboot mode.
Boot into the CWM Touch recovery you copied to the platform-tools folder using the following terminal command:
```
fastboot boot recovery.img
```
Navigate to ‘backup and restore’ and restore the backup you made earlier.

That is it; once the backup is restored, simply reboot your device and cross you fingers. Things should go back to just the way they were.

For updates and queries related to this root guide head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

@Faadi

iFixit tears down Nexus 4 - Rates it 7/10 same as iPhone 5

2012-11-17T18:32:00.001+03:00

These devices all look very smooth and nice on the outside -- the Nexus 4 is no exception -- but what makes them tick on the inside? Popular teardown and repair website iFixit has taken apart its fair share of devices, and now the Nexus 4 is on the table (figuratively and literally) as the next one to be torn down.

The teardown is finished and now have a completely comprehensive walkthrough of the internals of this device. In typical fashion you can get a really good look at every component, including that non-removable battery and diagrams of chips on the board. And its all captured in stunningly nice photography.

They give the Nexus 4 a 7 out of 10 for a "repair-ability" score, which is pretty good. For comparison, the Galaxy Nexus was a 6, and the iPhone 5 is a 7 as well. The Nexus 4 picks up points for being easy to open and access components with minimal screws and prying. It loses points for a battery that's very well sealed to the frame and screen glass that's fused to both the display and display frame, making it more expensive to replace.

Let's face it, most of us will never do this to our devices, but its still cool to look at. Take a gander at the source link below.

Nexus 4 Teardown

@Faadi

New version of Google Play app pushing, with new install screen and ability to delete wishlist items

2012-11-17T18:15:00.002+03:00

Version 3.10.9 of the Google Play app is pushing out to phones tonight, but there aren't any major changes. In fact, a cursory glance shows it as basically the same as the 4.2 Google apps version except that now you can delete items in your Wishist and you get a new screen when apps are installing. More than likely there are more behind-the-scenes changes as well.

The apk is floating around in the usual spots and will install right over your existing Play Store app. Or you can just wait it out and you should see it "soon". Hit the break to see what it all looks like.

Source:

@Faadi

Buy a Nintendo 3DS, Get a $10 Target Gift Card

How to Root Nexus 4 - Step by Step Guide

2012-11-17T01:48:00.000+03:00

To my knowledge, this is the first and currently (but not for long), the only confirmed working rooting method for Nexus 4 posted here at XDA. Though my knowledge is limited, so please correct me if I am wrong.

ADB and Insecure Boot Image Method:

Grab the insecure boot image by Harry GT-S5830 from this thread.
Also download these root files. This package includes the latest SuperSU 0.98 (all credits to Chainfire), latest su binary that comes with it, and working busybox (not sure if latest).
Extract the contents of the downloaded zip file to your computer.
Enable Android Debugging from Settings > Developer Options. (If you can't find developer options, go to 'About' and tap 'Build number' seven times.)
Connect the device to your computer via USB, and install the required drivers (Thanks Stryder5).
Reboot into fastboot/bootloader:
Code:
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
You can also power off the phone and then use power + volume-down key combination to get into bootloader.
Unlock the bootloader if you haven't done so already. WARNING: This command will wipe all data on your device.
Code:
```
fastboot oem unlock
```
Get back into bootloader mode and boot into the downloaded insecure boot image:
Code:
```
fastboot boot boot.img
```
Don't worry, this will not replace your existing boot image and will only boot from the insecure one once.
If it does NOT work for you and you get stuck in a boot loop, simply reboot your phone into bootloader and use the above command again. Some users had issues with booting from it the first time, but a second attempt worked.

Once booted into Android successfully using the insecure boot image, simply enter these commands one by one in command prompt (making sure you are in the directory where you downloaded the files):

Code:

adb shell mount -o remount,rw /system
adb push su /system/bin/
adb push Superuser.apk /system/app/
adb push busybox /system/xbin/
adb shell
chmod 06755 /system/bin/su
chmod 0644 /system/app/Superuser.apk
chmod 04755 /system/xbin/busybox
cd /system/xbin
busybox --install /system/xbin/
exit
exit

Reboot your device.

ClockworkMod Recovery Method:

Download working ClockworkMod recovery by fkrone from this thread.
Enable Android Debugging from Settings > Developer Options. (If you can't find developer options, go to 'About' and tap 'Build number' seven times.)
Connect the device to your computer via USB, and install the required drivers (Thanks Stryder5).
Download the recovery flashable SuperSU package with Busybox and transfer it to your phone's internal SD card.
Reboot into fastboot/bootloader:
Code:
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
You can also power off the phone and then use power + volume-down key combination to get into bootloader.
Unlock the bootloader if you haven't done so already. WARNING: This command will wipe all data on your device.
Code:
```
fastboot oem unlock
```
Enter this command in a command prompt (making sure you are in the directory where you downloaded the recovery file):
Code:
```
fastboot boot cwm-recovery-mako.img
```
Now boot into recovery by pressing volume-up or volume-down twice to select the recovery option, and then the power button to enter it.
Once in recovery, take a backup to be on the safe side.
Flash the downloaded SuperSU and busybox package zip file from recovery.
Clear cache and dalvik cache just in case (not required but won't hurt).
Reboot the device.

@Faadi

Google launches global augmented reality game Ingress

2012-11-17T01:40:00.000+03:00

Google launches global augmented reality game Ingress, invite-only for now

Google's Niantic Labs has launched Ingress, a new worldwide augmented reality game that will be primarily played with your mobile device. Back in September, they released an app called Field Trip, which aims to provide relevant information as you walk or drive around. Ingress is far more ambitious and involved than Field Trip.

It is a game that can be played by anyone with the app and will take quite a while. Not too much is known about the game, but what we do know is drawn from the vague video produced by Google above. It involves two groups, the Resistance, and the Enlightened. One group pushes back against 'the power' while the other seeks to use it to their advantage.

A major aspect of the game will be using your phone while you're out and about, collecting power by walking certain routes or analyzing landmarks.

This sounds pretty interesting and ambitious. It's invite-only for now and Android-only for now, but Google plans to be on multiple platforms because they want as many players as possible.

To request an invite, hit up the source link, which is the main landing page for Ingress. If you're one of the lucky ones with an invite, there is also a link to the app in the Google Play Store.

Source: Ingress; via All Things D Playstore

@Faadi

Twitter for Android Updated with in-line media previews

2012-11-17T01:34:00.002+03:00

The official Twitter for Android app has been updated yet again to come closer to the feature improvements that have been made in the web version of Twitter. Tweets in the regular stream now include previews of any media attached to the tweet. Pictures, videos and articles will show up in-line with the tweet so they can be easily accessed after the preview. Several improvements have been made to the search functionality as well -- there are media previews in search stream tweets, and you can now get a "Photo Stream" to see what's happening at a given moment in pictures.

If you haven't given the official Twitter app a look in a while, you may want to give it a try. A lot of improvements have come in the recent updates. Grab a download at the Play Store link below.

Download it from Playstore

@Faadi
*Help my advertisers by clicking on adds/links/banners on my website*

Nexus 4 Dot Live Wallpaper brings the back of the Nexus 4 to your wallpaper

2012-11-17T01:26:00.002+03:00

Nexus 4 Dot Live Wallpaper brings the back of the Nexus 4 to your wallpaper

Simply known as Nexus 4 Dot Live Wallpaper, it's available for free download from the Google Play store now. There's a bunch of advertisements to deal with, but only in the settings menu. There's a few different settings to customize, namely color, size of the dots and the speed of the animations. Our personal preference is for small white dots -- the closest resemblance to the actual pattern on the Nexus 4. Click on past the break to see how it looks in a couple of other colors, or head on over to the Play Store and snag yourselves a copy.The simplest things in life often bring us the most pleasure, and this one sits somewhere in that category. One of the defining features of the new LG Nexus 4, is of course the pattern on the rear. Paying homage to the original Nexus One live wallpaper pattern, caught in the right light it's a pleasure to look at. Not content with limiting to the rear of Google's latest baby, there's now a live wallpaper that attempts to bring the effect to the front.

Source:

@Faadi

[Update] New Blackberry's upgraded with BBM and free voice calls

2012-11-17T01:13:00.002+03:00

RIM has confirmed its new mobile operating system will launch at the end of January. Blackberry 10 will have an upgraded Blackberry Messenger app including free voice calls over wifi.

With roughly 60 million of Research In Motion’s 80 million subscribers using it, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) is among the company’s more important assets. And as RIM gears up for the launch of BlackBerry 10, it is doing all it can to ensure that BBM remains a key selling point of BB10.

To that end, RIM this week added a new feature to BBM: BBM Voice, which allows customers to make free voice calls over Wi-Fi to other BBM users around the world. It’s a nice enhancement to the service, particularly since it’s designed with a split-screen feature that allows users to talk and text or email simultaneously.

“We’re expanding the capabilities of the service for deeper social engagement and even greater collaboration, beginning with voice functionality,” said T.A. McCann, VP of BBM at RIM. “BBM Voice … is for when you’re traveling and you want to call home without worrying about phone charges.”

Not exactly a new idea.

One could argue that RIM is late to the game again here, and only doing what Apple has already done with iMessage and FaceTime, Google with GTalk, and Microsoft with Skype. And that’s certainly true. BBM Voice is something RIM should have done long ago.

But that doesn’t make the fact that RIM is rolling it out now any less important. BBM Voice is RIM’s effort to keep BBM popular in an era of increasingly advanced smartphone platforms and apps. And while it’s not a major advancement, it’s likely a good way of keeping current subscribers in the fold — particularly in emerging markets where SMS text-messaging fees can be prohibitively expensive.

BBM Voice may not win RIM many new customers, but it may help it hold on to those it already has, by giving them another reason not to defect to competing platforms.

Source:

@Faad

Best Electronics Black Friday Deals [Bookmark This Page]

2012-11-17T01:01:00.001+03:00

Everyone knows shopping season is coming. So here are my top links to shop.

Shopping through these links will get you Guaranteed lowest prices & best deals.\

All the deals all in one place

All the Deals in One Place

Daily Deals main link:

Daily Deals

@Faadi

Google offers 3 Chromebooks on PlayStore + Black Friday Deals @ Target.com

2012-11-17T00:45:00.000+03:00

Google now offers 3 Chromebooks and it's quite difficult to decide which is the best one for you. There are 2 Chromebooks from Samsung: one of them uses a high-end ARM SoC, while the other one uses a low-end Intel Celeron CPU. There's also a Chromebook from Acer that uses a less powerful Celeron CPU, it replaces the standard 16 GB Flash storage with a 320 GB HDD and has a weird keyboard that seems to be borrowed from a Windows netbook.

For some reason, Samsung's Intel Chromebook is a lot more expensive than both the ARM Chromebook and the Acer Chromebook. Sure, it has a better screen, the most powerful CPU, Gigabit Ethernet and the largest battery, but the Acer Chromebook is $250 less expensive. On the other hand, buying a Chromebook with a hard-disk drive is a terrible idea because it impacts performance and you won't be able to use so many gigabytes in Chrome OS. The Acer Chromebook also has a poor battery life (only 3.5 hours of usage) and it's thicker.

The ARM Chromebook is the most efficient and the lightest Chrome OS laptop ever released. Even if it only has a 2-cell battery, you can use it for more than 6.5 hours, which means it's 2 times more efficient than the Acer Chromebook. It also has the best GPU ever included in a Chromebook, which means it's great for watching HD videos and playing WebGL games. After all, Samsung used the same system-on-a-chip for the Nexus 10 tablet. It's too bad that the ARM Chromebook doesn't have the screen from the Samsung 550 Chromebook, which has a better aspect ratio (16:10 vs 16:9) and it's brighter.

To sum up, I think the best Chromebook right now must be Samsung's ARM Chromebook, followed by Samsung 550 and Acer C7. The Acer C7 Chromebook is the most customizable Chromebook, since you can add more RAM, replace the HDD and remove the battery.

	Samsung Chromebook	Samsung Chromebook 550	Acer C7 Chromebook
CPU	Exynos 5250 1.7GHz dual-core ARM	Celeron 867 1.3GHz dual-core - 1271 CPU Mark	Celeron 847 1.1GHz dual-core - 1016 CPU Mark
GPU	Mali T604	Intel HD Graphics 2000	Intel HD Graphics 2000
RAM	2 GB	4 GB	2 GB (expandable to 4GB)
Storage	16 GB Flash	16 GB Flash	320 GB HDD 5400RPM (replaceable)
Display	11.6’’, 1366x768, 200 nits	12.1’’, 1280x800, 300 nits	11.6’’, 1366x768, 200 nits
Ports	1xUSB3, 1xUSB2, 1xHDMI	2xUSB2, DisplayPort	3xUSB2, 1xHDMI, 1xVGA
Connectivity	dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n	dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet, optional 3G	dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet
Speaker	3W stereo	4W stereo	stereo
Camera	0.3MP	1MP	1MP
Card slot	SD/ SDHC/ SDXC	SD/ SDHC/ SDXC/ MMC	SD/ MMC
Weight	1.1 kg/2.43 lbs	1.37 kg/3.02 lbs	1.38kg/3.05 lbs
Thickness	0.69’’	0.83’’	1.08’’
Battery	2 cell, 30Wh, 6.5 hours	4 cell, 51Wh, 6 hours	4 cell, 37Wh, 3.5 hours (removable)
Price	$249	$449	$199

Source: GoogleSystem
@Faadi

Black Friday Deals:

Electronics	Electronics
Buy an Apple iPad, Get a $60 Target Cardrun dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12	Memorex Progressive Scan DVD Player on Sale for $19.99run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475180&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475189&pubid=552261
Electronics	Electronics
Buy Sharp 60" Smart LED HDTV, Get a $100 Target Cardrun dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12	Buy Apple iPod classic, Get a $20 Target Cardrun dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475202&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475138&pubid=552261
Electronics	Toys
Buy Apple iPod touch, Get a $20 Target Card run dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12	Buy One, Get One 50% off on Marvel Super Hero Toysrun dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475139&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475176&pubid=552261
Toys	Toys
Buy One, Get One 50% Off on Imaginext Toysrun dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12	Buy VTech InnoTab 2 Learning App Tablet, Get a Free Storage Tote run dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475216&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475217&pubid=552261
Toys	Toys
Buy LeapFrog Tag or Tag Jr. Book, Get a Second Book Freerun dates: 11/18/12 - 11/24/12	Barbie Furniture Set on Sale for $35 run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475218&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475196&pubid=552261
Toys	Toys
Black & Decker Jr Kids Power Workshop Workbench on Sale for $39.99run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12	LEGO Duplo Deluxe Train Set 5609 on Sale for $74.99run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475197&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475198&pubid=552261
Toys	Apparel
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean The Black Pearl on Sale for $74.99run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12	Xhilaration Junior's PU Jacket w/ Knit Trim on Sale for $15run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475195&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475193&pubid=552261
Apparel	Home
Save 20% on Kids and Men's Boots run dates: 11/18/12 - 11/21/12	Save 50% on Farberware 18pc Cookset - Blackrun dates: 11/22/12 - 11/21/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475205&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475183&pubid=552261
Home	Home
Buy Baby Bullet by Magic Bullet, Get a $10 Target Card run dates: 11/18/12 - 11/21/12	Save $150 on Dyson DC41 Multi Floor Upright Vacuum with Promo Code TGTWP5C3 run dates: 11/18/12 - 11/21/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475144&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475141&pubid=552261
Home	Entertainment
Buy KitchenAid Professional 6-Qt Stand Mixer, Get a $45 Target Cardrun dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12	Save Up to 50% on Books run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802483591&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475223&pubid=552261
Entertainment	Entertainment
The Hunger Games - Target Exclusive on Sale for $19.99 run dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12	Buy an Elf on the Shelf, Get a $5 Target Card+ Free Shippingrun dates: 11/22/12 - 11/24/12
link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475227&pubid=552261	link: http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=J613802475226&pubid=552261

Twitter adds Email Tweet option!

2012-11-17T00:31:00.000+03:00

Twitter has just added an option to email any tweet to either your self or to anyother person!

See belowe screenshot!

@Faadi

Updated Blogger Mobile Apps

2012-11-15T21:36:00.001+03:00

Google has just updated their Blogger mobile apps. The iOS version now supports iPad too. Finally i can blog on my iPad.

These are fairly basic apps with some basic functionality.

Rich text editor is missing

There should be in-app chrome availability.

There should also be option to import a post from a webpage.

But, the good thing is Google is very much committed to the iOS ecosystem.

Please head over to following links to download apps for each platform.

iOS : https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blogger/id459407288?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.blogger&hl=en

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch available for £120 after cashback from Amazon UK

2012-11-12T14:42:00.003+03:00

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch available for £120 after cashback from Amazon UK

by Richard Devine

We're starting to get to that time of year. Holiday sales, Christmas gift shopping, and everyone likes a deal, right? If you're in the market for a cheap tablet, the Google Nexus 7 will always come highly recommended, but it's not for everyone -- there's no rear camera for one. Over at Amazon UK right now, the competing 7-inch offering from Samsung, the oh-so-elegantly named Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, can be yours for just £120 following a mail in rebate.

The 8GB tablet itself is retailing for £149.99, but following purchase customers can claim a £30 rebate directly from Samsung. They're not done there though, because besides claiming back your £30 rebate, you can also claim a free 8GB microSD card, doubling your storage. 16GB total storage for £120. To take a look at the offer, check out the source links below. Additionally, if a larger tablet is more your thing, Samsung seems to be offering rebates on the Tab 2 10.1 and the Note 10.1 of £50.

Sources: Amazon UK, Samsung UK

@Faadi

32GB Nexus 7 can be yours for £180 in UK

2012-11-12T01:40:00.000+03:00

32GB Nexus 7 can be yours for £180 from UK high street retailers

Despite having only just been made officially official, for UK Nexus 7 buyers savings can already be had on the new 32GB version. 2 different high street retailers are currently offering Google's 7 inch tablet for £179.99, £20 below list price.

First up is Comet. While our thoughts are with each and every member of staff in these uncertain times the chain finds itself in, the result of the company's difficulties is a liquidation sale. While the majority of stock is reduced by a modest 10%, on a 32GB Nexus 7 that equates to a £20 saving. The sale only applies in store, and while stocks last. Our local branch still had them for sale though, so it's worth a look.

Rival retailer, Currys PCWorld, is also offering the Nexus 7 32GB for £179.99 after £20 cashback. Here though, the offer applies only when the tablet is bought with any case from their offering. But, since you're going to want to look after it, it's not a bad deal to be had. The saving would almost completely pay for an official Nexus 7 Travel Cover, should that be your desired choice.

Source: Android Central

@Faadi

Galaxy Nexus Toolkit - A Swiss Army Knife for GNexus

2012-11-12T00:42:00.000+03:00

Since Nexus 4 will be launching in 2 days, for all those who are still in lurv with their Galaxy Nexus, here is a must to use toolkit. This toolkit allows you to do extremely nerdy stuff with your GNexus in easy steps/menus.

Following are the tasks that you can accomplish with Nexus Toolkit.

Install correct adb/fastboot drivers automatically on Windows xp/vista/7 32bit+64bit
Backup/Restore a single package or all apps, user data and Internal Storage
Backup your /data/media (virtual SD Card) to your PC for a Full Safe backup of data

Perform a FULL NANDROID Backup of your system (Boot, Cache, Data, Recovery and System) via adb and save in Custom Recovery format on your PC which can be Restored via CWM Recovery

Pull /data and /system folders, compress to a .tar file and save to your PC

Backup/Restore your /efs partition to your PC

Dump selected Phone Partitions, compress to a .zip file with md5 and save to your PC

Install BusyBox on your phone
Extras, Tips and Tricks section available to all ToolKit Donators
NEW Auto Update ToolKit at startup (donator feature)
Create a tar with 1-Click for flashing via Odin
Mods section to automatically perform certain tasks on your phone
1-Click For All to Unlock, Root, Rename the Restore File and CWM
Unlock/Re-Lock your Bootloader

Download Google Stock Image directly to correct ToolKit folder for extrtacting and flashing (no need to move it manually anymore)

Flash Google Stock Image to phone
Root any public build of ICS automatically (ANY Stock build upto and including maguro/toro/toroplus 4.0.4)

Root Stock Jelly Bean builds (upto 4.1.2) on all models
Rename the Recovery Restore File present on some Stock Roms
Flash Stock Recovery, CWM Touch Recovery or TWRP Touch Recovery
Boot into CWM Touch Recovery or TWRP Touch Recovery without Flashing it
Boot or Flash .img Files directly from your PC
Install a single apk or multiple apk's to your phone
Push Files from your PC to your phone
Pull Files from your phone to your PC

Dump selected LogCat buffers to your PC

Dump BugReport to your PC
Set Files Permissions on your phone
Pull and Trim your Radio Image from your phone and save to your PC (thanks to josteink for Radio Trimmer)

Rip cache.img to zip file in CWM format (by Adam Lange)
Open new Command Prompt for manual input
Reboot Phone to Fastboot Mode or Android in fastboot mode
Reboot Phone to Fastboot Mode, Recovery, Android or Download Mode in adb mode
Turn Initial Start Screen On/Off for next use

Head over to XDA Thread to download this Toolkit.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20310500&postcount=1

Official Nexus Images from Google

https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images

SCREENSHOTS

(Changelog at the Bottom of Post#1)

Cheers to the Man who created this Toolkit! God Bless you!

@Faadi

imo messenger beta 2.8.5 #APK

2012-11-11T12:44:00.000+03:00

imo messenger beta 2.8.5

Current Version: 2.8.5
Requires Android: 1.6 and up
Category: Communication

Overview:
Download imo beta to try new and experimental instant messaging features.

Message and call your family and friends for free with imo messenger!

With imo beta, users can preview and try new and experimental IM features. However, the beta app is less stable than the official imo instant messenger app. For the latest stable version, download our official app at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.imo.android.imoim.

We’re actively adding new features to the beta app, so please send us feedback to android@imo.im. We read every email!

FEATURES:
- Free high-quality voice calls
- Super fast and reliable messaging (much faster than SMS)
- Group messaging and photo sharing
- Voice IMs turn your iPhone into a walkie-talkie
- Multimedia attachments – audio, video, files
- Searchable chat history accessible on mobile and web
- Concurrent sessions on different devices
- Support for Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Skype, MSN, ICQ/AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber, Hyves, VKontakte and Steam

Permissions explained here: https://imo.im/android_permissions

DOWNLOAD

http://dl.apktops.com/app/201211/imo_messenger_beta_2_8_5.apk

@Faadi

[Promotion] Samsung - FREE 32" TV, Soundbar, or Blu-ray Player w/ TV purchase

2012-11-10T05:29:00.000+03:00

Samsung - FREE 32" TV, Soundbar, or Blu-ray Player w/ TV purchase

@Faadi

Android 4.1™ Jelly Bean and the future of Motorola software

2012-11-10T05:15:00.001+03:00

Following the announcement that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is rolling out to the Droid RAZR M, Motorola introduced a new initiative they're calling "Test Drive". The idea behind Test Drive is to let a small number of registered users have access to the latest version of a software update before its general public release. Starting with updates to Android 4.2, a "few hundred consumers" will have access to the software to give a try and provide valuable feedback to Motorola before an official release.

Motorola didn't provide any official information about when or how users will be able to register to be included in Test Drive, but you can bet it'll be quite a rush to get into those few hundred open spots.

Source: Official Motorola Blog

@Faadi

Light Flow updated with Nexus 4 and GMail 4.2 support

2012-11-10T05:04:00.001+03:00

Light Flow updated with Nexus 4 and GMail 4.2 support

Light Flow has been a go-to app for users that want to keep their device's notification LED flashing appropriately. It gained a lot of popularity with the Galaxy Nexus given stock Android's lack of settings to control the LED, and now the app has been updated with Nexus 4 -- and GMail 4.2 -- support just a few days before the device's launch. It seems to support just about every popular app you could think of, and even more are unlocked in the paid version.

There's a "lite" version of the app that you can pick up at the Play Store link above, and if you like what the developer is doing consider dropping them $2.49 for the paid version.

Source

@Faadi

Complete Google Nexus 4 Reviews from all around the web!

2012-11-10T04:51:00.002+03:00

Google’s flagship Android phone, the Nexus 4, is going on sale next week and the first reviews are beginning to appear online. We took the time to round up some of the best reviews and then look at what the critics were saying about each aspect of the device. Read on to see how Google’s latest Nexus device performed.

Nexus 4 Review roundup

Sophie Charara on Stuff: 5/5
Nathan Olivarez-Giles on Wired: 9/10
Phil Lavelle on TechRadar: 4.5/5
Chris Hall on Pocket-Lint: 4.5/5
Andrew Hoyle on CNET UK: 4.5/5
Luke Jonhson on Trusted Reviews: 9/10
Joshua Topolsky on The Verge: 8.3/10
Armando Rodriguez on TechHive: 4/5
Brent Rose on Gizmodo: 4/5
Lynn La on CNET: 7.8/10
Daniel Berg on Laptop Mag: 3.5/5
Phil Nickinson on Android Central: No score
JR Raphael on Computer World: No score
Walt Mossberg on AllThingsD: No score
Ron Amadeo on Android Police: No score
Vincent Nguyen on SlashGear: No score
Joanna Stern on ABC News: No score
Wilson Rothman on NBC News: No score
Brad Molen of Engadget: No score
Steve Kovach on Business Insider: No score
Chris Velazco on TechCrunch: No score
Chris Burns on Android Community: No score
Matthew Panzarino on TheNextWeb: No score
Eliane Fiolet on Ubergizmo: No score
Matt Warman on The Telegraph: No score
Thomas Tamblyn on T3: No score
Jonathan Geller on BGR: No score
Florence Ion on Ars Technica: No score

What critics are saying about the Nexus 4

Design: “I took a set of keys, a fork and a pocket knife to the front and back glass panels of the Nexus 4 and couldn’t get a scratch to show up anywhere.” “It’s quite grippy thanks to a rubberized band of plastic that runs in a ring around the whole device.” “The screen is coated smoothly from edge to edge, and it almost feels like the glass is melted over the sides.”
Display: “I wouldn’t say it’s the absolute best, as I still prefer the color reproduction of the One X and the sharpness of the iPhone’s Retina display, but it’s very close” “Clean and crisp in just about any light setting.” “It’s one of the nicest displays we’ve ever viewed in the midday sun.” “Let’s not mince words here: the Nexus 4’s screen is awesome.”
Audio: “The rear speaker isn’t very loud and doesn’t sound very good.” “The external speaker sounded weak and it’s worse when you aren’t holding the phone because it’s located on the rear.” “Call quality and reception was excellent on the phone.” “We loved making calls on the Nexus, as our friends came through loud and clear. It was static-free and neither side of the conversation had any difficulty hearing each other.”
Performance: “I couldn’t find a single stutter or hiccup during my week with the phone.” “Performance and responsiveness on the device is second to none.” “For the most part, it was responsive and fast, multitasking was smooth and we only rarely had any lag.” “The Nexus 4 has been extraordinarily snappy during our time together.”
Camera: “The photos it takes aren’t quite as clear or detailed as the ones we’ve seen from the cameras on the HTC One X and iPhone 5.” “The phone’s most touted new capability, the ability to capture 360-degree pictures, worked poorly in my tests.” “The back camera worked well, certainly much better than the Galaxy Nexus, and was able to produce vivid images with a relatively low amount of noise and excellent color clarity.” “Google has greatly improved its photo editing options, making tweaking your images easier and faster than before.” “There are a few areas in which the Nexus 4 bests the GS3, and others in which it’s still very good, but loses to its Samsung competitor.”
Battery: “When it comes to battery life, the Nexus 4 is also performs just below the One X and the iPhone.” “Since it uses the Qi wireless charging standard, you can use a charging pad from another manufacturer” “The Nexus 4 lasted a full workday in mixed use” “To say it’s holding up for full work days would be an understatement; even with heavy use, this battery more than pulls its weight.”
Android 4.2: “There is simply no better Android experience than Android as Google has built it.” ”Android 4.2 is largely the same as 4.1 Jelly Bean.” “In my testing, Google voice search outperformed Siri in the majority of queries, and not only did it get the answers correct and offer up perfectly worded responses.” “Besides all the terrific changes in Android 4.2, I did notice a couple of software issues with third-party apps.”

Overall, it looks like the Nexus 4 lived up to the high expectations that we set for it. Most reviewers were in agreement that the Nexus 4 is Google’s finest smartphone ever produced. The only major complaints we have found are things we were well aware of – there is no LTE, no microSD slot, and the battery is not user replaceable. The absence of 4G LTE might be a deal killer for sure, but if you can get past that then the Nexus 4 delivers the best pure Android experience.

Video reviews of Nexus 4

Most underrated feature: Miracast wireless display

We have been talking about Miracast for awhile, but it’s nice to see it finally enabled on an Android phone. Not many other devices are Mircast-enabled yet, but this should be changing over the coming months. Look for Google TV to add Miracast support so you can share your smartphone with your TV.

6 Word Wrap Up: “Buy phone first, then choose carrier”

The Nexus 4 is a great Android phone, and it represents a new movement for unlocked smartphones sales in the US. In the past consumers have signed a 2-year contract with a wireless carrier and then picked one of the devices they offer. Now customers in the US can buy their phone first, and then choose the carrier that best fits their needs.

Priced at only $299, the Nexus 4 could become the most successful unlocked Android phone in the US. Unlocked phones have slowly been growing in popularity the last year, but most high-end devices sell for over $500-600. Now that US consumers can get a premium Android smartphone at an affordable price and match it with pre-paid service at half the cost of most post-paid plans, we may see the US wireless market shift to a more European model.

Time will tell if an open, unlocked wireless world works best for consumers, but it already offers some nice benefits. Prices of smartphones and wireless plans have come down, we have more choices for premium unlocked devices, carrier bloatware is removed from phones, and Android updates flow directly from Google.

What do you think of Google’s latest flagship device? Do you plan on buying one when it comes out next week?

Source

@Faadi

Google Now Cards Use Gmail Data

2012-11-10T04:36:00.000+03:00

Google Now Cards Use Gmail Data

by Alex Chitu

Google Search for Android has been updated and the app includes a lot of new Google Now cards. There are cards that use search history data (developing news stories, stocks, concerts, movies), location data (nearby attractions and popular photo spots), but there's a new source of information: your Gmail messages.

Google Now checks your email and tries to find confirmation messages for restaurant reservations, hotel bookings, flights, events you purchased a ticket for, online orders. This way, Google can show notifications and useful information without having to manually add events to Google Calendar. For example, package tracking is now a lot more convenient and you don't have to use a separate app or subscribe to email notifications.

Gmail's desktop interface shows useful links related to your messages: Google Maps for addresses, package tracking links, "add to calendar" for events. Google Now takes this to a new level: sidebar links become smart cards that trigger notifications.

Obviously, the cards are generated automatically by Google's software and no Google employee reads your email. If you don't like the new cards, you can disable them from the settings (the "Google Now" section).

Google Search for Android also brings new voice actions: you can create new events, check your schedule and launch apps.

At the moment, Google Now requires Android Jelly Bean and the Gmail integration is only available in the English interface.

Source

@Faadi

Share Google Drive Files to Google+

2012-11-10T04:31:00.001+03:00

Share Google Drive Files to Google+

by Alex Chitu

Google Drive added a new feature that lets you share files to Google+, just like you can share them to Facebook and Twitter. Click the "share" button or right-click a file and select "share" twice, then click the Google+ icon.

Google displays thumbnails for documents, spreadsheets, drawings and music files, a player for presentations and videos and the description for archives. It's important to change the visibility options to "anyone with the link" or "public on the web".

You can also paste a Google Drive URL in a Google+ post and you'll the same thumbnails and players.

Google still doesn't do a good job at integrating Google Drive with other Google services. For example, you can't pick a Google Drive file (other than photos) when writing a Google+ post. You can't select a Google Drive file when composing a Gmail message and you can't upload files to Google Drive instead of sending them as attachments.

Microsoft's Hotmail (now called Outlook) has a clever feature that uploads large attachments and Office documents to SkyDrive, so it only sends the links.

Source:

@Faadi

Betaworks Launches Swirl

2012-11-10T04:22:00.000+03:00

Betaworks Launches Swirl To Let You Easily Create Albums From Instagram & Twitter Hashtags

Today, the New York City-based don’t-call-me-an-incubator incubator known as betaworks is launching its latest startup following its acquisition of Digg this past summer. Betaworks is primarily focused on media startups, especially those playing at the intersection between social media and publishing. Digg would be one, Branch being another, Rap Genius, which recently raised $15 million being a third.

And now today we have the launch of Swirl, an app that creates photo albums from social networks. Not sure that betaworks got the memo that the group photo-sharing market is a little over-saturated, but then again, they did just buy Digg.

What exactly does Swirl do? It essentially indexes every person (and cat) you follow on Twitter and Instagram, placing their tagged photos into sets, appropriately called Swirls. Users create a photo set on Swirl every time they use the same hashtag on Twitter or Instagram with their friends. The startup’s website is currently showing public photos (here are photos from #Sandy, for example) but obviously once you sign into the app, it takes it to the next level and begins filtering from your friends’ swirls.

Swirl advisor and former Aviary COO Paul Murphy tells us that there are multiple group photo sharing apps out there, each taking a slightly different approach to the problem. One app may require users to create a set and invite friends to join, while others algorithmically guess how photos are related and auto-create sets of photos for you. Swirl, on the other hand, creates a photo set from a shared hashtag among your friends.

Murphy says that Swirl has seen some intriguing photo sets created in beta thanks to Sandy and the presidential election. But beta users are also using it to tag everyday events, with Swirl creating a group album from those events, so that you can see all the hilarities from my daily life as a blogger in #ripsaysthingsontheinternet, for example.

But the reason that social software developer and Swirl founder Summer Bedard thinks the app has potential? Because, as it stands, there’s no frictionless way to view and share a collection of social photos without asking users to change some part of their everyday behavior, like posting the photo in the app instead of using Twitter or Instagram. With Swirl, the idea is that you can just keep doing what you do, using the categories you’ve already established to tag tweets and instagrams that actually mean something.

Right now, Swirl is iPhone-only, but web and Android versions are on the way.

Find Swirl on the App Store here.

Abt Electronics - Specials of The Week

Source: Techcrunch

@Faadi

#Google Shopper 3.0 Launches for #Android & #iOS

2012-11-10T04:02:00.005+03:00

Google has launched a new iteration of Google Shopper forAndroid and iOS, with a completely redesigned homescreen featuring a larger search box and bigger product photos with more detail.

Abt Electronics - Specials of The Week

In addition, the apps are striving to make it easier to find the best deals online and in-store, with a new Sales page letting you view weekly circulars from shops in your locale, along with a handful of featured “current” promotions which can be redeemed online or in person.

Finally, Google Shopper now also features GoodGuide ratings, a system that indicates, from 1 to 10, whether a product is “healthy, safe and environmentally friendly.”

Where these ratings are available, you can view them by scrolling down the product’s page to the bottom:

Version 3.0 of Google Shopper is live now for Android, and one can only assume the iOS version will be hitting the App Store imminently.

➤ Google Shopper – Android and iOS

Source: TNW

@Faadi

Abt Electronics - Specials of The Week

Outside USA? Need to get new Nexus Devices? Here is how to get them!

2012-11-04T01:06:00.000+03:00

If you're a big Google/Android fan like me & you keep on drooling on new nexus devices, here is how to get them shipped to Bahrain or any other place in the world.

Get a US based Shipping address:
There are numerous websites which can offer you a virtual US address which actually is a physical location.

I have personally used following websites.

1. www.USUnlocked.com

Today I just found a new website which gives you a free US & UK ship to address.

2. www.borderlinx.com

Get a Virtual US Credit Card

Now you need to spend some money here. Probably $25 to setup your account. But that will remain in your account & you can use it in future transactions. You can get a virtual CC from www.USUnlocked.com.

Signup for Google Wallet

Once you have a US based credit card & virtual ship-to address, you should proceed and signup for Google Wallet. Add a new card that you received from US Unclocked & use the billing address provided by UsUnlocked too. The ship-to address should be what you got from www.borderlinx.com.

Once you have setup your Google Wallet, you should then proceed to play.google.com, go to devices section. If you are living outside US and cannot see devices section, you need to use Hotspot shield installed & running before opening play.google.com.

Once all done, you can purchase your device directly from Google Play store. Once the item is shipped to your US address, you can go to your borderlinx website and find package in *Goods Awaiting Shipping* section . You can then instruct Borderlinx to ship it to you. You need to add a shipping address & a billing address on borderlinx too.

If you want to get rid of the virtual credit card process, you can just go to Amazon.com and select your product from their cataloge. Once asked for shipping address, give your Borderlinx US shipping address & you local credit card for billing address.

My apologies for such rough guide!!!

I'll be ordering my nexus device from Playstore very soon.

@Faadi

Android Bahrain

How To Root Google Nexus 10 & Install ClockworkMod Touch Recovery

Restore To Pre-Root Condition From Backup

iFixit tears down Nexus 4 - Rates it 7/10 same as iPhone 5

New version of Google Play app pushing, with new install screen and ability to delete wishlist items

How to Root Nexus 4 - Step by Step Guide

Google launches global augmented reality game Ingress

Google launches global augmented reality game Ingress, invite-only for now

Twitter for Android Updated with in-line media previews

Nexus 4 Dot Live Wallpaper brings the back of the Nexus 4 to your wallpaper

Nexus 4 Dot Live Wallpaper brings the back of the Nexus 4 to your wallpaper

[Update] New Blackberry's upgraded with BBM and free voice calls

Best Electronics Black Friday Deals [Bookmark This Page]

Google offers 3 Chromebooks on PlayStore + Black Friday Deals @ Target.com

Twitter adds *Email Tweet* option!

Updated Blogger Mobile Apps

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch available for £120 after cashback from Amazon UK

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch available for £120 after cashback from Amazon UK

by Richard Devine

32GB Nexus 7 can be yours for £180 in UK

32GB Nexus 7 can be yours for £180 from UK high street retailers

Galaxy Nexus Toolkit - A Swiss Army Knife for GNexus

imo messenger beta 2.8.5 #APK

imo messenger beta 2.8.5

[Promotion] Samsung - FREE 32" TV, Soundbar, or Blu-ray Player w/ TV purchase

Android 4.1™ Jelly Bean and the future of Motorola software

Light Flow updated with Nexus 4 and GMail 4.2 support

Light Flow updated with Nexus 4 and GMail 4.2 support

Complete Google Nexus 4 Reviews from all around the web!

Nexus 4 Review roundup

What critics are saying about the Nexus 4

Video reviews of Nexus 4

Most underrated feature: Miracast wireless display

6 Word Wrap Up: “Buy phone first, then choose carrier”

Google Now Cards Use Gmail Data

Google Now Cards Use Gmail Data

by Alex Chitu

Share Google Drive Files to Google+

Share Google Drive Files to Google+

by Alex Chitu

Betaworks Launches Swirl

Betaworks Launches Swirl To Let You Easily Create Albums From Instagram & Twitter Hashtags

#Google Shopper 3.0 Launches for #Android & #iOS

Outside USA? Need to get new Nexus Devices? Here is how to get them!

Twitter adds Email Tweet option!