Sony announces game plan for Android 5.0 and 5.1 releases
Sony fans have something rejoice about today. Sony has announced somewhat of a game plan for rolling out Android 5.0 and Android 5.1 for specific devices over the course of the next year.
Owners of the Sony Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, and Xperia Tablet Z, have already begun to see the Android 5.0 update rolling out to their devices. Well there’s even more good news, as Sony has announced that they plan to update those devices to Android 5.1.
Also expected to get the Android 5.1 update, are the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra, and Xperia Z3. Something to be mindful of, is that while Sony is expecting to start these rollouts in July, there are still some various hoops to jump through your service provider of choice.
We’ve also seen a fevered raft of feedback and requests for us to extend our Android Lollipop rollout to other products in the portfolio – so, we’re happy to announce that we’ll be bumping Xperia M2 and Xperia M2 Aqua directly to Android 5.1. The upgrade will start a little after we’ve made the update available for the Xperia Z Series, but stay tuned as we’ll share more on timings soon.
This will more than likely be a staged roll out, so please don’t expect your device to have the update as of July 1st. So while you shouldn’t jump to your Settings application and start spamming the Software Update button, you at least have a timeline for when to expect the update to start rolling out.
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Micromax Unite 2 getting the Android 5.0 update in India
One of India’s top manufacturers, Micromax has started rolling out the Android 5.0 update for the Unite 2 A106 smartphone in the region. This comes as good news for the customers of the budget handset who were supposedly promised the update when the device was first launched.
Given that it’s a budget device, the Lollipop update will certainly breath a life of fresh air on the handset. There won’t be a completely stock Android UI on board, so users will have to make do with OEM customization. Although you can find the standard set of performance enhancements underneath, so usability should be blazing fast post the update.
The update is said to be nearly 412.94MB in size, so make sure you’re on an unlimited network connection before proceeding with the download. It should pop up on your device as an OTA update, but you can also check the settings if you haven’t seen the notification yet.
Via: Fone Arena
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No Android 5.1 in sight: Minor update to the LG G3 improves “phone usability and functionality”
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LG was one of the quickest manufcaturers to update its flagship at the time, the LG G3, to Android 5.0 after its release, however since then, there’s been no hide nor hair of any update to the latest version, Android 5.1. Naturally, LG’s latest flagship, the LG G4, ships with Android 5.1, so LG’s other customers have been left in the dark wondering when it will be their turn. Which excited me greatly when I saw a 110MB software update being uploaded to my LG G3 yesterday, only to be let down when I realized it was only a minor update to the LG G3, citing improvements in “phone usability and functionality”.
This update increments the software version from V20f to V20i, but unfortunately the Android version has not changed from Android 5.0. The only difference that I have seen in this latest version is that a new launcher function has been added to allow you to add homescreen windows on the fly (by swiping inwards, a la some custom launchers) – if you’ve also got this update and can see any differences, feel free to drop us a line in the comments below. And the wait for Android 5.1 continues…
What do you think about this minor update to the LG G3? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post No Android 5.1 in sight: Minor update to the LG G3 improves “phone usability and functionality” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z1 now getting Android 5.0.2
T-Mobile customers rocking a Sony Xperia Z1 have now begun to receive the update to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. This comes not long after Sony brought the update to the Xperia Z2 and Z3.
The update brings with it a whole host of new features, the new Material Design layout being one of them. It also brings with it lock screen notifications, the 64-bit ART compiler designed to open apps faster, Project Volta for battery performance tweaks, a new Recent Apps page, and much more.
Once you download and install the update, your software version should be 14.5.B.0.236. Most manufactures and carriers recommend that your device have at least 50% battery life and hooked up to Wi-Fi before downloading this update.
If you haven’t gotten the update yet, firmware upgrades like these are usually sent out first in small stages to make sure there are no bugs that render the device useless. If successful, the update is sent out to a larger crowd of people, and so on. It could take anywhere from a couple days to two weeks to get the new update. If you want to update your Xperia Z1 manually, you can get the FTF firmware file along with install instructions here.
What do you think of Android 5.0.2 on Sony’s Xperia devices? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
source: Xperia Blog
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How to set up your computer for Android application development
The thought of creating our own Android apps amuses most of us. “I have an excellent idea for an app,” we tell ourselves. “I could do that so much better than this developer,” is another common one. We’re never going to be able to bring those admirable ideas to light or improve upon someone else’s work if we don’t start.
Starting can be difficult, though. It can be even more difficult if you don’t have the tools to begin your Android coding journey. We’re going to show you what those tools are, how to download them, and how to get them ready for you to start programming your own apps.
The JDK and the IDE
The JDK (Java Development Kit) and IDE (Integrated Development Environment) are crucial to begin programming Android applications. The JDK implements platforms released by Oracle Corporation, such as Java EE or Java SE, to let you begin developing on the Java platform. An IDE is essentially the interface you will be programming in.
We’re going to be downloading the Netbeans IDE with JDK 8 packaged with it. We could download them both separately, but Oracle’s Netbeans and JDK download package removes quite a few steps and streamlines the process really well. You can click here to find the package.
Next, you’re going to want to select the correct download for your computer. In my case, it’s going to be the Windows x64 download. Depending on your Internet connection, it may take awhile to download the large file size.
Once it’s finished downloading, open the .exe file. A window will appear. Start the installation process, and make sure to accept the license agreement. Beyond that, it’s just like installing any normal file. Keep in mind that the installation process will take awhile, as it’s unpacking a rather large file. Once the installation is complete, simply click “Finish.”
Netbeans
Next up, you need to go here to download the Android SDK (Software Development Kit). Once it’s finished downloading, go through the installation process and setup all the recommended options. Make sure you install it to C:Androidandroid-sdk.
Once that is installed, go into Netbeans > Tools > Plugins > Settings. From there, you need to add a new update center. To do that, press “Add” and use this URL: http://nbandroid.org/updates/updates.xml. Now, go back to Available Plugins, and install the one that says Android. It’s a small file and should only take a short amount of time to finish. Once finished, a window will pop-up saying that the plugin certificates are not trusted, just say OK.
Now you’re almost ready to go! Select File > New Project > Android Project > OK. It will say that an Android SDK location has to be specified first. This is an easy fix because we downloaded the Android SDK earlier in C:Androidandroid-sdk. Simply click the Manage Android SDK button. It’ll open up an Options menu, asking you for the SDK location. Give it to the location, select OK, and you should be good to go!
Android Studio
If you’re just getting started programming, all of those previous steps are great experience. However, there’s a more simple way to setup the Android SDK. You can simply use Google’s custom Android Studio IDE to begin development. You can download it here.
After downloading Android Studio and launching the .exe, it will take you through all the necessary steps to get you setup. They aren’t hard steps to follow either, it’s quite simple, and it downloads most of the necessary tools automatically, but with your permission.
Wrap Up
So that’s how to get your computer ready for Android development! If you’re not sure how to start programming in Android and want to learn YouTube user The New Boston has some great beginner tutorials for you to go through. I personally used the tutorials when I was first starting, and they were wonderful.
How smoothly did the Android SDK setup go for you? If you still need some assistance, be sure to leave a comment below. We’d be glad to help you finish the process.
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Humble Bundle and Artifex Mundi partnership brings you the latest mobile bundle
It’s that time again for another Humble Mobile Bundle. As per the norm, donate as much as you want to support charity and you’ll get three Android games to play.
The three games you’ll get for donating to charity are Deadly Puzzles, Time Mysteries 1, and Clockwork Tales. If you pay the average, which usually hovers around $5, you’ll get four more titles–Demon Hunter, and three Time Mysteries sequels. If you pay $9, you’ll get an addition two titles, Grim Legends 2 and Enigmatis 2.
Read more: Humble Bundle teams up with Tin Man Games for latest mobile bundle
For $9, that’s only $1 per game. And there are a lot of games there that’ll certainly keep you occupied at least for awhile. If you want to donate to get these titles, just scroll down to the bottom of the page, and Humble Bundle will guide you through the process, and show you some awesome donation statistics along the way.
source: Humble Bundle
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T-Mobile’s Galaxy S Tab 10.5 getting Android 5.0 OTA
As of yesterday, T-Mobile is pushing out a new firmware upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.1, bringing the device to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.
Keep in mind that updates like these take time to roll out to everyone. The update started rolling out to the device on May 18, but it could take some users as long as June 5 to get it on their tablets.
It’s great to see T-Mobile being quick on their feet with this update, at least, as far as carriers are concerned. AT&T pushed out Lollipop to their variant just last week.
If you haven’t received a notification just yet, you can check manually by going into your app tray and tapping the Settings icon. From there, tap General > About Device > tap OK > tap Start. From there, Lollipop should begin installing on your device. Once it’s finished, you should have a new baseband version–T807TUVU1BOE1.
Have you gotten the update yet? Let us know in the comments!
source: T-Mobile
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Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is now rolling out in South Korea
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We knew that Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was always coming, but it’s always good to get confirmation. It’s been reported today that Galaxy Note 3 devices in South Korea, with the model number SM-N900S, are today receiving the update to Android 5.0. As always, the roll-out to Note 3 devices will be gradual so don’t freak out if your device doesn’t see the update tomorrow or even during the week – it can often take a few weeks for the update to roll out globally.
For those of you interested in what exactly has changed in Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, check out the full changelog below:
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the mosttimely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
Are you excited to see Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rolling out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: TalkAndroid
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Samsung distributing Lollipop OTA for the Galaxy Note 3 in South Korea
A month later than expected, Samsung is now finally distributing the long-awaited Android 5.0 Lollipop update to all unlocked variants of the Galaxy Note 3 with the model number SM-N900S in South Korea.
All the changes you’d expect to find are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, a smoother multitasking experience and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
The full changelog can be seen below.
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the mosttimely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
As is customary with all manufacturer updates, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device, you could always search for the update manually. To do this head into Settings, followed by About Device, then System Update and hit Check for Update.
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LG’s G Pad X 8.3 tablet is headed to Verizon with Android 5.0 and stereo speakers in tow
Following up on his earlier leak saying that Sony, LG, HTC and Apple were sending the Xperia Z4, G Pad X 8.3, Desire 826 and iPad Mini 4 respectively, to Verizon, @evleaks has posted a picture of the alleged LG G Pad X 8.3, as seen above.
There isn’t a ton of details to be gleaned from this leak, although it does appear to be sporting stereo speakers that are situated on the brushed metal rear panel, much like the original G Pad 8.3 tablet. An obvious sign that the G Pad X 8.3 will have a cellular version is the 4G signage under the Verizon branding. Looking at the image of the front of the device, it would seem that the tablet is running Android 5.0 Lollipop with LG’s latest UX 4.0 overlay.
There are no details about pricing or availability as yet, but I’m sure we learn more details about the LG G Pad X 8.3 soon. For me personally, I hope that this is the high-end successor to the original G Pad 8.3 that many of us have been waiting for. What sort of specifications would you like to see in the LG G Pad X 8.3?
Source: Twitter
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AIVAnet 