CyanogenMod attacks Android One

Google’s Sundar Pichai announced at the Google IO keynote event about the tech giant tying up with three Indian smartphone manufacturers to produce Android One, a budget Android smartphone for the masses. The project targeted handsets priced at $100 (approx Rs 6,000) and the launch of the Android One handsets took place last month.

However, a recent news report stated that Micromax, one of the three smartphone partners for Android One, will leave back Google’s Android operating system to carry CyanogenMod’s custom Android operating system. The report also stated that Sundar Pichai, Head of Google Android, offered to buy CyanogenMod for a whopping $1 billion, but the latter refused the deal.

CyanogenMod is allegedly working with Micromax India to supply their CM operating system for the future budget smartphones. If true, it could be the end of the Android One era sooner than it began.

Now, XDA forums, the well-known place for Android tinkerers and custom ROM developers, has just revealed that CyanogenMod has managed to crack the Android One bootloader and install their own CM operating system. Though the CM OS is presently still in beta or development stage, it is a matter of time when the entire Android One hardware will fall prey to the new operating system.

varun.chitre15, a developer on the XDA forums was the man who managed to get through the Android One handset and install the CM operating system. A majority of the functions are working with the present mod, but the dual function SIM and internet related stuff are still on the roadmap.

This could seem like good news for Android One users since they can hack into the system and replace Google’s Android KitKat with CyanogenMod’s custom ROM for additional functionality. Android tinkerers can opt for CM ROMs from the XDA forums.

If this deal between CyanognMod and Micromax works well, then Karbonn and Spice could follow suite soon.  

Samsung shows how tough the Galaxy Note 4 is in drop test video

How tough is the Galaxy Note 4? We already know it doesn’t bend like one of its competitors, at least not permanently, thanks to a bend test video Samsung recently released for its new flagship. Now, the Korean manufacturer is revealing how the Galaxy Note 4 can withstand falls and tumbles through a new video that shows the device being tested in Samsung’s factories. As one would expect, Samsung does some rigorous testing – the Note 4 is dropped at various angles from various sides on to a hard metal floor, and at least in the video Samsung has published, comes out unscathed at all times. Naturally, real-life drops can always be more damaging than what you see in official drop tests, but it’s still a good indication of just how touch Samsung has made the fourth-generation Galaxy Note smartphone.

Check out the video below, then check out hands-on experience with the Galaxy Note 4.

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Samsung Gear VR said to have overheating issues, Galaxy Note 4 might be the culprit

 The Gear VR has been touted as being one of the best virtual reality headsets, but as with all first-generation products, it seems the Gear VR isn’t as trouble-free as one would like. The Gear VR is on display at some Samsung stores in South Korea, and according to a new report, hands-on demos of the headset have been limited to 25 minutes. This is apparently due to the fact that the Gear VR begins to heat up after a while, and since this isn’t a smartphone that one can handle even if it is a little hot, Samsung officials aren’t letting people try the Gear VR on for too long.

What we found out in our own experience when trying the Gear VR at Samsung’s Unpacked event was that the headset itself wasn’t heating up. Instead, the Galaxy Note 4, which drives the Gear VR, was the culprit, as the official giving us the demo had to switch out the phone and put in a different unit after a while. Basically, it looks like the Galaxy Note 4 isn’t yet ready to handle the load of powering a virtual reality headset for long periods. It’s possible the final retail units won’t have this issue, but for now, we will need to wait for an official statment from Samsung to find out what exactly is the reason for the limited demo the company is offering to consumers.

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Samsung patent shows concept user interface called Iconic UX

TouchWiz might have remained mostly unchanged when it comes to the overall user interface in the last few years, but that doesn’t mean Samsung isn’t constantly trying out new ways to improve the user experience on its devices. As a patent applied for by Samsung in Korea has revealed, the company might be working on something it calls Iconic UX, a user interface that seems to be based on putting multiple apps on the same screen at the same time. Each app would have its icon at the right edge, and it also looks like these apps would be able to share data with each other, similar to how data can be dropped between different apps in Samsung’s Multi-Window feature.

The interface seen in the patent also resembles Samsung’s Magazine UX seen on the company’s tablets, and the My Magazine app on its devices. It’s unclear if the Iconic UX is for the entire software or only for the multitasking part – as we’ve seen over the years, Samsung has constantly tried to improve the multitasking experience on Android, at least on the Galaxy Note devices, and the Iconic UX might be a UX that puts multitasking front and center. However, given Google tightly controls how Android looks and feels, it’s likely this new interface would make an appearance on Samsung’s in-house OS Tizen.

Check out the images of this so-called Iconic UX below, and let us know what you think of this new interface that may or may not make it to Samsung phones and tablets in the near future.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab Active priced at $699 in the US, pre-orders now open

Samsung’s first ruggedized tablet for the enterprise, the Galaxy Tab Active, will be available in the US starting this month. Pre-orders for the tablet are now open, and interested consumers can shell out $699.99 to grab the device. The Galaxy Tab Active is as rugged as they come, feature IP67 certification for water and dust resistance, and an anti-shock covering that can help it withstand a 1.2-meter drop. Despite being a lower mid-range device, the Galaxy Tab Active sports NFC connectivity, something Samsung believes will help professionals like logistics and transportation managers, retail auto sales representatives, and others.

The Galaxy Tab Active also comes with a C-Pen, a stylus Samsung says will help those who use gloves in their field of work. In terms of hardware, the Galaxy Tab Active features a 8-inch 1280×800 display, a Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, a 3.1-megapixel rear camera, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD slot, and a 4,450 mAh battery touted for 8-10 hours of general usage. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, with the usual topping of Samsung’s TouchWiz UX, and will be available in Titanium Green.

Hit the source link to pre-order the Galaxy Tab Active, and read our hands-on experience to find out if the tablet is any good.

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