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Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and I will be new to Android when my N7 ships hopefully soon.
I'm an Apple guy. I've had every iPhone and iPad. Currently rocking the 4S and iPad 3. Both on iOS 6.0 beta 2. I have also jailbroken every iPhone and iPad to customize it more, something XDA seems tailored to. I have never wanted to switch away from my iPhone because I enjoy it and honestly I haven't been impressed with many Android phone, until ICS. Now with Jelly bean 4.1, Android looks really solid, smooth, and mature. So I really want to give it a try. Again I don't want to switch phones and deal with all the carrier BS (bloatware, locked down, slow/no updates, etc) then Google unveiled the Nexus 7 for $200! So now for fairly cheap I can get a state-of-the-art Android device running 4.1, try a 7" tablet, and keep my iPhone.
So now my question is about unlocking/rooting the N7. With Android being as "open" as it is ie., being able to install non-app store apps, what's the benefits to rooting a Nexus device with no bloatware and the most up-to-date Android version? From my understanding the main reason people root their devices is to update their phone or to remove bloatware installed by the carriers.
Are there apps that you can only install if you are rooted? Are there more or less security issues with being rooted?
Rooting is awesome for many reasons, superuser rights (aka being able to play with files and commands that you don't have access to normally), but my main use for with a rooted phone is to freeze processes that I don't use, example i have handcent sms, so i usually freeze the sms client built into android.
Welcome to Android. I think you chose the right device to test the water. Not too expensive, while able to show off Android capabilities without the extra layer of crapps that manufacturers and mobile operators tend to add. I for one would be very interested in your first impressions and how you think IOS and Android compares over time.
In response to your question: some applications only work on rooted devices. Examples: Titanium backup, ROM Manager, some apps to get rid of ads within free apps, etc. But you don't need to root. I never rooted my tablet, and didn't find a reason to root my Nexus phone until very recently (for Titanium backup), but all my previous phones are rooted mostly to enable tethering, which is not disabled in the Nexus anyway.
After spending some time reading your post, the main reason to root in my opinion is to allow the installation of kernels and custom ROMs. Of course you can get some amazing apps through rooting, i.e. titanium backup and wifikill.
Making an experience tailored for you seems to be the main selling point of Android, and rooting allows you customization to the EXTREME.
I root my android devices to flash custom roms. Stock android is fantastic but teams like cyanogenmod and aokp take stock to the next level with tweaks that just add to the customization of the roms you are on. Some of the tweaks aren't mind blowing but still fun to play with. You can overclock your device to use all the processor's power, at the expense of your battery of course. You can use root only apps such as titanium backup or wifi tether. There are many more root only apps but those are the 2 off the top of my head. There are many advantages to rooting even if you are on a stock android device. just look around and do a little research see if you're interested Rooting isn't for everyone. Good luck and welcome to the forums.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
kisrita said:
I for one would be very interested in your first impressions and how you think IOS and Android compares over time.
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I'm sure I'll write a review of the Nexus 7 after a few weeks, then maybe I'll do a Android from an iOS user post as well. Thanks for all the other advice guys, I'm sure I'll root it at some point just to try it, I'm a bit of a tinkerer.
I believe root is also necessary if you want to use otg usb storage with the stickmount app. This allows you to attach a usb/microsd card, greatly increasing storage space
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
I've had my N7 for a few days now and I'm really enjoying it so far. I really like the 7" size and the weight as compared to the iPad. Battery seems really good to. I have it rooted and working on getting a launcher setup that I like.
The app selection is TERRIBLE when compared to iOS, that for sure. I can't find a good twitter client or Google reader app.
From My Nexus 7
I haven't had the opportunity to compare available apps in both stores, but I keep hearing that comment. I haven't had trouble finding an app when I needed one, of course that might be because I'm not aware of everything that could be available. As an examples, I don't know what you mean by google reader. An ebook reader? News reader? Search engine? Something else? I can't help with twitter apps, I never understood what people need that for, I never tried it... Too old I guess... But since twitter is well known, there must be one among the half million apps in the play store? Perhaps its not yet compatible with Jelly Bean?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Welcome to the Android world.
Like you I have been using IOS (as well as Android.. so not totally new to Android at all..).. every iPhone up to the 4S
I think the arrival of the Nexus has brought over a few from IOS, JB has helped with that... the one thing I heard from many who complained Android wasn't for them was they found it "clunky" and not as refined as an IOS device, I think the N7 has changed and will change that perception.
As mentioned already you will find Android Apps not as good overall compared to IOS (my opinion anyway.. especially games if you are a gamer) but I think you will love that fact you have have more control of your OS (instead of waiting for the Dev team to release the lastest jailbreak using Redsnow etc..) and you can say goodbye to horrible bloatware iTunes lol
Have you tried to tether from iPhone to the Nexus yet?? Reason I ask is I had a Samsung tablet and my 4s wouldn't connect to it, something to do with being an adhoc connection (although I think there is ways around this..) I know my Galaxy Ace connects no probs and has a great speed while tethering to the Nexus.
Enjoy your Nexus
I had problems tethering my N7 to my iPad 3, until I restarted the iPad. Since then its been working great.
For the other commenter, Google Reader is popular RSS feed aggregator. Basically its a way to see when website publish a new story, and you never miss an article. WWW.reader.Google.com
From My Nexus 7
jayman16 said:
I had problems tethering my N7 to my iPad 3, until I restarted the iPad. Since then its been working great.
For the other commenter, Google Reader is popular RSS feed aggregator. Basically its a way to see when website publish a new story, and you never miss an article. WWW.reader.Google.com
From My Nexus 7
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I understand now. You're looking for a news reader. I'm no expert on this, and only tried two of the following, but check out the links to reviews of what some consider the best news readers on android currently. Maybe one of these will work? Sometimes it takes time to find the best app, so keep looking if none of these are right.
http://www.bestandroidtablet.us/taptu-a-cool-news-reader-for-android-tablet/
http://geekshavelanded.com/android-news-reader-showdown/
This is what I type at 3 in the morning. Please read for a minute, I'll keep it short and get to the point. I feel NS owners should see this since they seem the most enthusiastic.
This is generally for Android as a whole, targeting Google. Wow, so it's been how many years since Android first came out? And what is the only other competitor in the market - oh right, iOS. iOS has been destroying the market with only one phone which rarely has any lag/bug/glitch issues, namely the 4S or the new 5 (minus the Maps).
The only reason Android has a large market share is due to the large number of phones at reasonable prices. That is all. There are only two competitors in this oligarchy, and one still can't do it right. Google engineers are apparently among the highest paid, yet they decide to constantly release updates which constantly has bugs. It is a pity, to look at many of you Android enthusiasts that are giving a lot of attention to Android development and are contributing to this world, when Google themselves is not treating you right, thus I feel that you are the reason that the brand is remaining strong. You guys have the capacity to overlook its bugs/lags and see what Android is there truly for. On the other hand, I doubt iOS users actually care about that topic since it is rarely seen.
Next, the phones. So we have like a thousand phones running Android from like 20 different manufacturers. What the..? Alright, phones that are aimed for a low budget do not count, but the Nexus devices that Google works on - they should be at least revolutionary. Google has to partner up with different manufacturers each time when creating the next Nexus? Talk about inconsistency, and inviting a lack of hardware acceleration with its software. Google can even build their own phones if they have to, but just get it right! I mean their latest phone, the Galaxy Nexus, is still not a stable phone (although I thought it would be). Samsung is actually holding it down and implementing their own stuff to create a good user experience (thus the success of the Galaxy line). Other than that, ALL other manufacturers are literally wasting money (but producing profits) by adopting Android and Google themselves are getting much more love than they should be getting.
Creating new updates and naming them after the alphabet and weird food names is quite cheesy. That's not the issue though, it creates hype by many users - the anxiety of waiting for the next update that will 'fix all problems' - but what happens? Promises are broken, and the software is bad once again. Like the JB update - turns out it's bad and many/most users tend to agree. So much for project butter haha. It's simply not worth it, not worth stressing or wasting time on it. I realize I am doing that by typing this post, but it needed to be done. People who are making money off of it - you're fine actually.
The message I am trying to get across is that Google's android software is not worth it, we all know it's bad, and Google seriously needs to get it right before everyone hops on the iBoat. There are actually multiple little things that I tried to get across in the post. That is all.
Cool story. Feel free to jump on the iOS wagon. I, for one, really like android.
I'm with android for the customization and freedom. I came from Windows Mobile where you could change anything you wanted and fell in love with flashing custom ROMS and even had a duel boot of WM6 and android 1.0 when I first came out (hated it back then, by the way.)
I bought an iPhone 3g when they came out and sold it by the next day. As you said, it was "flawless" as far as the operation of the OS, but when the OS imposes so much control over user input what do you expect? The iPhone tells you what you're allowed to do, it's not the user that defines what the phone can do.
After dropping my Tilt 2 flat on its face and tearing the ribbon for the screen, I hit the market for a new phone. Windows Mobile was still in the hundreds, but android was a cheaper alternative. I got a Samsung Moment and never looked back.
Maybe coming from Windows Mobile to android is why I don't have as many bug complaints. WM was mostly ALL bugs and glitches. That's not why I had the phone though - I had it for the features. Namely the ability to tether, which took android AND apple several releases to incorporate into their builds, but which was plug-n-play on every WM device I owned YEARS before. I also really enjoyed Windows Voice Command, better recognized as the Sync system in Ford vehicles. I could wear my bluetooth headset and make calls, open programs, listen to music and change songs all without having to touch the phone. Once again, it took apple and Google several editions to add useful voice commands to their systems.
I still miss remote desktop. I stopped having to store music and movies on my device because I could open a program and directly access every file on my home computer and stream anything to my phone screen.
So ultimately I'm with android for the freedom. The openness. The fact that they ALLOW outside developers to exist at all! It's the creativity found in the android community that has kept me, not the hope for a "fix all" update. Personally, the only problem I've ever had with my Android phones is the actual phone app itself. Delayed ringing and sometimes the inability to answer to even slide and answer the call due to screen freezing.
That's MY rant at 5 am lol
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app
I'll have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Olivia Wilde and a cherry Coke, while we're at it (dreaming).
When you buy a new phone it should be completely yours not locked down by the manufacturer. If I want to brick I want to be able to do it.
If you really don't like it there a lot of rotten apple phones out there for you to buy.
anyway, I was on stock JB for a while, I haven't encountered all this **** your talking about. It could be faster, nicer, with more options but it is working quite well
Envoyé depuis mon Nexus S avec Tapatalk
Go get lost. Steve Job is waiting there to pay you for this iPhone advertisements in an android thread. You are required there not here. Lol....
Sent from my Nexus S
madd0g said:
I'll have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Olivia Wilde and a cherry Coke, while we're at it (dreaming).
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Scratch that lambo make it an Aston Martin Vantage V12. Regarding the other two: Plenty of cherry coke around, but we're gonna have a problem with Olivia: I won't share, no crossing swords!
I love when people try to tell me how I should feel about the products I enjoy.
Logomotph said:
Cool story. Feel free to jump on the iOS wagon. I, for one, really like android.
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I know right?
madd0g said:
I'll have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Olivia Wilde and a cherry Coke, while we're at it (dreaming).
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Can I get that with no cholesterol burger and fries?
p.pavljasevic said:
When you buy a new phone it should be completely yours not locked down by the manufacturer. If I want to brick I want to be able to do it.
If you really don't like it there a lot of rotten apple phones out there for you to buy.
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I've said this before. I hate when companies wanna slap their branding all over my 4 to 600 dollar smartphone and load it up with their crap I am never gonna use.
styckx said:
I love when people try to tell me how I should feel about the products I enjoy.
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My best friend is a iPhone fanboy. I have to show him once a month why my Nexus S 4G is better then his iPhone 4s.
to each his own, i don't mind jb's quirkyness, it's also a matter of finding just the right rom/kernel combo... can't speak for stock JB.
aokp JB 4 + marmite 4.8.7 is doing quite nice, steady & haven't had weird reboots yet
I will admit that the Nexus S has a hard time with stock Jelly Bean. It pushes the NS basically to its limits in terms of hardware capability. That said, as a daily driver, it's still very, very usable. If you want to see Jelly Bean run like a f**king champ, run it on a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 7. It's pretty amazing.
Okay I'm not favouring iOS or anything and no I'm not jumping on their wagon, and I am also not hating on Android's customization/community. I've had my Nexus S for almost 1.5 years now and I still believe it's not outdated (great camera, front-facing camera, good screen, good touch sensor)
I appreciate that Android lets its customers customize the phones more than Apple. But what about the 'majority' who don't root or install 3rd party keyboards, etc. and like to run stock? I for one am running stock and native since I believe it should give the best performance as it is made by the manufacturer. But I'm not getting that! There are the red flags going off.
Additionally, when I was referring to iOS, I mean to say mainly iPhone 4 and up. The iPhone 3 was quite bad (although still better than android at that point in time). But with iOS 5/6, sure it takes away user customization, but the majority does not anyway - they just use their phone for their intended purposes and yet experience difficulties? That's a no no. However, ONE thing I do enjoy is widgets over having iOS.
Plenty of people dont run stock as per your definition. Plenty of people use or at least tried different keyboards / launchers / messaging apps etc
Root is not required and installing those apps is no different then installing any other app like Pandora. They are also often editors choice and top selling / top free apps in the play store. People know about them and use them. You don't need a to be a hardcore user to know about and use them.
People actually do change up there apps all the time and on all platforms. Its like saying people with a iPhone shouldn't use instagram because the phone comes with a camera application out the box.
Bottom line is if the user has a option to try different apps they will. Especially if its easy for the average user to install like a normal app. Imagine for a second if winterboard was freely available in the app store and functioned the same way it does on a jail broken device. I'd bet within 24 hrs it would become the most popular app in the app store. Your argument just seems silly to me. People will and do change things are freely and easily changed
albundy2010 said:
Plenty of people dont run stock as per your definition. Plenty of people use or at least tried different keyboards / launchers / messaging apps etc
Root is not required and installing those apps is no different then installing any other app like Pandora. They are also often editors choice and top selling / top free apps in the play store. People know about them and use them. You don't need a to be a hardcore user to know about and use them.
People actually do change up there apps all the time and on all platforms. Its like saying people with a iPhone shouldn't use instagram because the phone comes with a camera application out the box.
Bottom line is if the user has a option to try different apps they will. Especially if its easy for the average user to install like a normal app. Imagine for a second if winterboard was freely available in the app store and functioned the same way it does on a jail broken device. I'd bet within 24 hrs it would become the most popular app in the app store. Your argument just seems silly to me. People will and do change things are freely and easily changed
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Wonderfully said.
Another tiny bit to add on to my previous point.
The focal point of apples marketing strategy used to be " there is a app for that". Of course this is after they decided to even include a store. Who can forget the air traffic controller getting the weather from his iPhone?
But this doesn't seem to apply to things apple thinks its users shouldn't change.
What are you going to use your nexus to do as you write it has a hard time using jelly bean? - I my self have not got complications - I think I have used jelly bean nearly from when it was free - and I for my part - find it fast and free from lack - it play film - I read a lot news on it - it is very nice to read ebooks - see tv - you name it - ok - I do not use it for play - as all play for me are more or less the same - but ells I injoy jelly bean on my nexus s
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
albundy2010 said:
Plenty of people dont run stock as per your definition. Plenty of people use or at least tried different keyboards / launchers / messaging apps etc
Root is not required and installing those apps is no different then installing any other app like Pandora. They are also often editors choice and top selling / top free apps in the play store. People know about them and use them. You don't need a to be a hardcore user to know about and use them.
People actually do change up there apps all the time and on all platforms. Its like saying people with a iPhone shouldn't use instagram because the phone comes with a camera application out the box.
Bottom line is if the user has a option to try different apps they will. Especially if its easy for the average user to install like a normal app. Imagine for a second if winterboard was freely available in the app store and functioned the same way it does on a jail broken device. I'd bet within 24 hrs it would become the most popular app in the app store. Your argument just seems silly to me. People will and do change things are freely and easily changed
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I don't understand, you're going off on apps when I am not talking about customization. I am just talking about the performance of the phone and the bugs it has. Let me be specific - as I unlock my phone, i swipe through home screens = lag. I open my camera, it takes a while at times = lag. I scroll through a list, and it lags on me. Even though it is minuscule Google needs to clean it up, since I never see it on an iOS device which is a fair comparison as it is the leading competitor.
I am not talking about apps or anything, I think we and everyone has already established that it has more customization. I know most users have 'tried' some customizable app that is not available to iOS but that is no excuse for the actual performance bugs it has. I don't play games (like rarely maybe) on the phone and don't have a huge load of apps installed either. Things just aren't nifty..and it is taking them years to get it right but they'd rather focus on other feature additions which also work poorly.
You are the one who brought up that entire what about the majority of the people out there that don't run third party keyboards etc.
You brought it up. I said it was rubbish.
Android has always been laggy compared to iOS. Apple did a good job with that from the beginning.
The majority of your op is simply not worthy of responding to. Actually I re read it just now and I consider it all entirely flame bait/ trolling. You joined the forum 3 days prior to that as well. Not bothering with that type of silly debate/flaming.
Your 2nd post in the thread actually had something I felt was worth giving a legit response to.
It can be due to Google not paying enough attention to this device, however, I urge you to try new phones like the Nexus and this upcoming LG Nexus. For me, Jelly Bean have been smooth all the way through. Lag is inevitable on this device due to its old single core cpu.
We are atleast fortunate to retain nearly all the features from the latest Android version, Apple withheld features from old phones on purpose so you have to buy their newest and most expensive device.
The Android 4.2, JellyBean update will not be available for Nexus S or Motorola XOOM users.
This news was confirmed by Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru, who stated that both devices will remain running Android 4.1.2.
The reasoning behind the software not updating to the latest build of Android is due to the older hardware included on the Nexus S and Motorola XOOM.
There were already reports of Android 4.1 running slow on both devices, so updating to the newer build would not be the best idea.
The Android 4.2 JellyBean update finally rolled out to Nexus 4 pre-release users earlier this week.
The Nexus 4 smartphone will now have the ability to upgrade to the latest version on Android 4.2, which brings features that Google has previously covered such as Lock screen widgets and Multi-user support.
Lock screen widgets appear on the device's lock screen and allows the user to customize them in order to view their calendar, email, and to also identify music with Sound Search.
Multi-user support is an interesting feature that allows Nexus 10 users to share their tablet with others by creating separate customizable spaces for each person. In order to log in, users can simply turn on their tablet and tap their photo and they will be able to access their own customized version of their homescreen, apps, email, photos, and storage.
Users can customize their homescreen by choosing a wallpaper, adding favorite apps and games from Google Play, creating folders, and arranging beautiful widgets by dragging and dropping.
A Google spokesperson confirmed to 9to5 Google that Nexus 10 and Nexus 4 users will be prompted to install the update once they power up their devices for the first time.
Google has also introduced a new security feature on Android 4.2, JellyBean, that aims to reduce the running of malware on an Android device.
A similar software to this was released in the past with Bouncer, which was available in the Google Play store .
Bouncer checked applications in the Play store for malicious content.
Now Google has implemented similar software directly into the Android operating system that will detect any foul play coming from foreign programs.
Sent from my Nexus S™ i9020A
Really detailed information. Thanks for sharing.
yes its a sad news fir nexus s users
Sent from my Nexus S™ i9020A
I think the nexus can handle it, with the right optimization. But that's too much work for a nexus device apparently. Don't get me started on the Xoom. Yes, dual core doesn't always mean better, but the CPU definitely was better than the ns, and with a gig of ram (same as the gnex), it should run.
/rant
P.s detailed post, thanks dude
Sent from my awesome Nexus S
My nexus handles 4.2 pretty well. That's bull****
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
BenHeng said:
My nexus handles 4.2 pretty well. That's bull****
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
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you use the dark one rom ?
leap_ahead said:
you use the dark one rom ?
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There is already a stable ROM on 4.2? Our is it one of the two teaser ROMs in Dev section?
Sent from my Nexus S
OP - I'll believe it when I see it.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
>Implying we won't get it via CM10.1
chupchip said:
>Implying we won't get it via CM10.1
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I hope we will get it through CM when they start CM10.1
Sent from my GT-P6800 using Tapatalk 2
4.2 with some luck we get it by xda dev i think ...
Thé from I am the dark one is kinda good almost everything is working. it is my daily driver :
The only annoying bug is that gesture typing doesn't work if you flash a custom kernel , either through swype or stock keyboard.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
maybe the 4.2 have no bg difference on 4.1.2, i believe theres someone out there who will port it for nexus s users.
Sent from my Nexus S™ i9020A
Warren_Orange said:
OP - I'll believe it when I see it.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
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JBQ did really say that.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/android-building/-ymcoMuDAbA/3cotWkQ-20wJ
how i wish that my gathered news was a false palm but looks like they are serious about it
I think it was a good decision on Google's part. I really had issues with the RAM requirements of JB and ICS. It always ran fairly slow when you got any heavy app running like Chrome or Maps or certain games. It really comes down to the apps being heavy but on GB the 50 - 100mb of RAM not being used by the OS really tends to go a long way when you have such hungry apps running.
tldr; Nexus S needs more ram to run JB well. I ended up going back to a GB rom (in my sig)
snowmanwithahat said:
I think it was a good decision on Google's part. I really had issues with the RAM requirements of JB and ICS. It always ran fairly slow when you got any heavy app running like Chrome or Maps or certain games. It really comes down to the apps being heavy but on GB the 50 - 100mb of RAM not being used by the OS really tends to go a long way when you have such hungry apps running.
tldr; Nexus S needs more ram to run JB well. I ended up going back to a GB rom (in my sig)
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This is not 100% true. If you use an debloated JB ROM with a kernel having Big Mem patch, Nexus S won't let you down (except for high end 3D games). I am running 4.2 on my Nexus S now and I have 140 MB free RAM with stock kernel. If I'll flash bedalus kernel, I think I'll have even more.
This decision from google is let's say just political
so true, with the help of bedalus marmite kernel you will got 400+mb free mem.
i think the OS are not the issue but the apps and processor matters also the internal memory...
Google mocks us!
Since I passed under android 4.2, my Nexus S works much better than before. Réactivity & performance too. I think Google wants us to change for the Nexus 4 is now impossible to buy!
even its not coming, no problem coz we already have 4.2.1 on my nexus s
thanks articudos for making Jellyshot v1.0 android version 4.2.1 , thanks for making our dream come true
here for those who want the said version
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023699
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
Android 5.0 release date
Google has announced that its next developer conference - Google IO - will take place from May 15 to May 17 2013, a month earlier than 2012's June dates. Given that Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at 2012's IO conference, it's not unreasonable to expect to see Android 5.0 at this year's event On 31 January, a Google IO showing of Android 5.0 looked more likely when screengrabs of a Qualcomm roadmap were leaked, showing Android 5.0 as breaking cover between April and June 2013.
Android 5.0 phones
Rumours of a new Nexus handset started trickling in during the third quarter of 2012, as we reported on 1 October 2012. There was speculation that this phone would be sporting Key Lime Pie, but sources who spoke to AndroidAndMe correctly claimed that the handset, which turned out to be the Google Nexus 4 would be running Android Jelly Bean.
While the Nexus 4 didn't appear with a helping of Key Lime Pie, speculation that we reported on 21 January 2013 suggests that the Motorola X Phone is the Android 5.0-toting handset that will be revealed at Google IO. According to a post on the DroidForums website, the phone will also feature a virtually bezel-free, edge-to-edge, 5-inch display.
The same leaked Qualcomm documents cited above also made mention of a two new Snapdragon devices, one of which will be, unsurprisingly, a new Nexus phone.
Android 5.0 features
For 24 hours, it seemed as though the first kinda, sorta confirmed feature for Android 5.0 was a Google Now widget, which briefly appeared in a screenshot on the company's support forum before being taken down. As it was so hurriedly pulled, many people assumed it was slated for the big five-o and accidentally revealed early.
As it happened, the following day, on 13 February 2013, the Google Now widget rolled out to Jelly Bean.
So while we wait on Key Lime Pie features to be revealed and scour the web for more Android 5.0 news, TechRadar writer Gary Cutlack has been thinking about what we want to see in Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Hopefully the new mobile OS will feature some of these things...
Performance Profiles
It's bit of a fuss managing your mobile before bed time. Switching off the sound, turning off data, activating airplane mode and so on, so what Android 5.0 really needs is a simple way of managing performance, and therefore power use, automatically.
We've been given a taste of this with Blocking Mode in Samsung's Jelly Bean update on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Note 2 but we'd like to see the functionality expanded.
Something like a Gaming mode for max power delivery, an Overnight low-power state for slumbering on minimal power and maybe a Reading mode for no bothersome data connections and a super-low backlight.
Some hardware makers put their own little automated tools in, such as the excellent Smart Actions found within Motorola's RAZR interface, but it'd be great to see Google give us a simple way to manage states.
Another little power strip style widget for phone performance profiles would be an easy way to do it.
Better multiple device support
Google already does quite a good job of supporting serious Android nerds who own several phones and tablets, but there are some holes in its coverage that are rather frustrating.
Take the Videos app which manages your film downloads through the Play Store. Start watching a film on one Android device and you're limited to resuming your film session on that same unit, making it impossible to switch from phone to tablet mid-film.
You can switch between phone and web site players to resume watching, but surely Google ought to understand its fans often have a couple of phones and tabs on the go and fix this for Android Key Lime Pie?
Enhanced social network support
Android doesn't really do much for social network users out of the box, with most of the fancy social widgets and features coming from the hardware makers through their own custom skins.
Sony integrates Facebook brilliantly in its phones, and even LG makes a great social network aggregator widget that incorporates Facebook and Twitter - so why are there no cool aggregator apps as part of the standard Android setup?
Yes, Google does a great job of pushing Google+, but, no offence, there are many other more widely used networks that ought to be a little better "baked in" to Android.
Line-drawing keyboard options
Another area where the manufacturers have taken a big leap ahead of Google is in integrating clever alternate text entry options in their keyboards. HTC and Sony both offer their own takes on the Swype style of line-drawing text input, which is a nice option to have for getting your words onto a telephone. Get it into Android 5.0 and give us the choice.
A video chat app
How odd is it that Google's put a front-facing camera on the Nexus 7 and most hardware manufacturers do the same on their phones and tablets, yet most ship without any form of common video chat app?
You have to download Skype and hope it works, or find some other downloadable app solution. Why isn't there a Google Live See My Face Chat app of some sort as part of Android? Is it because we're too ugly? Is that what you're saying, Google?
Multi-select in the contacts
The Android contacts section is pretty useful, but it could be managed a little better. What if you have the idea of emailing or texting a handful of your friends? The way that's currently done is by emailing one, then adding the rest individually. Some sort of checkbox system that let users scroll through names and create a mailing list on the fly through the contacts listing in Android Key Lime Pie would make this much easier.
Cross-device SMS sync
If you're a constant SIM swapper with more than one phone on the go, chances are you've lost track of your text messages at some point. Google stores these on the phone rather than the SIM card, so it'd be nice if our texts could be either backed up to the SIM, the SD card, or beamed up to the magical invisible cloud of data, for easy and consistent access across multiple devices.
A "Never Update" option
This would annoy developers so is unlikely to happen, but it'd be nice if we could refuse app updates permanently in Android 5.0, just in case we'd rather stick with a current version of a tool than be forced to upgrade.
Sure, you can set apps to manual update and then just ignore the update prompt forever, but it'd be nice to know we can keep a favoured version of an app without accidentally updating it. Some of us are still using the beta Times app, for example, which has given free access for a year.
App preview/freebie codes
Something Apple's been doing for ages and ages is using a promo code system to distribute free or review versions of apps. It even makes doing little competitions to drum up publicity for apps much easier, so why's there no similar scheme for Android?
It might encourage developers to stop going down the ad-covered/freemium route if they could charge for an app but still give it away to friends and fans through a promo code system.
Final whinges and requests...
It's be nice to be able to sort the Settings screen by alphabetical order, too, or by most commonly used or personal preference, as Android's so packed with a huge list of options these days it's a big old list to scroll through and pick out what you need.
Plus could we have a percentage count for the battery in the Notifications bar for Android 5.0? Just so we know a bit more info than the vague emptying battery icon.
(Source)
Okay I wanted to drop this in about video chat. You say that Google doesn't have one right? Of I remember correctly Google talk has video.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
jlmancuso said:
Okay I wanted to drop this in about video chat. You say that Google doesn't have one right? Of I remember correctly Google talk has video.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one is built in,you dont have to look for it and install it from 3rd party.
Diablo67 said:
This one is built in,you dont have to look for it and install it from 3rd party.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google talk has built in video chat, you don't have to install anything its preloaded on every android phone for as long as I can remember.
I like to break stuff!
-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
Google talk has built in video chat, you don't have to install anything its preloaded on every android phone for as long as I can remember.
I like to break stuff!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the gapps i ever installed didnt,but yes on a sense rom you can find it and maybe an official ICS or JB that is meant for a certain phone.So i should have reworded that.You are correct though.
hi guys i'm a new member to this community and i'm ready to change from apple and IOS to android which i have never use..
i have find to sell my iphone and with that money to buy the nexus 4. During the last 3 weeks i have read and view many reviews about the nexus 4 and i believe it's a great phone !
what do you think will be the difficulties that i will face during this transition between the two different softwares??
is finally the nexus 4 a better phone than the iphone 4s?
thanks in advance for your answers!!
If your a techie, you shouldn't have any problems and you should be able to guide yourself through Android. Everything you need is in the Notification Drawer! You might have a hard time adjusting to no physical home button, but you'll get used to it. Music is just drag and drop, or it would be worth it to download Google Play Music on your computer and sync your music in the cloud. Just explore the phone the day you get it. I personally like the overall look and feel of Android more than iOS. Welcome to the best Android experience out there, a Nexus 4!!!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Gorjira said:
If your a techie, you shouldn't have any problems and you should be able to guide yourself through Android. Everything you need is in the Notification Drawer! You might have a hard time adjusting to no physical home button, but you'll get used to it. Music is just drag and drop, or it would be worth it to download Google Play Music on your computer and sync your music in the cloud. Just explore the phone the day you get it. I personally like the overall look and feel of Android more than iOS. Welcome to the best Android experience out there, a Nexus 4!!!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your answer!!!
Like most iPhone users, you're going to spend weeks posting threads asking how to exactly replicate iPhone functionality before realizing that the Android experience is different and you just need to learn new ways of working.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
stefanos7 said:
hi guys i'm a new member to this community and i'm ready to change from apple and IOS to android which i have never use..
i have find to sell my iphone and with that money to buy the nexus 4. During the last 3 weeks i have read and view many reviews about the nexus 4 and i believe it's a great phone !
what do you think will be the difficulties that i will face during this transition between the two different softwares??
is finally the nexus 4 a better phone than the iphone 4s?
thanks in advance for your answers!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any phone is better than an iPhone.
Just kidding, but seriously. don't get me wrong, iPhones are good phones, they really are. People get them cause they like them, I get androids because I like them. Spec wise, Nexus 4 blows iPhones away. IMO, Nexus 4's are way better than any of the iPhones out right now. I talked to my friends who went from iPhones to Androids, and they said the only difficulty they had was getting used to how the OS is. iPhones are simple, and straight forward. Theres not much you can change about an iPhone unless you jailbreak it. Androids are customizable right out of the box.Only problem you MIGHT face is getting used to android.
@mrjoeltan: I agree with you, just want to add: I feel that android, starting jelly bean, doesn't require any customization. Let me explain.
For the longest time, people compared android to iOS this way: iOS you can't customize, but it works pretty amazingly right out of the box. Android, on the other hand, can be customized to incredible levels; however, right out of the box it is not a great experience. And up till jelly bean, I agreed with this claim.
What I think changed in the last half year is that now android (jelly bean, so Nexus 4 for sure) is as amazing out of the box as iOS, with the added ability to customize the sh*t out of it if you want to.
To not be completely off topic:
There will be very few things you need to "learn" during transition. I think the largest one is the way system handles settings of notifications and alerts: b/c iOS uses only its own push notifications, all sound settings for all apps are done in the "settings" app. Android is a bit different- the apps keep a service running in background for themselves, and so you have to edit sound/alert settings in the apps themselves. The reward for this is that apps can have more advanced notifications with popup menus, repeated alerts etc. They will all appear in your notification drawer, but they can do more.
Music is simple drag-and-drop.
Other difference is handling of files. PDFs will first download, only then you can click on them to view them. They will be stored in the "Download" folder, accessible either via the "Downloads" app or via file manager of your choice (I recommend installing one).
If you have more apps that allow opening some file (ie, you have Adobe Reader and the built-in quickoffice viewer), when you click on a PDF (or some other supported file, even link), you will have a window allowing you to choose what program should open the given file. (don't worry, you can set defaults and not worry about it again)
I suggest you set all google maps links to default to the google maps app, not the browser. Similarly, set all youtube links to go to the youtube app, not the browser.
Hope I helped!
matus201 said:
@mrjoeltan: I agree with you, just want to add: I feel that android, starting jelly bean, doesn't require any customization. Let me explain.
For the longest time, people compared android to iOS this way: iOS you can't customize, but it works pretty amazingly right out of the box. Android, on the other hand, can be customized to incredible levels; however, right out of the box it is not a great experience. And up till jelly bean, I agreed with this claim.
What I think changed in the last half year is that now android (jelly bean, so Nexus 4 for sure) is as amazing out of the box as iOS, with the added ability to customize the sh*t out of it if you want to.
To not be completely off topic:
There will be very few things you need to "learn" during transition. I think the largest one is the way system handles settings of notifications and alerts: b/c iOS uses only its own push notifications, all sound settings for all apps are done in the "settings" app. Android is a bit different- the apps keep a service running in background for themselves, and so you have to edit sound/alert settings in the apps themselves. The reward for this is that apps can have more advanced notifications with popup menus, repeated alerts etc. They will all appear in your notification drawer, but they can do more.
Music is simple drag-and-drop.
Other difference is handling of files. PDFs will first download, only then you can click on them to view them. They will be stored in the "Download" folder, accessible either via the "Downloads" app or via file manager of your choice (I recommend installing one).
If you have more apps that allow opening some file (ie, you have Adobe Reader and the built-in quickoffice viewer), when you click on a PDF (or some other supported file, even link), you will have a window allowing you to choose what program should open the given file. (don't worry, you can set defaults and not worry about it again)
I suggest you set all google maps links to default to the google maps app, not the browser. Similarly, set all youtube links to go to the youtube app, not the browser.
Hope I helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you all for your help!!
I have just ordered the 16 gb with the official bumper!!
i will return with my first impressions as soon as I have it in my hands!
Welcome to the world of Android. You will really enjoy the Nexus 4. The phone is smooth as butter and the customization is fantastic. I actually replaced the standard launcher with Nova Prime launcher as it offers even more customization than the standard launcher.
if you have your iphone jailbroken, it will be easier to port to Android, have fun..
Definitely get back and let us know if you have any questions - I just held my boyfriend's hand through his iPhone to Nexus 4 transition (I give great Valentines presents!), so I'm sure some of your questions will either pop up for him or already have.
calanizzle said:
if you have your iphone jailbroken, it will be easier to port to Android, have fun..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have jailbroken it in the past once but now my iphone is without
qocarekeri said:
Definitely get back and let us know if you have any questions - I just held my boyfriend's hand through his iPhone to Nexus 4 transition (I give great Valentines presents!), so I'm sure some of your questions will either pop up for him or already have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you (great gift!!)
I'm sure about that
how does your boyfriend finally feel with your gift??
does he miss the iphone?
You wont regret buying and android device like the nexus 4.
IMO android is much more flexible customisable and powerful than iOS. The iOS is soo God darn easy to use because there isn't much to do in it. It has a homescreen and... Well that's pretty much it!
But android 4.0+ combines ease of use and great functionality. Once you switch to android and start using all of its features, you'll never go back.
Oh and BTW, I think the Nexus 4 looks damn sexy, looks better than an iPhone.
stefanos7 said:
I have jailbroken it in the past once but now my iphone is without
thank you (great gift!!)
I'm sure about that
how does your boyfriend finally feel with your gift??
does he miss the iphone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was an adjustment period for him - how do I get X, where can I find apps, where is X setting.
He was a little pouty at the beginning of the process, but after a month or so, he's up and running and very happy. The main thing that he missed was a collection settings that covered all apps.
-Keri
qocarekeri said:
There was an adjustment period for him - how do I get X, where can I find apps, where is X setting.
He was a little pouty at the beginning of the process, but after a month or so, he's up and running and very happy. The main thing that he missed was a collection settings that covered all apps.
-Keri
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I can see how that could be a problem. However I went the other way (Android to an iPad) and was greatly dissatisfied with the super easy and noob setting of iOS.
On topic, I would suggest OP to use the phone for a couple months, before venturing into any customization options (rooting, kernels, ROMs, launchers etc). Getting used to Android could take you a while but once you get used to it your production will be greatly improved.
wngmv said:
On topic, I would suggest OP to use the phone for a couple months, before venturing into any customization options (rooting, kernels, ROMs, launchers etc). Getting used to Android could take you a while but once you get used to it your production will be greatly improved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And when you decide to do so, follow the link in my signature. Do not use a toolkit!
Good luck with it all, you'll love it! Let us know if you need any help. :thumbup:
wngmv said:
Yeah I can see how that could be a problem. However I went the other way (Android to an iPad) and was greatly dissatisfied with the super easy and noob setting of iOS.
On topic, I would suggest OP to use the phone for a couple months, before venturing into any customization options (rooting, kernels, ROMs, launchers etc). Getting used to Android could take you a while but once you get used to it your production will be greatly improved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I used an iPad recently and I actually found it very counter-intuitive having all of the individual app settings under the general settings app. I wanted to sign out of the email app for example but I genuinely could not find a way to do it from within the app itself, and ended up having to go to settings then manage accounts or something similar. In Android I just hit menu in any app I'm using and I can be certain that there will be some sort of settings or options button, which to me seems much more logical since if I want to change an app setting the likelihood is that I'm using that app already. Obviously the opposite will apply for users moving from iOS to Android, but I think I'm just so used to Android now that iOS simply doesn't work for me.
Vangelis13 said:
And when you decide to do so, follow the link in my signature. Do not use a toolkit!
Good luck with it all, you'll love it! Let us know if you need any help. :thumbup:
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Click to collapse
ok thanks a lot for your help i will follow your advice !!
however you could find a better avatar!! the red one!!!heheh
na sai kala!!