Category: update

Lenovo Vibe Z receives KitKat update

Daniel Morial Leave a comment

We just reviewed Lenovo Vibe Z last week. It is the current flagship offering of Lenovo but it shipped with a dated Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean.” Now, we just received the Android 4.4.2 “KitKat” update and here’s what changed.

The screenshots are taken from our review unit with the theme named “Pulse” that was selected by default after the update process. It screams iOS at first glance due to the icons and the transitions it has.

But since Lenovo has its own “Theme Center”, you can immediately revert back to your own chosen theme before having the update. There’s no official change log yet but here is what we’ve noticed:

1. Roboto font is used for icon labels and system notification
2. Camera shortcut on lockscreen
3. Frosted glass background effect for notification tray
4. New transition effects
5. New icons
6. Smoother performance

If you have a Lenovo Vibe Z, head to the system settings and do the update. The update is a hefty 1.21GB download.

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Galaxy S III (GT-I9300) and S III Mini won’t get KitKat

Daniel Morial Leave a comment

Sad news for users of the Samsung Galaxy S III international variant and the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini. Samsung officially confirmed that the latest Android update will not be available for the two year old flagship and its mini version.

Friends from SamMobile reached out to Samsung to clarify the confusion about the awaited update to the former flagship and here’s the response:

“In order to facilitate an effective upgrade on the Google platform, various hardware performances such as the memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), multi-tasking capabilities, and display must meet certain technical expectations. The Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions come equipped with 1GB RAM, which does not allow them to effectively support the platform upgrade. As a result of the Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions’ hardware limitation, they cannot effectively support the platform upgrade while continuing to provide the best consumer experience. Samsung has decided not to roll-out the KitKat upgrade to Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions, and the KitKat upgrade will be available to the Galaxy S3 LTE version as the device’s 2GB RAM is enough to support the platform upgrade.” – Samsung Mobile UK

After recent leaks that suggested the doom of the best-selling smartphone before, we finally got a confirmation. Yes, the culprit here is the 1GB of RAM but it’s KitKat, right? It should work well even on 512MB RAM phones. But this is Samsung and their TouchWiz skin adds a lot of features to the phone that might be the reason for this downfall.

The Samsung Galaxy S III went from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean while the Galaxy S III Mini began its software journey with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and until 4.2 only.

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How to run the new Facebook UI (for Android only)

Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

Facebook is getting ready on releasing a new UI for its Android app for quite a while now and apparently, anyone can experience it before it even comes out by simply following these steps.

facebook-update

Basically the new UI is available to anyone that runs a version 9.0 of the app, and in order to use that version one must become an Alpha tester for Facebook. Don’t worry, though, since becoming an Alpha tester is pretty simple.

Here are the steps to get Facebook’s new user interface running on your Android devices:

  1. Make sure you are not a Beta Facebook tester. If you are, simply leave the Google Group under Settings.
  2. Become an alpha tester by joining this Google Group.
  3. Follow the link in the Google Group to download the alpha version of the app from Google Play. (If you are asked to “Become a tester” before you hit the Facebook landing page on Google Play, click “Become a Tester.”)
  4. Push the application to whichever Android device you would like from Google Play.
  5. Log into the Facebook application on your phone after it is installed.
  6. You should now have the new flat Facebook UI.

The source notes that if your trial is unsuccessful and you don’t see the new interface but are sure that you’re running version 9.0 and up, click the “Clear Data” found under the app’s settings. That should do the trick.

There’s also an alternative method to doing this and it involves sideloading the APK unto the device. Head on to the source for the download link.

Let us know if you guys were able to successfully try it out!

{Source}

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Android 4.4.3’s alleged list of bug fixes enumerated

Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

While people are looking forward to the next major Android update from Google (Lollipop?), sources suggest that KitKat might have one last hurrah to address the current bugs plaguing 4.4.2’s users. Read the full list of bug fixes after the break.

nexusae0_wm_4.4.3_thumb

According to reports, here are the list of remedies for the Android 4.4.3:

  • frequent data connection dropout fix
  • mm-qcamera-daemon crash and optimization fixes
  • camera focus in regular and HDR modes fixes
  • Power Manager display wakelock fix
  • multiple Bluetooth fixes
  • fix for a random reboot
  • app shortcuts sometimes got removed from launcher after update
  • USB debugging security fix
  • app shortcuts security fix
  • Wi-Fi auto-connect fix
  • other camera fixes
  • MMS, Email/Exchange, Calendar, People/Dialer/Contacts, DSP, IPv6, VPN fixes
  • stuck in activation screen fix
  • missed call LED fix
  • subtitle fixes
  • data usage graph fix
  • Internet telephony fix
  • FCC compliance fix
  • miscellaneous fixes

This list is still a bit vague, but at least we can get an idea as to which department the company is targeting the rumored Android update. Stay tuned as we’ll be sure to update you when things start to get official.

{Via} {Source}

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Sony Xperia devices to get Android KitKat updates

Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

Fresh from Sony’s blogsite is an announcement that Android KitKat updates for the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra, and Xperia Z1 Compact “starts right about now”. Not only that, the company also has a couple of niceties for its users. They also announced the devices that are next in line for the update.

sony kitkat

On top of the standard performance and UI optimization of the latest Android update, Sony has thrown in a few extras to go along with it:

  • Tweaked Status Bar and Quick Settings are more intuitive and customizable so you only get the notifications you need
  • Sony PlayStation 4-inspired user interface
  • Proprietary apps like Messaging, MyXperia, Smart Connect, Sony Select, Smart Social Camera get updated and improved
  • Sony’s media apps integrated with Sony Entertainment Network & PlayMemories with more intuitive UI, better download speeds, and more
  • Xperia themes with downloadable UI packs from Sony Select

Sony has also announced what other Xperia devices will get the Android KitKat update.

Starting mid Q2:

No definite date but sure to get KitKat updates:

Do consider that update availability varies by country and carrier. If you own one of the aforementioned devices and still haven’t gotten your fix, you may manually check by going to the About Device option in the Settings of your Xperia device at the scheduled date.

{Source}

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