#Nexus 4 expiration delayed with CyanogenMod 14.1 Nougat

 Market analysts would say that the average turnover rate for most smartphones is two years, which is exactly how long most contracts last anyway. That is true even for Google’s Nexus devices. In that sense, the Nexus 4, launched way back in 2012, is way past its due date. But for those still with a perfectly serviceable unit, news of its death has been largely exaggerated. Especially now that there’s a CyanogenMod 14.1 nightly image for it, bringing the nutty goodness of Nougat to the phone.




To be clear, this is far from being a “stable” version of Android 7.0 Nougat for the Nexus 4, though CyanogenMod itself has done away with such labels for its rolling releases. The nightly builds, which are cooked, well, nightly, come with no guarantee of stability, which may change daily. But those who own a Nexus 4 hungry from some new dessert, they will most likely take what they can.

The biggest question will be whether it will be worth it for owners to risk running CM 14.1 nightly on their smartphone. The Nexus 4 definitely doesn’t have the hardware to support many of the features introduced in Android 7.0 and the upcoming 7.1. At the very least, the device’s aging hardware might not be able to handle much of those features in the first place. Still, as far as having the latest Android version is concerned, it is one of the only paths available for those who want to live on the cutting edge.

There is, however, no guarantee that the nightly builds will continue ad infinitum. Unlike Cyanogen OS, CyanogenMod development and support for devices is a purely volunteer-based work of love and enthusiasm. Should maintainers for the Nexus 4 branch meet an insurmountable problem, they are likely to drop work on it. Or wait for Android O.

Slashgear.com

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These year’s new #Nexus phones could be 2016’s most powerful handsets

A new report last week stated that HTC is working on two new Nexus smartphones that will be released this year. It’s OK if you missed it — the report hit while most of the tech world was checking out Apple’s new software goodies. The rumor echoed earlier reports that claimed HTC might make two Nexus devices in 2016, and the new report said that both of these Nexus phones will sport slightly improved processors. genesis mining promo code

Early last week Focus Taiwan picked up a report from India Today that said HTC secured orders from Google to make two smartphones, coded Marlin and Sailfish.

India Today speculated that Marlin and Sailfish could be based on the HTC 10 if the rumors it heard are accurate. However, both devices could be powered by the Snapdragon 821 processor instead of the Snapdragon 820 that’s inside the HTC 10 and many other flagships from the competition, including the Galaxy S7, the LG G5 and the OnePlus 3.

The report said that the 2016 Nexus phones would be faster than competing Android flagship devices, adding that the Galaxy Note 7 and the Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe could also make use of the same processor.

Google is expected to release the final build of Android N at some point this summer, at which point new Nexus hardware should also be launched.

Bgr.com

Google Launches Nexus 5, Android KitKat

Google unveiled its next-generation smartphone, the Nexus 5, alongside the Android 4.4 operating system KitKat, at a press event in San Francisco Thursday.

The Nexus 5, a 5-inch smartphone, goes on sale Thursday for $349 without a contract in its 16GB incarnation, and $399 for the 32GB version. Both are available in black and white.

It's a slim, lightweight device, a third of an inch thick, weighing 4.59 oz. The phone boasts a speedy Snapdragon 800 processor and "packs a pretty mean punch," said Dave Burke, Google's Android engineering director.

The greatest innovation on the Nexus 5 is its camera lens, which moves within the phone to compensate for your movement. "You don't have to worry about shaky hands," said Burke. A new HDR+ mode selects and stitches together the best possible shot from a burst of pictures.

But the company spent most of the event touting the new OS. KitKat is designed to work across all Android devices, especially in emerging markets. Other Nexus devices will get the update "in the coming weeks," according to Google.

Its apps have been fine-tuned to use less computing power, said Sundar Pichai, head of Android. The Chrome browser, for example, will use 16% less power in KitKat compared to its predecessor, JellyBean.

Google has also improved its voice recognition software, which can now be accessed from any screen by saying "OK Google." A translucent Google search bar will be available on all screens. Search results will include an option to take you directly to apps — for example, to the Open Table reservations app when you're searching for a restaurant.

Google Now, the location-aware search service, will provide more results based on what people around you are searching. The phone app offers numbers for businesses around you, even if they aren't in your contacts, and Google Cloud Print will offer more options to print directly from Android phones.

Mashable

Four Bright Ideas at the 2010 CES

LAS VEGAS (TheStreet) -- Every January, the annual migration that defines the gadget biz begins in the high Las Vegas desert: There Microsoft(MSFT Quote), Sony(SNE Quote), Google(GOOG Quote), Dell(DELL Quote) -- every electronic somebody except Apple(AAPL Quote) -- flocks to the Consumer Electronics Show to get a glimpse of what's hot for the coming year.

That begins an 11-1/2 month cycle of sniping, clobbering, discounting and otherwise trying to sell as much of this gear as possible by Dec. 24. Don't let all the Femtocells, Wi-Fi, 3-D screens fool you. This business is exactly that simple

Once again, it's January -- how did that happen? -- so here's what's hot for this year's CES and for 2010. The CES, the largest consumer-technology trade show, with 2,700 vendors, runs from Jan. 7 to 10.

1. The Google Nexus One (probably about $550): In case you haven't heard, Google's got a phone. Though Google spokeswoman Carolyn Penner flatly told me the company has not shared one single public detail of this unit, that has not stopped the collective tech press from reporting literally hundreds of stories on a $500-ish Android 2.1, touch-enabled Google phone to be released in the first week in January at an event at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Though I expect this unit to be of limited actual use (the Google everything-should-be-free thing has magically disappeared here -- $550 for a phone!), the unit will almost certainly dominate CES coverage.

2. 3-D displays. (Price varies.): Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo and other mega-display makers are facing a make-or-break year. Cheap upstarts like Vizio are killing them in most TV categories. So the industry is going all-in on pricey displays that create the illusion of depth. Expect a mind-boggling array of 3-D-imaging devices for games, TV and point-of-sale. Two to look for: Technicolor's demo of a low-end 3-D system that could jumpstart deployment for cheaper TVs. And a Tokyo-based research project called Aerial 3-D Display Project. In other words, a display that looks something like R2D2 projecting Princess Leia saying, "Help me, Obi-Wan." That boils down to a TV without the actual TV. Not bad.

3. The desktop photo studio -- Ortery Technologies Photosimile 5000. (Price TBA.): Small-business owners listen up: Irvine, Calif.-based Ortery Technologies has a cool idea: a desktop product-imaging device called the Photosimile 5000. Basically, it's a white background about the size of a large microwave married to a high-quality digital camera. Simply stick any item (up to a size of a decent handbag), click a few buttons on a PC and the unit coughs up a high-quality 2- and 3-D image. Have some stinky old merchandise you can't move? This gadget gets it up on eBay(EBAY Quote) fast.

4. The connected car: Here is this year's big idea: the car as gadget. None other than Ford Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally will be in Vegas hyping his new riff on a smart-car technology dubbed Sync. The 2010 model year will offer what amounts to a mobile hotspot that allows for easier cell and data integration as you drive. And though Ford, GM(MTLQQ Quote) and Toyota(TM Quote) deserve credit for raising auto IQ, with tools like this, the smarter car is going to be a tough slog. Remember, all cars run on the dumbest thing ever invented: rubber tires. There is not much a little Wi-Fi and data connectivity can do for that.