Samsung pauses Android 4.3 update for Galaxy S III following reports of glitches

Posted on 19/11/2013 by Jon Fingas

Samsung was apparently too hasty in rolling out its Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S III. The phone maker says that it has paused the upgrade following reports of audio hiccups, excessive battery drain and freezes. There's no word on when the upgrade will resume, although we suspect that Samsung will take its time stamping out as many bugs as possible. In the meantime, those who upgraded too quickly (or are still running Android 4.1) will just have to be patient.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Fone Arena

Source: SamMobile

Sprint’s HTC One gets Android 4.3, other US carriers to follow this month

Posted on 02/10/2013 by Sarah Silbert

Owners of the unlocked HTC One have already received the update to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but now it's time for the smartphone's US carrier variants to get the goods. HTC USA took to Twitter today to announce that the 4.3 rollout is starting for Sprint customers now, with AT&T and T-Mobile set to get the update later in mid-October and Verizon by the end of the month. The latest version of Jelly Bean, for those who need a refresher, brings improved low-light camera performance, a battery charging percentage indicator and the usual bug fixes. Have an HTC One on Sprint? Let us know if you've received the latest software -- and what you think -- in the comments.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, HTC, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

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Via: Android Beat

Source: HTC USA (Twitter)

Android 4.3 arriving for Galaxy S III and Galaxy S 4 in October

Posted on 04/09/2013 by Michael Gorman

Today's Unpacked event was all about Samsung's new Notes and its Galaxy Gear, but there's good news for folks with older hardware. Turns out, Android 4.3 is coming to the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S 4 in October along with the update that'll add Galaxy Gear functionality to the GS 4. Let's hope none of the Nexus gremlins made their way into Samsung's Galaxy.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Android Open Source Project now has latest 4.3 fixes for most Nexus hardware

Posted on 23/08/2013 by Nicole Lee

The latest Android 4.3 updates brought a slate of unfortunate software bugs to the party and to Google's own Nexus devices, ironically enough. Thankfully, the Mountain View crew is hard at work patching things up, as evidenced by the Nexus 7 update earlier today that resolved its multi-touch and GPS issues. Now those fixes are up on AOSP as well, not only with the aforementioned JSS15Q build for the 7-inch tablet, but also the JWR66Y for the rest of the recent Nexus clan. The reasoning behind having two fixes instead of one was the addition of an extra bit of code unique to the Nexus 7; they'll be incorporated into one patch as soon as the devs work out the kinks. Aside from patching those aforementioned bugs, the update resolved a clipboard crash issue, tweaked App Opps permissions and fixed a few extra bits of errata. If you're not afraid of a bit of tinkering, head on over to the source to update your Nexus hardware now, or just wait for Google to release Android 4.3.1.

Filed under: Mobile, Google

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Via: Android Police

Source: AOSP build

CyanogenMod 10.2 nightlies arrive, offer an unofficial taste of Android 4.3

Posted on 14/08/2013 by Jon Fingas

Official Android 4.3 upgrades are currently few and far between, but you won't have to wait for one if you're willing to experiment -- the first CyanogenMod 10.2 nightly builds have arrived. As of this writing, those with Samsung's Captivate, Galaxy S Relay 4G or AT&T Galaxy S III can install the unofficial firmware to take advantage of 4.3's new features. Just be aware that you're taking more risks than usually exist with such firmware; this is an early release of unsanctioned code, after all. If that's no deterrent, the first releases of CyanogenMod 10.2 await at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: CyanogenMod (Google+)

Source: CyanogenMod Downloads

Nexus 7 factory image and binaries now available from Google

Posted on 10/08/2013 by Myriam Joire

Wanna mod that shiny new Nexus 7? Today's your lucky day. Google just posted the factory image and binaries for its second generation 7-inch tablet -- also known by the product name "razor" and device name "flo". The factory image lets you restore your new Nexus 7 to the exact software it shipped with in case you grow tired of that custom ROM you cooked up using the binaries (natch). Speaking of which, the packages include drivers for audio and sensors from ASUS, NFC from Broadcom plus graphics and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink from Qualcomm. This comes mere hours after some open source drama surrounding the binaries (which now appears to be resolved) and with plenty of time to spare for UK customers. Follow the source links below and have fun hacking this weekend.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, ASUS, Google

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Source: Google Developers (factory image), Google Developers (binaries)

Google Play Edition smartphones start receiving Android 4.3 (updated)

Posted on 03/08/2013 by Jon Fingas

If you were wondering just how long it would take the Google Play Editions of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 to get Android 4.3, we can now tell you: not long at all. Owners of both devices report that they're receiving over-the-air updates to the new OS. There isn't yet word of any GPE-specific additions, but we'll let you know if there are surprises in store.

Update: AnandTech has noticed a few GPE-specific changes. Most home screen icons appear larger, infrared now works on the HTC One, and Bluetooth-based internet tethering is now an option for the Galaxy S 4.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Google

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Via: Brian Klug (Twitter), Ernesto Arias (Twitter)

Source: AnandTech

Android 4.3 update causing problems with Nexus 4 handsets, rendering some unusable

Posted on 01/08/2013 by Michael Gorman

While Android 4.3 is a relatively minor upgrade in the grand scheme of things -- bringing restricted profiles and some added graphical grunt to the platform -- it seems that the new OS version is wreaking havoc on some Nexus 4 devices. On Google's Product Forums, most people having problems report that after the update is downloaded and installed, their handsets either freeze on the 'X' splash screen or get stuck in a never-ending boot loop. For now, folks report that the only fix is to factory reset their handsets or flash to an older version of Android, and lose all of their saved data in the process. While there are no shortage of people apparently stuck in update purgatory, it's unclear exactly how widespread the problem is; our own in-house Nexus 4 received 4.3 without issue.

Additionally, the new Android version isn't playing nice with Netflix on Nexus 4's, either. After upgrading, launching the Netflix app is causing some handsets to freeze up -- and only resetting the phone with a long press of the power button will get the phone working again. Android engineer Dan Morrill has said that Google is aware of the Netflix issue, however, and that its working on a fix. Regardless, Nexus 4 owners might want to think twice before upgrading. We've reached out to Google for an official comment on these problems, and will update this post should we receive one.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google

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Via: Phones Review

Source: Google Product Forums

Android 4.3 supports TRIM, improves performance on Nexus devices

Posted on 30/07/2013 by Myriam Joire

It's no secret that many Android phones and tablets show a decrease in performance over time. Nexus devices are not immune -- it's particularly noticeable with the original Nexus 7. Our friend Brian Klug over at AnandTech discovered an interesting tidbit while testing the new and improved Nexus 7: Android 4.3 supports TRIM. What this means is that Google's mobile OS can now instruct the flash storage controller when to collect / recycle unused data pages / blocks. The net result is that devices running Android 4.3 will no longer become sluggish with time -- in fact, existing Nexus handsets and tablets will see performance improve after the update. It also looks like Jelly Bean invokes TRIM maintenance once within a 24-hour window (after one hour of inactivity), and only if the battery is 80% full (30% when charging). Follow the source link below for all the details.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Source: AnandTech

Nexus 7 review (2013)

Posted on 29/07/2013 by Brad Molen

Nexus 7 review 2013

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Who knew affordable tablets could be so good? That was our reaction after reviewing the original Nexus 7 when it went on sale last year for $200; at the time, comparably specced products were going for at least $100 more. So, when this year's follow-up came out at a slightly higher price ($229 and up), we were a little concerned the higher cost would dissuade penny-pinching shoppers from taking the plunge.

After we got a good look at the spec sheet, though, we quickly forgave Google and ASUS for their decision. For the money, you get a gorgeous 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display, 2GB of RAM, a rear camera, a quad-core processor, wireless charging and the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean 4.3. Now that we've had the opportunity to take the new and improved Nexus 7 for a spin, we're ready to tackle all the obvious questions: is this still the best budget tablet on the market? How does it compare to the iPad mini? And does the spec sheet actually reflect real-world performance? Let's find out.

Gallery: Nexus 7 review (2013)