Project Ara modules to be hot swappable

We have talked about Project Ara several times and one of the coolest things we have learned so far is that the battery of the device will be hot swappable. That means you can swap a nearly dead battery for a full one without turning the device off or losing what you are working on. Another interesting detail about Project Ara has surfaced recently.

That detail is the fact that nearly all of the modules used in a Project Ara device will be hot swappable. Paul Eremenko, the director of Project Ara, has recently noted that users of Project Ara will be able to swap the phone modules around without losing what they are working with only two exceptions.

The monitor and CPU won’t be hot swappable in the middle of a call or text message. The idea with the hot swappable modules is that you could change modules out like the camera to better suit what you are doing right then.

You could for instance swap a wide-angle camera when you want to take a picture of a group of people or use a camera with more resolution for landscape shots. Another tidbit revealed is that Google will have an online store that sells different modules or Project Ara. We already know a few other tidbits about the device, including the fact that it will use Android L.

SOURCE: Engadget

Story Timeline

• Project Ara lures module developers with dev boards


• Future Project Ara iteration to get a custom Rockchip chip


• First working Project Ara prototype in December with Android L

Streamline Android Theme Customization with Graphic Porter

I don’t have a custom theme on my Android phone, and the reason for this is because I am too busy picky (and perhaps lazy) to go through the countless fantastic custom themes that have been created and made available here on XDA and in the Play Store. And I’m sure that many folks here are in the same situation. Because despite the vast selection of themes, we all find ourselves a little bit too picky about something specific –perhaps it’s the icons, the accent colors, or the switches. And this is where Graphic Porter comes in.

Developed by XDA Senior Member br.ruan, Graphic Porter is a tool which simplifies the process of modifying and porting existing custom themes. Running on PC, it enables you to change every aspect of the theme throughout the Android system, such as check boxes, background images, radio buttons, and IM emoticons. If there’s something you’re not happy with, just select the UI element you want to change, and the tool will automatically find and bring to you the specific files you have to change.

Graphic Porter’s porting feature is just as easy to use. The tool will automatically find the theme’s files and resize anything to suite your device’s screen resolution. Because of this method however, it should be noted that it might be a bad idea to port themes made for devices with lower dpi than your own.

Graphic Porter will definitely be a welcomed tool for anyone who likes to ensure that their Android device looks just the way they want it to look. If you would like to check this out, head over to the Graphic Porter thread for more information.

The post Streamline Android Theme Customization with Graphic Porter appeared first on xda-developers.

HP Slate 17 tablet rocks Intel Bay Trail quad-core CPU

HP has a number of tablets on the market today and normally when we are talking about a new one, we are looking at a smaller size tablet designed to be crammed into a bag and carried with you on the go. HP has a new tablet that is going to launch called the Slate 17 and there is really nothing portable about this tablet and its 17-inch screen.

The big tablet will have a full HD resolution screen and will use an Intel Bay Trail Celeron N2870 quad-core processor under the hood. The tablet is a monster and looks like an all-in-one PC sitting on the table, but it's a tablet. The machine has a battery inside that will allow it to run for several hours per charge.

The OS for the big tablet is Android 4.4 KitKat and it has 2GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, and HDMI output for connecting a second screen. HP also fits the tablet with a 720p webcam and a USB 2.0 port. One thing missing that would have been a nice addition is an HDMI input. No HDMI input means you can't use the Slate 17 as a monitor for a PC or display for other devices.

HP says the Slate 17 will tip the scales at 5.4 pounds and it has two kickstands. One of the stands props the tablet upright and the other allows the tablet to lay almost flat on a table or desk. HP will sell the Slate 17 for around $450.

SOURCE: Liliputing

Story Timeline

• HP SlateBook x2 Tegra 4 tablet launched


• HP Slatebook 14 arrives with Android, Chromebook 11 returns with new colors


• HP ships Tegra 4-powered SlateBook 14

Hearthstone game gets an unofficial Android port

Android developers are a rather arduous bunch. If a feature or app is available for only a certain model or OEM, it will eventually get ported for others or at least have equivalent apps. Vietnamese game developer Khanh Hoang Tran did something similar, but in a totally different scale. He made Blizzard's Hearthstone game, currently available only for PCs, Macs, and iPads, playable on Android devices.

Hearthstone is Blizzard's most recent attempt to capitalize on the popularity of its World of Warcraft franchise. It's a collectible card game or CCG (think Magic the Gathering) based on the same game universe, except it's totally digital. Of course, CCGs are a dime a dozen on Android, but Hearthstone carries the weight of the WoW name. Unfortunately, it isn't available on our favorite mobile platform.

Similarly peeved by the situation, Khanh Hoang Tran decided to scratch his own itch and try to bring the game to Android even without Blizzard's blessing, much less help. What he did was to basically make the PC version of the game available on Windows run on Android. He mentions using some software that allowed him to do so but isn't spilling the beans on that one, which might be a good idea should that tool be proven to be a rather controversial one. But even with the tool, he admits that it was no easy task, especially when it comes to getting around crashes and trying to make the game work on hardware it was never designed for.

While this is undoubtedly an unofficial port, Hoang says he is able to play on official Blizzard servers, using his official Battle.net account, of course. That said, this version of the game isn't available to the general public yet and so far works only on Hoang's Android device. He does plan on creating a guide that will let others follow in his footsteps and enjoy the bliss of playing the game on their smartphone or tablet. That is, at least until Blizzard gets wind of this and starts cracking down on unsanctioned ports of the game.

VIA: Games In Asia

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a ‘larger than life’ smartphone

Ever since Samsung announced the Galaxy Note Edge a few weeks ago, Android fans seem to be on the, well, edge of their seats. To get people more excited about this "stateof-the-art" smartphone, they've released more information about the upcoming device through an infographic highlighting the specs and five features that the Galaxy Edge can uniquely give you (if you're lucky enough to be one of the limited few).

We all know already that the edge screen of the smartphone is the major selling point of the Galaxy Edge, having the same display as the Galaxy Note 4, with its Quad HD (2560x1440) Super AMOLED display. But if you don't watch the hands-on video that Samsung released, then you wouldn't really understand what gives this smartphone the, ahem, edge. First of all, you don't need to unlock your phone and go to the Apps menu part. What you have now is your favorite apps showing on the edge of your device's screen. Even your notifications can just float and appear on your edge screen so that whether you're watching a video or playing a game, you won't be interrupted by that new facebook message or that text from your annoying offcemate.

If you're the artistic kind that gets easily bored by your smartphone's original casing, a feature on the Galaxy Edge will make you happy. You can personalize your edge screen by drawing or sketching your own design by using the S Pen or or adding images and text. Just like the ticker of news items that you see on TV (assuming you actually still open a TV), the Galaxy Edge has its own Ticker Board where you can view important items like stock trends, news items and even Twitter keywords. Important tools like your smartphone's flash, voice recorder, timer, stop watch and ruler can be accessed and used on the edge screen whenever you need it.

(Click to view original image)

While the Galaxy Note Edge sounds like a pretty nifty gadget to own, Samsung recently said that it will be a limited edition gadget only. It will also probably cost an arm and a leg in keeping with its elite status so if you really, really want one, better start setting aside money for it now.

SOURCE: Samsung

Story Timeline

• Curved OLED wraps Samsung's Galaxy Note Edge


• Galaxy Note Edge is a "limited edition concept", says Samsung

I Ditched My iPhone and Spent the Summer With Android

For five straight years, I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at the screen of an iPhone. I'm not alone in that, but I am usually quick to buy new models and even quicker to download new operating system updates. Perhaps I'm a little too quick, because earlier this year, my enthusiasm got the best of me.

Read more...

Galaxy Note 4 gets its own “gapgate scandal”

If Samsung fans think they have the last laugh in the rivalry against Apple, they might have to reassess the situation. Just days after the infamous "bendgate" iPhone 6 issue made rounds over the Internet, a new build quality issue has popped up, this time involving a Galaxy Note 4 and a business card.

In this case, it is a business card that fits between the very edge of the device and its screen, inside a gap that shouldn't even be there in the first place. while at first seemingly harmless (because how many would be actively fitting papers or cards into their smartphone edges), it does mean that small particles can potentially ingress into that gap and cause some harm. At the very least it will be a place for dirt and dust to accumulate.

There are various theories now being put forward to explain this problem. Of course, there would be those that will be too happy to simply blame it on shoddy Samsung craftmanship. There are also those that theorize that such QA lapses were due to trying to rush out the Galaxy Note 4 to counter the iPhone 6's launch. There is also a possibility that these, if truly more than one, are isolated cases that can be encountered in any product, whether they be by Samsung or Apple.

Whichever the cause may have been, Samsung may still have time to rectify the situation before it gets out of hand. It hasn't boasted of sales in the millions yet, at least compared to numbers for the "bending" iPhone 6 Plus. The availability of the Galaxy Note 4 has so far been quite limited, so there's a chance for the manufacturer to double check its production lines and ensure that the next batches will mind the gap.

VIA: IT Today