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MultiROM now on the HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S4

We have already shown you what MultiROM can do – it is a great piece of Android software developed by XDA developer “Tassadar” that allows devices to boot into different ROMs each time it boots up. To date, a number of Motorola devices have gotten MultiROM ports, as well as the LG G2, the Sony Xperia Z and the OnePlus One. Looks like a few more popular devices will get multi-boot capability now – the HTC One M8 and the Samsung Galaxy S4.



The HTC One M8 is HTC’s current flagship phone, and it’s hugely popular. Now it is getting a capability to boot into different ROMs, making it that much more cooler and strengthening its geek cred. The port was created by XDA member “boringalex”, and is at the moment considered as in beta phase. This means there will be a few bugs here and there, but is nonetheless usable. Check the original thread for this port here.


Another phone getting some multiboot goodness is the Samsung Galaxy S4, whose MultiROM port was made by XDA senior member “AntaresOne”. This hasn’t been featured yet by the XDA blog, so you can go directly to the original XDA forum thread for complete information on the port and any clarifications you might want to ask the developer.


We don’t need to remind you that putting MultiROM on a device that was not designed to handle multiple ROMs means that at some point something might go wrong. If you do not have the capability to recover from a situation where you might have bricked your phone, then this might not be for you. If you are comfortable doing this, we still say: keep good backups, always.


SOURCE: XDA





Unlocked Xperia Z3 Bootloader affects camera quality

Sony is one of the few Android OEMs that officially advertise support for unlocking their devices' bootloaders, with the usual warnings, of course. It is, however, to be expected that there would be some kinks here and there. The latest issue is reported to affect the Xperia Z3, which loses its impressive camera quality, as well as access to some pre-loaded content, when users decide to unlock the smartphone's bootloader.



At the heart of the matter is DRM or Digital Rights (some say Restrictions) Management, in particular, DRM security keys that authenticate the device as something unaltered and safe. These DRM keys are apparently used just not to allow viewing of copyrighted media content, which are their most common use case, but also for camera functionality, like proprietary noise reduction algorithms. In effect, this means that quality in low-light situations will be adversely affected. In addition, Sony warns that since the secure user data partition will no longer be accessible, official software updates will no longer be received. Here is Sony's official statement from the updated bootloader unlocking page:



"Certain pre-loaded content on your device may also be inaccessible due to the removal of DRM security keys. For high-end devices running recent software versions, for instance Xperia Z3, the removal of DRM security keys may affect advanced camera functionality. For example, noise reduction algorithms might be removed, and performance when taking photos in low-light conditions might be affected. The secure user data partition may also become inaccessible, and you will not be able to get any more official software upgrades if you unlock the boot loader."



The XDA Forums have a list of confirmed features that won't work after unlocking the bootloader, including the BRAVIA Engine and S-Force Front Surround sound. Reported, but not confirmed, to be also affected are Miracast and MirrorLink features as well as Sony's Entertainment Media apps and content.


This camera issue isn't exactly new to Sony. The Xperia Z1 also suffered quality loss when its bootloader was unlocked and it took almost three months for it to be fixed. Since DRM and highly proprietary technology is involved, it isn't surprising that unlocking the Xperia Z3's bootloader would indeed affect the user's experience. Hopefully, though, Sony will be working on a solution that will satisfy everyone involved and hopefully soon.


SOURCE: Sony

VIA: +Magnus Sandin, XDA





New HTC One (M8) Eye passes through China’s TENAA

Well, the HTC One (M8) Eye has finally surfaced – though unofficially. This new device that has appeared in the files of China’s TENAA is codenamed the HTC M8Ew, with the “w” a nod to China’s WCDMA networks. This was leaked a few weeks before and we picked on that, although the initial leak lacked anything in the manner of images. Now we have it.



The HTC One (M8) Eye takes considerably after its predecessor. No major changes here in the design language, but not that HTC fans are demanding any. It’s probably good that HTC chose to make this upgrade follow the form factor of the already popular HTC One M8. The main upgrade is the 13MP main camera, which we expect to be utilizing the dual camera setup that HTC has used in its flagship devices.


htc_eye_1 htc_eye_2 htc_eye_3


The camera is a significant upgrade away from the measly 4MP main shooter that the relatively older flagship model carries. There is no information yet on the other specs within this new HTC phone – as such, we really don’t know yet if this phone will be competing at the very top of the smartphone market.


The HTC One Eye is expected to launch next week in a press event by HTC. Until then, or until an enterprising person leaks the info out, we will have to wait for the full spec line of this new phone. There is a big possibility that it will have flagship level specs and should fight for more of the market with the older HTC One models.


VIA: GSM Arena





Google adds Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact to Chromecast Screen Casting

The list of supported devices for Chromecast's screen casting capabilities has slowly been expanding. The latest addition is Sony's Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact which means the devices' users can now cast the content of their smartphones' screens, not just music and video, onto larger screens through the dongle.



When Google pushed the screen casting functionality to Chromecast earlier this year, those who wanted to show off their vacation pictures or their curated most hilarious tweets on a larger screen gave a sigh of relief. The entire screen of your smartphone or tablet can now be streamed through the HDMI dongle and not just the "cast-ready" apps or content of your devices. But this capability was just limited to several Android devices, like Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10, Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3 and Note 10, HTC One M7, LG G2 and G3 and now, the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact.


Using the functionality is pretty easy. Make sure your device is running on Android 4.4.2 or higher, and connect it to the same WiFi as your Chromecast dongle. From the Chromecast app on your device, you need to select the Cast Screen option and then select your Chromecast device's name. There are limits over what can be streamed though, although Google has not said what kind of content is not allowed though.


The Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact are the first and only (so far) products from Sony that have Chromecast screen casting support. But hopefully, Google will be adding more devices to this list, although we cannot expect that older devices will be included. Also, the functionality is still in Beta mode so expect that things will not go as smoothly as of now.


SOURCE: Google

VIA: Android World





Cyanogen reported to have declined Google’s buyout offer

Not everyone wants to be assimilated into the mothership and apparently Cyanogen, Inc. is of that same mind. Word is that Google's own Android top honcho Sundar Pichai approached the fledgling startup with an offer to save them from financial woes, to which the CyanogenMod makers simply said no.



That Google is eying Cyanogen, the company, is both surprising and somewhat worrying at the same time, with the biggest question being "why". There are various theories floating around and very few of them paint Google in a kind way. At the very best, we can think that the Android maker has been impressed by the genius behind the CyanogenMod ROM and wanted it for themselves. But given the ROMs goals are, to some extent, opposed to Google's proprietary hold over Android, the other theories are equally possible and frightening, such as Google trying to prevent the startup from snatching up Google's prospective partners in emerging markets or simply trying to silence the most popular and "divergent" Android ROM around.


This news, or rumor, also hints that Cyanogen, the company, might be in financial trouble. The startup was formed from the core developers of a not profitable open source community but it has so far manged to keep afloat only with two deals, one with OPPO on the N1 and one with OnePlus on the One. How long they can maintain the status quo is anyone's guess, but there is no doubt that Cyanogen, Inc. will need money in order to keep operating. There has been talk that it plans on putting price tags on CM themes as a source of income, but that could only go so far.


Interestingly, Cyanogen Inc.'s standing in the wider Android community isn't exactly clear cut. While they remain the core developers of CyanogenMod, the ROM is still an open source project. However, its move to incorporate themselves wasn't met with welcome arms all throughout, leaving some to leave the project and even make their own ROM. It will be interesting to see how Cyanogen will fare in the near future and how its own fate will affect the most popular Android ROM around. And hopefully it won't be as bad as what this news seems to be hinting at.


VIA: SlashGear


Dead Trigger 2 launches zombie-killing Ithaca Tour tourney

Dead Trigger 2 is almost a year old already on the Android platform and it has come up with an in-game tournament to liven up the gameplay of the millions of players it has on the mobile platform. It will of course be a zombie shooting tournament, and the game devs will be generous enough to put up 500k of in-game currency for each stop of the 5-city tourney.



The tournament has its own backstory cooked up by the game devs – you want to read up on that, check out the tournament-specific website here. That said, the short version is that there seems to be a lull in zombie activity (although they say it feels like a “calm before the storm” thing) within the game. The break will allow players to shore on their zombie-killing skills, hence the tournament.




The mechanics are pretty simple – you have to be at least Tech Level 5 within the game to enter, and plump up 1000 units of in-game cash as entry fee to the tournament. You will be given nothing but an Ithaca Shotgun and an M1 Garand to arm your player with, plus any other equipment you might want to take. Boosters and respawns will be unavailable within the tournament. You will get three attempts at the specified play area and your best score counts as your entry to the tournament.


dead-trigger-2-screenshot-540


The price, as we have mentioned, is 500,000 in in-game cash for the first prize an 250k for the second prize winner. The tournament starts in London at 1:00AM PDT and ends on October 5th. Of course, the tournament applies to people who have been playing the game for a while now. If you haven’t downloaded the game, check it out at the Google Play Store.





Roku rolls out Screen Mirroring Beta feature for Android

Sharing content is now easier with Roku. The company recently announced the beta version of a screen mirroring featuring for some Android and Windows 8.1 devices. Now, it’s easier to mirror apps, videos, and websites to share with people around you. No need to install other software as any compatible device can mirror the things you want to display right from your phone or tablet to a TV. Of course, all these and more are possible via your Roku device, specifically the Roku HDMI Streaming Stick and the Roku 3.



Got photos or videos on your phone you want to show to family while at home? Enable screen mirroring on your tablet, smartphone, or PC and content will appear on the TV screen. If you’re in the office, you can easily share emails and presentations from your laptop or mobile device onto a TV.


Screen mirroring allows Roku users to connect their devices with their TVs in fun ways. It also runs the Play On Roku feature found on the Roku mobile app to send media content like music, videos, and photos to your TV. You can even use other apps like YouTube and Netflix to launch videos on your mobile device and then mirror straight to the TV. All these are possible through a Roku player.


This new feature is only available for select Android, Windows 8, and Windows Phone devices. For Android users, devices compatible are the following: HTC One (M8) by AT&T, Kindle Fire HDX, Google Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 by AT&T, Galaxy S5 by AT&T, and Galaxy Note 3. Note that minimum requirement is Android 4.4.2 except for the Kindle Fire HDX which runs Fire OS 3.0


SOURCE: Roku





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