Relocate the Dalvik Cache to Get More Space on your Moto G with Mod

Having little to no memory left on your Android device is a bummer especially when you’ve already tried cutting down your files, music, videos, photos and apps to only the very bare essentials (which definitely has a wide scope needless to say). For owners of devices without SD card slots, this can be pretty frustrating, and the non-LTE variants of the Moto G is no exception. This is because the internal eMMC storage of the device has an approximately 600MB partition called /cache, which unfortunately and frustratingly not used because cache of apps is stored in /data. Hence, this leaves 600MB of unused space on your phone.

To access this untapped memory space, XDA Senior Member Bert98 has written a tutorial linking files in the dalvik cache to /cache, providing you an extra 600MB of memory which you would not have otherwise. This solution may not work however, if you have a lot of apps installed, being more than 90 apps, and if you’re running ART. The reason for the latter restriction is that ART uses a lot more memory than dalvik and space in the /cache partition would not be big enough to accommodate this size.

If you’d rather not go through the process yourself, you also have the option of a mod automating this for you, courtesy of XDA Senior Member skyguy126. The installation of the mod varies depending on whether you’re running a stock or custom ROM on your Moto G, and in either case, instructions are provided. Skyguy126 has also provided troubleshooting instructions in the event that something had gone wrong during installation.

So, if an extra 600MB of memory space sounds like something you’ll be interested in, head over to the Moto G dalvik relocation tutorial thread and mod thread for more information.

The post Relocate the Dalvik Cache to Get More Space on your Moto G with Mod appeared first on xda-developers.

Snapdragon 810 will launch in 2015 on schedule says Qualcomm

The first time we heard about the coming Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset was when it and its sister platform the Snapdragon 808 were unveiled in April of this year. Since that unveil, some rumors have circulated that suggest Qualcomm has hit a few snags with the new chipsets and that the products will be late to market.

Qualcomm has now stepped up and said that the Snapdragon 810 is on schedule for launch in 2015. The company didn’t offer and firm details on exactly when in 2015 the SoC would launch. The rumors claiming that the SoC would be late focused on claims that the 810 had issues with thermal and memory issues.

Other rumors suggest that the 810 had GPU bugs as well. The Snapdragon 810 certainly presented Qualcomm with a challenge; the SoC will be its first 64-bit offering built on the new 20nm architecture. As close as we have to a launch date at this time is the first half of 2015.

This is good news for fans of Snapdragon SoCs and device manufacturers that are counting on the 810 for next generation devices. If the Snapdragon 810 were late, that would likely mean devices from manufacturers would be late too, or have to change to different hardware and potentially lose performance.

SOURCE: AndroidAuthority

Micromax does an HTC: Canvas Selfie with 13MP front camera

In an attempt to lure in the selfie crowd, India's Micromax has just announced the conspicuously named Canvas Selife. While not yet the Cyanogen-bearing smartphone, which will come via a different brand (YU), this one is still a bit interesting. In a sense, it is trying to match HTC's Desire EYE by pairing rather decent specs with a front-facing camera that is on par with the rear. In other words, 13 megapixels on both sides, both with LED flash of their own.

HTC revealed its Desire EYE smartphone as part of its foray into the field of mobile photography, alongside the HTC RE camera and the HTC EYE experience, basically a suite of photography-related apps. Aside from boasting of surprisingly high-end specs, its real distinguishing factor is that it put the front-facing camera on almost the same level as the back one, at least in megapixel count.

While the Micromax Canvas Selfie doesn't exactly reach Desire EYE specs, it does almost come close. The 4.7-inch screen is at least 1280x720 HD. The processor is a 1.7 GHz octa-core one, most likely a MediaTek CPU. RAM is at a decent 2 GB though internal storage is capped at 16 GB, thankfully with expansion support. Battery is barely enough at 2,300 mAh, and of course there's dual SIM card slots common in India. The real meat is in the cameras. Though both have 13 megapixels and LED flash, the rear camera is still distinctly better, at least on paper, as it uses a Sony sensor and actually has a dual LED flash setup.

At least in India, Micromax's edge will be in price, as the Desire EYE, though part of HTC's budget-friendly line, is sure to fetch a higher tag. That said, Micromax has not yet revealed actual pricing details, though those should arrive once the January 2015 launch date gets closer.

VIA: Fone Arena

Google nixed the fingerprint scanner on the Nexus 6

On one of the earliest rumor articles regarding the recently launched Google Nexus 6, a number of things were predicted that have been realized by Motorola (the maker of the phone, if you didn’t know) – this includes the gigantic 5.9-inch screen, the codename “Shamu” (the whale), the November release, and that it would come with what is now Android 5.0 Lollipop. But one prediction got nixed – the plan to have a fingerprint scanner with Google’s newest flagship Android phone.

There are evidences of this in the code for the Android Open Source Project, and there are people out there who have nothing better to do than to pore through the lines of code in the AOSP. The commit that removed the fingerprint support can be seen here on the Android source website, and it shows the lines of code that tells a lot about what could have been.

The code line that says "system/vendor/lib/hw/ValidityPersistentData:synaptics" may tell of hardware being supplied by Validity Sensors, Inc. It is, quite tellingly, a fingerprint sensor company that was acquired by Synaptics a year ago. The plan – evidently, from the lines of code – was to have a swipe scanner, where the user would have to swipe a finger across the screen, quite unlike the iPhone’s static fingerprint scanner.

We now know that Motorola ultimately chose an outfit called Atmel to supply the Nexus 6’s touchscreen sensors. All of this are in the bounds of what could have been, and the Android world is still waiting for a Nexus that can provide good fingerprint security. Will the next generation of finally have it?

VIA: Ars Technica

Story Timeline

• Motorola Shamu benchmarks hint at a drool-worthy Nexus 6


• T-Mobile hypes virtually pristine version of the Nexus 6


• Nexus 6 has hidden 3 color LED light but not for notifications

Stance compact tripod helps your smartphone stand on its own

While your smartphone may fit snugly into your hand (well, maybe except for those bigger phablets) for most of your purposes, there are times when you need it to be able to stand on its own. But bringing along a tripod wherever you go is a hassle. Stance compact tripod might just be the solution to that problem.

A tripod that is smaller than a pack of gum? Yep, Stance definitely is, weighing in at just 34 grams and having dimensions of 24 x 12 x 79 mm. But more important than its portability is its actual usability. It mounts directly into your smartphone's charging port (and they claim they won't damage the port, so you can breathe easy there) so you can use your device properly, either to take pictures remotely or to watch a video without your arms aching from holding it. It uses MicroMount that is made up of Grilamid, a "durable, resilient composite material" to ensure that it will definitely hold.

Stance has a ball-and-socket joint that makes it easy to manuever your phone into whatever position you would like it to be in whether you're watching your favorite show's latest TV episode or taking a picture with a self timer. You can also use it when doing time-lapse videos or long exposure photography. Its base has a premium zinc-alloy, non-slip feet to make it more stable as you go about your business.

The Stance compact tripod is available for only $29.95 on the Kenu website. Oh, and one more thing that it can do? It can open a bottle of beer for you when you're not using it to prop up your smartphone.

SOURCE: Kenu

Facebook improves search parameters for desktop, soon on mobile

Even though you're probably on Facebook about 3-4 hours a day (maybe even more), chances are, you're probably frustrated about some things about it. One of the things that has constantly irritated users is that it will let you search people, pages, groups, places, but sometimes those are not the things you're looking for. But the social media giant has now announced they are changing all that with their new search parameters.

On their Graph Search beta, you will now be able to look for posts that have been shared with you. Want to browse through your vacation photos that your friend posted? Forgot to read that important scientific discovery link that your classmate shared with you? Looking for that angry post that your ex-boyfriend posted on your wall? Theoretically now, you can search for them on Facebook's search bar.

But lest you think that other people would also be able to search for those posts, the search results are personalized to you, because these are just things that your Facebook friends have shared with you or tagged you in. So those embarrassing photos you're searching for will only show up in your results page and not for anyone who looks for "drunk spring break party pictures".

Unfortunately for mobile people, the search update will be rolling out on the desktop version first (and also if you're using the Facebook app on iPhone). But we're pretty sure that it will also be coming to the Android app soon. So, just be content with scrolling through your endless timeline to look for that specific post in the meantime.

SOURCE: Facebook

VLC exits beta, outs stable version

We have much love for the VLC media player – it’s an app for people working on desktops and laptops who want a media player that works with just about any media format you throw at it. It just works, and we were pretty excited when VLC wanted to bring its goods over to Android some two years ago. All that time, the VLC app for Android stayed in beta – until today, when we finally have VLC 1.0 in our hands.

There are still stuff to tweak with the rollout – the URL for the Google Play Store listing betrays the fact that it has been in beta for a while, and they have not changed it yet. Ditto with the Play Store description. But other than that, we have VLC 1.0 in all its glory – with a host of bug fixes and performance updates, of course.

Primarily, VLC 1.0 fixes the issue with ARMv8 processors and the instances when it crashes when used in Android 5. The interface is also available in dark or white colors, and it comes with DVD iso and menu support, an equalizer, and better playlist management. The new version also has an updated SD card detection feature. Lastly, hardware acceleration for video and graphics is now enabled by default, hopefully the code is now more stable to handle it.

VLC for Android media player is free to download – check the link below – and will (mostly) work with any device sporting Android 2.1 or higher. Of course, the better the specs, the better chances you have of running the app smoothly.

DOWNLOAD: Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• VLC beta version for Android hits Google Play


• VLC for Android updated with support for Android 4.3


• VLC for Android to have Chromecast support soon