Pics and Video: How Android 5.0.1 translates to Sense 6

During the time of Android 4.x, HTC was notorious for being slow in integrating Android updates to their own proprietary Sense UI. Not these days, it seems. It wasn’t too long after Google rolled out their first Android Lollipop patch (5.0.1) that we saw the build roll out to the HTC One (both M7 and M8) devices. Let’s see what it looks like.

If you already know about what the 5.0.1 patch brought, then those bug fixes would already be enough for HTC users to be thankful about. But there are lots more to the new Sense 6.0 based on Android 5.0.1 (LRX22C). There are new Google apps included in the build for office type files (Docs, Slides, Sheets), but these apps are also downloadable via the Google Play Store.

HTC has also made its notification area closer to stock Lollipop, which is prettier in our opinion. All notifications and quick settings are now on the same page, and notifications are also available on the Sense lock screen.

There’s also a re-design of the multi-tasking element of Sense, closer to Material Design.

Lastly, there is a new feature for Sense 6 called the “Easy Mode”. It will make more sense if we let the video explain to you how this looks like. Also in another video, new Accessibility features like “High Contrast”, “Color Inversion”, and “Color Correction” are explained.

SOURCE: LlabTooFer

Story Timeline

• HTC RE Camera review


• HTC Desire 620 launches in the UK, full featured, budget-friendly


• HTC One M8, One M7 to get Android 5.0 Lollipop next month

VIDEO: Android 5.0.1 on Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge, Galaxy S5

Samsung has been busy porting Lollipop goodness to its flagship and top tier phones, but with Google already patching Android 5.0 to 5.0.1, we expect some of these top devices to skip the initial Lollipop update and go directly to the first patch.

In these videos, you will see Android 5.0.1 being tested on the Samsung Galaxy S5-LTE, the Galaxy Note 4, and its quirky cousin the Galaxy Note Edge. The builds are by no means complete, but you can take a look at where Samsung is headed.

The 5.0.1 update is not a major one, but it does bring some new features like slow and fast motion video recording and a gamut of needed bug fixes. In these videos, you will see that there is still some work to be done by Samsung – some features appear on some builds but not on the others.

Samsung has not released its Android Lollipop builds yet, but from the look and feel of these videos, we should expect them to be launched by January 2015, just a couple of weeks away now.

SOURCE: Sam Mobile

Story Timeline

• Samsung to update Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge directly to Android 5.0.1


• Samsung Galaxy S6 rumored to have curved display on both sides


• Samsung shutting down ChatOn in all markets except in the US

Evernote brings Context for premium and business users

If you're a heavy Evernote user and rely on it for note writing and saving articles from the web relevant to your work or interests, then the newest augmented intelligence feature from the service should be extremely useful to you. Context will help connect you to things that will help you finish your research, paper. proposal, blog post, or whatever it is you're doing currently on the app.

The feature is actually pretty simple and easy to use, but in the long run, will become a necessity, especially if you're working on a complex project. As you're doing writing or researching on your Evernote, you will see at the bottom of your screen information that is related to what you're doing. But where do these information come from? They can be from notes you've created in the past, things that have been shared by your co-worker or friend on Evernote itself, or reliable news sources that have been vetted by the app.

Some of these news sources include Wall Street Journal, Tech Crunch, Fast Company Inc. magazines, etc. You can click on the note to read it or save it for reference later on. You can also share it with other people through the recently released Work Chat feature. But if you're worried that these 3rd party sites are getting your data, Evernote assures users that they do not share any information about you to the publishers involved in the Context feature.

However, this pretty neat feature will only be available for Premium users and Evernote Business subscribers only. If you're a Wall Street Journal subscriber, you get a special free Evernote Premium subscription for a year. If you want to upgrade to premium from your free service, you need to shell out around $5 per month or $45/year. And if you are a heavy user, then that price isn't hefty at all.

SOURCE: Evernote

Story Timeline

• Evernote 6 for Android: easier note creation, new design


• Evernote to add Work Chat feature for better collaboration


• Evernote app can now scan business cards

Android Community Weekly Digest: Dec. 21, 2014

Holidays are fast approaching, and so is the end of 2014. But while most are preparing their shopping lists and wish lists, the tech industry is already gearing up for next year's big event: CES and MWC. This week has also seen the rise of some new devices, while a couple of apps have been gifted with some pretty interesting changes. Welcome to the latest edition of Android Community's Weekly Digest, covering the period from December 15 to December 21, 2014.

CES, MWC 2015 Warm up

It will just be two weeks before CES 2015 and a month or so before MWC 2015, so naturally the mobile world is awash with rumors, leaks, and expectations of things and devices to come. Hitting the rumor mill are Samsung and Sony. Samsung's next flagship, unsurprisingly expected to be called the Galaxy S6, is said to combine the "best" of both worlds of the S series and the Edge's eccentric, well, edge. The Galaxy S6 might bear that curved display of the Galaxy Note Edge, but the major difference will be that it will feature that on both sides, instead of being limited to the right.

While word of the Sonyx Xperia Z4 is still scarce, the mini and giant siblings are already making their way to the news. In true Sony fashion, the Xperia Z4 Compact is expected to be pretty much an incremental upgrade over this year's model. The biggest change will be the CPU architecture, jumping to the 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810. The handy 4.7-inch screen happily also now rests on a 1080p resolution. This year's Xperia Z3 family came with a small tablet, but word is that next year's lineup will have a phablet instead. Coming back into the roster is an Ultra, the Xperia Z4 Ultra, with a massive 6.44-inch screen and an equally massive UHD resolution. Snapdragon 810, 3 GB of RAM, and a massive 4,000 mAh battery rounds up this early sneak peek.

Android Lollipop Rollout

Slowly but surely, Android 5.0 Lollipop makes its way to devices, particularly Google Play Edition devices. The oldest GPE devices still on Google's shelves finally gets its Lollipop, with the update rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S 4 GPE this week. The LG G3 also continues to get updated, but still in Europe unfortunately. Samsung's devices are still a no go, but it seems that a beta update for the Galaxy Note 3 might have accidentally rolled out in Vietnam. In the meantime, after being left out of the early party, the Nexus 5 finally receives the Android 5.0.1. maintenance update. And speaking of that maintenance release, word is that Samsung will update the Galaxy Note 4 and Edge directly to Android 5.0.1.

Looking to the future, HTC has hinted that Android Lollipop will hit the HTC One M7 and M8 next month, hopefully without the same delays that their GPE counterparts received.

Devices

We've seen a couple of new devices revealed this week, primarily coming from Asia and particularly in India. Huawei puts out the Honor T1 with an aluminimum unibody design in India but also reveals the large Honor 6 Plus in China. BLU Studio launches a ridiculously large smartphone in the form of the 7-inch Studio 7.0. Micromax finally reveals its first YU branded smartphone, the painfully named YUreka, the first and only Cyanogen OS smartphone in India.

As for the recent drama unfolding in India, Xiaomi gets a slight reprieve with the High Court allowing it to sell only its devices utilizing Qualcomm chips. Unfortunately, OnePlus isn't so lucky, with the court banning its smartphone because of Micromax's exclusive claim over the Cyanogen name in the country.

Games

The holiday break will be a perfect time to sit back and enjoy some entertainment, and the new roster of games this week might help you with that. Beloved RPG Baldur's Gate II lands on Android in its Enhanced Edition version. Blizzard finally unleashes its Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft card game, but sadly on tablets only for now. Telltale Games brings a more story-centric Borderlands title to the platform and Gameloft ramps up the action in the latest Brothers in Arms 3. But if you're in the mood for some mindless Hollywood glitz, you might want to check out Lindsay Lohan's Price of Fame.

Be sure to head over to our Gaming tag portal for more new games and updates.

Updates

A couple of apps have gotten a much needed refresh this week. BBM catches up with the times, adding stickers to its feature list. Viber also catches up with rivals by introducing games to its offering, limited only to some countries. Pebble opens its arms to Android Wear notifications, expanding the smartwatch's capabilities exponentially. Todoist also goes on your wrist, with some rather interesting features. And after what feels like years of silence, Instagram finally gets an update with five new filters.

Google releases Android 5.0.2 for Nexus 7 (2012) tablet

It’s worth remembering that only weeks ago, Google released its first patch to Android 5.0 (which was 5.0.1) for the Nexus 5 and then the more current Nexus 6. We thought that was going to be it for a while, but just recently Google released its second patch 5.0.2 for the 2012 version of the Nexus 7 tablet, skipping the first patch altogether for a more current build.

Of course, the new patch incorporates all of the improvements from the first one, and includes some new improvements. Most of the new adjustments will be for kernel and startup scripts – these to give a boost to the processor and maintain a higher performance rate. That’s good news for all Nexus 7 users.

There’s also a bugfix for an issue with the tablet’s AlarmManager process, which is the element that wakes your device when apps need to perform their scheduled tasks. Some people have experienced issues with the process since upgrading to Android Lollipop.

The build code is “LRX22G” and is now posted for download at the usual download page for images of Nexus devices -- check the source link below. The patch should also be rolling out OTA as well, so you should check your notifications if you own a 2012 Nexus 7 (WiFi only) device. No indications yet if the patch will roll out to the 3G units of the same model.

SOURCE: Google Dev

Story Timeline

• Android 5.0.1 OTA for 2013 Nexus 7 (WiFi), Nexus 10 are here


• Android 5.0.1 images go live for Nexus 6, Nexus 4, no Nexus 5


• Android 5.0.1 lands on Nexus 5, T-Mobile pushes to Nexus 6 too

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Hello all you lovers of smartphone apps and happy holidays. Many of us are ready to travel to relatives abroad or even wait out Christmas alone. Whatever the circumstance, if you have a smartphone—presents came early. We have great apps this week including ways to give your Lumia smartphone touchless superpowers and an even simpler way to do your taxes. It is the best apps of the week. Get ready for some downloadin'.

Read more...

Now Gesture Tweaks Replaces Google Now with Custom Action

On most modern Android devices with software navigation keys, swiping up from the bottom of the screen launches Google Now. And for those devices with hardware navigation buttons, long pressing on the home button accomplishes the same task. With no native settings in Android to change the action to anything else, these convenient gestures remain untouched and unused on many devices. So until Google finally realizes that not everyone cares for or uses Google Now–at least not enough to warrant a dedicated shortcut–it looks like we have to turn to third party apps to remedy the issue. This is where Now Gesture Tweaks comes in.

Developed by XDA Senior Member SpadaBoss, Now Gesture Tweaks is an app that allows you to customize the action activated when swiping up from the navigation bar or long pressing on the hardware home button. Although the app comes as a free version and a paid version, the free version packs the essential functionalities sure to be useful for many people. These free functions include launching a picker which displays all your apps from which you can choose to launch an app from, and launching a custom app. The functions in the paid functions include numerous other shortcuts such as opening a camera and toggling settings.

So, if you own an Android device and would rather see this shortcut be used for something else other than launching Google Now, head over to the Now Gesture Tweaks application thread for more details.

The post Now Gesture Tweaks Replaces Google Now with Custom Action appeared first on xda-developers.