Galaxy Gear smartwatch hack lets you browse the web from your wrist

Galaxy Gear smartwatch hack lets you browse the web from your wrist

Acknowledged, a full web browser may not be the most useful thing to run on a 1.6-inch touchscreen, but that's almost not the point here. What matters is that Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch now has its own custom ROM, courtesy of an XDA member called fOmey. The modded software side-steps a number of the manufacturer's locks and limitations, letting the device run third-party apps, widgets, wallpapers and interfaces like Nova Launcher. Bluetooth tethering is enabled too, apparently allowing the watch to grab a web connection from any smartphone that supports the protocol. It's hard to say for sure how smoothly it all runs, due to a lack of feedback from Gear owners so far (or perhaps a lack of Gear owners, period), but you'll find full instructions at the source link if you want to give it a go.

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Source: XDA Developers (Forum)

LG Optimus G comes with locked bootloader, might not be cause for panic

LG Optimus G for Olleh, AT&T and Sprint

We're fans of the LG Optimus G, although the custom ROM lovers among us might want to tamp down their expectations after this. We've confirmed comments to Android Central that the late 2012 flagship has a locked bootloader much like the Optimus 4X HD and Optimus Vu that went before it -- any serious experimentation with a typical carrier variant could at least require jumping through some hoops, if it's possible at all. It might not matter much for the sort who cares about bootloaders, though. If statements by other LG staffers are more than just wishful thinking, there could be a Nexus variant of the Optimus G next week that's as good as a blank slate for modders.

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LG Optimus G comes with locked bootloader, might not be cause for panic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012

Refresh Roundup week of September 17th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AOKP team posts giant update to its Jelly Bean build, allows rotation and tablet UI anywhere

AOKP team posts giant update to its Jelly Bean build, allows rotation and tablet UI anywhere

Custom ROM fans will know AOKP (Android Open Kang Project), but the first build derived from Jelly Bean was knowingly rough around the edges. What a difference a month makes: along with the usual round of bug fixes, the team's second build has added options to force screen rotation and the tablet interface on any device. Not-quite-so-early adopters also get fine-grained control over the interface DPI, LEDs, theming and vibration, and the device list has grown to include the Verizon Galaxy S III, the Galaxy Note and multiple variants of both the original Galaxy S and the Galaxy Tab family. If you were waiting to stay just short of the bleeding edge before trying AOKP, your version is ready.

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AOKP team posts giant update to its Jelly Bean build, allows rotation and tablet UI anywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of September 10th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of September 10th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, C Spire Wireless activated its first LTE networks and we discovered strong indication that Isis will leverage the GSMA's SIM-based NFC standard for its mobile payments system. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of September 10th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of September 10th, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany: week of September 10th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CM10 nightly builds now rolling out to select devices

CM10 nightly builds now rolling out to select devicesLike Jelly Beans, custom Android ROMs tend to have different flavors -- and CyanogenMod happens to be a fan favorite. Good thing then, that the CM10 team is now serving nightly builds of its Jelly Bean-based custom ROM update. According to the CyanogenMod Google+ page, CM10 nightlies are now available for the US Samsung Galaxy S III variants, the original Galaxy S and the Galaxy S II (i9100g), the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus S and Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (P3), Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (P5), Nexus 7, Transformer and Transformer Prime tablets. The list will fill out with more devices when they are ready, the team says, and will continue to have CM9 updates (now weekly, rather then nightly) at their disposal.

CM10 nightly builds now rolling out to select devices originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 04:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Custom ROM brings Android 4.0.4 to the Desire HD, does what HTC wouldn’t

Custom ROM brings Android 4.0.4 to the Desire HD, does what HTC couldn't

HTC wasn't too popular when they denied Desire HD owners a hearty mouthful of Ice Cream Sandwich, but as usual, the community over at XDA Developers has stepped up to make it happen. Despite HTC claiming various technical issues as barriers for the upgrade, Team Blackout's Android 4.0.4 build (aka Blackout ICS Incredible) is said to work perfectly on the device. The complete ROM is based on an ICS build for the Incredible S, and it requires you sacrifice your data in a full wipe before you can enjoy that Sense 3.6 UI. However, if you've got the knowledge to take advantage of this gift, you probably know how to backup all those bytes anyway. Hungry? Then head over to the source for your desirable dessert.

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Custom ROM brings Android 4.0.4 to the Desire HD, does what HTC wouldn't originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileSyrup.com  |  sourceXDA Developers  | Email this | Comments

CyanogenMod 9 now stable on every supported device, get your fix today

CyanogenMod logo

We saw CyanogenMod 9 reach the perfect poise of a stable release on the Galaxy Nexus just this past Thursday. It's now time for everyone else to join the club: all devices that can run CM9 now get the firmware in the same polished state, giving more conservative fans a path to CyanogenMod's custom Android 4.0 build. The code brings an audio equalizer, OS gesture commands and themes, among other tweaks that you won't find sitting in that vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich. If you're not so adventurous as to live on the bleeding edge that is CyanogenMod 10, hit the source link for the (considerably safer) next best thing.

[Thanks, Bryson]

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CyanogenMod 9 now stable on every supported device, get your fix today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CM9’s first stable release lands for GSM Galaxy Nexus

CM9's first stable release lands for GSM Galaxy Nexus

Well, it's certainly taken a while, but the popular CyanogenMod finally has a stable version of its ninth iteration. It's yet to hit the ROM's homepage, but that's probably because its only available for the GSM Galaxy Nexus at the moment. The Ice Cream Sandwich-based ROM has clearly posed some issues for the devs, but it's worming its way towards a wide release and work on CM10 (which is based on Jelly Bean) is already progressing quite nicely. In many ways moving to a build of Android 4.0.4 will be a step backwards for those running stock 4.1, but CM9's support for themes, gestures and the top-notch DSP equalizer will surely lure a few away from the official Google release. Hit up the source to download the stable Maguro-friendly release for yourself.

[Thanks, Jul]

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CM9's first stable release lands for GSM Galaxy Nexus originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OTA Update Center encourages PC-free upgrades for custom Android ROMs

OTA Update Center encourages PCfree upgrades for custom Android ROMs

Over-the-air firmware updates are mainstays for most smartphone platforms, but custom ROM builders have rarely had such a luxury, even with Android. The OTA Update Center wants to shoulder that noble burden. Along with simply hosting the updates to prevent outrageous bandwidth bills, the Center enables everything an Android ROM creator might need, such as update checks, on-device firmware flashing and wiping either a cache or all user data for the more dramatic upgrades. In practice, the real perk is the cost: it's free to use, so everyone from hobbyists to seasoned teams can take advantage. While the list of those either using or planning to use the OTAUC isn't public, we're hoping it leads to a few more experimental builds of CyanogenMod and other ROMs that can now get the same tender loving care as the official code.

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OTA Update Center encourages PC-free upgrades for custom Android ROMs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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