Want to know which phone, tablet, or PC has the fastest processor? You might turn to benchmarking tests like Antutu or 3DMark. These tests don’t always paint a solid picture of real-world performance, but they can at least help you figure out which device performs certain CPU or GPU-intensive tasks the quickest. Or at least […]
android 4.4
Android 4.4 KitKat for the Google Nexus One (custom ROM)
Google launched the first Nexus smartphone in the first half of 2010. The HTC Nexus One was well built, had one of the fastest mobile processors available at the time, and showed Google’s vision for what an Android smartphone should be at the time. More than three years later, the Google Nexus One hardware looks […]
Lilbits (11-25-2013): Pre-order Qualcomm’s $350 Toq smartwatch (or don’t)
Qualcomm’s Toq smartwatch is a wearable device with a low-power display that’s designed to be easy to read in direct sunlight. You can pair it with a phone to view weather forecasts, notifications or incoming calls, and I suppose you could also tell time with the Toq too. But that limited functionality comes at a […]
HP TouchPad gets Android 4.4 KitKat (unofficially)
HP may be pushing new inexpensive Android and Windows tablets, but the HP TouchPad tablet the company launched 2 years ago continues to have staying power — even though HP discontinued the tablet just a few months after it hit the streets. The HP TouchPad is a 9.7 inch tablet with a dual-core processor, 1GB […]
Lilbits (11-14-2013): Google Android 4.4 KitKat factory images released
Google started rolling out over-the-air software updates bringing Android 4.4 KitKat to its latest tablets this week. Now the company has also posted factory images online, which means it’s relatively safe to start building or installing custom ROMs and mucking about in other ways — since there’s now a way to grab the stock images […]
Lilbits (11-13-2013): Cheap phones
Motorola introduced the Moto G today, promising to bring premium Android smartphone features to a budget phone that sells for as little as $179 without a contract. But the Moto G is hardly the first budget smartphone around… or the cheapest. ZTE and Alcatel are already selling Firefox OS smartphones in developing markets for well […]
Android 4.4 KitKat arrives for the Google Nexus 7, Nexus 10 tablets
Google is starting to roll out Android 4.4 KitKat for its line of Nexus phones and tablets. Starting November 12th, 2013 users of the WiFi-only Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets should start to receive over-the-air updates. Both the 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7 tablets are getting the software update. Updates for the Google Nexus […]
Lilbits (11-7-2013): Internet Archive hit by fire, Nexus 5 hit by dissection tools
Backing up the data on your computer, phone, and other devices is a good way to make sure you don’t lose anything in the event of a fire or other disaster. The folks at the non-profit Internet Archive go a bit further by trying to make backups of everything they can — books, web pages, movies, […]
CyanogenMod 11 development begins
The makers of one of the most popular custom versions of Android are now working on a new build based on Android 4.4 KitKat. The CyanogenMod team has uploaded the initial code for CM11 to Github. It’ll be a little while before we start to see actual builds of CyanogenMod 11 for the Google Nexus […]
Lilbits (11-05-2013): Another peek inside the Google Nexus 5
Another high profile device, another teardown from iFixit. The repair shop has ripped open a Google Nexus 5 to get a look at its insides. They liked what they saw, deeming the Nexus 5 relatively easy to repair — but let’s be honest. the odds of you fixing the $350 phone yourself instead of buying […]