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Sony releases recovery mode firmware for (some) unlocked Xperia phones

Like most large companies that design Android smartphones, Sony customizes the software that ships on its Xperia line of phones with a custom user interface, a few special apps, and other changes that make the software on Sony phones look a little different from the software that runs on a Nexus phone. But for folks […]

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Custom ROM builds start work on Android 5.0 (CyanogenMod, OmniROM)

Phone makers like Motorola and LG aren’t the only ones working with the Android 5.0 source code Google released this month. Developers of custom ROMs including CyanogenMod and OmniROM are also working to merge Android 5.0 into their code, bringing better security, a new design language, and other improvements. It’ll take a little while before […]

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Android 5.0 ported to Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Sony Xperia Z, and other devices

The first devices with Android 5.0 software are now shipping, and Google will start rolling out Android 5.0 to existing Nexus phones and tablets soon. Device makers including Sony, HTC, and Motorola will follow suit in time. But now that the source code for Android 5.0 Lollipop is available, independent developers are starting to take […]

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ART is coming: Dalvik removed from the Android Open Source Project master branch

The next version of Google Android will likely include a major change that average users won’t notice at all… unless they notice that apps generally run more quickly. Google has been working on replacing the Dalvik virtual machine that powers Android apps with something called ART since last year. Now it looks like ART is […]

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Goodbye Dalvik? Android code commit makes ART runtime the default

For as long as Android has been around the operating system has relied on the Dalvik virtual machine as the platform apps run on. Now it looks like Google is getting to replace Dalvik with a new runtime called ART. While Dalvik uses “just-in-time” processing to compile code on the fly, ART using an “ahead-of-time” process […]

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Android 4.4 KitKat ported to run on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Google may have no plans to release an official Android 4.4 software update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. But the nice thing about phones that ship with unlocked bootloaders is that you can load your own software — and like most Nexus devices, there’s a pretty healthy developer community involved with the Galaxy Nexus. So […]

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Google’s former AOSP maintainer Jean-Baptiste QuĂ©ru join’s Yahoo

Jean-Baptiste QuĂ©ru is a software engineer who up until recently was one of the most visible faces of Google’s Android Open Source Project. But after a few frustrations too many, QuĂ©ru announced in August that he planned to leave the project. Now we know where he’s landed. QuĂ©ru started a new job at Yahoo this week. QuĂ©ru […]

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Most popular Liliputing articles from the week of 8/03 – 8/09

After spending a few weeks with the new Google Nexus 7, I came to the conclusion that it’s one of the best Android tablets around. But it’s not the only cheap, decent tablet around. Some of the most popular stories this week at Liliputing have been about budget tablets. The 2013 Nexus 7 sells for […]