LineageOS, the Android-based operating system that’s probably the most well-known custom ROM these days, is now based on Android 11. The developers have announced the release of LineageOS 18.1, which includes new features, behavior changes, and security patches. There are also updates to some LineageOS-specific apps and features. For example: All LineageOS apps now support […]
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iodé sells Android phones stripped of tracking and advertising (and the Play Store)
A new French company called iodé is selling smartphones that ship with a custom Android-based operating system that offers some of the benefits of Android (like ease-of-use) while offering more privacy. The company says its software blocks advertisements, spyware, and other apps and services from tracking your personal data. One trade-off is that the phones […]
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Lilbits: New software for very old phones, more native apps for Macs with M1 chips
Google and Qualcomm may have partnered on an initiative that will make it easier for Android phone makers to release software and security updates for up to four years, but it’s still up to individual companies to decide whether to follow through. Meanwhile, independent developers continue to support many phones long after they’ve been abandoned by […]
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Lilbits: Open mobile hardware, Surface Pro 8 leak, and Apple’s ARM-based Macs
In September hardware hacker bunnie Huang unveiled a new open mobile hardware device called Precursor. Now it’s up for pre-order through a crowdfunding campaign at Crowd Supply. The early bird $450 rewards are sold out, but you can reserve one for a pledge of $512 or more and if everything goes according to plan, a […]
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F(x)tec Pro1-X is a phone that ships with Linux or Android (and has a keyboard)
The F(x)tec Pro1 is one of the only modern smartphone to feature a physical keyboard. Soon it will also be one of the phones available with a choice of the Android-based LineageOS or Linux-based Ubuntu Touch operating systems. The makers of the phone have launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the F(x)tec Pro1-X, a slightly […]
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5 Comments on F(x)tec Pro1-X smartphone runs Ubuntu Touch or LineageOS, has a physical keyboard (crowdfunding)
F(x)tec Pro1-X smartphone runs Ubuntu Touch or LineageOS, has a physical keyboard (crowdfunding)
5 Comments on F(x)tec Pro1-X smartphone runs Ubuntu Touch or LineageOS, has a physical keyboard (crowdfunding)The F(x)tec Pro1 is an unusual smartphone by contemporary standards. It has a large screen that covers most of the front of the device. But there’s also a physical keyboard that slides out from behind the screen when you need it, allowing you to use the phone like a tiny laptop. First launched in 2019, […]
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Run Android 10 on the 2018 Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet (unofficially with LineageOS 17.1)
Most new Android phones and tablets shipping this year are running Android 10 software, and Google is getting ready to release Android 11 this fall. Meanwhile, Amazon’s latest tablets are running a fork of Android called Fire OS and some recent tablets are still stuck on Fire OS 6, which is based on Android 7.1 […]
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Lilbits 385: Laptops big and small
A few days ago we reported that a Dell XPS 17 laptop was likely on the way. Now we know what it’ll probably look like, thanks to an image spotted on Dell’s website. Meanwhile One Netbook continues to leak tidbits of information about the company’s upcoming mini-laptop designed for gaming. This time we have a […]
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Now you can install custom ROMs on the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2018)
After Amazon released an updated Fire HD 8 tablet last September, it didn’t take long for folks to figure out that you could install the Google Play Store on the 8 inch tablet. A few months later, folks figured out two methods for unlocking the bootloader and rooting the device (1)(2). While that theoretically opened […]
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LineageOS 16 released, brings Android 9 Pie to over two dozen phones and tablets
Custom ROMs for Android phones and tablets can bring features that might not be available in the software that ships with your device. But they can also be a way to keep older devices up to date long after the manufacturer stops offering software updates. Case in point: the team behind LineageOS (which grew out […]