Jellybean Review

Instead of jumping ahead a full version number from 4.0 to 5.0 with Android this year, Google has wisely decided to slow down the new feature freight train just a little, instead expanding upon the solid foundation introduced with Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich last year.

We saw the first version of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) in the middle of this year, and we've now updated our review to cover the latest incarnation of the sugary treat - Android 4.2 - so feast your eyes on what the latest version of Google's OS has to offer.

Although this decision may have more to do with slow adoption of ICS, the iterative release allows Google to catch its breath while hopefully allowing carriers, developers and users alike the chance to play catch-up.

Android 4.2, Jelly Bean improves on the speed and simplicity of Android 4.1 and includes all new features – Photo Sphere and a completely redesigned camera app, new Gesture Typing keyboard, Google Now with all new cards, and much more.

• Everything in Jelly Bean feels fast, fluid, and smooth. Moving between home screens and switching between apps is effortless, like turning the pages of a book.
• Jelly Bean improves performance throughout the system, including faster orientation changes, quicker switching between recent apps, and smoother and more consistent rendering across the system through vsync and triple buffering.
• Jelly Bean has more reactive and uniform touch responses, and makes your Android device even more responsive by boosting your device’s CPU instantly when you touch the screen, and turns it down when you don’t need it to improve battery life.

For more Changelog visit : http://www.android.com/about/jelly-bean/

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What are Custom ROMs?

Android is a great Open Source Platform. The Android Developers have taken huge advantage of this Open-sourceness of the Android Operating System. The Developers have built Custom ROMs for the Android OS.

ROM

The word ROM means Read Only Memory, but has migrated in the modding community to mean an actual custom OS image that you install into the ROM area of your phone.

CUSTOM ROMs

A Custom ROM is a fully standalone version of the OS, including the kernel (which makes everything run), apps, services, etc - everything you need to operate the device, except it's customized by someone in some way.

So what does the "customized" part mean? Since Android is open source, developers are free to take stock ROM's, modify them, strip them of garbage, optimize them, add things, and pretty much do whatever their imagination and skills allow. They Modify the Stock Settings and also add their own settings. They are any day better than Stock Based ROMs which the Manufacturer's default ROM in the phone. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTALLING A CUSTOM ROM ON YOU ANDROID

• Root
• Unlocked Boot-loader
• Custom Recovery Image
• A Pair of Sharp Eyes
• A Brain that Can Think
•  Patience (Last but most important)

SOME FAMOUS ANDROID CUSTOM ROMS DEVELOPERS 

These Android Developers are one of the best in their field. They support multiple devices and have support from various large Software Institutions.

• Cyanogenmod

This one man show started the famous CyanogenMOD which is running on more than millions of devices all over the world. CyanogenMOD officially supports 133 devices but there are unofficial builts for many of the Phones.

• MIUI

MIUI is a Chineese Developing company. It is a team of Excellent Developers. It supports 98 Devices officially. Very less unofficial Ports for other devices as it is too complex.

• GalaxyICS

Galaxy ICS is a team of Developers who Port IceCreamSandwich (4.0) OS on Galaxy Variants. They support 4 devices. They are not on a largescale but they do a great work by Porting ICS on ARMV6 devices.

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What is Rooting?

“What is rooting? Why should I root my Android device?” These are common questions that I get asked quite often. Today’s lesson is to talk to you about both the advantages and disadvantages of rooting your Android devices. But before we get started, a word of caution: rooting or modifying your phone in any way will void your manufacturer’s warranty and possibly “brick” it. What does “bricking” your device mean you ask? Exactly what you think… It means screwing up your phone software so badly that your phone can no longer function properly and is pretty much as useless as a brick. I do not in any way recommend anyone to root their Android device. This article is simply to introduce you to the subject of rooting and present you with both the pro’s and con’s so that you can make an educated decision on your own.

What is Rooting?

“Rooting” your device means obtaining “superuser” rights and permissions to your Android’s software. With these elevated user privileges, you gain the ability to load custom software (ROM’s), install custom themes, increase performance, increase battery life, and the ability to install software that would otherwise cost extra money. ROOTING IS BAD  Rooting your Droid is not at all bad. It gives you loads many advantages. Your Phone is bounded with many permissions, after Root, You get all of your Phones Permissions. Its similar to give Admin Access on a Windows PC.

The term “root” comes from the Unix/Linux world and is used to describe a user who has “superuser” rights or permissions to all the files and programs in the software OS (Operating System). The root user, because they have “superuser” privileges, can essentially change or modify any of the software code on the device. You see, your phone manufacturer/carrier only gives you “guest” privileges when you purchase your device. They do this for good reason… they don’t want you getting into certain parts of the software on your phone and screwing it up beyond repair. It makes it much easier for them to manage and update the devices if they lock it all down.

Superuser Application for Root Access

WARNING: ROOTING YOUR ANDROID VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY. 

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Android Versions

Android Versions in Detail

Android has seen a significant growth of development within these 5 years. The vanilla versions released in November 2007 though did not grab a huge amount of market but all possible promotional methods were implied to advertise the new upcoming Open Source Android Operating System.
The first initial releases of Android  versions i.e.Beta, 1.0 and 1.1 were not that popular amongst the masses. It was the CUPCAKE (1.5) that brought a revolution in the Android Operating System.

CUPCAKE (1.5) :-

After the initial releases which failed to capture a firm position in the marketplace, Google released the Android Cupcake 1.5 which was the first stable built on the Android Platform.

On 30 April 2009, the Android 1.5 update, dubbed Cupcake, was released, based on Linux Kernel 2.6.27.The update included several new features and UI amendments:

• Support for third-party virtual keyboards with text prediction and user dictionary for custom words
• Support for  Widgets - miniature application views that can be embedded in other applications (such as the Home screen) and receive periodic updates
• Video recording and playback in MPEG-4 and 3GP formats
• Auto-pairing and stereo support for Bluetooth added (A2DP and AVRCP profiles)
• Copy and paste features added to web browser
• User pictures shown for Favorites in Contacts
• Specific date/time stamp shown for events in call log, and one-touch access to a contact card from call log event
• Animated screen transitions
• Added auto-rotation option
• Added the current stock boot animation
• Ability to upload videos to YouTube
• Ability to upload photos to Picasa

DONUT (1.6) :- 

The Second Stable release of the Android Version was DONUT. Donut was based on the 1.6 series of the android OS. The features and the changelog of Donut are as follow:-

On 15 September 2009, the Android 1.6 SDK – dubbed Donut – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29. Included in the update were numerous new features:-

• Voice and text entry search enhanced to include bookmark history, contacts, and the web
• Ability for developers to include their content in search results
• Multi-lingual speech synthesis engine to allow any Android application to "speak" a string of text
• Easier searching and ability to view app screenshots in Android Market
• Gallery, camera and camcorder more fully integrated, with faster camera access
• Ability for users to select multiple photos for deletion
• Updated technology support for , and a text-to-speech engine
• Support for WVGA screen resolutions
• Speed improvements in searching and camera applications
• Expanded Gesture framework and new GestureBuilder development tool

ECLAIR (2.0 , 2.1) :-

The Third version released by Google was the Eclair 2.0 and 2.1. Major devices were built on Eclair due to its speed and stability. Heres the changelog:-

On 26 October 2009, the Android 2.0 SDK – codenamed Eclair – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29 Changes included:-

• Expanded Account sync, allowing users to add multiple accounts to a device for email- and contact-synchronization
• Exchange email support, with combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page
• Bluetooth 2.1 support
• Ability to tap a Contacts photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person
• Ability to search all saved SMS and MMS messages, with delete oldest messages in a conversation automatically deleted when a defined limit is reached
• Numerous new camera features, including flash support, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect and macro focus
• Improved typing speed on virtual keyboard, with smarter dictionary that learns from word usage and includes contact names as suggestions
• Refreshed browser UI with bookmark thumbnails, double-tap zoom and support for HTML5
• Calendar agenda view enhanced, showing attending status for each invitee, and ability to invite new guests to events
• Optimized hardware speed and revamped UI
• Support for more screen sizes and resolutions, with better contrast ratio
• Improved Google Maps 3.1.2
• MotionEvent class enhanced to track multi-touch events
• Addition of live wallpapers, allowing the animation of home-screen background images to show movement

FROYO (2.2) :-

FROYO was the version which brought a great revolution in the Android OS. There was a hike of 32% in the sales of Android after the Release of Froyo. 2.2.* series was seen as the basic version in more than 250+ devices.

On 20 May 2010, the Android 2.2 (Froyo) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.32. Its features included:-

• Speed, memory, and performance optimization
• Additional application speed improvements, implemented through JIT application
• Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScript Engine into the Browser application
• Support for the Android Cloud to device management (C2DM) service, enabling push notifications
• Improved Microsoft Exchange support, including security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendar synchronization and remote wipe
• Improved application launcher with shortcuts to Phone and Browser applications
• USB tethering and Wifi Hotspot functionality
• Added an option to disable data access over mobile network
• Updated Market application with batch and automatic update features
• Quick switching between multiple keyboard languages and their dictionaries
• Voice dialing and contact sharing over Bluetooth
• Support for Bluetooth-enabled car and desk docks
• Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords
• Support for file upload fields in the Browser application
• Support for installing applications to the expandable memory
• Adobe Flash support
• Support for extra-high-PPI screens (320 ppi), such as 4" 720p
• Gallery allows users to view picture stacks using a zoom gesture

GINGERBREAD (2.3) :-

Gingerbread was the 5th update for android by Google. It was welcomed by many devices. Gingerbread has been the most stable and reliable firmware till date. Users prefer Stock Gingerbread ROMs to Honeycomb and IceCreamSandwich ROM's. 

On 6 December 2010, the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35.Changes included:

• Updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed
• Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)
• Native support for SIP VoIP internet telephony
• Faster, more intuitive text input in virtual keyboard, with improved accuracy, better suggested text and voice input mode
• Enhanced copy/paste functionality, allowing users to select a word by press-hold, copy, and paste
• Support for Near Field Communication (NFC), allowing the user to read an NFC tag embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement
• New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost
• New Download Manager, giving users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application
• Support for multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available
• Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding
• Improved power management with a more active role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long
• Enhanced support for native code development
• Switched from YAFFS to ext4 on newer devices
• Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers
• Concurrent garbage collection for increased performance
• Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscopes and barometers)
• Concurrent garbage collection for increased performance
• Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscopes and barometers)
• Version 2.3.4 introduced support for voice or video chat using Google Talk
• Improved network performance for the Nexus S 4G, among other fixes and improvements
• Fixed Bluetooth bug on Samsung Galaxy S
• Improved Gmail application
• Shadow animations for list scrolling
• Camera software enhancements
• Improved battery efficiency

HONEYCOMB (3.0) :-

The first official ONLY-TABLET update was honeycomb. The 3.0 series was only supported by tablets and XHDPI devices due to its High-End Features.

• Optimized tablet support with a new virtual and “holographic” user interface
• Added System Bar, featuring quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation buttons, available at the bottom of the screen
• Added Action Bar, giving access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the top of the screen
• Simplified multitasking – tapping Recent Apps in the System Bar allows users to see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one app to another
• Redesigned keyboard, making typing fast, efficient and accurate on larger screen sizes
• Simplified, more intuitive copy/paste interface
• Multiple browser tabs replacing browser windows, plus form auto-fill and a new “incognito” mode allowing anonymous browsing
• Quick access to camera exposure, focus, flash, zoom, front-facing camera, time-lapse, and more
• Ability to view albums and other collections in full-screen mode in Gallery, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos
• New two-pane Contacts UI and Fast Scroll to let users easily organize and locate contacts
• New two-pane Email UI to make viewing and organizing messages more efficient, allowing users to select one or more messages
• Support for video chat using Google Talk
• Hardware acceleration
• Support for multi-core processors
• Ability to encrypt all user data

ICE CREAM SANDWICH (4.0) :-

Ice Cream Sandwich popularly known as ICS is the latest android update for all the android variants. It is still officially available only for 4 devices but 

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What is Android?

What is Android? 

Well this is one of the most searched quote on Google! To begin with Android is an Open Source Operating System. Just like Windows, Symbian, iOS etc. Android too is an operating system which works on number of mobile devices.

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What is this Blog all about?

Well Android Addict is a blog about various android stuff. All the information about android will be available to you right here on this Blog. Well there are many users who want to learn about android but don't know where to go. then this is the right place for you guys.

I promise you that you wont get disappointed with wrong information. 

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