Custom ROMs are the life and blood of Android. One of the beauties of the entire platform is the fact that you don’t have to remain stuck with whatever the manufacturer of your smartphone or tablet had chosen for you; instead, you get to make your own choices, either in the form of stock-based custom cooked firmware, or the likes of CyanogenMod and AOKP, which are direct derivatives of the Android Open Source Project.
Over-the-air, or OTA updates make the process of reeling in new features and security patches a great deal easier on mobile device users. The rigmarole of connecting a device to a computer while the magic happened was a common occurrence just a few years ago, but such is the fast-moving nature of the mobile field, that any update can now easily applied with a few simple taps - whether at home or on the fly. For those rocking the Galaxy Nexus or a Nexus S, an airborne bundle of joy is heading your way, and if it hasn't already reached your device, we'll show you how to pluck it from the skies.
Android Jelly Bean (4.1) has enjoyed a much warmer welcome into mobile space than its predecessor Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), which took an age to trickle through to many Android devices, leaving quite a few consumers feeling somewhat disillusioned with the update process in general. Google has clearly regrouped and revaluated its battle plan this time around though, and as well as being arguably the best release of Android to date, the Big G isn't hanging around with its OTA updates.
Seeing that Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean last week during its Google I/O conference - where it also announced its home entertainment device, the Nexus Q, among a few other things - Android users are surly antsy to get the latest version of the OS onto their devices. Well, Nexus S and Nexus S 4G owners are in luck; two guys from the XDA forums - DeXmax and CooLoserTech - have ported Jelly Bean 4.1 to the Nexus S and Nexus S 4G, respectively.
With beautiful typography, continuous horizontal layouts and large thumbnails, Window Phone 7’s “Metro UI” is arguably the best looking mobile operating system in the market today. It provides a completely original user-experience which focuses more on information than apps.
Google's modestly-updated 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich almost ready to roll out for the Nexus S, but those anxious to get the update now, we've got the tutorial ready and waiting for you to get your teeth into!
Progress on official CyanogenMod ROMs was pretty slow these past few weeks because of the lack of build servers. The CyanogenMod team asked for donations for new servers and a large number of people from the Android enthusiast community responded to the call.
Those looking for a dose of Ice Cream Sandwich on their Nexus S 4G devices will be pleased to learn that an official ROM has leaked into the wild, with reports suggesting it's a final build and will begin rolling out over-the-air pretty soon.
Nexus S-toting Android enthusiasts who were feeling left out on not getting Face Unlock for their device in the Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich will be pleased to know that an independent developer has managed to port the feature to the Nexus S and as included it in a custom ROM. We’ve got the step-by-step guide on how to flash this ROM right after the jump!
As promised, Google has started rolling out the official Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich to all Nexus S users out there. Being the latest iteration in the Android OS saga, it’s a free treat no one can deny. And here’s how you can get the update this very moment, details after the jump!
