android
Sony Ericsson Shares with Developers
It’s not often companies freely allow developers access to their software let alone teach them on how to make modifications to it. Sony suing George Hotz is a prime example of how companies sometimes can be very possessive and secretive with regards to their products and rightfully so. However Sony Ericsson has gone one step further by releasing documentation on their developer blog for developers who wish to make modifications to the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and the Xperia Neo. On top of documentation they also offer support for developers as well.
However on the blog developers are warned that proceeding to make any modifications or unlocking the boot loader might very well void the warranty on your phone and you may not be able to revert the phone back to its original state either therefore unless you are very sure that you know what you’re doing, proceed with caution!
Taken from Sony Ericsson’s Developer blog:
What is the Linux kernel?
The Xperia™ line of smartphones run on the Android™, the mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel. Though it is only a small part of the operating system, the kernel ensures that all other processes in the system are synchronized to work together properly.
Why rebuild the kernel?
Rebuilding the kernel enables end users to make modifications to their devices that are normally not intended by the device manufacturer, such as theming the device by changing system icons and removing/modifying system components. Please note that Sony Ericsson is not recommending this.
Now it’s only a matter of time to see if other manufacturers such as Samsung or HTC will follow in Sony Ericsson’s footsteps.
The Fairphone 2 was first unveiled in June earlier this year, where this particular handset carried a modular design while featuring majority of its components that have been sourced from conflict-free mines. It seems that this particular handset that you can purchase with a clear conscience has begun to ship to those who happen to live across Europe.
Fairphone announced in a blog post, “It’s been almost two years in the making, and some of the earliest buyers have been patiently waiting since July to receive their new phones. As community manager, I want to personally welcome the new batch of Fairphone owners to our community.” The initial 1,000 units are tipped to ship this month, before the other pre-orders follow in January 2016.
In terms of hardware specifications, the Fairphone 2 will run on a Snapdragon 801 chipset, has a 5″ 1080p screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, with Android 5.1 Lollipop in tow. It will be a dual SIM capable handset with a microSD memory card slot and plays nice with 4G LTE networks, retailing for approximately €525 a pop.
It looks like the upcoming flagship model from Xiaomi will feature NFC support, at least based on a document that was released by China UnionPay. Just in case you are scratching your head and wondering who China UnionPay is, they happen to be the only domestic payment gateway supplier and card organization, and hence, to see them offer detailed support concerning the newly released NFC-based payment system points to the very real possibility of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 featuring NFC capability.
After all, the Xiaomi Mi 3 was also mentioned on the list, which so happens to feature NFC, and there is no mention of the Xiaomi Mi 4 which does not come with NFC. Still, such a new payment system would be the ideal tool to see the reintroduction of NFC to the flagship model.
OnePlus did make an announcement in the previous month that the Ceramic variant of the OnePlus X will be released on November 24. True to their word, they did exactly that – although only a pitiful number of units were made available, and not only that, this was through a charity auction. Thankfully for the rest of the masses who are on the lookout for this device, it has gone on sale officially already.
Needless to say, this particular variant is available only by an invitation, although do bear in mind that standard OnePlus X invites are not good here – you will still need to snag yourself a specific Ceramic variant invite before you make a purchase. OnePlus is also on the lookout to offer additional methods of picking up this smartphone, although no further details were revealed.
The OnePlus X Ceramic will be available only in select markets, where among them include Europe, India, and Hong Kong. To date, we do know that OnePlus had made only 10,000 units of the handset available. A case of the early bird getting the proverbial worm here?