January 2015 -- XDA Developers

New AOSP Branch Details Potential Build System Upgrades?

Pulser_G2 January 31, 2015

While there are frequent unexplained changes and pushes to Google's AOSP repositories, an interesting-looking new branch has been pushed out recently, called "master-soong". Taking a look at the changes made to the manifest repository (which is used to specify the repositories to be downloaded when building Android), it appears there are some new repositories making...

Send Links to Any Nearby Device with CaastMe

GermainZ January 30, 2015

There already are many solutions on the Google Play store if you want to send a link to one of your devices -- but what if you wanted to do it quickly without having to install any software or logging in to a website on the recipient end? Most apps require you to do either...

The Witcher Battle Arena: Hectic Multiplayer MOBA Fun

Mario Tomás Serrafero January 30, 2015

Do you like MOBAs? Do you like gaming on your phone? Given that MOBAs (multi player battle arenas) have amassed millions upon millions of players, there's a chance you play LoL or DOTA. And here at XDA we love phones, and we spend a lot of time on them, so if you were to like gaming...

LG G4 Could Feature a… 3K Display?

Mario Tomás Serrafero January 30, 2015

According to myLGphones, a version of the LG G4 will not feature neither a 2K nor a 4K display - but 3K. If you are anything like me, your reaction to this news will be confusion. While we don't have many details about the sources of this leak, it has apparently been confirmed true by...

Note 4 CM12 Nightlies, Microsoft Investing in Cyanogen – XDA TV

Jimmy McGee January 30, 2015

CyanogenMod 12 Nightlies are now available for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4! That and much more news is covered by Jordan when he reviews all the important stories from this week. Included in this week's news is the announcement of factory images for the YU Yureka and be sure to check out the article talking...

Microsoft To Invest in Cyanogen’s Future OS War?

Mario Tomás Serrafero January 29, 2015

Reports indicate that Microsoft is investing in the rogue Android forker Cyanogen. The funding round is said to be upwards of $70 million, and could allow for a cooperation between Cyanogen and the Silicon Valley giant in the ongoing battle of mobile operating systems. This could be a strategic movement in coordination with other investors given Cyanogen's...

Samsung Cutting Bloat, Trimming TouchWiz

Mario Tomás Serrafero January 29, 2015

Reports keep iterating over the rumors that Samsung has been trimming down TouchWiz for its upcoming devices. After years of customer complaints, particularly from power users, Samsung seems to finally have taken initiative towards cracking down the stutters that often plague some of its devices, particularly older ones or those that see a long life...

Have Some ‘Quality Time’ – App Review

Jimmy McGee January 29, 2015

Our phones are jam packed with features. You can crush candy, you can send emails, you can take photos, you can make phone calls and you can surf the internet. However, sometimes that’s just too much. Sometimes we need to take a break from our device, but it is not always and easy as it...

What’s the Ideal Phone Screen Size and Why?

Emil Kako January 28, 2015

There's no denying that smartphones have gotten bigger and bigger over the last few years. Judging by the sales, "phablets" are definitely in high demand and won't be leaving any time soon. But is that a good thing? Let us know your ideal smartphone screen size and why!

Amazon Echo vs Google Now – Digital Assistant Showdown!

Jimmy McGee January 28, 2015

Two weeks ago, we talked about the must have item from Amazon, the Echo. In the comments there was a lot of discussion about which digital assistant implementation was actually better: Amazon Echo or, the Android standard, Google Now. Is it dependent on whether you want it to me mobile or not? Is it physical hardware versus software?In this...

Not Retired: Five Things to Do with Your Veteran Devices

Mario Tomás Serrafero January 27, 2015

XDA is full of power-users and developers. And both groups, which often intersect, usually love new hardware. Some of us crave the extra possibilities and functionality that a shiny brand-new phone might bring to the table. Whenever I buy a new phone, people often comment on how "my old phone was fine", and that I really didn't...

Must Have App Review: AROMA File Manager

Jimmy McGee January 27, 2015

Here at XDA we spend a lot of time in our recoveries. Some of our tweaks, hacks, and mods require you to make changes to system files. That requires some pretty deep access. You can get to that access from recovery, like TWRP. However, the recovery file manager doesn’t feel like the Android file managers.XDA...