Cyanogenmod Installer app removed from Play Store

Some things never go smoothly, do they? Cyanogenmod posted on their blog last night that their Installer had been voluntarily removed from the Play Store after a Google request citing the fact that as it encouraged people to void their warranties which is against the Play Store policy. You can see the full blog post here.

The Windows installer basically helped you root you phone and prepare it so you can replace Google’s Android operating system with a modified version called Cyanogenmod. The Installer is still available to download from the Cyanogenmod site but there is no word on if or when it will be back on the Play Store. Whilst Google are happy to promote their good attitude to open source software they have apparently drawn the line here and it will be interesting to see what happens next as Cyanogenmod have a lot going on at the moment.

When it was announced that Cyanogenmod, one of the most highly respected group of Android rom creators on the web, had become a company and had plans to put their ROM on the immanently released Oppo N1 there was an unannounced hurdle to overcome; gaining Google’s approval so their Play Store, Gmail and the usual group of Google apps could be installed. Cyanogenmod (and the many other talented ROM makers such as Paranoid Android and Pacman) usually avoid any problems with Google’s legal team by using the open source code for Android to create their roms and leaving it up to the users to install the Google Apps themselves. However on a phone supported by a hardware manufacturer this software is more or less a prerequisite and as such they Cyan team have had to work long and hard to comply to all of Google’s terms and conditions so to ready the software for a December release sate but there was a promising looking tweet posted on Twitter this morning:

So it seems things are on track for the December Cyan-flavoured N1 then.

Is this a brave new step to challenge the status quo? Or a seemingly benevolent giant toying with a fly before swatting it? I am personally very eager to see / hear about the Cyanongemod N1, what do you think? Feel free to post any comments below.

What’s new in Android 4.4.1

The new version of KitKat brings lots of smaller changes

Following the first maintenance release of Android KitKat, the big news is that there are many camera fixes and enhancements for the Nexus 5, but it turns out there are also a lot of smaller changes and improvements in the new OS.

Including

Fixes for the Nexus 5 speaker bug (making it louder)
The bug that occasionally made the notification bar partly opaque.
More, haptic feedback
“Photos” is now the default photo-viewing app when you swipe out of the Camera app.

Let us know if the O.T.A update has got your device yet and whether you’ve seen any other changes or bugs.

Get an over-expensive Kindle with the Daily Mail

Want to get an Amazon Kindle this Christmas? Well, you could get the Kindle Fire HD for free. Sure, it’s not quite the new HDX, but the 7? Kindle Fire HD comes with 16GB storage, WiFi and Dolby Digital sound. Plus, of course, you can download a stack of books to it.

The Daily Fail Mail are giving them away for free if you subscribe to the to their Mail Plus, an interactive app for tablets. The newspaper states that the tablet is worth £119 and “all you have to do” is pay for their Mail Plus app (which delivers some “extra puzzles” and “more articles and pictures”) in a 12-month block. At £9.99 per month that works out at £119.88.

So, if you want to pay £119.88 for a £119 tablet (and get a Daily Mail app with some crosswords), go ahead. Personally it might be worth your while heading to Argos, where you can get the very same device for £100. Oh, and if you do that you’ll get a £10 voucher for your next Argos purchase, which is a bit better than reading the constant tirade of hate and bile in the Daily Mail

Nokia Lumia 1020 wireless charging case and camera grip case – Review

With every good phone there should exist a decent selection of official accessories. You know the sort, well made, nice colours and with features not found in third party accessories. The official Nokia Lumia 1020 cases are just that. I’ve got them both and here is my review showing you how they work and hopefully helping you make a purchasing decision. Starting with the slightly less interesting of the two the wireless charging shell.

Nokia Lumia 1020 wireless charging shell

I’m a recent convert to wireless charging, I now prefer my new devices to have it built in and if not at least to have a wireless charging accessory. Luckily for me the Lumia 1020 has a shell that you can clip on and joy of joys it comes in yellow.

Good Points

Available in the same nice coloursQi compatibleFill outs the camera hump a bitAll ports accessible

Bad Points

Not much protection offeredBit flimsy and creakyA bit costly

Design

The wireless charging case follows a similar design to the previous shells for devices like the Lumia 720 or the Lumia 925. It basically just clips over each one of the corners and to remove it’s just the reverse, it is really easy to fit and remove. The case feels just as nice at the Lumia 1020 itself and if anything it makes the whole package feel better as the protruding lense is evened out by the thickness of the wireless charging part.

It’s not all good though, the shell doesn’t really offer any protection at all, it protects the back from scratches and a section of each corner, face down or sideways drops and your asking for trouble. At the end of the day it’s just really for enabling wireless charging and a little bit of protection.

In Use

In use the wireless charging shell is pretty easy to use, slip the shell on and place your phone onto one of the nice Nokia charging pads I’ve got. That’s it really, the shell does easily come off and it doesn’t obscure any of the ports or sockets.

Nokia Lumia 1020 Camera grip

The Lumia 1020 Camera grip created some varying emotions within me when it was announced, varying from, “whoa that’s cool” right through to “whoa that’s stupid”. I knew I’d eventually have to buy one to see how it would fair in real life. So here it is, my review starting of course with my good and bad points.

Good Points

Really great ideaExtra battery powerExtra grip helps with one handed modeTwo stage shutter button helps with focusing

Bad Points

Makes using the Lumia as a phone feel oddTripod screw placement oddSlightly fiddling to removeSlightly overpricedSpeaker obscured when in use

Design

The Lumia 1020 camera grip is an odd looking piece of kit for a phone case, for a piece of plastic that makes your Lumia 1020 feel even more like a camera then it’s perfectly normal. Once you’ve figured out how to fit it is a really damn good idea and it feels really good in the hand, as long as you don’t try to use it as a phone.

The hump houses a 1020 mAh battery pack, a new shutter button, a tripod mount, a battery gauge and the charging socket.

In Use

In use the Lumia Camera grip is pretty good, there are three things that it’s good at. The first is the battery pack, it’s only 1020 mAh so don’t expect huge battery life, but it’s still quite handy to have on hand. The second good thing about the case is the fact that it allows you to easily take shots with one hand, the camera grip really lets you get a good grip. The third thing is how the shutter button makes it easy to do a half press to focus and then fully press to snap the shot. When I have the grip attached I’m always on the look out for something to capture.

Of course there are bad points to the camera grip, such as trying to remove is quite fiddly, the speaker on the bottom of the Lumia is obscured, using it as a phone with the grip on just feels odd and when you connect it to a tripod it’s all a little lopsided.

Conclusion

Overall the cases both have a purpose and they both do it well, although both do have niggling design quirks, like the speaker being obscured on the camera grip and the lack of screen protection on the charging shell. However the facts that they are official accessories that fit perfectly, they are the correct colour and they are extremely well made, all override and slight niggles over the design.

I got the Camera Grip from Amazon who seemed cheapest at the time, the wireless charging shell has now also dropped below £20 on Amazon as well.

Facebook beta for Windows Phone update – tiles and notifications

Facebook Beta for Windows Phone has received one of its regular updates, and this one is a bit bigger than usual.

Notifications and Messages have received big updates, with improved Toast notifications as well as Toast notifications for Messages/Chat. Tiles have also been redesigned, with a variety available, including a Messages Tile.

Toast notifications have often been a bit hit and miss on previous versions of the app, but so far so good, with notifications so far arriving  in parallel with iOS for me, which is a big improvement.

So although the version number has only incrementally change, it’s a bigger update than that suggests, so go get it now using the link below.

Source – WP Central

Link – Facebook Beta in Windows Phone Marketplace

Vectone Mobile offering 1GB of data for.. £1!

No, I’ve not heard of them either but, if you pop along to Poundland or buy one of these online, you can get 1GB of days over 30 days worth for just a quid.

If you go into the high-class Poundland stores you can pick a Vectone Mobile SIM up for just £1 (yes, a pound. who’da thought it eh?), and that’ll include £10 worth of credit for calls, texts and internet. However, the inclusive credit won’t give you the deal mentioned below, so you will need to top up on the Vectone website where, right now, a £5 “Data Pocket” 1GB bundle is only £1. Deal. If you’re buying a tablet as a present with mobile data, put your hood up and slip into Poundland and grab one of these SIMs so that the person receiving the gift can browse anywhere.

If Poundland is beneath you, try buying a SIM card from the Vectone website, and then top up from this page for your super-cheap data.

Android Flashlight app ‘deceives’ millions

Federal Trade Commission stated GoldenShores Technologies took ID and location data from the millions using its Brightest Flashlight app.

The developer shared the data with ad networks but did not tell users about this practice.

To settle the charges, GoldenShores has agreed to give users more control over what happens to their data.

The FTC criticised GoldenShores for its poor privacy policy, which did not let people know that the app was logging their precise location and a unique identifier for their phone and was then sharing that information with advertisers.

The free app offered people an opt-out clause, the FTC said this was “meaningless” because data from all users of the Brightest Flashlight app was shared whether they agreed or not.

“When consumers are given a real, informed choice, they can decide for themselves whether the benefit of a service is worth the information they must share to use it,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC bureau of consumer protection, in a statement.

“But this Flashlight app left them in the dark about how their information was going to be used,” she added.

A settlement deal signed by GoldenShores tightens up its privacy policy and demands that the company change how it handles data. In particular, it must no longer misrepresent how it gathers data and whom it is shared with, and must give consumers meaningful control over what is done with the information.

In addition, it must delete all the data it previously gathered from those who downloaded the Flashlight app.

Source BBC News