HTC One M7 Lollipop Update: Android 5.0.2 Available Via LiquidSmooth ROM

While Google has yet to release the Android Lollipop for the HTC One M7, users of the smartphone can try out the latest version by installing the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update on their phones thanks to LiqiudSmooth ROM.

The Android Lollipop will hit the HTC One M7 phones next year but thanks to the custom ROM on LiquidSmooth, users can take the new software out for a test run. The ROM is still being developed though and is currently at its first stages so users might experience bugs and problems after installation.

Those who are successful, on the other hand, can expect the Material Design of the Lollipop as well as its distinct features to appear on their phones.

The LiquidSmooth ROM includes ambient display, brightness, clock position, ad blocker, advanced power menu, volume wake, clock and date color, notification light length and speed and more. It also comes with the SuperSu and toggles for the network traffic status bar, immersive mode and quick settings.

However, before even attempting to download the software, users have to remember that sometimes the warranties on phones will be voided when the software is tinkered with. The bugs present in the ROM also mean that it's important to back up the phone first before installing it.

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Man returns stolen Android tablet when he can't work it

Charity begins by stealing things and taking them home.

However if you get home and you can't get the thing you've stolen to work, charity ends with you taking the thing back.

Yes, I am sober. Please let me explain. A man from Sunderland in northern England stole an Android tablet from a charity store, according to court documents. Christopher Hooson apparently saw it in the window of the Jonny Kennedy store in Whitley Bay and thought: "I'll have that."

There was one small problem. When he brought it home he didn't know how to get it to work. It's unclear why this was so. What is clearer is that, eight days later, Hooson took it back to the charity store and showed his deep good-heartedness. He tried to donate the tablet back to the store.

This move was unwise. Even charity stores have CCTV. And so Hooson, age 33, ended up in court to defend himself.

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Android Circuit: Android 5.0.2 Released, Kodak's First Smartphone, Samsung Surrenders Over Services

Taking a look back at the week in news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit highlights a number of stories including Android 5.0.2 for the Nexus 7, iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5, Kodak’s new Android smartphone, Christmas hints and tips, technology or religion, Samsung closes software services and retail stores, and The Hunt should have launched on Android before iOS.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android over the last seven days (and you can read the weekly Apple news digest here).

Android Lollipop 5.0.2. Now Available For Nexus 7

While Android 5.1 continues to be worked on ahead of an expected Q1 2015 release data, Google has rolled out a minor point version. Android 5.0.2 is starting to become available on the Nexus 7.  IBT has the news, while Android Police has the step-by-step instructions if you want to update your own Nexus 7, as the site has a copy of the relevant files to bump up your version of Android.

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Android 5.0/5.1 Lollipop UK release date, new features and upgrades: Android 5.1 could be here by February

The final version of Android 5.0 Lollipop was unveiled only in October, yet Android 5.1 Lollipop is rumoured to be on its way. Here's what you need to know about Android Lollipop's release date, design and new features - plus when your phone will get the upgrade. Also see Nexus 6 release date, price and specs and Nexus 9 release date, price and specs, Nexus Player release date, price and specs

We've been running Android Lollipop for a few months now, back when it was known only as Android L, and you can see the new features and screenshots here. We've also tested out the increased battery life, but Lollipop is no faster than KitKat

Google launched Android 4.4 KitKat last September and then showed off Android L at its I/O 2014 developer conference before officially announcing its final name and version number on 15 October.

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Android 5.0 Lollipop Update Starts Rolling Out to Moto G (Gen 1) in India

Motorola has started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the first-generationMoto G - aka Moto G (2013), Moto G (XT1033), and Moto G (Gen 1) - in India.

The Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the dual-SIM enabled Moto G (XT1033) is now available OTA (over-the-air) and comes with build number 220.21.16.en.03.

The Moto G (Gen 1) users will either receive a notification for the OTA update to Android 5.0 Lollipop, or they can also check manually for the update by visiting Settings>About phone>System updates. With either method, users will have to then select 'Yes, I'm in', to authorise the download of the update, and then click 'Install now'.

An XDA Developers' forum member also posted a screenshot of the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Moto G (Gen 1), showing the build number and changelog.

Notably, the company has also posted the changelog for the update on 'Release Notes' support page and it includes the new Material Design UI with fluid animations to new application and system themes, colours and widgets, as well as the new notifications UI that will now appear on the lock screen. Other new features part of the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the first generation Moto G include Smart Lock; new interruptions and downtime settings that will offer the option to tailor how interruptions behave; redesigned multitasking; Ambient Display now showing notifications without turning on the full display; revamped Motorola Assist, and the new flashlight option as part of Quick settings in Lollipop.

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Top Android news of the week: Top dog, new Lollipop, two screens

Android tops in smartphones

The Android juggernaut marches on according to figures reported by CNET. Shipments of smartphones with Android are expected to top 1.06 billion this year. This will give Android a whopping 82.3 percent share of the smartphone space.

The forecast from IDC puts iOS in very distant second place with only 13.8 percent of smartphones shipped. IDC sees a slowdown overall for smartphones in the near future.

Lollipop 5.01 released to the AOSP

This week Google released Android 5.01 to the AOSP, making it available to the community-at-large. The AOSP is the Android Open Source Project and is the foundation for those looking to customize the OS.

This should help get Lollipop out to users, as the official version from Google hasn't appeared on many devices other than the company's own Nexus products.

YotaPhone 2: Phone with two big screens

Dual-screen smartphones are nothing new, and the YotaPhone was the first practical design with the second screen on the back of the handset. A new model appeared this week which looks as intriguing as the original.

The 5-inch phone has a 4.7-inch touch display on the back of the handset which is a black and white display. This second display can be used for informational data and is very cool.

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Yes, Android Lollipop for the Galaxy S5 is finally here. No, you can’t have it yet.

Samsung has surprised some Galaxy S5 owners by already rolling out the first official Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the handset (build version LRX21T), SamMobile reports. But the download is that the new software only available to a very limited number of users in one region so far.

FROM EARLIER: Video: This is what Android Lollipop looks like on the Galaxy S5

As the publication notes, Samsung has released its first Lollipop only 31 days after Google released the final Android 5.0 build, a record for the company when it comes to Android update releases for its flagship devices. Samsung did tease Lollipop updates for some of its top handsets, with SamMobile already demoing Android 5.0 pre-release versions for the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 4.

The official Galaxy S5 update is only available for the SM-G906F version of the handset at this time, and only to users in Poland, Samsung should roll it out to other European countries in the near future.

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Google quietly pushes out Android Lollipop 5.0.1 images

After a less-than-smooth rollout three weeks after it began to roll out Android Lollipop to users, Google has begun the process of getting Lollipop 5.0.1 out the door.

The Android maker quietly updated its factory images page to reveal a 5.0.1 build for the Nexus 9, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. Installing images from this page does require the flashing of devices in order to update them, and does not carry user data across in the process, unless backed up and restored by the user.

Among the changes in this version is an increase to the amount of memory allocated for video playback on Nexus 7 users, which often manifested itself on YouTube as the now-infamous "There was a problem while playing the video. Touch to retry" error.

Users on the bug have reported that the update has fixed the issue.

Another issue fixed in this release is avoiding accidentally factory resetting a device configured to wipe itself after a number of failed access attempts. Lollipop now does not count password or patterns with less than four elements as attempts to access the device.

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Android 5.0.1 released; fixes inadvertent factory reset bug

It seems like every big software release is quickly followed up by a bug-fix update, and it looks like that's what Google has just pushed out to AOSP and the Nexus image page. Android 5.0.1 is the latest version of Lollipop and is now available for select devices.

On the factory images page, there are downloads for the Wi-Fi Nexus 9, Wi-Fi Nexus 7 (2013), and the Nexus 10, and we're expecting updates for the rest of the Nexus devices soon.

Google hasn't said anything official about the update, but Peter Kiddier, an intrepid commenter over at Android Police, has picked out the new commits from the source code. The major showstopper looks to be this bug, which, in some instances, could cause stray input on the lock screen to erase everything on the device.

The bug sounds rare, since you'll have to set up certain security policies to risk triggering it. Android can be configured to wipe the device if the user fails the lock screen security challenge too many times. When combined with some lock screens, the security lockout could be accidentally triggered by stray input—for instance, from the phone rattling around in a bag or pocket. The most susceptible is the pattern-unlock screen, which has the user connect a grid of dots to unlock the device. This is normally done in a single sweeping motion, but Android 5.0 will count a single tap on the pattern screen as a "failed attempt."

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Android KitKat running on a third of all Android devices

KitKat, which first debuted 31 October, 2013 and made its public appearance on the Nexus 5, hit a usage share of 33.9 percent during the seven-day period ending December 1, beating its nearest rivals Android 4.1 and 4.2 (both codenamed Jelly Bean) which stand at 21.3 percent and 20.4 percent, respectively.

Since Google last released Android usage data back in November, KitKat has grabbed around three percentage points of usage share.

Compare this to iOS 8, which is now running on 60 percent of all iPhone and iPads after only two and a half months. However, even Apple has found it hard to get users to upgrade to iOS 8/8.1.

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