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Lenovo realizes unskinned Android is the best Android
Lenovo's Anuj Sharma has revealed that his company will no longer add its own skin to the Android phones that it sells. The executive spoke to Gadgets 360, saying that the company will abandon the Vibe Pure UI in future devices, starting with the K8 Note. Instead, Lenovo will use stock Android, albeit with the addition of features like Dolby Atmos and the company's TheaterMax VR platform.
OnePlus unveils its own Android build without Cyanogen
Following a temporary ban in India, OnePlus has released its own alpha Lollipop ROM for the One based on stock Android 5.0 -- with no Cyanogen influence. For now, the alpha software is only available as a download, and you'll need to wipe your phone in order to get it. It's also very basic and OnePlus said it includes "no extras beyond the stock features of AOSP Lollipop," though it promised to build on it over time. OnePlus started talking about its own Android fork shortly before Cyanogen inked an exclusive deal with Indian smartphone maker Micromax.
Google News and Weather joins the modern age with Now-like cards
The stock Android faithful have been peering at the same UI inside its News and Weather app for quite some time, but today there's a welcome update. Folks carrying the unskinned version of Google's OS are now privy to Now's card-based organization for recent headlines with the weather forecast for the current location situated up top. You can toggle that meteorology widget off and on, or set it to stay with a locale of your choosing or track conditions in multiple places. Swipe through sections with ease, and as you might expect, those handy home screen widgets got a refresh of their own to match. The update seems to be rolling out to compatible devices now, so if you can't snag it yet, sit tight 'cause it's on the way.
HTC One with stock Android coming June 26th for $599 (updated)
Speaking to Walt Mossberg at D11 this morning, Google's Sundar Pichai offered glorious news for anyone who loves the HTC One but craves an untouched Android experience: he confirmed that there is indeed a stock Android 4.2.2 version of the flagship device One coming, and it will be fully unlocked for T-Mobile and AT&T at the solid price of $599. It'll go on sale in the Google Play Store on June 26th, the same date as its $649 counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 stock edition. The new version of the device -- which will be sold in the US initially -- will come SIM-unlocked, with an unlocked bootloader and 32GB storage. In terms of radios, it will offer quadband LTE (700/850/AWS/1900), triband HSPA+ (850/1900/2100) and the usual quadband GSM / EDGE. This means that while T-Mobile users will enjoy refarmed 1900MHz 3G coverage, anyone currently stuck in an AWS HSPA+ area will be out of luck until the network makes the switch in spectrum. There is some give and take involved with such a device, of course; since it's pure stock, Sense-specific features (BlinkFeed, Zoe and so on) won't be included, since they aren't optimized to work on vanilla Android. Still, we're quite excited to see companies like HTC and Samsung embrace the "Nexus experience" and offer choice to its users, and we're hoping this is just the beginning of a new trend. Update: HTC confirmed to us that the Google Edition will retain the same two-button setup, and they'll have the same functions as before: short press of Home for Home, long press for Google Now and double tap for Recent Apps. The back button will also remain the same, and the black menu bar that plagues third-party apps that haven't complied with Google's design specifications isn't going anywhere. We were also told that Beats Audio will still be integrated into the device as a hardware optimization, but the visual indicator -- currently found in the status bar on the original One -- won't be there.
Android 4.0.4 factory images hit the web for GSM Galaxy Nexus
Sure, pushing builds of Android 4.0.4 out over the air is great, but what if you want to keep that unblemished piece of Ice Cream Sandwich for posterity? You could download the AOSP files, but you'd be missing some vital ingredients from the official factory images. Thankfully, build IMM76I of Google's mobile OS is available to download in a simple archived format. With this release Big G is also introducing a second version of its software. In addition to the standard "yakju," there's now "takju," which includes Google Wallet and the necessary support files. If you're a safety first kind of guy or gal and like to keep a simple factory reset kit handy (you know, just in case that latest CM9 nightly doesn't work out so well), head on over to the source link to download the untainted Android images.
Motorola Triumph for Virgin Mobile goes up for pre-order at Best Buy for $300
Fans of Virgin Mobile's prepaid plans were mighty jazzed over the Motorola Triumph, a 4.1-inch, vanilla Froyo-packing handset that might seem ho-hum on paper, but is a marked improvement over what you'd normally be able to score without the shackles of a two-year service agreement. At the time, more than a few of our readers swore that once they dutifully fulfilled their contractual obligations, a Motorola handset sans Motoblur would be enough to send them packing to Virgin. Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is: she's up for pre-order at Best Buy for $299.99. In the world of unlocked phones, of course, that's a steal. Why, the Droid Charge costs the same with a two-year contract, and the (admittedly higher-end) Dell Venue fetches $500 unlocked, with the iPhone 4 topping it at $649. Order now and you're in for several weeks of thumb-twiddling -- Best Buy estimates it'll arrive sometime between July 19th and July 26th. As always, commitment-phobes, hit the source link to order and peep the spec list while you're at it.
T-Mobile G2 review
It's been a long road to the T-Mobile G2 (and this review). Just two years ago, Android made its entrance into the smartphone market with the G1, a partnership with the fourth-place carrier, and a lot of promises about keeping things open. Since then we've seen the likes of the Droid family, Google's Nexus One, and the powerhouses that are the Samsung Galaxy S line -- to name a few. Yes, the Android landscape has become more than just a little crowded. But of those many, there are few who leap beyond what we've come to expect from the Google-backed enterprise into the realm of the top tier. For all the Android devices you can purchase, only a few rise above the noise. At a glance, the G2 looks like one of those handsets -- designed and manufactured by HTC (and known as the Desire Z in Europe), outfitted with a (nearly) stock build of Android 2.2, and equipped with T-Mobile's new HSPA+, which the carrier claims can offer network speeds nearly equivalent to 4G. So is the G2 the sum of its parts -- the pure Android experience you've been waiting for -- or does it fall short of the hype? Find out below in the full Engadget review! %Gallery-104433%
