Tech ► The iOS/Android Thread - App recommendations, jailbreaking, etc.

[Ballad of Caius]

As much as I would love to get a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 I cannot since I like to keep my smartphone in my pocket when I am not on my house and only use it when necessary (such as making a call or consuming data when at college to either search for in-class material or pass time when waiting for a class to start). I already tried fitting it on most of my pockets with my sister's Note 3, but it is too big.

 

[Noel]

As much as I would love to get a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 I cannot since I like to keep my smartphone in my pocket when I am not on my house and only use it when necessary (such as making a call or consuming data when at college to either search for in-class material or pass time when waiting for a class to start). I already tried fitting it on most of my pockets with my sister's Note 3, but it is too big.

Cargo Pants.

Isn't there a mini version of the S4 that you could probably use?

 

[Ballad of Caius]

Cargo Pants.

Isn't there a mini version of the S4 that you could probably use?

I have an S4 and it fits nicely, even with a bulky cover.

On some smartphone related news, apparently, iOS 7 can be jail broken.

 

[Noel]

Yeah, Tethered jailbreak, the basic stuff.
Also beta 3 for iOS 7.1 was seeded a few days ago. It'll have some UI changes. Like a dark keyboard. <3

Source

 

[Hero]

I'd like to direct you guys to a wonderful Android application called Viper4Android.

ViPER’s Audio is an audio enhancing software to provide everyone with better audio experiences in various platforms such as smartphones and PCs.

Essentially, this application will make your phone's audio sound vastly superior. You gotta mess around with the settings to suit your tastes. I personally added the iPod Touch convolver on my Note 3, and combined with my Audio Technica ATH-M50's, it sounds amazing. I didn't realize the iPod Touch had such a good impulse response.

Here's the download link :

[APP] Official ViPER4Android Audio Effects (FX v2.3.2.2) - Full 4.4 KitKat Support! - xda-developers

You need to be rooted. You also need to have busy box installed (look for the app in the Play Store. It's by JRummy. Then download the Build Prop Editor app from the Play Store as well and change :

Ipa.decode=true to lpa.decode=false
tunnel.decode=true to tunnel.decode=false
lpa.use-stagefright=true to lpa.use-stagefright=false

Install Viper, download the drivers, and rock out to some glorious tunes.

 

[Gray Aria]

I'm not really impressed by the Galaxy S5. Unfortunately the phones I am impressed by rarely seem to be released in the US. If I could get my hands on an Xperia Z1 Compact or if they would make a compact version of the new Z2 and release it in the US, I would be a happy camper.

 

[Hero]

I think the Note 3 in the last Samsung phone I get. I'm mainly disappointed because Samsung stated they were going back to the basics which most people, myself included, meant they were going to redesign TouchWiz. Instead we get more bloat. Being able to experience stock Android via ROMS would be an option were it not for that god forsaken Knox app of theirs

The Z2 looks phenomenal as do offerings by LG.

 

[ROXAS_32]

For those who really hate skins like HTC Sense and Touch Whiz and what ever LG calls theirs, Google has released the Google Now Launcher (that is found on the Nexus 5) in the play store.

Keep in mind that it only works on devices that is running Kit Kat... and may have other incompatibilities...

Google Now Launcher

 

[Hero]

For those interested in the modular smartphone concept, it looks like Project Ara is finally getting off the ground!

Project Ara will hold its first developer conference on April 15-16

Information about what a modular smartphone is down below:

[video=youtube;IovZRv8toDM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IovZRv8toDM[/video]

[video=youtube;skXwTxo0Bo0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skXwTxo0Bo0[/video]

 

[Narukami]

I was reading about that modular smartphone and it seems like a really neat idea, although I think it may be very inaccessible at first as most people are not going to want to go through picking out all the parts... Although we'll see.

I bought a Moto G recently which I have running on AT&T through Straight Talk ($45 a month YESS), and the phone really is great for the $180 I paid for it, except for maybe the camera, but I'm not a big photo taker anyways.

Also, it'd be good to know that GEL can only run on Google Play Editions devices... I bought the Motorola version so no launcher for me, although I like Nova better tbh.

EDIT: Ooops, you can side boot it.... Still I don't like the fact that I can't use custom icon packs soooo.

 

[Hero]

If your phone is rooted you can tweak the GEL's settings to your liking. (icon packs will be added in the future.)

 

[Gray Aria]

So my Nexus 4 finally updated to 5.0 Lollipop. Unfortunately this removes the developer option to change the runtime, leaving the device permanently stuck with ART. Although superior, none of the Square Enix Android games run on ART, so I can't play them any more. Is there a way to contact Square Enix to hassle them about updating their Android games so they can run on ART? As things are, no one with a phone running 5.0 can play any of their games. I'm not sure if I should be more mad at Google for taking away the option to change runtimes or Square Enix for only developing games for Dalvik and never stating in the descriptions of said games that they won't run on ART runtime.

 

[Gray Aria]

Well at least Final Fantasy V still runs, but that's it. It's really a shame to pay upwards of $15 for an Android game and not be able to run it.