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KitKat

Rogers MotoX Kitkat update coming soon

technologyEdward Kiledjian
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Motorola shook up the smartphone business when it released the revolutionary MotoX. It wasn't revolutionary because of its specs but rather because of the built in value-added features it brought (Moto assist, Moto migrate, always listening, etc).

One complaint Android owners have had for years is the huge unexplainable delay between a new version of the OS being released by Google and when it was made available to consumers through the carriers. Some updates take 12-18 months.

Motorola used this as a potential differentiator and promised a Kitkat update to Its phones quickly. Now we learn that the MotoX Kitkat update is coming to Rogers customers soon (link). Sure soon is not very comforting but it does mean the update is being actively tested internally. 

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Think before you force your Google Nexus to update

technologyEdward Kiledjian
Creative Commons License - Flickr user DragonLord878

Creative Commons License - Flickr user DragonLord878

Knowing that there is a brand new shiny update to Android but being damned by the Google gods to wait is frustrating. You bought a Nexus device because it came with the promise of quick and plentiful updates, yet 3 weeks past the release of KitKat, still no sign of the automatic Over the air (OTA) update.

So you search the interwebs and find a trick. A neat trick that many claim has magical powers to quickly deliver the wonders of Kitkat (even if the Check for update button didn't work). But should you be dabbling with the dark arts (clearing the Google Service Framework data)?

A Google engineer has taken to Reddit (Dan Morrill) to inform users of the risks associated with this trick. By wiping your Framework Data, you are invalidating your push notifications (minor issue but could be very annoying). Dan says that the preferred method to accelerate the update to Kitkat for Nexus devices is to use adb sideload but this is for the more experienced users.

Reddit 1

Reddit 2

Android 4.4 Kitkat rolling out to Nexus 7 & 10

technologyEdward Kiledjian
Flickr. Creative Commons image by  medithIT

Flickr. Creative Commons image by  medithIT

As excited as we were for the release of the Nexus 5, we were more excited to see Android 4.4 (aka Kitkat). One benefit of a Nexus device is super fast updates and now we learn that the Nexus 4,7,10 devices will be getting the update shortly. Additionally the update for Google experience phones HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 will receive their updates in a couple of weeks.

Can't wait for the automatic update, go to Settings > About device > Software to check.

When will Google release the Nexus 5?

technologyEdward Kiledjian

Like many tech enthusiasts, I was excited when Apple announced it’s iPhone 5 but want to wait and see what Google will offer with its Nexus 5 (2013 Nexus phone) before I decide which one will become my daily driver.

When is the Nexus 5 coming out?

I believe the announcement will happen sometime around October 14th, here’s why.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was announced on October 19th 2011 and then made available to the market a couple of weeks later.

The LG Nexus 4 was suppose to be announced mid October in NY City but the city was devastated by Hurricane Sandy so the announcement was made via press release on October 29th and the device was made available a couple of weeks later.

There seems to be a pattern and I am fairly confident this will hold with the 2014 version. The product should be announced mid October and then made available early November before the holiday shopping season starts (aka black Friday).

Nexus 4 inventories in most countries [on the Google Play store] are exhausted. 

Google announced the next revision to Android, nicknamed KitKat, a couple of weeks ago and we expect the new device to launch with this announced yet feature unknown version.

During the KitKat announcement, Google published a video showing the inauguration of the KitKat Android statue in front of its headquarters in which an employee seemed to be using an unannounced Nexus device. 

Freeze frame showing unknown Nexus device from Google's KitKat launch video (which was quickly pulled).

Freeze frame showing unknown Nexus device from Google's KitKat launch video (which was quickly pulled).

So obviously a new Nexus phone is being tested by employees in the Google campus. Many have suggested that this was an organized leak since it happened right before Apple's iPhone 5s announcement.

We then saw FCC documents showing a drawing for an upcoming LG phone which seemed to match the unannounced phone in the KitKat video.

LG document with FCC showing upcoming unannounced phone. 

LG document with FCC showing upcoming unannounced phone. 

Conclusion

I really believe we'll see a Nexus phone announcement mid-October and will hold off buying my personal daily driver cell until then.