Following Nexus 4 image leak with Android 4.2, hackers post HTC 8X RUU with Windows Phone 8 online
First Android 4.2 leaked, and now it’s Windows Phone 8′s turn. That’s right, XDA Developers have posted the HTC 8X ROM Upgrade Utility (RUU) online.
Before you go crazy and start downloading the full 789MB file, there are a few things you should now. Most importantly, this file is very likely useless to you.
This is because it is specifically for the HTC 8X, which of course isn’t out yet. Furthermore, it already has Windows Phone 8, so even if you have the device, flashing it right now would be rather useless. Furthermore, flashing your current smartphone with the software would almost certainly brick your phone.
So, why is this important? Well, just like when Windows Phone 7.8 leaked, it means that enthusiasts and hackers will start building Windows Phone 8 ports for older phones. Most of them likely won’t work very well, as Microsoft has been insistent that WP7 will not be upgradeable to WP8 (and hence the release of WP7.8), but many will probably work at some level.
In other words, this is exactly what is happening on the Android side of things, except that Windows Phone isn’t open source, so it’s arguably a bigger deal. If you still don’t understand, take this paragraph I wrote earlier today, and replace Android 4.2 with Windows Phone 8, LG Nexus 4 with HTC 8X, and Android phones with Windows phones:
While the ROM in question is of course specifically made for the LG Nexus 4, and there are compatibility issues that will need to be overcome before anyone sees a fully working port of this dump, work has already begun. It won’t be long now before alphas and betas begin to surface for popular devices, like other Nexus products and Samsung Galaxies. I wouldn’t be surprised if stable builds arrived before the first Nexus devices.
Get it? Got it? Good.
See also – The Windows Phone 8 SDK is now live for all, here’s where to get it and Did Microsoft quietly unveil its Windows Phone 8 marketing campaign today?
Image credit: Robert Linder
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Excited about Windows Phone 7.8? A ROM of the update has leaked
Fans of Windows Phone gather ’round, and here the tale of the leaked Windows Phone 7.8 ROM. Well, that’s really the whole story, you can find it here.
The fine print is pretty specific, however, The ROM will only works on HTC HD7, the original poster states, and the build is far from production, so if you do flash to it, expect bugs galore.
Interestingly, according to discussion over on the XDA forums, where the ROM was posted, the only update that it appears to contain is the new startscreen. Other features that may be present in Windows Phone 7.8 are not present. Therefore, TNW cautions that patience is the best option here. Yes, it is cool that the ROM has leaked, however, the update is small enough that waiting is the current best option; another, better will leak, ahead of the general release, TNW would wager.
The build, number, if you were curious, is 7.10.8835.35.
As The Verge rightly points out, Nokia, one of the Windows Phone OEMs, intends on sending all its units in the market to the 7.8 update in time. Timings on such migrations are yet unknown, as Microsoft has yet to put a time on the update itself will be complete.
The company is currently busy with Windows Phone 8, the next true update to Windows Phone; Windows Phone 7.8 is in fact a stopgap measure for all current and older handsets, bringing them parts of the 8 update, but leaving them permanently behind. Windows phone 8 requires different hardware, meaning that all handsets sold before its product cycle cannot run it.
For more on Windows Phone 8, head here. Top Image Credit:
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HTC Confirms Jelly Bean Updates For Most One Series Smartphones
No one really expected HTC to let their newest smartphones languish without Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but it’s always nice to hear that sentiment confirmed straight from the source. Representatives from the Taiwanese company noted earlier this morning that the company’s flagship One X, One XL, and One S handsets would indeed get a taste of Jelly Bean at some point down the line.
Engadget was also able to confirm that some of the North American carrier variants of those devices would also get the update, so owners of the the AT&T or Rogers One X and the T-Mobile One S will eventually get the chance to join in the fun. Sadly, there’s no word yet if modified models like Sprint’s EVO 4G LTE will get the delicious little update, but it’s almost certainly just a matter of time.
Interestingly, one member of the One family is conspicuously absent from the list: the relatively-tiny One V. It launched both internationally and on Sprint’s Virgin Mobile subsidiary with the usual Sense-ified version of Ice Cream Sandwich, but there are rumblings that the under-the-hood improvements found in Jelly Bean may be too much for the device’s older Snapdragon S2 chipset. I wouldn’t worry too much if I were a One V owner though — someone is bound to cook up a Jelly Bean ROM for the little guy before long.
As usual though, there was no mention of when the company would officially push out the update, though I suspect it won’t be making the rounds for some time. HTC has to ensure that their Sense 4.0 modifications jibe with Jelly Bean, and what’s more, the carriers have to put the builds through extensive testing. That part of the process already seems to have tripped up one Jelly Bean update push — Nexus S owners on Vodafone Australia were promised that the update would come this week, but The Next Web reports the rollout is being held up because Jelly Bean’s emergency call functionality isn’t up to regulatory standards.
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Baidu guns for Google with ‘Baiduizing’ ROM for Android smartphones in China
Chinese search giant Baidu has set its sites on rivalling Google in China with the release of a ROM that takes Android-powered phones, replacing Google’s suite of services with its own.
Baidu unveiled its new smartphone push earlier this month, when it announced details of an Android-based cloud-centric operating system, ‘Baidu Cloud’, but it is now in the market to ‘take-over’ active Android phones in China. That’s a huge base of devices, as Android accounted for 68.4 percent of new smartphone sales in China during the final quarter of 2011.
The ROM has been built to accompany Baidu’s cloud services push, and it allows mobile owners to fully ‘Baiduize’ their phone, giving them a “richer, more social, more personalised experience”. The ROM provides access to a range of the Web giant’s services, which include Google-Drive like Wangpan, music, maps, apps and new photo album site Baidu Xiangce.
The ROM is available to download now but we understand that it will be officially announced next week. Currently it only supports the Google Nexus S but it will expand to cover selected Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) phones in time, according to the webpage.
Baidu hinted that it would expand its smartphone focus beyond the ‘forked’ Baidu Cloud release, perhaps even targeting iOS and Windows Phone, and the release of this ROM demonstrates the aggressive approach that the Web giant is adopting.
There’s no direct install to devices — which may affect its uptake — and it must be download to a PC and sideloaded to a device using a USB connection. Baidu says it will update the version every two weeks, with changes piped through to existing users via OTA (over the air) updates.
Separately, Apple is tipped to soon add Baidu’s search services to its iOS operating system. It’s a move that may affect the use of Google’s services on the iPhone and iPad in China.
We’ll have more details on the ROM when Baidu makes its announcement.
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