[Samsung Galaxy R i9103] D™:
Few News & official Updates

1) Nexus S and Motorola Xoom to remain on Android 4.1.2 -

While announcing the availability of Android 4.2 on AOSP, lead Android developer at Google Jean-Baptiste Quéru confirmed that the Nexus S and the Motorola Xoom will not be updated to Android 4.2 and will remain on Android 4.1.2.

2) Android 4.2 update now rolling out for the GSM Galaxy Nexus -

Right on the day of the Nexus 4 launch, Google has started rolling out the Android 4.2 update for the Galaxy Nexus.Currently, only a few users have reported receiving the update, and none of them are using the Sprint or Verizon versions. If you have the GSM variant, preferably the "takju" variant you are most likely to receive the update.

3) Feature: Android 4.2 "Daydream" mode -

One of the new features of Android 4.2 that hasn't gotten much mention recently is the new "Daydream" mode. It hasn't gotten much play because unlike the other major updates like the gesture keyboard, Daydream mode is a flashy extra, but it is quite a nice one. If you've gotten the Android 4.2 update, you'll find Daydream kind of hidden in Settings>Display>Daydream.

It is essentially a screensaver, although it will only turn on under certain conditions. You can set your Android device to start Daydreaming either when the device is docked, when it is charging, or both. As the Daydream mode, users can choose between having the device display the clock, shifting colors, Google Currents headlines, or photos.

The clock and colors are fairly basic (although the clock has a nice feature to set the display to a "very dim mode", which is great for a bedside table), but this may be the first interesting use of Google Currents that we've seen. Currents has always been somewhat overshadowed by other apps that do the same sort of thing like Flipboard, Pulse News, or Feedly. Unfortunately, we say it is an interesting use of Currents because it isn't exactly useful. While it is nice to see the headline scroll of Currents in Daydream, it isn't interactive at all, so you can't tap an interesting headline to jump into the story. So, the whole thing ends up feeling a bit pointless.

Photos can be displayed in two different modes, either a slideshow, or as a "photo table" (basically a collage). For either option, users can choose to show photos that are on the device, or select any or all of your Google+/Picasa photo albums to cycle through. That is a great option for anyone who uses Google+/Picasa, or keeps all of their photos on their Android device at all times. But, if you use Flickr, Facebook, or Instagram, and don't keep copies on your device, this feature won't really do much for you.

Overall, Daydream mode is a nice new feature, and we can see some pretty interesting potential there for offering more options, but it definitely feels like a first attempt, and there is a reason why the feature is a bit buried. We'd love to see more services be able to hook into it, and we'd love to see the displays be more interactive, especially with headlines.

4) Stable CyanogenMod 10 release brings Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to many handsets, 4.2 work begins

The CyanogenMod crew released the stable version of its CM10 ROMs, aiming to bring improved and streamlined Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to your rooted device.

Not that the M builds until we got to the final point haven't been stable, but this is the official deal. The CM10 stable is available for a number of popular handsets, so you can hit the source link to download yours, most packages are around 150 MB.

Next in line is, of course, the work on Android 4.2, which the team said will be called CyanogenMod 10.1, rather than CM11, if you have been wondering about semantics.

5)

CyanogenMod loses website in 'net drama (Updated with resolution)

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CyanogenMod, the team that has produced the most popular custom ROMs for Android devices (with unique installs counted in the millions) has found itself wrapped up in a bit of internet drama that, for the time being, is forcing them to move their website from cyanogenmod.com to cyanogenmod.org. This revelation comes from the official CyanogenMod blog (now relocated to the new domain), and comes as a surprise considering how stable and drama-free CM has been during its long run as the top custom ROM team.

According to the blog this happened when the team discovered that the owner of their web domain had been impersonating one of the lead members of the CM team, even striking financial deals with some websites “on behalf of” CM. The team asked for the domain to be transferred over to them and they were told to cough up $10,000 for it. The CM team says they have neither the money nor the inclination to pay such a ransom, and is currently working to take over control of their domain through ICANN, but it’s unclear if that will succeed, and how long it will take.

Due to the dispute CyanogenMod has currently lost control of their original .com domain, as well as their Google Apps for Business account, so they have set up a temporary email contact on the new .org domain. Obviously there are always two sides to a disagreement, but from the information that has been released it’s hard not to feel like a longstanding role model in Android development community is getting the short end of the stick right now.

If you are a CM user (or just want to show some support) you can hit up the source link to get to the new domain.

Edit: CyanogenMod has updated us with news for the better; the person in question (possibly due to the unflattering publicity that resulted from this fiasco) has agreed to turn over the domain back to its rightful owners. That said, cyanogenmod.org is apparently going to remain the official site, with cyanogenmod.com now redirecting to their new domain. The CM team has indicated that they are restructuring to prevent a repeat of today's events, and have indicated that they are now trying to concentrate on getting back to shipping quality custom ROMs for people.

All's well that ends well we suppose.

Source: Phone Arena