How to Install BBM on Gingerbread – Android

The recent release of RIM’s flagship messenger app, BBM (Blackberry messenger) on Android and Iphone was a stunning move that yet, was expected but still shocked everyone (even though we all saw it coming).  As joyous as the release of the port of the app was for Android users, it was a big let-down for many whatsapp users as the app could not install on Android versions less than 4.0 ICS. This meant Gingerbread (android 2.3.x/cm7), the most popular and widely used version of android, was left out.

Many users have had to leave with defective custom ICS/JB roms in order to enjoy the very addictive and engaging chatting platform while waiting for words from RIM if there would be gingerbread compatible version roll-out soon.

RIM’s disinclination to give us hope or absolutely dash our hopes for a future release, has gingered a XDA user, rjt3 , to modify the BBM apk for gingerbread compatibility. Although only compatible with arm v7 phones for now nevertheless it’s a form of hope renewal for gingerbread loyalist that a widespread support for their beloved api version isn’t far off.

How to Install BBM on Gingerbread

1. Download the modified and repackaged apk from here, here or here.
2. Install
   
   
   
3. If it’s working and you are not getting FCs (force close) skip the remaining steps
4. Extract the apk using either your PC, or an android zip extractor as shown in the image below
   
5. Locate the lib/armeabi-v7a folder in the extracted content and copy all the libs depected in the image below
   
   *** you are advised to do a backup of your rom by using any preferred means before moving from step 5 to 6, CWM most preferably tho*****
   
6.  Do step 5, copy the libs and mount your root folder as r/w (of course this requires root privilege)
7. Paste the libs in root/system/libs (be careful of replacing already existing files).
8. Try running again (if it works, skip step 9)
9. You may have to wait for next version by following here

NB: The Procedure from step 4, requires root privilleges and root, system folder modification, (albeit unlikely)any error or damage you may cause to your mobile’s OS, is not our fault and we at nijaspecs will and cannot be held responsible for such 😀

I tried on a non ARM 7 mobile phone, and still got FCs tho, a peak at the logcat left me wondering, how it works for the arm 7 people in the first place


As shown in the log there, the getactionbar method is not found, which is clearly obvious without actionbarcompat from the support library this would clearly cause an error on O.Ss before “honeycomb”, how rtj3 did it w/o th source still beats me tho, follow the development here

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The new Nexus 7: A second shot at a good idea?

As if the war for what device dominates the 7 inch mini tab form factor was not cruel enough, technology giants Google decided to play another entry with their new Nexus 7, which became available since yesterday, July 30th.

The new Nexus 7 features a raft of improvements over last years Nexus 7; even though they practically look almost the same. First to mention would be that unlike the former Nexus 7, this one comes with the latest update of the Android OS (Jelly Bean 4.3) which of a truth is not that big of a difference really except that you can now have separate customizable spaces, including personal homescreens, wallpapers, apps and storage; which is an appealing idea. So, those whose tablets usually get in the hands of others do not have much to worry about anymore when it comes to people tampering with stuff.  It features a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Processor with an Adreno 300 400Mhz, which in simpler terms means the tablet should run pretty fast. there is also 2GB of RAM, a 5MP rear facing camera, 1.2MP front facing camera, Bluetooth 4.0LE, Wireless charging and a new HDMI slim port. With all of that for just about $30 extra, it is sure that comparing sister Nexus devices would lead to some level of unfairness.

Even though the 7 inch screens of both devices are typically same, the new Nexus 7 runs at 323 PPI which is ridiculously sharper than the previous one at 216PPI. This display is one key feature that holds the retina-less iPad mini to question (well, of course until apple decides to release an iPad mini with retina display).  Watching movies on the new Nexus 7 is quite commendable honestly; and your Android OS has never looked crispier on any other tablet. The speaker sound on the new Nexus 7 is also improved, and thanks to its thinner design, it even weighs lighter than the previous. With up to 9 hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of web browsing or e-reading, there’s plenty of juice to get you through the day. And very much unlike the iPad, The new Nexus’ slim and lightweight design makes playing games much less strenuous to the wrists.

A truth remains that the new Google Nexus 7 champions the small tablet market for the meantime. A downside to the device would be that there is no SD card slot but its cheaper price range and crispy sharp HD display would give anyone with an iPad mini a run for his money. Google’s second shot at the Nexus 7 isn’t very groundbreaking in terms of innovation but the price is very inviting to tablet newbies. If you owned the previous Nexus 7, then this is certainly a worthwhile upgrade.

Playing on a whole new field: Here is The Nvidia Shield

When I encountered the idea of PC gaming coming to a gaming handheld, I thought about all of the possible problems that could come up. Hardware issues would be one and software and memory space could be another. PC games are known to pack more than a punch when it comes to power hardware requirements that affect even power management. How can a handheld possibly deliver exceptional graphical textures and control all of its features in the palm of my hand? Furthermore, not just any PC game – MY PC games – without being just another PlayStation or Nintendo based handheld.

At The CES 2013, Visual computing technology giants Nvidia sought to answer that question with their PC dedicated handheld system called Nvidia Shield which, according to reports, would be available in The United States and Canada by the end of July this year after it was slated for earlier. But is it something indeed to look forward to ?

The Nvidia Shield will house a 5 inch, 720p (1280X720 @ 294ppi) multi-touch, retinal display touchscreen attached to a game controller. Honestly, it feels so much like an Xbox 360 controller (just bulkier) with an Nvidia home button and a few other design differences. The screen actually looks good till you place it side by side with a full 1080p screen though. So it should make you wonder why you would want this somewhere around your PC screen which could deliver much crispier images. Then again, having a wireless handheld that runs your PC games could prove convenient on specific occasions. It’s got Android too; so you can play tons of available games for Android from Google Play store which seems cool with the touchscreen and controller. 

It will run the Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean mobile operating system with a custom 72-core Nvidia GeForce GPU, a 1.9GHz quad-core cortex A-15 CPU and 2Gb of RAM. So it’s clear that Nvidia did their best to pack a lot into the hardware. All of these translates to  beautiful graphics that should maintain snappy movements and lag-free gameplay for PC favorites such as Borderlands 2, Batman: Arkham City, Resident Evil 6, Metro: Last Light, Dishonored and others.

As at now, not just any game can be streamed to the Nvidia Shield. Only selected games on Steam, the online multiplayer communications platform can be played via PC streaming with 802.11n-2009 2X2 MIMO wireless connectivity. This aims to provide high-bandwidth and ultra-fast wireless for seamless game streaming so, the Nvidia Shields ability to stream games live from your PC is not the possible issue to contend with. The real issue is that there are PC system hardware requirements that must be met before the device can stream from the PC. Nvidia announced these requirements to be:

• GPU: GeForce GTX 650 or higher desktop GPU (Notebook GPUs are not supported at this time)
• CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz or AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz or higher
• System Memory: 4GB or higher
• Software: GeForce Experience^™ application and latest GeForce drivers
• OS: Windows 8 or Windows 7
• Routers: 802.11a/g router (minimum). 802.11n dual band router (recommended). A list of recommended routers will be provided at launch.

Nvidia will use the H.264 encoder built into GeForce GTX 650 or higher GPU along with special streaming software integrated into an upcoming version of GeForce Experience to stream games from the PC to the gaming handheld over the user’s home Wi-Fi network with ultra-low latency. Gamers will now be able to use the Nvidia Shield as the controller and display for their favorite PC games as well as for Steam Big Picture; enabling gamers to get a GeForce GTX PC gaming experience anywhere in their home Wi-Fi network.

Besides its wireless abilities, the Nvidia Shield will feature mini-HDMI output port, micro-USB 2.0, a MicroSD storage slot and a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with microphone support. It will also have 16Gb internal flash memory, a 3-Axis gyroscope and accelerometer. It boasts of a rather good battery life lasting for about 20 hours  while streaming.

As a gaming handheld with such abilities, do not expect the game to come for cheap (it’s announced to be at $349) so low end PC users who have not yet met (and don’t exactly plan to meet) the PC system requirements would be buying an Android device with an Xbox lookalike controller for quite a lot of money. Surely, mobility does come with a price but playing the games only in one’s house or around it using a wifi connection is not really the idea of mobility to many. The Nvidia Shield is indeed a daring new entry on a new field and we are more than excited to see how this entry influences technology today.

NEXUS 10 and The Nigerian Tech Market

Following the success of the very Cheap but powerful Nexus 7, Google released the successor of its legendary device. It was released fairly mid-way in November, 2012. The device is the successor to the commercially successful nexus 7. There was a change in developer/manufacturer partnership as the Nexus 10 was developed by Google and Samsung, you can’t help but wonder why Asus did not reprise their role as manufacturer even with the archived commercial success.
Will Nexus 10 be commercially successful in Nigeria?

Processor and GPU (10/10)

Featuring <Must be linked to wiki< Samsung Exynos 5250 system on chip>> a dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, means the NEXUS clearly leaves up to its expectations in processing power.

A quad-core ARM Mali T604 GPU means games and videos are rendered smoothly on its incredibly large WQXGA resolution.

Memory and Storage (8/10)

The Nexus 10 has a 16G and 32G internal storage capacity, no sd card slot for extending memory. It also comes equipped with 2G RAM, although it is unlikely you’ll run a single app that’ll consume 60% of the RAM in an instance, you will definitely notice the amount of apps that are kept alive even after focus is lost for a long time. Nexus 10 is FAST!

DISPLAY AND RESOLUTION (9/10)

Features a crisp 10.1-inch LCD with capacitive multi-touch touchscreen, with 2560×1600 display resolution, highest by any tablet in 2012>>(linked to WIKI) and as expected of every Samsung manufactured device, it features a scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2<<Read about Gorrilla Glass 3 here>>  (Nexus 7 corning fit, 10 corning Gorilla)

CAMERA (7/10)

Features two cameras, A sharp 5MP rear camera, for those people who don’t feel shy to cover events with a tablet (I for one, I’m not a fan of that, recording with a tab looks very awkward in every perspective K). The rear camera is capable of recording full 1080P videos at 30FPS. The inbuilt camera app also supports the usual features such as autofocus, face detection and geotagging etc and a ~2MP front facing camera, for video caling and skype.

CONNECTIVITY (7/10)

Features a Bluetooth 4.0 and WIFI for data exchange and internet connectivity, It also features a dual side NFC for use in Android beam. Like the initial models of its predecessor, it also lacks cellular connectivityL.

Design (Score 9/10)

The Nexus 10 is 8.9 mm in girth, 263.9 mm long, 177.6 mm wide, it weighs 603 g. The rear of the device comprises a smooth, plastic surface a very conspicuous “nexus” tag, and a less conspicuous “Samsung” tag. The volume control buttons and the power button are at the top of the device and a 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB port on the devices left hand side. On the right lies the microHDMI port while the magnetic pogo pin used for docking and charging are at the bottom of the device.

OTHERS (10/10)

Nexus 10 comes equipped with the usual gravitation, motion and orientation sensing devices; an accelerometer, gyroscope; barometer, magnetometer and a digital compass; a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor are also present. Like its predecessor, it also features an in built microphone. It’s equipped with a GPS and GLONASS, yeah, it has supports both so you can never get lost since both already cover the globe; you are doubly insuredJ.

SOFTWARE (10/10)

The device comes equipped with stock Android 4.2 JellyBean. Like the Nexus line, its boot loader is unlocked by defaultJ. It also comes with preinstalled with all Google apps.

As expected of every successor, the Nexus 10 is more powerful than its predecessor, but the nexus devices have clearly been out sold by galaxy line of Android devices in Nigeria, even with their cheaper price.

Overall: ~8.75 / 10

Overall the Nexus 10 is a very good device and follows well in the tradition of its predecessor, providing easy OS customization at cheaper than believable price.

Why this Device Can Be Successful in Nigeria

• Relatively cheap: although much more expensive than its predecessor, the Nexus 10 is relatively cheaper than devices of its class(16 GB: US$399 and 32 GB: US$499)

• Powerful hardware

Why this device can’t be successful in Nigeria

• Nexus device advert and promotion is very poor in Nigeria, Samsung, Nokia and Sony go considerable length to create awareness about their devices in Nigeria. (Being a fan of Google, I’ve never seen a Nexus bill-board on a popular expressway L)
• Not as nearly as cheap as Nexus 7, yet lacking Cellular support
• Given the lack of cellular network, the device lacks carrier promotion, reason why you don’t get text messages from carrier about discounted rate.

MOTOROLA RAZR i

Motorola announces the MOTOROLA RAZR i. This phone comes with a superfast intel atom processor. That’s not all, we also get a large 4.3-inch display screen (yes! bigger than the iphone 5)

Design

The design of MOTOLORA RAZR i is above par. Having an aluminium frame surrounding the screen and also a Kevlar back which has a soft touch giving you that comfort while holding the phone. The buttons are arranged and positioned well (from the power button found on the right edge to the volume levelers on the edge of the phone. Also a dedicated camara button) which is a norm for a smartpone. The MOTOROLA RAZR i is treated with a waterproof coating (Don’t go swiming with the phone!).

Screen

Ok, during the announcement of this phone, there were talks about its edge-to-edge screen. As mentioned ealier, the MOTOROLA RAZR. i has a 4.3-inch display screen which is made up of a Corning Gorilla glass surrounded by an aluminium frame. This frame protects the screen from scratches and scrapes when placed on a flat surface. The MOTOROLA RAZR i comes with a screen resolution of 540 x 960 pixels which is not as cool as its rivals having a screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels (Samsung Galaxy S3 and LG Optimus 4X HD). All in all the display is still decent.

Processor

During the announcement of the MOTOROLA RAZR I, the processor grabed much of the headline story. The RAZR i is packed with an intel atom processor running at 2GHz which is blazingly fast. This processor is the fastest phone processor around. The only problem with the intel atom processor is application compatability. This is due to the fact that the intel chip is different from the ARM-based chip in terms of architechure. That means some apps (old apps) will not be compatable with the phone.

Interface

MOTOROLA RAZR i is powered by Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, which means you have access to more than 600,000 apps and games, millions of books and thousands of movies. You’ll also find lots and lots of features which comes with android 4.0 available for this phone. Motorola is currently working on an update to Android 4.1, Jelly Bean.

Camera

I would say the 8 megapixel camera of the RAZR i benefits from the super fast processor which starts well under a second! Also, there’s also a multi-shot mode that takes up to 10 shots in less than a second.
The key features of the MOTOROLA RAZR i:
– Slim Body
– 4.3-inch Screen
– 540 x 960 HD AMOLED screen
– 2GHz Intel Atom processor
– 8 Megapixel camera
– 10 shots per second camera
I’ll update you with more features as soon as the phone is in the market. Many thanks to Alex Wagner for the jpeg.
References:Trusted reviews