Lollipop update for OnePlus One will only be out in March

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BY Unknown 00:17 0

Lollipop update for OnePlus One will only be out in March

OnePlus will break the promise it made to its customers last year when Google launched Android 5.0 Lollipop - namely that within three months from that point it would release an official update for the Onesmartphone. This is the company's first major Android update, and it hasn't handled things in a way that can please many people.

Through Carl Pei, its co-founder, OnePlus has today made it clear - Lollipop for the One will only come in March. The reasons for the delay are unclear.

This is true for the company's own ROM, called Oxygen OS, as well as CyanogenMod 12S. Both of these are based on Google's latest release, and they've both been delayed until next month.

Because Cyanogen, Inc. won't support OnePlus One devices sold in India with software updates, OnePlus has decided to create its own ROM for international markets - it will be available in parallel with CM12S, which will land as a consequence of the promise of two-year support made by Cyanogen for the One.

It's all rather confusing, but the short version is this: in March (if there aren't any more delays), you'll be able to update your One to CM12S from within CM11S, or try Oxygen OS if you so wish - though in that case you'll need to wipe your device and start fresh. An alpha build of Oxygen OS has been out for a while, but that's obviously not recommended for average users. Nor are CM12 nightlies, which have been available for the OnePlus One too.

16GB OnePlus One Silk White announced in India for $306

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BY Unknown 02:34 0

16GB OnePlus One Silk White announced in India for $306

Chinese phone market OnePlus has announced new 4G 16GB OnePlus One Silk White version for the Indian market at Rs 18,999 ($306). The new Silk White version will go on sale exclusively at Amazon India from February 24.

As reported earlier, OnePlus will sell the One without invite on every Tuesday in India and February 24 happens to be a Tuesday.

Except the 16GB storage difference, the Silk White One has the same specs as the 64GB Sandstone Black model. Do note that there is no memory expansion slot in the either models. Also, the 64GB Sandstone Black One is priced at Rs 21,999 ($354) for India.

Silk White One is set to compete with the recently announced Xiaomi Mi4 at Rs 19,999 ($320) in the Indian market.

OnePlus announces OxygenOS team, unveils new logo

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BY Unknown 14:00 0

OnePlus announces OxygenOS team, unveils new logo

As promised, OnePlus is back with more information regarding its upcoming OxygenOS, which will be replacing Cyanogen OS on its current and future products.

For starters, OnePlus announced the team members who will be working on OxygenOS, which includes the likes of Aaron Gascoigne, co-founder of Paranoid Android, Arz Bhatia, lead designer at Paranoid Android, Karim Frenn, former software development intern at Google, Helen Li, ex-Microsoft and OxygenOS product head, and several other people, mostly from Paranoid Android.

OnePlus also has a new logo for the OS, A red square with negative space in between creating the O, the chemical symbol for Oxygen.

OnePlus reiterated that OxygenOS will be close to AOSP and will be lightweight, with priority to battery life and system efficiency. The team is currently working on the OS, which is not ready yet and there is no date as to when it will be available for download

From now on OnePlus One will be available every Tuesday without an invite

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BY Unknown 02:55 0

From now on OnePlus One will be available every Tuesday without an invite

As we already reported, OnePlus is making the One available without an invite tomorrow in India. However, the company additionally revealed in a blog post that the promotion stretches far wider than that. The open sale will take place every Tuesday from now on and to every market they sell the device.

The sales of the phone will be open 24 hours starting at 8AM GMT. On the rest six days of the week, the company is keeping the invite system and says invite generation hasn't stopped.

The slight amendment in the OnePlus One sales model comes after the company received numerous complaints from potential buyers that the phone was too hard to buy. The effect of the company's policy will be seen in the next financial report. For the last year, OnePlus shipped nearly one million units.

OnePlus One will be available on an open sale (doesn't require an invite) in India tomorrow for 24 hours!!!

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BY Unknown 02:55 0

OnePlus One will be available on an open sale (doesn't require an invite) in India tomorrow for 24 hours!!!

If you're from India and are interested in purchasing a OnePlus One smartphone but do not have an invite, here is some good news: the device will be available for purchase without an invitation on Amazon India tomorrow, the same day the Mi 4 is scheduled to go on sale in the country.

The OnePlus’ invite-free sale will begin at 10am, and will last for 24 hours. The device, which was launched in the country last December, will be available at the usual price of INR 21,999 ($353).

Specifications-wise, the OnePlus One features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2.5GHz Krait 400 CPU and a 5.5-inch 1080P display. It comes with 3GB RAM, 16/64GB of internal memory, and a 3100mAh battery.

The device has 13MP main camera with dual-LED flash and 5MP front camera, and runs CyanogenMod OS 11, although it will next receive an update to the company's own Android Lollipop-based fork, dubbed Oxygen, which will be launched on February 12th.

OnePlus One gets major OTA software update

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BY Unknown 23:58 0

OnePlus One gets major OTA software update

The OnePlus One caused quite a stir in the mobile world when it was first introduced as a budget-conscious high-end hardware device. But what really helped it stand out among the crowd was perhaps the choice of CyanogenMod as a native OS.

While the handset does have a lot of shortcomings is still remains a tinkerer's dream with its alternative open approach and capable internals. Today the small, but dedicated Chinese team behind the device announced yet another official OTA for the OnePlus One. The release is still based ok CM 11S, so we are still looking at an Android KitKat-based ROM, but the latest 05Q release still brings a lot of features and fixes.

Among the most notable changes in the new version we find that the SwiftKey and MaxxAudio applications are now bundled with the OS. The OnePlus team also boasts improvements to BlueDroid, an updated configuration for NFC, updated media codecs (as well as enabled WMA DSP and AAC codecs), and a few security fixes. There are also some notable changes to the camera and modifications to various settings menus, throwing away unused options and bringing in new ones.

It is clear that the team is very active in developing the software and that is most of what the OnePlus One is all about. Third party developers area also showing a lot of love for the device. There is an overwhelming amount of unofficial ROMs available for the smartphone, ranging all the way from the Latest Lollipop CyanogenMod 12 to AOSP builds and pretty much all other popular custom Android flavors. In other words there is a lot of room for experimenting if you are not afraid to deviate from the beaten path and experiment with software beyond the official builds.

Here is a comprehensive changelog of the new 05Q build:

Recovery:

• Fixed dab with Linux 3.10

• Improved ADB Sideload

• Improved wipe confirmation screen layout

• Improved progress bar

General:

• Fixed wrong emergency call property

• Improved audio policy flexibility

• Increased void volume

• Improved light controls

• Updated WCNSS configuration

• Upgraded ADCB Files

• Powered HAL improvements

• Upgraded SQLite to version 3.8.6

• Reduced volume increment/decrement step per click

• Added support for Query SIM SMS capacity

• Upgraded TP firmware to 14001220

• Fixed headset insert/remove crash

• Fixed ability to hang up a call from a wired audio headset

Set Up:

• SetupWizard: Allow turning on mobile data if off by default

FileManager:

• Fixed force close when sharing multiple files over Bluetooth

FOTA:

• Displays download size as a decimal prefix

• Enabled scrolling on the system update screen

• Added Download clicked notification

• Shows download size on UI

• Updated Icons

• Added progress bar

CameraNext:

• Added letterbox view for to show actual capture in preview

• Added toast information to aid in first time use of Continuous shot

GalleryNext:

• Additional supported video types

Dialer:

• Blacklist, strip extension from number

• Fixed screen rotation behavior during call

Clock:

• Call events can be handled on alarm

• Fixed city and time zone entries

At this rate it seems more than likely that we will be seeing an official Lollipop CM ROM for the OnePlus One in the not so distant future.

SwiftKey will be bundled into the next software update for the OnePlus One

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BY Unknown 02:34 0

SwiftKey will be bundled into the next software update for the OnePlus One

Here’s something that bloatware haters are going to, well, hate. OnePlus has just announced that the next over-the-air update for its One smartphone will come with the SwiftKey keyboard preinstalled. This means

that people who would like to try that app but for some reason haven’t yet downloaded it from the Play Store will now get to do just that.

On the other hand, if you don’t like SwiftKey, you’ll now have to live with it on your OnePlus One, since there probably won’t be an easy way to uninstall it. At least it won’t be selected as the default input method – those who want to try it will have to enable it from the dedicated Settings menu first.

This probably means OnePlus is receiving some cash from SwiftKey. That wouldn’t be bad in itself, but one has to wonder what the future holds for the One – more preinstalled bloatware? Let’s hope not. The SwiftKey integration will arrive as part of the next OTA update for CyanogenMod 11S, the OS that internationally sold OnePlus One units are running.

Yes, this means Cyanogen is still supporting the One, since the much talked about fallout between it and OnePlus happened only over the Indian market. Cyanogen won’t be issuing software updates for One devices bought in India from now on, and it has never done so for those purchased from China, since they run a different ROM entirely.

The new update should hit a OnePlus One near you by the end of this month, though delays have happened in the past, so don’t be surprised if one occurs here too. This update may be the last before the jump to Android 5.0 Lollipop, which is eagerly expected by One owners across the world.

Teaser video shows Android 5.0 Lollipop on OnePlus One

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BY Unknown 02:13 0

Teaser video shows Android 5.0 Lollipop on OnePlus One

OnePlus is teasing the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for its phone on video. The update is supposed to arrive this month, though the video doesn’t make it perfectly clear if this is a Cyanogen ROM or OnePlus’ new in-house Oxygen software.

There’s certainly a Cyanogen OS 12S ROM for the OnePlus One on the way, but after the two companies had a falling out OnePlus started work on its own software.

A stable Oxygen OS release is due this month, the Cyanogen OS 12S should land very soon too. Either way, the video just gives a brief peak at the launcher and then shows off the Flappy Bird-like Easter egg in the Android settings menu.

OnePlus team celebrating 200,000 followers with 20 000 invites for OnePlus One

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BY Unknown 02:11 0

OnePlus team celebrating 200,000 followers with 20 000 invites for OnePlus One

OnePlus, the Chinese team behind the famous OnePlus One smartphone is definitely no stranger to promotions. After a more than interesting social-retail campaign for Black Friday and another one for the company’s one year anniversary the team is now happy to announce that their Twitter account officially reached 200,000 followers.

Naturally this is an opportunity to celebrate and what better way than giving out 20,000 free invites to purchase the OnePlus One handset. The small, start-up style company has been battling to handle the massive interest towards their device by implementing an invite purchase system. The smartphone is also available through outer retailers, but the price is usually a bit higher. On rare occasion like this you have a chance to snatch one straight from the source.

The OnePlus One is one beast of a device for its price tag. It is powered by a Snapdragon 801 SoC and is equipped with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU. The screen is equally tantalizing at 5.5-inches and with Full HD resolution and 401 ppi. The device runs on CyanogenMod out of the box and offers amazing bang for the buck.

With news of an upcoming successor to the smartphone the team seems to be working extra hard to please customers and earn much needed publicity mostly through social exposure.

So if you are on the lookout for a new Android smartphone and have your sight on the elusive OnePlus One, be sure to go to this address and act quick for a chance to purchase the 16GB Silk White or a 64GB Sandstone Black model for $299 or $349 respectively.