How to: Alter the DPI on your Nexus 7 to bring up that bigger tablet feel

There's absolutely no doubt, the Nexus 7 is a fantastic piece of equipment. But, as with all Android devices, you can't please all of the people, all of the time. One point of annoyance for some is the phone styled UI that the Nexus 7 employs, and more specifically, the lack of a proper landscape mode on the home screens. 

But, this is Android, and this is a Nexus device. So, there's tweaking that can be done. Everything needed framework wise is on board to allow you to bring about what we see here. It's simply a matter of altering the DPI settings in the build.prop. Apps can mix and match elements. 

Sounds daunting, but thankfully for the less brave -- like myself -- some of the brilliant developers the Android community can call its own have done the hardest parts for us. 

The pre-cursor; this process requires root access. If you haven't already, definitely check out the fantastic step-by-step in the Android Central Forums on how to unlock and root your Nexus 7. Once you've done all that, and you've achieved root, the rest is easy. 

There are a variety of different applications in Google Play that can do the tweaks we require here. For the purposes of this article, we used Rom Toolbox Lite, which you'll find a download link to below. 

When Rom Toolbox has been opened, swipe left into the performance pane, and look for the button labeled "build.prop tweaks." Press this, and you'll be presented with three sliders, one of which will alter the DPI settings of your tablet. 

Out of the box, the DPI on the Nexus 7 is set to 213. It's worth remembering this value, to help you go back to the standard as quickly as possible should you so wish. To achieve the best results, slide the toggle right the way down to 160. 170 works too, but for proper tablet UI in some apps, we found 160 worked better. Remember, we're not actually changing any of the physical properties of the screen, just what is reported. 

Hit apply, accept the reboot and wait for the tablet to fire back up again. When it does, you'll see a much more familiar looking tablet appearance staring back at you. No more Google search bar right across the top, this is now reduced to the small box in the top left. The app drawer is now opened in the top right, and the three on screen buttons are smaller and located in the bottom left. 

Notifications are still the new, enhanced Jelly Bean notifications, but instead of pulling down from the top, they rise up from the bottom right hand corner. 

This isn't without potential issues though, it will most likely break some apps in the Play Store. But, it's pretty simple to set up, and equally simple to undo, so why not give it a try. If you just want your home screen to look a little bit like this, you could always try Apex Launcher. But, if you want the real deal, then try this. A custom launcher such as Apex will still keep the notification bar at the top, and the buttons at the bottom just as the stock launcher does. If landscape mode is all you want though, Apex might do you just fine.  

Download: Rom Toolbox Lite

ASUS partnering with BlueStacks to bring Android apps to millions of PCs

Earlier this week, ASUS took some time to go ahead and create a rather obscure video for what they will be presenting at this week's Computex 2012 showcase in Taipei, though they forgot to include anything relevant in the video. Nothing Android was mentioned, nothing Windows was mentioned though it did manage to spark much conversation about a dual-booting Android Windows 8 tablet.

As it seems now, it was to highlight their partnership with BlueStacks as the company has issued a press release fully announcing the partnership. BlueStacks, as you know if you read our review, enables over 450,000 Android apps to run on Windows PCs and now, ASUS will be leveraging that power for their own PC ventures and including BlueStacks within their @vibe platform.

"ASUS has created a phenomenal software experience on PCs. Launching with ASUS at Computex 2012 solidifies BlueStacks' leadership position as the sole provider of apps for consumer electronics and PC manufacturers worldwide," said Rosen Sharma, President and CEO of BlueStacks. "Our strong portfolio of apps from top developers, combined with our unique monetization engine makes this a revenue-generating opportunity for PC OEMs. This is a winning proposition for the entire PC ecosystem. App developers who have already built for Android can now just run their apps on Windows PCs through BlueStacks. We've done the heavy lifting for the benefit of all."

Together, ASUS and BlueStacks will be offering users of asus@vibe Android apps through their broad line of products including the ZenBooks, notebooks, Eee PCs, desktop PCs and All-in-one PCs. Pricing for it all seems rather wish washy at the moment as the press release notes, apps will be free for six months and then users can upgrade from there to unlimited apps and sync apps from phone to PC.

For those of you out there hoping for some other sort of news though, there is still some hope we suppose. This all could only be one portion of something greater, just don't get too bummed out if this happens to all it was in the end. You can jump below for the full press release from ASUS  and BlueStacks.

Source: PRWeb via: Android Police

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Breaking: We still have no idea what Samsung's 'next Galaxy' will bring

Unless you count any of the past months' fake renders and fan-made mock-ups (like the one above), Samsung's done a great job of  keeping the Galaxy S III next Galaxy under wraps. So much so that a sort of online news vacuum has developed, which, in the absence of any actual news, draws in unsubstantiated rumors and speculation. As the phone's May 3 unveiling draws near, we're seeing even more reports of what "might" be coming in Samsung's next flagship product.

Firstly, let's look at what we do know. Yesterday's press invite references the "next Galaxy" smartphone, and in an interview with BNN.ca, Samsung Canada's VP of Mobile Communications, Paul Brannen, says that it'll be a "flagship" phone, and the next evolution of the Galaxy line. Neither mentioned any specific branding, and Brannen in particular seemed to go out of his way to avoid doing so (for obvious reasons.)

Today's latest set of rumors comes from CNET's Crave blog, sources for which suggest that the "Galaxy S III" will be more of an incremental upgrade than a revolutionary product -- "like the iPhone 4S was to the 4." The problem with that is Samsung already has plenty of incremental updates to the Galaxy S II. In 4G LTE markets, there's the Galaxy S II LTE (aka Skyrocket), and in Asia, there's the Galaxy S II HD LTE. And then there's the Galaxy Note, which already offers a larger screen in addition to both LTE connectivity and an HD display.

Due in part to the lack of reliable leaked info, consumers' expectations are sky-high for Samsung's next flagship -- comment threads and forum discussions speculate on ridiculous features, like a 2GHz quad-core chip, 2GB of RAM and a 1080p display. With this in mind, it's possible that Samsung's merely trying to manage expectations going into a major product launch -- the old adage "under-promise and over-deliver" applies here.

CNET's source also suggested Samsung may do away with its current naming convention, saying "don't expect it to be called the S3." We'd be surprised if Samsung completely abandoned its Galaxy S branding, though. The manufacturer's sold 20 million Galaxy S II's worldwide, and in its native South Korea, more than 10% of the entire population owns one. With such a popular device, it'd make sense to have a clearly identified successor. In a world of Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touches and HTC EVO 4G LTE's, the "Galaxy S III" name is clear and succinct enough to do just that.

Spec-wise, reports have been circulating for months suggesting a quad-core phone with a 720p display. That's highly likely, but not even remotely surprising. The likes of HTC, LG and Huawei have already set the bar at this level for their 2012 flagships.

So the bottom line is we still have no idea what to expect on May 3. And that makes the event all the more exciting, considering how rare it is to go into a major smartphone announcement knowing absolutely nothing. Whatever form it ends up taking, we'll be on the ground in London on the day to bring you full coverage of Samsung's next flagships

Source: BNN.ca, CNET Crave

OnLive Desktop arrives in the Android Market, aims to bring the power of a PC to your Android tablet

For a lot of folks, tablets are a great alternative to PC's but for some -- it's hard to complete some of the same actions as a PC on one. Looking to bridge that gap is OnLive with their new OnLive Desktop application. Using a cloud based PC you can connect to, you can now complete some of those tasks.

Features:

• Instantly view, edit and create documents using actual Microsoft® Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint


• Easily transfer files between OnLive Desktop and other devices


• Experience high-performance, instant-response PC applications


• Interact with lag-free animation and video


• Works with most Bluetooth keyboards and mice (left-click only)

The OnLive Desktop app is available for free with the basic offerings or you can jump up to the paid OnLive Desktop Plus services for $4.99/mnth which allows for some advanced features such as accelerated browsing, full flash support and additional cloud storage for your files.

Something to note however, is the compatible devices. OnLive notes support for the Acer Iconia Tab A500, ASUS Eee TF101, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, and HTC Jetstream but I've had no luck getting it installed on my Mototola Xoom. You can try it yourself though, just jump past the break for the download link.

Source: OnLive