Not too long ago, we heard that Blackberry was working on an update to BBM that would support those running Gingerbread still. Yes Gingerbread is a pretty old OS, approaching 4 years old now, but there’s still a pretty big chunk of people running that version of Android. For those of you still using BBM, this means that many more people will be using BBM. Since there’s around a quarter of the Android population using Gingerbread still.

This new version of the app is for Android 2.3.3 and higher. It’s also leaked out and it could potentially crash BBM’s servers. We’ve seen that happen before, back last year when it was leaked out and actually postponed the launch of the BBM for Android app. So be careful out there with installing this leaked version of the app.

The folks over at N4BB have posted the leaked APK, which you can grab from the link down below. As we said previously, it’s only for Android 2.3.3 or higher. N4BB also states that the app lacks BBM channels and BBID are not whitelisted. Which seems a bit odd, but whatever, I guess. Additionally there are some minor UI tweaks.

So if you’re interested in running BBM on a Gingerbread-powered Android phone, go ahead and download the APK down below. Make sure you’ve enabled “Unknown Sources” and then install it like any other app. It’s just that easy to side-load this version of BBM. If you do take the plunge and decide to install this version of Blackberry Messenger, be sure to let us know in the comments below how it’s working out for you. So others know whether or not they want to take the chance and install it.

Download: BBM for Android (Gingerbread)

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Back in December, Google had told us they were going to add the “Auto-Show Images” feature into Gmail. Which it’s been available on the desktop for a while, and now with the newest update to Gmail, it’s now here. Google is hosting these images on their own proxy servers now, so you won’t need to load them up yourself anymore. They will load up automatically in the email. Which is a nice change, I think.

There’s not a whole lot of other changes here. Of course there are probably some bug fixes and performance tweaks as there are usually in app updates. But, as Android Police points out, there should be a pop-up notice informing users of the change. Which is shown off in these strings:

<string name=”preference_show_images_title”>Images</string>

<string name=”showImages_always”>Always show</string>

<string name=”showImages_askFirst”>Ask before showing</string>

<string name=”always_show_images_teaser_title”>Images Now Showing</string>

<string name=”always_show_images_teaser_description”>”Loading images is now safer, so you’ll automatically see all images within a message when you open it. %1$s.”</string>

<string name=”always_show_images_update_in_settings”>You can update your preferences under %1$s in %2$s.</string>

What’s interesting, is that Google is allowing you to turn off the “Auto-show” feature for images. If you go into your account, and at the bottom under settings, you’ll see the option to change it. Which is pretty nice to have. And yes, we do have the APK, which is at the bottom of this post. Make sure you have checked “Unknown Sources” in the Settings/Security section on your phone. Then just install it like any other app. It’s important to let you know that this will overwrite your current version of Gmail on your phone or tablet. But that shouldn’t be a big deal. We suspect it’s in a staggered rollout, which means it may not hit everyone for a few weeks. Which sucks, but that’s why we have the APK for you.

Download: Gmail v4.7.2

The post Gmail v4.7.2 Is Now Rolling Out, Brings the “Auto-Show Images” Feature appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/01/gmail-v4-7-2-now-rolling-brings-auto-show-images-feature.html

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The Nokia vs. HTC patent troll wars are running at a fevered pitch. In earlier news, HTC had received a severe blow when Nokia had won an injunction on a USB related patent in Germany – which could potentially see all HTC Android devices banned in the country. Nokia has been taking HTC to court over various patent infringement lawsuits all across the globe.

In the latest information received by FossPatents, HTC has received reprieve from the 7^th Civil Chamber of the Munich I Regional Court, where Judge Dr. Matthias Zigann has dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit (Nokia vs. HTC). In the lawsuit Nokia had claimed that HTC had infringed upon Nokia’s patent identified by the nomenclature EP0804046 which deals with a “method and apparatus for updating the software of a mobile terminal using the air interface”. The patent does not relate to all OTA updates, but specifically addresses a methodology of enabling mobile phone users to accept calls while simultaneously downloading a software update over the air.

The court had concluded that HTCs devices did not meet the requirement of a “first memory” and a “second memory” for enabling simultaneous OTA updates and incoming phone calls. As a result the court dismissed the suit. However there is not much cause for celebration in the HTC camp.

Since Nokia is selling its mobile devices unit to Microsoft, ensuring their patent portfolio remains intact is their most important task. Nokia can turn a decent profit on the basis of royalty it receives from its patent portfolio. As a result, we see these troll wars heating up, in which though HTC has successfully scored some big wins, Nokia has also received major wins – including an injunction in the UK and three separate wins in Germany itself.

Nokia has been pursuing a vendetta against HTC and has pulled the Taiwanese manufacturer across the globe in various patent infringement lawsuits, a process which started in April last year. Patent troll wars have turned out to be a major factor affecting innovation, however there seems to be no respite from these litigations in the near future.

What’s your take on these troll wars, let us know in the comments below.

The post Nokia Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against HTC Tossed Out In Germany appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

via AndroidHeadlines.com | http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/01/nokia-patent-infringement-lawsuit-htc-tossed-germany.html

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