Itching for some fresh Android 4.2 butter now that the newest OS version has been pushed to the Android Open Source Project? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but unless you’re an owner of a Nexus device, there’s probably nothing on the horizon for you before the holidays.
That is nothing official, because unofficially Android 4.2 ports are expected to be coming in flocks over the next weeks or so. As a matter of fact, the first 4.2-based custom ROM is already up for grabs via the XDA forum, and, while it’s far from fully functional, it’s definitely a promising start.
After being the first to port Android 4.1 to a non-Nexus tablet back in July, recognized developer RandomBlame has done it again, making 4.2 available to his dear old Acer Iconia Tab A500. As he himself clearly states, if this “breaks your tablet or your lose precious family photos don’t blame me, you were warned”.
Now we definitely wouldn’t recommend flashing this ROM unless you feel like your Iconia A500 needs to be punished for something, but you know what they say – baby steps.
And for a baby step, this is actually a pretty confident one, as Wi-Fi is reported to be working, as well as external SD cards, navbar, and the multi users feature. The audio, camera and Bluetooth are all messed up, but if it's one thing we trust on this world, that's RandomBlame's commitment to make his ports fully functional in due time.
Adrian has an insatiable passion for writing ever since he was in school and found himself writing philosophical essays about the meaning of life and the differences between light and dark beer. Later, he found out that this is pretty much his only marketable skill, so he first created a personal blog and then discovered his true calling, which is writing about technology and gadgets in general and Android in particular.