Android 4.2 clock and keyboard apps available for flashing

Earlier this week, after Google announced Android 4.2, an update to Jelly Bean, some sources managed to obtain standalone apk files for the 4.2 keyboard. The keyboard from 4.2 is sought after due to the inclusion of “Gesture Typing,” which allows users to glide their finger over the keyboard in a Swype-like fashion. Google asked sources to take down links to the apk files as the software was not yet ready for versions other than 4.2.

That has not stopped work by others to extract the code from Android 4.2 and package the keyboard app for use on non-4.2 devices. Those efforts have resulted in files for the keyboard app that will run on 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or better devices and the 4.2 clock app that will run on 4.1 Jelly Bean devices.

To install, you need a rooted device with a custom recovery installed. Use the source link to access the files needed. Needless, to say, installation carries the usual caveats regarding the flashing of software onto your device. The apps are experimental and device compatibility is still sketchy at this point.

source: Droid Life

Could Google’s new Gesture Typing keyboard show up as standalone app in Google Play Store?

Earlier today some folks discovered apk files for Google’s “Gesture Typing” keyboard. As you may recall, Gesture Typing is a new feature included in the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update. The new functionality provides an input method similar to Swype, letting users glide their fingers from letter to letter on the keyboard instead of having to tap the letters.

According to reports, two different versions methods to install the keyboard were available. One was a plain apk file that could be loaded directly onto a device as long as one was running one of the many manufacturer’s UI layers like TouchWiz or HTC Sense. Those running a device with a plain or stock Android install, had to go through the additional steps of rooting their device then flashing the keyboard onto the device.