[GiveAway] Win a Google Nexus 4

I wanted a Nexus 4 for development, came across this Giveaway at http://www.techquark.com/2013/10/giveaway-win-google-nexus-4.html

Do check it out!

Failed To Create The Account. Please Try Again Later

I'm an avid Android fan. Also, I love to tinker. So when I bought the HTC One, the first thing I did was to have its Bootloader unlocked and the S-OFFed. This just opened up a lot of opportunities for me to do with the device. So after having converted the device to a Google Edition device and played with the Android 4.3 update, I tried my luck with the new 4.3 Developer Edition RUU which was released for the HTC One. Like and idiot, I relocked the bootloader and flashed the RUU. But after observing some considerable drain in standby mode, I wanted to root the device. Had to generate a new Unlock_token.bin from HTC since it was a new HBOOT at 1.55. Unlocking the bootlaoder resulted in clearing up the entire device. So, in the midst of the setting up the phone, I decide that while the phone is syncing - which would take a while on my slow wi-fi, I thought of disabling the system apps that I wont be using.

So when this activity was done, I configured my Google Apps Mail account which was done in a jiffy. Moving on to the Exchange Active Sync account, which usually takes a minute to sync, kept on giving me the "Failed To Create The Account. Please Try Again Later". Googling for it didnt give me any results, let alone positive ones. It had become annoying. Though today was a Sunday, some work was stuck. Thought of re-installing the RUU or going back to the Google Edition one. I was lost!

Then it happened, somewhere it just clicked! There are 4 options available when we setup the sync for the Exchange Active Sync account. Calender, Contacts, Mail and Tasks. I just realized that I had disabled the system tasks app, which was causing an exception when I tried to set up the sync. So this is something that I experienced and solved. No one online had posted if this was ever the case when they ever faced this particular error. 

Note : Sadly ADB wasn't detecting my device but fastboot is working fine. Hence couldn't analyze an logcat logs. my bad.

The need for AOSP Android

I have a Note II. My wife gave it to me as a birthday gift. To be honest, I was so the one to suggest the Note II as the gift. But having used the original Galaxy S, the S2.... I was aware of what I was getting in to. I'm talking about TouchWiz. What Samsung were now referring to as the Nature UI was something that was smooth, not slick like stock Android, but pretty responsive nonetheless.

Since this was a present from my wife, I had to think twice before tinkering with the device. I am an ex phone flashing addict who would try out different ROMS on his devices and play with them for a while before moving on to something else. This habit had existed right from the days of my first Windows Phone, the Xperia X1.

So one fine morning, getting tired of all the videos of the stock Android on the Nexus 4, I dove in to flash Cyanogen Mod 10.1 onto the Note II. It had some graphics glitches which have been getting sorted out over the course of the last few months. I am a regular updates from the nightlies.

It happened that one of my friends, someone who usually enquires about any device I might have to sell off (since I'm buying a new device) asked me to suggest a new device with his budget around ₹25k. With friends in the UK soon heading down to India on holiday, I suggested that he have someone get the Nexus 4 for him. It would cost him ₹23k (based on the current exchange rate) and would fall well within his budget. The best part was that this was a device well worth the price and effort spent and getting it.
I met him yesterday, after our mutual friend had brought the device. I immediately fell in love with the Nexus 4. I was so excited that I even offered to exchange devices, with him getting my higher spec'd and costlier Note II and me getting his brand new Nexus 4. He said he would love it but he thought the Note II was an unwieldy device and thus the exchange was halted.

But come to think of it, the only thing he has in his favour is that he will get the next Google update when it becomes available. I'll have to wait for mine. Till then, I get the same performance, better pictures and damn good battery life.

I guess I am right to stick with this device and forego any device change till the next Nexus hits the stores.