HTC One M8 Android 5.1 Google Play Edition out there
Android 5.1 for the HTC One M8 Google Play Edition has been appearing via OTA for GSM variants of the device for the past couple of days on some carriers, so of course it’s been captured and is in the process of being torn apart by ROM developers looking to make it theirs.
After having run an Android 5 GPE ROM for nearly three months, which is a record for me, I stepped away for a taste of the Sense version but have been wanting to go back for a while. Unfortunately my updated firmware and the GPE didn’t quite want to talk to each other any more.
The updates are raw system images and some pre-rooted early development from what I can tell, as well as a full conversion RUU that will change partition sizing and otherwise make your phone a GPE clone.
Hopefully in the next few days some GPE over Sense-sized partitions will appear as the GPE is an experience to experience. HTC’s GPE for 5 was enough to make me want to get a Nexus device as I waited for what felt like forever for HTC to push the Sense update out.
Then again, being on the cutting edge you’re more likely to get cut, and HTC isn’t particularly fond of hundreds of thousands of potential calls to support to push these new features.
While I’m liking to a forum containing a GPE conversion for GSM phones only, I’d suggest if you’re just looking to try a new ROM wait a while, this conversion might be a pain to undo, and it requires some work.
Hopefully we’ll see some porting action to the CDMA flavors of the One M8 soon enough as 5.1 looks like it got a lot of things right that 5.0.1 just didn’t quite reach.
[xda-developers]
