The HALO feature for Paranoid Android ROM is now available in to owners of the Nexus 4 (mak0). This first build with HALO should be considered an “alpha” or really early build, but will at least give you a chance to play around with what should be considered one of the most groundbreaking ROM features we have seen in some time. 

The guys behind Paranoid Android ROM are in the process of finishing up their latest build, version 3.0. In a quick teaser to help get their base excited about the release, they published a video that highlights a their “Expanded Desktop Mode” and some of its new features. What is “Expanded Desktop Mode,” you ask? Only the coolest ROM feature I have seen in quite some time. 

Late last night, the AOKP team finally dropped their first release as MR1 for Jelly Bean (Android 4.2.1). As you had probably hoped, it contains many of your favorite features from past builds.

You’ll find the custom boot animation, statusbar tweaks, power menu options, custom lockscreen options, a fully customizable navigation bar, more statusbar styles, LED control, sound settings, and more. And maybe more importantly, they fixed some of the bugs that came with stock Android 4.2.1. 

Google began pushing an update to the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 last night as Android build 4.2.1 (JOP40D). It’s a tiny file at 1.1MB. So far, the only real change that has been found is a fix to the People app, which means that December has returned after last week’s debacle. No word yet on a Nexus 7 update, but it can’t be far behind.

One of the joys of owning a Nexus device is the freedom you have to unlock and root your device as you please. As one would guess, the newest Nexus 4 has gained plenty of developer support and there is already a fancy toolkit available through XDA that will help you fulfill all of your hacking and modding needs.

Available for Windows machines, once you download and install the software, all it takes is a few clicks of some buttons and you’re off to a wonderland of root and custom recovery goodness. It would take up about half of the page to show you what all this thing could do, so instead we’ll just point you to the toolkit’s home instead.

Have fun, Nexus owners!

Via: XDA