By Anu Passary email: a.passary@mobilenapps.com | Jan 16, 2013 05:12 PM EST
Have you been looking to get your hands on the elusive Nexus 4, but with no luck? Well, you're in for some good news if, that is, you're willing to settle for an alternative that could act as a Nexus 4, but is really another LG smartphone. Confused?
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We'll lift the veil of mystery. The folks at XDA Developers have come up with a new mod that could well be the solution, as it converts the LG Optimus G into a Nexus 4.
The new mod is courtesy G33K3r, rohan32, and several others at XDA-Developers. While the hardware of the Optimus G obviously remains unchanged, it is under the hood where the real transformation happens.
The mod basically overwrites the Optimus G's firmware and replaces it with the stock Nexus 4 one. The mod switches everything from the bootloader to the AOSP software, removing the original internal software of the Optimus G.
"It remaps all partitions to the Nexus 4, overwrites all AT&T firmware with Nexus stuff, all the Nexus partitions, etc. Even the bootloader is overwritten by the Nexus 4 bootloader. Bootsplash becomes Google's logo, etc. Essentially it replaces every single thing on your current phone with its Nexus 4 equivalent. With this, you can flash anything from the Nexus 4 forums, including all of their ROMs, kernels, and more with little to no issues. You can even run stock AOSP Nexus 4. Essentially, it converts your entire phone into a Nexus 4," notes rohan32.
The mod is currently "rough" and could possibly improve over time. If you choose to make the firmware change, remember there are a few sacrifices and quirks along the way that you will have to contend with.
For instance, once your LG Optimus G is converted into a Nexus 4, the smartphone will not be able to access LTE and the storage available will reduce from 16GB to 8GB. The volume keys also reverse, which means that the volume up becomes down and the volume down becomes volume up.
Additionally, the developers note that the "SDCard isn't mounting properly" and the "capacitive buttons aren't working." Moreover, the capacitive buttons don't even get activated or light up, almost as if they are non-existent.
The mod isn't definitely for the faint hearted or the inexperienced. In the event something goes awry with the mod, you could end up with a bricked device, so think before you throw caution to the wind and attempt the firmware change.
If you're still hankering for the stock Android experience and want to convert your Optimus G to a Nexus 4, head over to XDA-Developers for instructions on how to flash the mod.
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