Review: xda-developers.com Timdurus Android 4.4.2 KatKiss #22 ROM + 21b'er GApps

Meow Meow: Timdurus KatKiss 4.4.2 ROM got updated to version #22. There have been some handy updates such as the lock screen wallpaper fix or the upgraded boot performance.

Did a quick backup of my newer apps and newer versions, factory reset, full wipe & format and finally installed KatKiss-4.4.2_022.zip + the new gapps-KatKiss-4.4.2_20140221b.zip


No Problems at all. Installes the jounaling disable script. No Reboots or whatsoever yet experienced.


The GApps are still the same as on version #21:

  Gapps 20140221b:
- Gallery: Fix FC on Editing/applying filters...
- Camera: Fix FC on selecting Panorama
- Remove GoogleCamera from default gapps zip to use rom's Camera by default which should be stable (but no photosphere)
- Fix Photosphere mode with GoogleCamera (might still crash when switching between photosphere and other modes - you will have to patch the (gapps-GoogleCamera_xx.zip)

My actual statement on KatKiss #22 release

Once again smoother then the previous build. As stated before, it could also be realted to the new Next Launcher 3D 3.06. Whatever. I dont care. No ROM can keep up with this one. Now that I read that multi windowing and auto rotation are getting fixed in #23... I'm quit sure this ROM is out of any league. More smoothness is just not possible. No JB ROM is that fast and the only other mentionable 4.4.2 KitKat ROM (OmiROM) for the Asus eeePad Transformer TF101 lags on performance a lot yet. The overall performance is more to be descriped (imho!) as "sloppy" and "edgy" yet - even though it bringts in-app performance boosts through ART.

Thanks again Tim!

So lets recap whats working and whats not:

Not working in gerneral in KatKiss 4.4.2 yet:

• ART
• Multi Window (Fixed #23 YES!)
• Native Flash support*
• Camera Fishbow- and Panorama modes Fixed 
• autorotation switch (Fixed #23 YES!)

 * There is a workaround with the help Dolphin browser and Jetpack. The YouTube.com app does work also.

Improvements to #21:

•  Move to GCC target 4.8

• Switch to Linaro-4.8.3 14.01
• Trebuchet: Fix wallpaper not rendering internally when using only 1 desktop
• LockScreen: Display wallpaper when System wallpaper rendering is disabled.  (after 1st lock)

• Recents: Increase KillAll button size
• Add libemoji.so
• Fix command line reboot
• Boot tasks parallelizing (should speed up boot by ~30-50% depending on the overclocking and number of packages)

• Add multithreading support to Installer/installd
• Parallelize package scanning
• Parallelize boot dexopt

KatKernel 114:

• Rebuild with Linaro-4.8.3 14.01
• Add isofs + udf modules

Deteriorations to #21:

• None

 To be concluded:

• Forced closes of Google and Sync related apps
• Forced closes of the cam in some situations  Gone
• HMDI Working
  

Software findings:

• Still wasn't able to get any Screen Recording App to work. They all suffer the same error: 0-Byte files output. Could be related to the writing rights on certain folders. Tryed some... willl have a further look later. Mustn't be ROM related.Will try to record via Android SDK and Android Studio later. I'm positive ( don't ask why ) that this issue might be gone with version #23.

Apps tested so far:

• Screen Recorder
• Screencast Video Recorder
• Rec. (Screen Recorder)
• KitKat Screen Capture 
• Screen Video Recorder: NO-ROOT
• SCR Screen Recorder Pro ★ root
• KitKat Screen Recorder

I will try to keep you peeps updated on the status and stability of this build. For now I'm soooooo unbelievable greedy to version #23. Why? Because it fixes almost any bug bnothering me for now. Just Awesome. To address some: The multiwindow support and the rotation bug.
Here is a complete list (updated 2014-03-02):


=03/XX/14 - V023=

- Fix MultiWindow
- Display MultiWindow icons by default
- Settings => Accessibility: Fix Autoration locking up
- QuickSettings: Fix Orientation Tile locking up
- QuickSettings: Add Orientation tile, remove battery tile by default
- QuickSettings: Fix Orientation Tile Long Press, open Accessibility
- Turn off Autoration by default
- Rebuild with Linaro 14.02
- Hardware Keyboards: Make capslock key behave as shift for all keys including numerics
- Add Global Actions (Available for LongPress + Key Override):
 + Autoration toggle
 + Wifi, Bluetooth, Touchpad toggles
 + Show Power Menu
 + Launch Settings
 + Brightness Up, Down, Auto
 + Media Next, Previous, Play/Pause
 + Audio Mute 

Hope it helped. Cheers.

(You can read up everything and have a closer look at the tests on xda-developers.com)

Downloads:

KatKiss-4.4.2_022.zip
gapps-KatKiss-4.4.2_20140221b.zip 
gapps-GoogleCamera_20140221.zip

Dedicated thread: 
Timdurus Android 4.4.2 KitKat KatKiss Rom #22