Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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Google Android News Android Forums

Verizon Galaxy Nexus rumored to receive Android 4.0.4 tomorrow

Posted: 21 May 2012 04:33 PM PDT

Word from the grapevine is that Big Red is planning to finally release Android ICS 4.0.4 to the Galaxy Nexus masses with OTA (over-the-air) roll-out commencing as soon as tomorrow. This rumor supposedly comes from a Verizon customer who was visiting their local store and was briefly shown a Verizon proprietary document detailing the upcoming OTA update. So for those of you who didn’t want to manually install Android 4.0.4 to your GNex, the wait may finally be over. Only tomorrow will tell if this rumor pans out so be sure to keep a eye on your notification bar for a possible icy treat.

source: pocketnow

The One X and Galaxy S III are top dogs for now but will become goats when Jelly Bean arrives

Posted: 21 May 2012 01:55 PM PDT

There’s no question that right now the top two phones to buy are the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III, but they won’t be so popular 6 months from now. It won’t be because better handsets will be released, it’s more about Android version updates or lack thereof. Both phones come with Ice Cream Sandwich onboard, and for now seem like the latest and greatest. A little later in the year, Android 5.0 Jelly Bean will be announced and the SDK will be released. This will probably take place in October, and unfortunately neither of these phones will see Jelly Bean until at least March/April 2013. If you’re in the U.S. the prospects are even more dismal. So for now everyone is enjoying their new greatness, but come November, the crying and complaining will begin about why their phone isn’t getting updated.

In case you’re thinking that things will be different, unfortunately we go through this every year, and to be honest, things aren’t getting better, they’re getting worse.

Lets go back to the Gingerbread release. The SDK was released in December 2010 and other than the Nexus devices, no phones received it until April 2011, and that was the global Galaxy S. Other big ticket phones like the DROID X and DROID Incredible 2 didn’t receive it until June 2011 and July 2011 respectively. That’s basically 4 months for Samsung’s flagship but more like 6 to 7 months for a lot of the other phones. It should also be noted that it was only the global Galaxy S that started receiving the update. The U.S. versions didn’t get the update until several months later. In looking at it on percentage basis, Gingerbread was only on 4% of devices 5 months from the SDK release.

We will skip over Honeycomb since that was made for just tablets, and go right to Ice Cream Sandwich. The SDK for ICS was released in October 2011. No devices (other than Nexus devices) received ICS until January 2012, and that was the ASUS Transformer Prime tablet. As far as phones, it really wasn’t until March 2012 when we saw the HTC Vivid get it along with global versions of the Galaxy S II. Even some of the unlocked versions of the GSII didn’t get it until April. This year Motorola hasn’t even updated any of their phones going as far as saying it won’t happen unless the “experience” is improved. So if we look at the Galaxy S II, it took roughly 6 months, which is longer than last year’s Galaxy S’s 4 months. Again, only the global versions have the update at this point. In comparing the percentage of devices that had ICS after 5 months, it was only 1.6%. As you can see a lot worse than last year’s Gingerbread updates, which were at 4% at the same time.

I can hear all the rooters and ROM fans yelling at me saying that you can grab ICS for yourself with a custom ROM. I’ve been over this before and things haven’t changed. The rooting and ROM community seems large, but it’s a very small percentage of the overall Android users.

The other thing to consider is even when The Galaxy S III and One X receive the Jelly Bean update, it won’t look much different. Look at what HTC did with older phones for the ICS update. They included it with Sense 3.6 so the look is similar. The kept the new and improved Sense 4.0 for the new devices like the One X and One S. Samsung on the other hand did the same thing, but unfortunately didn’t bother changing the TouchWiz interface for the newer Galaxy S III.

The bottomline is that if you want the latest version of Android you simply cannot buy any device except for a Nexus, and if you really want to make sure you do it right, it needs to be the GSM version. The CDMA versions will never get the updates timely as evidenced by the Sprint Nexus S, which didn’t receive ICS until April of this year (6 months after the SDK was released).

For now everyone is excited and happy to get their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S III or the HTC One X (and other variants), but in 6 months everyone will be wondering where there update is. No need to wonder, I’m telling you now that it won’t be until at least March 2013 if your not in the U.S., and if you’re in the U.S., you probably will have to wait until next Summer. That’s how you go from top dog to goat in 6 months. Ice Cream Sandwich seems really refreshing right now, but trust me, in about 6 months it’s going to get old quickly.

Of course, if you don’t care about Android updates then disregard everything I just said and enjoy your new phone.

Unofficial Port Of Classic PC Game “Theme Hospital” Hits The Google Play Store

Posted: 21 May 2012 01:50 PM PDT

If you’re a huge fan of classic PC games then you’re in for a surprise.  Recently to surface in the Google Play Store is an unofficial port of the classic 1997 game Theme Hospital.  The game is available for download now and will run you $1.49.  The game can be played on smartphones and tablets alike.  The SIMs-esque game offers you the great task of running an entire hospital from nothing into a state of the art and up to date facility with full wards, standard operating rooms, offices and of course, staff members.  You’re the boss, so hire and fire as you see fit.  Some of the ailments from various patients are rather odd, but nevertheless, your job to cure them.  Ready to download?  Check out the Google Play Store link below or feel free to use the QR code as well.  Let us know what you think of the game in the comments below.

ThemeHospital_1 ThemeHospital_2 ThemeHospital_3 ThemeHospital_4

qrcode

Play Store Download Link

T-Mobile US pushing update to Galaxy S II – No Ice Cream Sandwich in sight

Posted: 21 May 2012 01:25 PM PDT

Don’t you just love turning on your phone to discover that you have a system update waiting for you. Cue the excitement of waiting to see what goodies Google and co. has cooked up for you this time. If you’re currently rocking a Samsung S II on T-Mobile US then keep your eyes peeled for update arriving any time now but the excitement stops there on this occasion as this is a small, incremental update that brings a few bug fixes and optimisations.

The update is rolling out right now and is expected to hit all users before June 22nd. You can check out the change log below.

So come on T-Mobile, just where is that Ice Cream Sandwich that your patient user base are desperately waiting for? If you’re growing tired of waiting for Android 4.0, sound off in the comments below and tell us all about it.

Source: T-Mobile

 

Sony Xperia U all set for Three UK

Posted: 21 May 2012 12:51 PM PDT

UK network Three looks set to bolster its entry level line-up by selling Sony’s Xperia U on both contract and Pay as You Go. The Xperia U was introduced to the world during the Mobile World Congress however it was quickly overshadowed by the more glamorous high-end phones on display.

In case you’re wondering, the Xperia U is an Android 2.3 device sporting a 3.5″ FWVGA reality display, a 1GHz dualcore processor and a 5MP camera capable of 720 HD video capture. Whilst these are modest specs, the phone will be available for a wallet-friendly £169.99 SIM-free or for £20 per month with no up front charge on a 2 year contract.

This solid, stylish handset is also expected to hit the shelves of O2, Orange and T-Mobile in the coming weeks. If Three’s deals float your boat then hit the source link to get your order in.

 

Source: Three UK

Apple seek to ban the Galaxy Tab in the US (again)

Posted: 21 May 2012 11:17 AM PDT

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. This invaluable proverb has been motivating children in the UK for over 200 years now and I was fairly certain that I’d never find a scenario where it doesn’t fit… until now.

In its eternal battle to ban pretty much everything ever invented that doesn’t have an Apple logo on it, Apple hauled Samsung through the US courts last summer with a view to banning the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple’s bid didn’t prove fruitful on that occasion however news from Foss Patents surfaced today suggesting that Apple is back in for a second bite at the cherry and that perhaps this time it might just succeed.

Florian Muller from Foss Patents had the following to say on their website: “Apple's motion is fairly likely to succeed. If and when it does, there will be formal U.S. bans in place against all three of the leading Android device makers. Also on Friday, the ITC ordered a U.S. import ban against Motorola's Android-based devices (to the extent those infringe a particular Microsoft patent), and in December, the U.S. trade agency also banned HTC's products that infringe a particular Apple patent — as a result, two HTC product rollouts just got delayed.”

With Apple and Samsung due in court later in the week with a view to attempting to put an end to this nonsense, this writer will certainly be hoping not to write another article on litigation any time soon. Seriously Apple; save the money for your R&D department, it needs it way more.

 

Source: Foss Patents

HTC’s Bluetooth Music Adapter Now Available, Works with Most Bluetooth Enabled Devices

Posted: 21 May 2012 10:51 AM PDT

I am not sure if you remember hearing about HTC’s cool new Bluetooth Music Adapter that was announced at this years Mobile World Congress. If not, it’s this great little dongle that allows you to wirelessly stream music to an auxiliary input on any stereo that has a 3.5mm headphone jack and is finally available for purchase. What’s great about this little guy is that although it is made by HTC, it is not limited to HTC devices only. Since it uses Bluetooth it should work with any device that has Bluetooth connectivity and will eliminate the need for that annoying audio cable while driving or playing music at home. Simply plug the dongle into your car or home stereo’s auxiliary input and stream away! It will even auto-pair with select HTC smartphones and tablets.

The dongle supports A2DP as well as CSR aptX so music will sound much better than Bluetooth audio has sounded in the past. Sporting a microUSB port for charging, the dongle’s 85 mAh battery is rated at 5 hours of play time and will last 120 hours on standby. It also has a handy power-off feature that will activate after the device remains idle for a set period of time. Retailing for $59.99, you can order one right now from Sprint and have it delivered to your house in only a couple of days. I called my local Sprint store and ordered one so be on the lookout for a review in the near future. In the meantime, if you want to get one for yourself click through the source link below to place an order. This is going to be one handy accessory for those of you who use your Android device as a music player.

Thanks Kevin!

source: Sprint

 

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity Wins FCC Approval

Posted: 21 May 2012 09:43 AM PDT

If you are anything like us, you are looking forward to the release of the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T), the 10.1-inch Android tablet boasting an astounding 1920×1200 (1080p) resolution. It has been said that the device would see a European launch on July 10th and the recent FCC approval would put us right on track for a timely release. Sporting the Tegra 3 chipset, the TF700T that was just approved by the FCC is the Wi-Fi only version, the LTE equipped version is still nowhere to be seen. For those of you that are hoping to get your hands on the cellular version of the device, it looks like you will have to wait a bit longer but we imagine it will also be stopping by the FCC in the near future. Let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later. We will keep you posted.

source: FCC
via: Endgadget

HTC Amaze 4G Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Update Available Now

Posted: 21 May 2012 09:39 AM PDT

Starting now T-Mobile customers in possession of an HTC Amaze 4G can now update to Ice Cream Sandwich. You heard right! Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich is the latest version of this mobile operating system. It'll give your Amaze 4G a whole new facelift. Completely redesigned UI, with great functionality and enhancements. Some of the features that are available with this latest upgrade include, Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Sense 3.6, system bar enhancements to easily view recent apps, re-sizeable widgets, data usage controls, Face Unlock, homescreen folders, improved battery life.

This is a welcome upgrade for T-Mobile customers who currently have Gingerbread. So grab that phone and navigate to Menu > Settings > About Phone > HTC Software Updates > Check. Once downloaded and installed you will be running on Android version 4.0.3 and software version 2.14.531.3710RD. Hit the source for all the details on what you can expect from the upgrade. You will not be disappointed. Let us know what you think of ICS in the comments.

source: t-mobile

 

Samsung Galaxy Note Gets London Olympic Treatment

Posted: 21 May 2012 08:39 AM PDT

In some understandable excitement and pride for the upcoming Summer Olympics, Samsung has come up with a rather stylish special edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note phablet. Samsung will commemorate the summer games with the upcoming special edition of the device by including an alternate UK flag-covered back in the box. Plus Sammy will even throw in a donation of £1 to an Olympic-funding charity each time it sells one of these custom Notes.

The Olympic-themed G-Note will be sold exclusively through O2 UK in a special bundle. The bundle will include the "win a Team Samsung experience" in with each phone, though you’ll need to act before Thursday, May 24th.

source: Samsung UK
via: Gizmodo UK
Posted by at 5:53 AM

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