Friday 3 February 2012

Android Community

Android Community


US Government claims that secure Android phones can be updated in just 2 weeks

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 10:13 AM PST

Anybody who’s bought an expensive Android phone in the last couple of years can probably commiserate with all those waiting months and months for an official update. Many times users root and install custom ROMs not out of any particular desire to mod, but just to get the features in the current version of Android. US Government officials made a bold claim on CNN this morning, saying that they can send out major software updates to their secure Android-based phones in just two weeks, side-stepping both manufacturers and carriers to deliver updated code based on Android’s open-source releases.

The official further stated that the government’s choice of Android for secure phone operations was specifically because of the operating system’s open-source nature. Publicly-available code enables modifications like the NSA’s ultra-secure Android variant, not to mention all the changes that OEMs and carriers place on phones and tablets. But since the government’s changes are relatively small and only apply to a few thousand phones at most, it follows that they could keep a tighter lid on their changes. The official said that they had approached Apple for customized versions of the iPhone and iOS for government use, but were denied access to the software’s source code.

Of course, updates to secure government-issued hansets aren’t going to grace the headlines of gadget blogs any time soon. But given the generally deplorable state of Android updates, wherein some customers wait for six months to a year for new software (if they get it at all) would seem a might bit more pathetic if Uncle Sam could do so much better. Private sector, consider yourself bested.

[via GigaOm]


Verizon leaks DROID 4 prices: $199.99 on contract, $549.99 without

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 09:27 AM PST

We know some of you have been waiting for a high-end QWERTY phone on Verizon’s LTE network for months. It looks like that wait is finally (finally!) coming to a close, and we can expect to see Motorola’s DROID 4 show up in Verizon stores in the middle of February. A new leak at Droid Life shows how much you’ll be spending for the privilege: $199.99 with a new two-year contract, or $549.99 without any commitments. Verizon’s standard tiered voice, text and data plans will almost certainly apply to the latest DROID phone.

Assuming that the price in question hold steady, it’s a surprisingly good price for a new high-end phone. Motorola’s DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX will both run you $300 (though you can – and should – shave $100 off the price of the RAZR by getting it without a MicroSD card), as will the Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound. Placing the new DROID model at Verizon’s mid-range price seems odd, but clearly they’re setting it at a lower tier when compared with other phones, even though the DROID 4′s specs compete pretty evenly with them.

Speaking of specs: the DROID 4 is basically a copy of the DROID RAZR, with a smaller screen, removable battery and of course a slide-out keyboard. The DROID 4 comes with a 4-inch screen running the same 960×540 resolution, but sadly trades in the AMOLED panel for a more pedestrian LCD.   You still get a 1.2Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera and (sigh) Motorola’s Gingerbread with a custom UI and a locked bootloader. We spent some hands-on time with the DROID 4 at CES and came away impressed – everyone else should be able to in a week or two.


Rumor: Galaxy S III to include waterproof seal

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 08:54 AM PST

Samsung’s Galaxy S III is fast becoming the biggest rumor monger in the Android universe, replacing the Galaxy Nexus at the top of ridiculous speculation. The latest tidbit comes from a “well-placed UK independent phone retailer“, who claims that the next version of the Galaxy S family will come with a coating compound that blocks out water and other liquids in a pretty amazing fashion. He claims that both the Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5 will have a waterproof seal provided by Liquipel, whose gadget-dunking demonstrations impressed onlookers at CES 2012.

The technology behind these seals has been available for years. They’re impressive, no doubt: basically, the system coats a phone or tablet with a near-invisible compound that can block out almost any liquid and moisture. It can repel several meters of water pressure for extended periods of time, making an accidental dunk in a tub or sink a non-issue. Liquipel’s coating technology penetrates into the device itself to cover all interior components as well: their demonstration below shows an HTC ThunderBolt running submerged with the battery cover off, as water trickles into contact with the protected mainboard and other components.

How likely is this rumor? Well it’s certainly not impossible. Liquipel currently offers its coating technology directly to consumers via a mail-in program, charging between $60 and $80 per device. Partnering with a huge company like Samsung or Apple could cut their per-device cost down to a couple of dollars, while adding a huge amount of value for end users. I’d honestly be surprised to see Apple adopt this – they tend to have a wait-and-see approach, never adding a feature if they don’t need to (case in point: the original 2G iPhone). But Samsung might add it to their flagship as yet another differentiation versus Apple.

All this is extremely speculative at the moment; just about the only thing we know for sure about the Galaxy S III is that it won’t shoe up at Mobile World Congress in late February. I’ve been hoping that someone would use one of these waterproofing processes on a mainstream device for a while now. Samsung, are you up to the challenge?

[via Cult of Android]


ComScore: Android still dominates US, BlackBerry and Windows fall further behind

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 08:09 AM PST

Remember those reports from last month that showed Apple beating out Android in the latter half of 2011? The ones that half the internet jumped on as proof that Android was “falling behind”? Yeah, not so much. Despite a massive rise in iPhone sales in the fourth quarter, Android is still way out in front of the mobile landscape with 47.3 % market share, according to ComScore. Their number crunchers say that’s a 2.5 point increase since Q3 2011. Apple continues to rise at a slower pace, capturing 29.6% of the total smartphone market in the US.

Both Android and iOS are continuing a trend of stealing market share from RIM’s BlackBerry and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile/Windows Phone. For the last quarter of 2011, combined Windows market share dropped down to 4.7%, with RIM dropping three points down to just 16%. Both companies are doing better than Microsoft’s recent partner Nokia, whose Symbian OS has just 1.4% of total US smartphone users. Nokia is transitioning its smartphones to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform, because every gambler knows there’s no sense loading up on the favorite.

Samsung continues to dominate the total mobile sector as far as OEMs go, representing 25% of all phones used in the 3rd quarter. LG and Motorola round out the top three, with Apple taking 12.4% of total phone sales and RIM dropping down to 6.7%. The figures represent combined figures, with 40% of US mobile subscribers using smartphones. Oh, and that gloom and doom report from Nielsen I mentioned earlier? That was for new smartphone buyers in December, not total market share.

[via Beta News]


DropBox opens Android Beta program, gives away up to 5GB of extra storage

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 07:40 AM PST

DropBox has been moving up in the world in the last few months, due in no small part to excellent support of mobile platforms like Android. Today the cloud storage service announced a beta program for users of its Android app. Testers will get access to a newer, faster and more feature-rich version of the DropBox app – but that’s not all. If you need a carrot even without the stick, beta testers will receive up to 5 gigabytes of extra cloud storage connected to your account, for use on any operating system, including DropBox’s more robust desktop programs.

The system is a little convoluted, so follow along. Install the beta app from this link via the standard non-Market method. Upload at least one photo, and you get an extra 500 megabytes connected to your DropBox account. Upload another 500MB of of photos, and you get another 500MB of storage, all the way up to 5GB of total extra space. Normally users are limited to uploading 180MB daily, but DropBox is dropping limits for the beta trial period, so throw in as much as you want. Those of you who are on a limited data plan may want to use a home or work WiFi network, though.

The additional storage is generous to be sure, but it doesn’t hold a candle to DropBox’s competitor, Box.net. If you own a Sony XPERIA or LG Android phone, you can install the Box.net app to instantly get upgraded to a whopping 50GB of free storage space. Those of you rocking Android-modded HP TouchPads should boot back in to WebOS and download the Box.net app too, as it grants the same extras.

[via Phandroid]


LG Optimus LTE marches to Telus in Canada

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 06:55 AM PST

LG’s right proud of its international flagship, the Optimus LTE, and rightly so. The high-end smartphone has sold more than a million units worldwide, including Asian and North American markets. The company hopes to sell a few more in Canada soon, at the behest of wireless carrier Telus: the cellular provider recently showed up in a list of supported carriers on LG’s Canadian website. Telus has remained mum on the subject, probably because its LTE network isn’t scheduled to go live until later this month. Canadian competitor Bell as the Optimus 4G LTE.

By now you should be familiar with the Optimus LTE’s hardware but just in case you’re not: the biggest selling point is the combination of a 1280×720 4.5-inch IPS display and a high-speed LTE connection. Inside the phone you’ll find a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM, with the obligatory 8MP camera thrown in for kicks. In both American versions of the phone that Android Community has reviewed thus far (the LG Nitro HD on AT&T and the Spectrum by LG on Verizon) it’s come with just 4GB of on-board storage and a free 16GB MicroSD card. Software is still limited to Gingerbread with LG’s custom skin.

The absence of the Optimus LTE on Telus’ site is odd, since they’ve already announced LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 8.9 for the upcoming high-speed network. It could be that they simply haven’t finalized a marketing deck just yet, and LG let the cat out of the bag early on their own site. Whatever the reason, expect to see the Optimus LTE grace retail and online Telus stores within the next few weeks.

[via MobileSyrup]


iOS apps crash more than Android, says recent data

Posted: 03 Feb 2012 06:33 AM PST

“Oh, I’d never use an Android phone – those things crash too much!” This mantra is often heard from those cradling their iDevices, basking in the self-satisfied glow of the latest incrementally updated iPhone Designed by Apple in California (and Made by Foxconn in China). But is it true? Recent research from mobile analytics firm Crittercism says no. Based on data collected in November and December of last year, iOS apps crashed at a significantly higher rate than Android apps – more than three times as much for top selling apps. Don’t panic, Apple faithful, just keep repeating this soothing chant to yourself: “It just works.”

The research was normalized for both platforms, taking relative downloads out of the equation. Even in the most extreme example, less than 4% of iOS apps and 3% of Android apps crashed with regularity. The biggest OS version offender by  far was iOS 5, making up more than a quarter of app crashes all by itself. That makes sense, since new operating systems have the most compatibility issues with older apps – at least until you read that Android 4.0 has just 1% of the share of crashed apps. Apple’s combined mobile OS made up more than two thirds of total normalized app crashes. The biggest portion of Android crashes went to Gingerbread 2.3.3, with just under 4%.

Looking at Android specifically, Gingerbread makes up more than half of crashed apps across all versions - which makes since, considering that it’s at roughly 60% penetration across all Android devices at the moment. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich does show a disproportionate amount of app crashes, with just under 7% of the Android total. When taken across both mobile platforms, iOS still has the majority of crashing apps, even considering its greater share of total app downloads.

app-crashes1 crashes-android1 crashes-ios-android-1

[via Forbes]


AOKP now at Milestone 3 for Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:30 PM PST

The last time we covered Team Kang‘s Android Open Kang Project, it was back on Milestone 1. Milestone 3 is available now for both the GSM and CDMA versions of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. AOKP has been through quite a few nighties since then, so here are some of the main features you could be missing!


One of the main additions in Milestone 1 was the incorporation of Roman’s power menu and ICS-like toggles. Another welcomed improvement since then includes the ability to unlink ringtone and notification volumes. The stock setting was quite irritating on my Galaxy Nexus, and hopefully this will be pushed into other ROMs as well. Using the ‘Phone’ app in landscape mode now works too! It’s great when trying to dial a number when your phone is docked in the car.

A tiny SMS icon has also been added into the lockscreen for easy access. This currently doesn’t help you Google Voice users, but eventually the team plans on making it configurable. Countless other fixes were also baked in, and head here if you want to take a look at them all. This is essentially a ‘nightly’, but Milestone builds are more focused on stability rather than the introduction of new features. Tell us how you like it! AOKP has been butter smooth on all our devices so far, so this one should be no different!

[via RootzWiki]


Motorola releasing performance update for ATRIX 2 now

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:08 PM PST

Motorola has just now started rolling out a major software update improving both performance, as well as security. Update v55.13.25 will completely remove Carrier IQ from the device, and if you don’t exactly know what that is – navigate here. You’ll see about 9 fixes, and of them improved picture clarity delivered from the camera will be most noticeable.


Other than improving overall performance, the Mobile Hotspot application has been updated to help retain a better connection to devices. The AT&T messages app has been revamped as well, offering easier methods for accessing texts stored in your cloud. They’ve gone ahead and renamed a few applications, but it shouldn’t effect anything. They’ve been shortened for easy access in the app tray.

If you’re not too anxious about having the update as soon as possible, then it should be pushed to your device. But those of you looking to get it sooner should navigate through Settings > About Phone > and tap System Updates. During an update, it’s smart to be plugged into an outlet, and also connected to your home wireless network to avoid climbing over your data cap. Hopefully it’s easy and painless, but let us know if any problems occur.

[via Phandroid]


Google Wallet officially available for download on AT&T’s Android Market

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:37 PM PST

Those of you with a Samsung Nexus S or Galaxy Nexus using an AT&T SIM card are now able to download Google Wallet straight from the Android Market. T-Mobile customers – as well as Verizon – will have to use an alternative method for downloading the application. It’s not too sneaky, and has been confirmed by multiple users as a working perfectly.


Why Google Wallet can’t be open throughout all carriers is beyond me. Those of you on other T-Mobile or ‘Big Red’ head to http://market.android.com and conduct a search for ‘Google Wallet’ on your device. During this, your phone will then prompt if you would like to open the page within the Market application, but just say no and continue within your browser. Next, select ‘Install’. When it asks if you would like to open it in the Market, select YES this time. You can then install the app just like any other!

Since the Android Market application recognizes Google Wallet as a legit download, you will be able to receive normal updates. On a side note, those of you that already installed a modified version of the .APK file should definitely remove it before going through with this method. It could possibly mess up the download.

[via TalkAndroid]


Android Community Evening Wrap-Up: February 2, 2012

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 07:34 PM PST

As you know, the tech world never sleeps. But before we see what tonight has to offer, lets take a look at a few of recent headlines to keep you up to speed. This morning, we saw Corning team up with Samsung to possibly provide curved OLED glass in their future devices. I myself am a huge fan of the beveled displays both the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus have been manufactured with – and always wondered when it would finally make it to their other devices.


Next up, there was a bit of confusion as to who currently tops the US in customer service. We first gathered from JD Power and Associates that Verizon was the victor, but later on – AT&T was said to top the charts by another survey. Who plans on watching the upcoming Super Bowl? If you’re a big fan of either the Giants or Patriots, an NFL Super Bowl 3D live wallpaper is now available in the market.

Possibly the most interesting news we’ll get to see today is a leaked image of the ASUS TF300T. It could be their next ‘Transformer’ tablet, but that’s the only speculation we can actually make at the moment. There’s no telling what could be packed inside, but it’s not like ASUS to regress in terms of hardware – so it’s safe to say their will be another NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core chip incorporated.

Finally, we have another update to add to the Motorola DROID 4 saga: As of now, expect to see it February 10th in stores. This was gathered from the latest leak, and is hopefully the last time this device will get pushed back. It would be a shame to receive it with a few glitches here and there, so it’s worth waiting for them to iron out anything before launching and risk making a mess of things.


UK retailer Clove halts Transformer Prime sales for quality control issues

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:24 PM PST

Asus is on top of the Android tablet heap at the moment thanks to the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, but they’ve had a hard time keeping it there lately. A number of controversies have sprouted up around the quad-core Android slate. Apparently those quality issues have led UK online gadget seller Clove to suspend sales of the Transformer Prime indefinitely. “Because of complaints of faults with the model we took the decision to thoroughly test stock before fulfilling any orders,” said Clove on their official blog. [ed. note: blog appears to be down at the moment] 

To be fair, the Transformer Prime has had more than its share of problems. Early adopters have reported signal issues with both WiFi and GPS reception, probably due to the Prime’s all-metal case construction. There’s not a lot that can be done about the physics of radio waves, but on top of that, power users were upset that the hardware comes with a locked bootloader. Asus changes a lot of opinions by promising an unlocker option in February - announcing an Ice Cream Sandwich update didn’t hurt. Of course, bricked devices and other errors in the update process put them back at square one.

Asus replied to Clove’s posting with skepticism, saying that they weren’t aware of any quality issues, and that they “refute any and all claims from third parties regarding the quality of our products.” Since Clove didn’t elaborate on what customers were complaining about, we don’t have a lot to go on as far as estimating when UK buyers can expect a return. With the Transformer Prime in short supply almost everywhere, this is sure to irritate at least a few across the pond. We’ll keep you updated on any changes in Clove’s policy.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Transformer Prime
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier :
    Announced Date : November 09, 2011
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As : Transformer 2
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.10 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : IPS+
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 10.35 Inch
  • Width : 7.12 Inch
  • Depth : .33 Inch
  • Weight : 586 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Polymer
  • Battery Capacity : 6579 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.2.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 3
    CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 64 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution :8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Pocket Gamer]


Two new LG phones show up in certification records

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:36 PM PST

We know that LG has at least one new Android phone slated for release soon, namely the X3, likely to be shown off at Mobile World Congress later this month. That device and one more are probably the source of a pair of certification filings in the Universal Plug and Play database, a set of standards for wired and wireless networking. The phones in question are the “LG-P880” and the “LG-P700“. The former is of the most interest to spec hounds, and it probably the model number for the X3.

There’s not a lot of information on either phone available, but a few nuggets can be found. Digging around in the GSM filing for the P880 reveals a resolution of 1280x720p (the current standard for Lg’s flagship phones like the Optimus LTE, Nitro HD and Spectrum) and the P700 has a 640×480 resolution found mostly in second-generation Android phones. Oddly, the P700 is listed as an “ICS SmartPhone”, not the P880. This is a long way from confirmation of anything, but since most of LG’s smartphones run Android at the moment, it’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll see these two eventually.

Previous leaks of the LG X3 indicate a quad-core Tegra 3 phone with a 4.7-inch 720p display, more or less going head-to-head with the (also rumored) HTC Edge. The visual design evokes LG’s latest Prada phone – a very good thing. Keep in mind that all of this is so much speculation before the big show in Barcelona. Just about everybody – with the notable exception of Samsung - will be bringing their A game.

[via Pocket Droid]


Devs, start your compilers: Peek offers free/cheap devices to hackers

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:41 PM PST

If there’s one thing the Android development community can’t resist, it’s a cheap mod platform. The Nook Color and (eventually) the HP TouchPad both owe their legacies to budget-conscious Android users looking for something to mod. The latest platform for cheap hacking might just be the Peek, a single-function device built for SMS on the cheap. The company is going out of business, but The Verge reports that CEO Amol Sarva wants to give the thousands of unsold units to hackers, hoping that “maybe somebody can build something great”. At least one member of the Reddit Android section has the idea of porting Android to the device – a familiar rallying cry.

For those who are unfamiliar with Peek: it’s a small BlackBerry-style gadget that’s built for text messaging and email, and nothing else. The single-purpose Peek was sold for less than $100 and used cheap service without contracts as a hook for those who needed to stay connected without the use of a phone. The hardware is pretty bare-bones, but includes a full QWERTY keyboard, GSM connection, side-mounted scroll wheel and 2.5-inch 320×240 display – not that much smaller than a lot of cheap Android phones, though it’s unfortunately not touch-enabled. Peek worked with a variety of email services, including POP3, IMAP and Exchange.

Can any of the Peek devices run Android? It’s hard to say. Getting the hardware itself to boot a different operating system wouldn’t be that difficult, but according to the Wikipedia page, the Peek’s processor is a mere 100mHz and the storage space is a measly 8 megabytes. It would be a challenge for even the most talented Android ROM developer to get Android to fit on the device, to say nothing of it running properly. The Peek has no expandable storage, so getting it to hold more data would require some hardware modifications. Still, if anyone can do it, Android modders can. If you’re up to the challenge, contact CEO Amol Sarva at amol@peek.ly to get in touch with one of the company’s developers.


Samsung Galaxy S Advance spotted in the wild, hits pre-order status

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:30 PM PST

With Samsung’s Galaxy S III no longer expected to make a showing at MWC2012 later this month, we’ll have to settle for the new Galaxy S Advance instead. While not yet available the new Galaxy S Advance and its curved screen glass is already being spotted in the wild as a replacement to the Galaxy S Plus.

The naming scheme is starting to get a bit out of control over there in the Galaxy S factories but at least they keep churning out awesome phones like the Galaxy S II and this new Advance. The folks from TechPinas have already received some hands-on photos and video of the new Samsung device before it’s even been released.

The phone is no Galaxy S II but it’s no slouch either. Complete with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED display with curved glass (just like the Galaxy Nexus), and a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash. It also comes equipped with a 1.3 front camera, 8GB of internal storage and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

We wont be seeing the device in the US anytime soon but UK retailer Clove already has outlined pre-orders starting at £295 ($467) plus tax. If the Galaxy S Advance looks like something you’re interested in it should be shipping late February, right around the 27th so stay tuned and get your own reserved today.

[via SlashGear]


Visible Green charging cable tells you when your phone’s battery is full

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:03 PM PST

In yet another entry in Android Community’s “why didn’t I think of that” series, accessory maker Dexim has a new product that should help you stay green and keep a watchful eye on your phone’s battery. The Visible Green USB charge and sync cable is a standard MicroUSB cable with a trick up its sleeve: it actively monitors your Android phone’s battery level. As the battery reaches its full capacity, the cord glows in a series of running lights, getting slower the longer it charges .When the battery id full, the lights switch off, letting you know that your phone’s ready.

This little trick is achieved by a string of LED lights built into the clear plastic section of the cable itself. As your phone charges, the alternating pattern simulates running lights, giving a colorful visual indication of the level of charge in your Android phone. Since LED lights use a tiny amount of electricity, the loss to the charge itself is negligible. Not only do the lights shut off once your battery is fully charged, the cable keeps an eye on the battery itself, periodically shutting down and starting up to preserve up to 85% of energy from a wall socket or computer.

The cable costs $15.90 on Dexim’s web store – not bad at all, considering that you’ll often spend $10-20 on a cheapo charger at a department store, and I once paid $40 for an emergency USB cable in the Las Vegas airport. The cable should work with any MicroUSB device and data transfers as well, though sadly the myriad charging ports on Android tablets will leave most of them out in the dust. For an example of the light action, observe the video below, running on inferior hardware from some obscure brand.

[via Lifehacker]


Huawei MediaPad 4G hits AT&T February 3rd

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:48 PM PST

Huawei announced today that their 7″ Android 3.2 Honeycomb MediaPad tablet is headed for AT&T complete with 4G speeds. It wont be powered by their LTE network but instead will have 3G/4G HSPA+ connectivity. We’ve seen this tablet plenty in the recent past as the award winning MediaPad and it was launched back in November on T-Mobile as the Springboard tablet. Apparently it will be available starting tomorrow for AT&T customers for a friendly price.

The Huawei MediaPad is a pretty impressive budget tablet and features a 7″ 1280 x 720p IPS HD display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM, front and rear facing cameras with the rear being 5 megapixels and capable of 1080p video capture. Unlike most tablets the MediaPad also features not only micro-USB, but also micro-HDMI and micro-SD for expanded storage.

Recent news has detailed that Huawei has upgraded this tablet to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and are selling them with ICS onboard in some markets, but the AT&T mode will be released with Honeycomb and users can expect an over the update at some point. The AT&T 4G powered MediaPad will be available starting tomorrow, February 3rd on AT&T albeit for some reason only to enterprise and business accounts — not the general public. It’s not clear if AT&T has any plans to release a consumer-friendly version at this time.

[via SlashGear]


Yet another ICS update leak for the Galaxy S II

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:39 PM PST

Man, somebody at Samsung is just giving it away to modders and custom ROM enthusiasts. For the third time since the open-source code for Ice Cream Sandwich was released back in November, an official beta version of the Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich update has found its way into the hands of some eager fans, this time over at SamMobile. The cheeky guys there say that the newest build, dated January 29th, is ready for regular daily use after a collection of improvements. The build number for the latest leak is I9100XXLPB.

Among the observed changes in the firmware are better battery, faster animations and other general speed, and a 3D effect when changing home screens, not unlike the stock Ice Cream Sandwich launcher. Samsung’s TouchWiz is still very much present. Between the speed and battery improvements, this build will be good enough for most modders to use as their daily driver ROM. You can install it via the standard Odin or custom recovery methods; SamMobile required an account on their site to access their files, but you can probably find them elsewhere if you look hard enough.

A little editorializing: three leaks for the same software in less than two months is surprising, even for the rabid Android crowd. So, either someone inside Samsung is consistently leaking firmware under the table (in which case I’d expect that person to be found rather quickly) or these software leaks are intentional, at least on some level. Samsung knows that there’s a gigantic community of advanced users, so why not take advantage of it? I think Samsung lets these builds leak out discretely, observes the community reaction and adjust accordingly. Rinse, repeat, and you’ve got a team of free, excited beta testers thousands strong, who have all joyfully voided their warranties. If true, I think it’s a great idea. Just a little speculation.

I9100XXLPB3 I9100XXLPB6 I9100XXLPB8


Android distribution: Gingerbread gains slightly, ICS breaks the 1% mark

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:05 PM PST

When last we saw Google’s official numbers for the distribution of Android versions among the 250,000,000 devices out there, Android 4.0 made its debut with just .6% of measured devices. One month later the number of Ice Cream Sandwich phones and tablets has almost doubled! …which is a nicer thing to say than “it’s got a whole percent of devices.” Between the handful of official releases of ICS, one in every hundred Android devices is running the latest software version. Not great, but not unexpected just ten weeks after its open-source debut.

So far there’s only three devices that officially run Ice Cream Sandwich: the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (in both its international GSM and US CDMA flavors) the Huawei Honor and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Of course Android is a haven for modders and ROM flashers, so tens of thousands of savvy users (at the very least) are running ICS built from Android’s source code or based on leaked software updates. Elsewhere in the Android universe, Gingerbread holds steadily onto the leads with 58.6% of devices, Froyo comes in second with27.8% (more than a year after Gingerbread was released) and Honeycomb has an embarrassingly small 3.4% of total devices.

If what we saw at CES 2012 is any indication, the number of available ICS devices is set to greatly expand in the next 3-6 months. Huawei seems to be leading the charge, showing off ICS running on various Ascend models, and both HTC and Samsung have leaked phones running Ice Cream Sandwich set to debut at Mobile World Congress later this month. Pretty much every major manufacturer has committed to upgrading current phones to Ice Cream Sandwich, and Sony Ericsson notably did so for every phone they released in 2011.

[via Android Developers]


Motorola DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX update rolling out soon

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:44 PM PST

Motorola is all set to roll out another update to the DROID RAZR starting today. Not only that but the same exact update will also be landing on the new DROID RAZR MAXX since they are essentially the same phone — only one has a bigger battery. They both run the same software and will both be receiving an update today as detailed by Verizon. More information and change log available after the break.

While this is not Ice Cream Sandwich it will bring the devices up to Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. The build number will be 6.12.173 and the update is around 151MB in size, so it might take more than a minute or two to complete. It is nice to see Verizon and Motorola confirming these devices run on the exact same software, this should make development easier for the new MAXX. Provided in the gallery below are both of the change logs for those interested.

From the details below we can see Motorola has introduced tons of stability, performance, and bug fixes. As with most updates that always makes the list so we won’t continue on that. Some of the important bits are the fact that WiFi hotspot issues have been resolved and all users should be able to use the connection now. Verizon has updated a few widgets, VCast, Visual Voicemail and other bloatware items.

Our tipster mentions there are a few improvements to the overall user interface although we see no reports on that here from Verizon. They’ve also resolved some low-signal 4G issues and mention near the bottom that 4G LTE performance should be increased, as well as better batter life. The update should be rolling out any time now so feel free to start checking for updates by going to menu > about phone > check for updates. Shout in the comment section below should you have any issues or notice anything major. Enjoy!

razrrrr-540x360 droid-razr-update-586x650 razr-maxx-update-583x650
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : DROID RAZR
    Manufactuer : Motorola
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : October 18, 2011
    Release Date : November 03, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
  • Resolution :
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.15 Inch
  • Width : 2.71 Inch
  • Depth : 0.27 Inch
  • Weight : 127 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 8.9 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP 4430
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16.384 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution :8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1700
  • 1900
  • 2100
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Verizon]


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