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Google won't let you sign in with very old Android versions after September 27th
Google is cutting off the last support for old Android versions by blocking them from signing into key apps after September 27th.
Krispy Kreme has created official Xbox-branded doughnuts
Krispy Kreme's new Xbox-branded doughnut can win you an Xbox Series S and a month of Game Pass Ultimate.
Rivian shows off how its new EVs can ‘tank turn’
If you've ever wished that your car could turn on a dime, then the folks at Rivian have just given you a reason to buy one of their EVs. The company posted a video on Dec 25th, spotted by Electrek, showing off how its R1T and R1S electric vehicles can make tank-turns. At least, if you buy the quad-motor version, which allows each wheel to be driven independently, giving you the ability to spin around on the spot.
Grubhub is delivering Dunkin' donuts in New York City
If you're craving donuts but can't step outside to get them, some extra relief might be at hand. Grubhub is rolling out the option to order from Dunkin' through its apps, starting with Seamless customers in New York City. It'll reach other markets in the months ahead, including Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Deliveries will be free between June 24th and June 30th to sweeten the deal (beyond the sugar in your orders, that is) for early adopters.
Could this licensing deal help keep BlackBerry afloat?
Apparently BlackBerrys are in season in Canada. Meanwhile, another fruit is dominating the US market.
Evernote 4.0 for Android sweeps in new home screen, list UI (video)
'Tis the season for major Android app remakes, this time with Evernote going for a much appreciated adaptation to a more swipe-friendly universe. The 4.0 update of the note-taking app has a new home screen that lets you swipe out a hidden menu to get to your notes without having to always jump backwards -- one of our pet peeves. Much of the overall navigation now leans towards swipes over buttons, and the list views for notes and notebooks are a good deal simpler. Combined with new contextual action bars, the revamp puts the text, audio and photo recorder much more at home in the Android 4.0 era than earlier versions. It still requires just Android 1.6, so nearly anyone can take a look by visiting the Google Play link below.
Android 2.3 continues soaring upward, now installed on 55 percent of Google devices
Google's monthly Android distribution charts may be the most visual piece of evidence that the mobile OS is riddled with fragmentation, but at least Gingerbread has clearly become the dominant player -- and it continues to build momentum at a healthy pace (for now, at least). As always, Google reviewed which devices accessed the Android Market during a 14-day period of time in the month of December, and found that over 55 percent of those units were running a version of Android 2.3, a ten percent turbo boost from October and an increase of seventeen percent over three months. Froyo devices -- many of which are likely older phones or tablets sentenced to a upgrade-less future -- numbered over 30 percent, and Honeycomb still amounts to a meager 3.3 percent. Cupcake and ICS are tied for last place, but we expect ICS to climb rapidly as soon as it's, y'know, officially available on more devices.
Dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10 gets Android 2.2 upgrade, patient owners join 2010
Good things come to those who wait. If you bought the dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10, Android 1.6 be damned, we have some good news -- the tablet's getting an upgrade to Android 2.2. Just to refresh your memories, that leap from Donut to Froyo means ViewPad 10 owners will now get updated Gmail, Calendar, Google Maps, Gallery, and YouTube apps, a refined onscreen keyboard, compatabilty with newer applications, and a healthy dose of sorely needed eye candy. New customers can choose one that also runs Windows 7 Home Premium and has 16GB of flash storage ($599) or one with Win 7 Professional and 32GB of space ($679). As for those of you champing at the bit to upgrade, ViewSonic is keeping things interesting by compelling you to download Froyo onto a thumb drive, and then plug both it and a USB keyboard into the ViewPad to install the update. Then again, something tells us the kind of person who would opt for the ViewPad 10 over other ViewSonic tablets might actually enjoy the challenge.
Dell Streak's pre-rooted Android 2.1 update quietly suspended, revision coming in two or three weeks
Ruh roh. Looks like Dell's stepped onto its own toes real hard with the Streak's Android 2.1 update -- O2 just confirmed to us that due to some "feedback from users," it's decided to suspend said download while Dell gets cranking on a revised software release over the next two or three weeks. We weren't given the exact reasons behind this quiet withdrawal, but our friends over at MoDaCo might have had the answer for some time -- soon after the release, they discovered that the 2.1 firmware was in fact pre-rooted, thus leaving the Streak vulnerable to unauthorized access and modification (although handy for the seriously tech-minded). Yikes. On the bright side, such substantial time frame suggests that the upcoming fix should also address other bugs like incompatibility with the desktop suite, weird loading behavior in the browser, and missing WMV video playback functionality. And here comes the inevitable question: what about Froyo? Well, neither Dell nor O2 could provide a date for the Streak's scoop of frozen dessert, but we'll bet you a white iPhone 4 that it won't be out in October.
Samsung Behold II finally gets Android 1.6 update
Yes, yes, we know you'd rather get Eclair or Froyo -- but sometimes you've got to be happy with what you've got, and this is one of those times. As far as we can tell, Samsung hasn't budged on its commitment to sunset the Behold II's upgrade path with Donut, but at least 1.6 is finally trickling into the hands of owners this week via a rolling over-the-air update that should wrap up on the 25th. There are a few bug fixes in the mix, too -- so unless you've got a rooted Behold II running 2.2 already, you probably want in on this action. Or... you know, dump this inadequately-supported piece for something running 2.1 out of the box. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG Optimus Q launching with Android 1.6? (update: yep!)
You'd like to think that any Android device launching these days would come equipped with an absolute bare minimum of Eclair, but that's not the case; Dell's Streak, for example, will be coming out of the gate with Android 1.6 -- and seemingly so will LG's LU2300 Optimus Q. We were just handed this rather interesting spec sheet that says the phone's loaded with 1.6 on no uncertain terms, a stark change from LG's official (and someone unhelpful) line that it may or may not launch with 2.1. At the very least, we'd hope that an upgrade is in the works -- but hey, at least it comes with LG's trick Air Sync service, which is a pretty sweet deal. [Thanks, Seth G.] Update: LG's Korean-language press release from a few days ago matches up with the specs they're showing in South Korea right now (pictured), so it's confirmed -- 1.6 at launch, 2.1 later in the Summer. Thanks, Kunal G.!
Samsung planning Android 1.6 update for Behold II -- but that's it
Remember the good ol' days when companies were honest to their customers? Aw, who are we kidding -- those days never actually existed, so it's good to see Samsung carrying on the time-honored tradition of playing the CYA game by belting out a bald-faced lie or two. So the Behold II for T-Mobile USA has been the subject of some serious buzz the past few days as buyers have grown weary of the lack of new builds, all while the Android world has passed them by with not one, not two, not three, but four major updates. Samsung Mobile finally broke the silence today on a forum -- good on them -- saying that there's a Donut update in the works featuring "Swype, an improved Media Player, updated core Android applications and improved Bluetooth capabilities." That's all well and good, but Samsung goes on to say that "the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6" -- and we've got a serious problem with that wording. We know (and Samsung knows) damn well that they could upgrade the Behold II beyond Android 1.6, considering that the community has managed to shoehorn even Froyo onto prehistoric devices like the Dream; rather, Samsung chooses not to upgrade it beyond Android 1.6. That's a business decision that Samsung has to make, and far be it from us to try to push Sammy into continuing to sink cash into a phone that didn't sell very well -- but the least these guys could do is be honest, face the music, and tell us that's what's going on rather than insulting our collective intelligence and insisting that there's some cosmic force preventing Eclair or Froyo from loading onto a phone that was just released a few months ago. Seriously though, Sammy -- thanks for the Donut, we guess. Update: We've now received Samsung's official response independently and have it for you after the break.
Google dishes out giant Froyo parfait (video)
Google takes Android product codenames literally -- that's why you'll find a giant Eclair, Donut and Cupcake chilling on the GooglePlex lawn. This week, they were joined by the object tastefully pictured above. Frozen yogurt, anyone? You might not care to eat this one, as it's probably made of foam, but Engadget will likely bring you a spoonful next week when we attend Google I/O. Video after the break. Update: And just like that the video has been set to private. Not like video of a stationary object really adds much value anyway. Nevertheless, it already arrived at the GooglePlex where it's currently hanging out -- under wraps -- with its foam siblings.
Sharp IS01 Snapdragon-powered 3G MID introduces AU to Android
After Softbank announced the HTC Desire and DoCoMo began pushing its very first Android smartphone (Xperia X10), Japan had big hopes for AU's press event today. An EVO perhaps, or maybe something more from this once proud home of the original superphones? Unfortunately, Engadget Japanese let out a collective meh in response to a 5-inch IS01 handheld from Sharp running Android 1.6 on a Snapdragon processor and measuring 83 × 149 × 17.9mm and 227g. While it looks like the classic Japanese eDictionary, the IS01 is meant to be used as a general purpose MID with a 5-row QWERTY, Sharp-built "New Mobile ASV" multi-touch capacitive display pushing a 960 x 480 pixel resolution and a 5.27 megapixel auto focus camera on back with a 0.43 megapixel jobbie up front for video calls. Rounding out the specs are 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microSD slot, 1Seg mobile TV tuner, IrDA, 4GB of internal storage, and Qualcomm 3G CDMA data. Look for it to ship in October while a developer friendly version (JN-DK01) should be available in May.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 review
Of the world's largest phone manufacturers, perhaps none has taken a more twisted road to smartphone ubiquity than Sony Ericsson. It began its journey back in the pre-joint venture Ericsson days by throwing its weight behind Symbian, a smartphone platform that would ultimately become the world's most popular -- but it made a fatal error in supporting the doomed UIQ flavor that never saw even a fraction of the support its S60 cousin did. UIQ's untimely (but predicted) collapse last year left the company nearly rudderless and ill-equipped to deal with competitors like Nokia, HTC, and Apple, all of whom had long since embraced other platforms -- all with fighting chances of market dominance. Left without a platform to champion, Sony Ericsson would ultimately continue supporting Symbian through its involvement with the Symbian Foundation and phones like the Satio and Vivaz... and it would ramp up support for Windows Mobile with the Xperia X1 and X2... and it would bring Android into the fold with the X10, all within a few months of each other. All told, Sony Ericsson enters 2010 actively supporting three unrelated smartphone platforms, and comments by CEO Bert Norberg at MWC in February lead us to believe that they'd be happy to take on a fourth (or more) if the opportunity presented itself. It's an odd strategy to be sure, particularly for a company that's struggling mightily and shrinking its workforce more than any other top-five manufacturer. How it intends to effectively compete on three different fronts without spreading itself hopelessly thin, well... that remains a huge question mark. That said, the Xperia X10 is perhaps the most promising of Sony Ericsson's confusing crop of modern smartphones, combining attractive hardware with killer specs, Android, and an intriguing custom skin. Does it hold its own against modern competitors like HTC's Nexus One and Desire? And more importantly, can it keep Sony Ericsson from going over the brink? Read on to find out. Note: Sony Ericsson contacted us shortly after the review was published to let us know that this particular X10 is running pre-production firmware, which may account for some of the issues we had with keyboard performance and occasional sluggishness. Let's hope! %Gallery-88687%
Gigabyte 'Codfish' Android 1.6 handset outed
We don't see too many Gigabyte phones in these parts, but all indications seem to suggest that the company is throwing in with Android for future handset releases (which is what we would recommend, if it ever asked us -- which it doesn't). As we wait eagerly for the GSmart Android phone to make its debut, which should happen any second now (right, guys?) we have word of a second Donut-powered device with the oh-so-unappealing name Codfish. According to PointGPhone, this bad boy is of "good manufacturing quality," "very responsive," and counts among its many charms a 3.2-inch display and 5 megapixel camera. We're just hoping that Codfish is either a codename or translates into something really bad-ass in Mandarin.
Dell Mini 5 will run 'something newer' than Android 1.6 at launch
We've been able to confirm in a chat with Dell spokesfolks this evening that the lovely Mini 5 won't ship with the Android 1.6 build (also known as Donut) that we've seen so far -- instead, it'll be running "something newer." They wouldn't say what that newer version would be -- and to be fair, we're not sure they even knew since Android is always a moving target on account of Google's breakneck development pace -- but it was specifically mentioned that Flash compatibility was something they had on their radar, suggesting that something really, really fresh might be needed. Then again, they also mentioned that the giant phone / MID / thingamajig is going to be totally upgradeable, something that fellow Android skinners HTC and Motorola have both had to reassure the Android-buying public over. How this all shakes out remains to be seen, but let's put it this way: Eclair, at minimum, seems to be a lock by the time the Mini 5 is on a shelf near you.%Gallery-85591%
Xperia X10 lands on Vodafone UK in April
We don't have pricing, we don't have specific dates, we just thought we'd let you know that Sony Ericsson's already outdated Android phone is arriving in the UK in April. This agrees with the release schedules for Japan and Germany, making the fourth month of the year seem like a certainty for the global launch of what is still a hotly anticipated device. Just why the X10 engenders such fervor, we're not really sure, but it still marks Sony Ericsson's most aggressive plunge into the smartphone shark pool yet. We'll just have to wait another couple of months to find out how well that Donut-based OS swims. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG commits to Android 1.6 -- not 2.0 -- for Rogers' Eve
We suppose we should be excited that Canada's version of the LG GW620 Eve is getting any major update at all, but still: what the heck? LG Canada has communicated via its official Twitter account this week that Rogers' version of the phone -- its second QWERTY-equipped Android set after the Dream -- would be getting an update to Android 1.6 (known to the bakers in the room as Donut, of course) this Spring. What's crazier, it apparently won't be an over-the-air boost since they're saying it'll be available from both LG's and Rogers' sites. That's not a huge deal, but seriously guys, why 1.6? If it were to drop today it'd feel old -- and by Spring, when HTC, Motorola, and likely Samsung all have 2.1 updates at the ready, this is just going to look a little silly, isn't it?
