Refresh Roundup: week of February 6th, 2012

Zachary Lutz
Z. Lutz|02.13.12

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates
  • Motorola Droid Bionic: Software version 5.9.902 is now available via OTA download, which brings stability improvements and fixes device lock-ups. Battery life has also been improved, and there's new support for Bluetooth personal area networks. [Android Central]
  • ASUS Transformer Prime: This latest build, version 9.4.2.13, brings a new kernel and improved performance for WiFi and Bluetooth connections. It's also thought to fix an issue that'd caused random reboots. [Android Police]
  • Galaxy Nexus: It's not the most cutting edge version of Ice Cream Sandwich, but Bell Mobility has begun pushing Android 4.0.2 to the Galaxy Nexus phones on its network. Hopefully a more current version is made available in short order. [Pocketnow]
  • Motorola Xoom (LTE): An update from Verizon brings support for dual International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSI) and resolves a glitch with airplane mode. Unlike the WiFi versions, this release doesn't include Ice Cream Sandwich. [Android Police]
  • Motorola Droid Xyboard: Verizon's Xoom successor received support for global roaming this week, courtesy of an update that also resolves issues with data connections. [Android Community]
  • LG Phoenix: It's not exactly rising from the ashes, but the firebird received a flavorful dose of Gingerbread this week. Absent an OTA download, you'll need a PC to install this one. [NJTechReviews]
Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery
  • Sony Tablet S: A new root method has wormed its way to the surface for Sony's slate. It's being implemented with a good degree of success, but the creator still cautions that all users should backup their data first. [Thanks, Alex] [xda-developers]
  • Amazon Kindle Fire: For those who dig the recently open-sourced MIUI ROM, you'll now be able to load your Kindle Fire with an alpha version of MIUI 4. It brings several Ice Cream Sandwich enhancements and also adds the Android Market to the mix. [Rootz Wiki]
  • ViewSonic G-Tablet: Team DRH has unleashed an early taste of Ice Cream Sandwich for the G-Tablet, and now there's a preview video to show all users what's in store. Support for Bluetooth, the camera and microphone have yet to be implemented, and the release notes suggest it's not yet fully stable. [Thanks, Adonis] [SlateDroid, YouTube]
Refreshes we covered this week

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