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Refresh Roundup: week of November 5th, 2012

Zachary Lutz
Updated ·3 min read
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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

  • Samsung Captivate Glide: It's been a long time coming, but AT&T's premiere QWERTY handset is now eligible for an update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Those interested must install the new OS via Samsung Kies, as the software won't be available for an over-the-air installation. [AT&T Consumer Blog]

  • Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE: In other QWERTY news, Sprint has released a maintenance update for its premiere slider. Most importantly, the new software brings improved 1080p video capture and minimizes audio skipping when listening to streaming music. Additionally, the revision is said to eliminate power-cycling issues when using WiFi Direct, bring improved text messaging functionality and faster web browsing within Google Chrome. [Android Central]

  • Samsung Galaxy S III: Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) is now available as an OTA update to owners of Samsung's premiere smartphone throughout India. [Sammy Hub]

  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S (4G): Google has released factory recovery images of Android 4.1.1 for the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S 4G for Sprint. Likewise, the company has also posted Android 4.1.2 recovery images for the AT&T variant of the Nexus S. [Talk Android]

  • ASUS Transformer Pad TF300: Following its recent update to Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean), a new update is available for the Transformer Pad TF300. Known as version 10.4.2.17, it's said to bring faster boot times and quicker WiFi connections when coming out of sleep. [Droid Life]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

  • Motorola: Avid readers of Refresh Roundup are likely familiar with Motorola's soak test program, as the company often provides pre-release software updates to soak test participants before unleashing the final versions upon the masses. Now, Motorola has announced the Test Drive program, which will provide early access to Android 4.2 and beyond. Test Drive registration isn't yet available, although the company has promised to provide further details in the near future. [Droid Life]

  • Samsung Galaxy S III: A new pre-release version of Android 4.1.1 (build VRBLJ1) has leaked into the wild for the Galaxy S III on Verizon Wireless. [Droid Life]

Other platforms

  • Nokia: A new update has been reported for some Symbian^3 devices that parallels many of the improvements originally announced in Belle Refresh. Unfortunately, users report that their ability to score the update is a bit of a crapshoot. [All About Symbian]

Refreshes we covered this week