Refresh Roundup: week of March 18th, 2013
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 RAZR HD: Verizon has announced an update for this smartphone (and its beefier MAXX equivalent) that brings improved touch-to-focus and low light performance to the camera, better WiFi connectivity and greater stability for syncing media. The update also brings new security fixes from Google, and resolves some issues that relate to video streaming and USB connections. [Droid Life]
Samsung Droid Charge: Verizon has announced an update for one of its earliest LTE smartphones that brings Face Unlock and a photo editor to the Gingerbread OS. This release also removes a number of bloatware titles, including VOD, BitBop, Rhapsody, Blockbuster, Tunewiki and Mobile Instant Messenger. Despite the cleanup effort, a shortcut called Get Video Calling now comes bundled with the software update. We'll consider this two steps forward and a half-step back. [Android Police]
LG Thrill 4G: There's a bit of stigma surrounding the lack of updates for LG smartphones, but in a welcome turn of events, the Thrill 4G is being whisked away from the land of Gingerbread into the world of Ice Cream Sandwich. The update also brings QuickMemo and new lock screen actions to the table, along with quick settings buttons in the notification drawer. Sadly, like the Gingerbread update, this one isn't available for OTA installation. Instead, it requires use of the LG Mobile Support Tool, which is available only for the PC. [Android Police]
ASUS PadFone: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) is now available as an OTA update for the original PadFone. [@ASUS (Twitter)]
ASUS PadFone 2: ASUS is also delivering a number of incremental improvements for its current PadFone handset. Build 10.4.12.24 is now available with improved WiFi connectivity and enhancements to the camera's HDR and automatic brightness control functions. Users will also discover refinements to the lock screen, contacts app and battery widget, amongst a number of other improvements. [Android Police]
LG Optimus G: The update to Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) is now rolling out to this smartphone from a number of carriers in Canada, including Bell, Rogers and Telus. The update also brings improved touchscreen performance, enhancements to the notification bar and LG's Quick Translator app. [MobileSyrup]
Kobo Arc: An update to Android 4.1 is now available for OTA installation to this 7-inch tablet. [PR Newswire]
Other platforms
Symbian Belle: Nokia has issued an update for its lineup of smartphones loaded with Belle Refresh. Though only 312KB in size, the critical update is said to resolve messaging issues. [All About Symbian]
