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TWCable TV app in development for Android, should drop before the season's first 3-pointer (updated)
It was but a few months ago that we realized an updated TWCable TV iPad app was under development, and this go 'round, the cable giant has figured it best to just go ahead and confess rather than wait for any leaks to do it for 'em. In other words, a TWCable TV app for Android tablets is in production, and amazingly, it might be out before anyone realizes that there's no NBA season to speak of. According to the company, it could be released as early as November, and it'll most certainly eventually deliver "a live streaming TV experience." In the first build, it'll also include an interactive program guide, a remote control function for set-top boxes and a DVR manager for remote programming. Support for live TV streaming is on the way in 2012, at some point after Ice Cream Sandwich starts hitting tablets -- we couldn't confirm whether that's completely due to Android 4.0's enhanced DRM underpinnings but it seems likely. Really screws up your New Year's Resolution to drop cable, huh?
Ultrathin LG U1 to be company's first Ice Cream Sandwich device?
Skinny? Check. Thin bezel? Present. Black and rectangular? Roger. This as-yet unconfirmed sliver of a phone is purportedly LG's first Android 4.0 device. Specifications remain even foggier than these pictures, but we can glean an eight-megapixel shooter with flash and a profile that looks like a possible second-generation Optimus Black, with design litigiously close to Samsung's Galaxy S II. As GSM Arena noted, the LG-owned phone network in Korea was renamed LG U+ last year, suggesting that U1 codename may translate to "domestic-only." Here's hoping otherwise, of course.
Alcatel cranks up specs, promises Ice Cream Sandwich for One Touch 995?
Alcatel One Touch, best known for Android phones that'll give your bank balance a mere glancing blow, is purportedly going big. New Mobile managed to get its hands on the One Touch 995, which will apparently be decked out with a 1.4GHz processor and a gratifying 4.3-inch touchscreen to show off the latest version of Gingerbread. Alcatel has managed to cocoon all this, alongside a five megapixel shooter, into a shell apparently "less than a centimeter thick." What really caught our attention, however, is the apparent promise from the company that Ice Cream Sandwich will be making an appearance on the handset. We're still waiting for the official word from Alcatel, but the phone is expected to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2012, with a very tempting €200 ($276) price tag -- a nice price for a large screen Android handset. See more of the One Touch 995 hardware at the source link below. [Thanks, Martijin]
Optimus 2X to receive Ice Cream Sandwich update, LG confirms
If you've been wondering about the fate of Ice Cream Sandwich on the Optimus 2X, wonder no more. LG has just confirmed via Facebook that it the latest Android OS is indeed coming to the 2X and other "high-end smartphones," effectively debunking rumors to the contrary. Unfortunately, however, the manufacturer isn't quite ready to offer a release date, but promises that "detailed information" is on the way. As always, we'll keep you abreast of the latest. [Thanks, Simon]
Verizon Galaxy Nexus not landing til after Black Friday?
Initial rumors had the Verizon release of the Galaxy Nexus pegged for November 10th but, while the carrier has officially confirmed the flagship Android handset is coming, it's refused to say when. Now several sources have told Droid Life not to expect our first taste of Ice Cream Sandwich until the week of Black Friday at the earliest. In fact, a leaked roadmap photo seems to suggest Big Red customers won't be able to get their hands on one until after the busiest shopping day of the year, when it launches as part of Samsung's "Holiday Portfolio." If our disappointment was a flavor, we'd be Neapolitan -- three shades of sad. [Thanks, K]
ASUS says Transformer Prime will arrive on Honeycomb, ICS coming later
Well, we already knew the original Transformer would be getting an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade sometime in the near future, and now ASUS Germany has confirmed that the quad-cored Prime and the Eee Pad Slider will also get a taste of Android's latest OS. No semblance of a datum for release just yet, but the triumvirate of Transformers will join the upgrade queue behind ASUS' other Android offering, the Padfone.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 24, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. 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 from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout attips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates Guess which phone's finally getting Gingerbread: the HTC Thunderbolt. Yes, we're being serious. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and thanks Eddie for the image!] Gingerbread is now rolling out to the Motorola Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global. [PhoneScoop] The HTC EVO Design 4G wasn't out for very long before it was ready for a maintenance release. It's called version 1.19.651.0, and no change log was found right away. More HTC stuff: the EVO 3D also offers a small bug fix in the form of a security update under the name of version 2.08.651.3. [AndroidCentral] The LG Revolution on Verizon's also officially gaining Android 2.3. [Pocketnow] In the UK, HTC Desire S owners are now finding themselves beneficiaries of the Android 2.3.5 firmware update as well as Sense 3.0. [AndroidCentral] How about a couple for the little guys? CSpire, formerly known as Cellular South, is pushing Gingerbread to its Samsung Galaxy S and Motorola Milestone X. [AndroidCentral(1) and (2)] Sony Ericsson announced this week that Android 2.3.4 is rolling out to the 2011 Xperia lineup around the world. Additional enhancements include 16x video zoom, WiFi DLNA, screen capture capability, ability to attach USB peripherals to Sony Ericsson LiveDock and more. Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery The Samsung Stratosphere on Verizon has been successfully rooted. [AndroidCommunity] HTC devices receiving the official Gingerbread kernel source from HTCDev this week: The Evo Shift 4G, the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible. [AndroidCentral] When it rains, it pours -- the Thunderbolt, on top of receiving Gingerbread and its accompanying kernel source, has also found itself on the receiving end of an Ice Cream Sandwich SDK port. As can be expected, it's still in prealpha stages and has a few bugs to work out. [AndroidCommunity] If you're a CM7 user, there's now a file available that will turn your lock screen into one that resembles Ice Cream Sandwich's style. [Droid-Life] Other platforms Microsoft's pushing a firmware upgrade to the LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone which seems to grace the device with WiFi tethering and the ability to locate hidden WiFi networks. [WMPowerUser] It's not a BlackBerry firmware update, but many people still have a soft spot for BBM and will be interested to know that RIM is putting out version 6.0.1 with a few enhancements. Head to the source to check it out. [MobileTechReview] Refreshes we covered this week Windows Phone Mango now being delivered to 100 percent of compatible devices Windows Phone Apollo coming 'middle of next year,' says Nokia VP Nokia N8 gets Symbian Anna service pack update Symbian Anna update rolls out to compatible Nokia smartphones in the US Motorola Xoom will get updated with Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI RIM confirms PlayBook OS 2.0 delayed until February, still no BBM in sight Sprint issues OTA fix for HTC Android handset vulnerability
White Galaxy Note appears, developers wanted to pen third-party apps for its stylus
We've already inspected every inch of Samsung's big bad phone-tablet hybrid, but a soupçon of extra news has trickled out from the Galaxy Note's bombastic launch event in London yesterday. Those looking for brighter color scheme to match the striking glow of its HD Super AMOLED display are in luck, as the Galaxy Note looks set to arrive in white; the ethereal ying to its companion's midnight blue yang. Sammy added that the Galaxy Note's S-Pen SDK will be available to third-party developers starting December, hopefully bringing more uses for that slide-out stick. And that's despite the latest Android OS offering native stylus support -- the Galaxy Note remains a Gingerbread affair. The current smartphone king was unable to confirm if the UK would be getting the white model on the November 3rd launch day, or ever. Similarly, we're still waiting on Samsung to put S-Pen to paper on pricing and any possible US launch details.
Mystery Motorola devices headed for Verizon, could be the long-awaited Xoom 2s?
Is Big Red gearing up for a tag team Moto tablet refresh? From the looks of this internal screen grab (and the oodles of pre-release leaks), that may very well be the case. Despite the lack of official confirmation from both parties, we're pretty certain those two mystery model numbers shown above -- MZ617 and MZ609 -- belong to the oft in-the-wild spotted Xoom 2 and its 8.2-inch "Media Edition" sibling. Unfortunately, that listed October 23rd date has come and gone with nary a mention of the slates' existence, so we'll just have to content ourselves with evidence of their apparent 4G capabilities and storage configurations. Folks keen to snag the full-fledged 10.1-incher will purportedly be able to select from 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, whereas lil' bro Fleming offers up 16GB and 32GB options. With Google's Motorola acquisition looming overhead, these could be your go-to tabs for an unadulterated Ice Cream Sandwich experience. And, hey, at least they'll ship with LTE this time.
Samsung makes Galaxy Nexus release date official, available in the UK on November 17th
October's dizzying spate of high-end smartphone announcements gave us plenty of pizzazz, but not much in the way of release date meat. Well, that's about to change for those of you craving an Ice Cream Sandwich delight across the pond. Leaked out via an Amazon product page and officially confirmed by Samsung today, the Galaxy Nexus is slated to arrive on UK retailers' shelves this coming November 17th. If you've had your eye on this Android 4.0 flagship, you can always sign-up for a subsidized handset on Vodafone, O2 and 3UK -- its intended HSPA+ carrier homes. Or, if you like your Google experiences pure and contract free, hit up the source below to pre-order it with no strings attached. [Thanks, Pedro and Nathan]
Verizon throws Galaxy Nexus signup page live, claims exclusivity
In case you were still wondering, yes, the Galaxy Nexus is Verizon bound. We certainly didn't need to see another signup page to tell us that, but if you find your way to Verizon's mailing list form through the outfit's own search bar, you might find an interesting banner: "Exclusively from Verizon," it reads, "Galaxy Nexus." Well, that certainly flies in the face of a certain FCC filing we've seen, not to mention Samsung's own Galaxy Nexus signup page and all of our hopes and dreams. With any luck, the handset will still launch on multiple carriers, perhaps only landing on Verizon's grid first. If old rumors hold true, however, Verizon customers won't be the only folks seeing red on November 10th.Update: Looks like the carrier has softened its stance a bit, sometime overnight Verizon removed the exclusive banner from the page.[Thanks, John and Kazem]
Droid RAZR pre-orders go live on Verizon tomorrow, ships to Blur fans before November 10th (updated)
Who said there's no such thing as a second chance? After resurrecting the RAZR brand just last week with Motorola's newly minted Droid member, Verizon's now gearing up for a pre-order deluge on the 27th. That's right, starting tomorrow morning at 8AM EST, Big Red's dual-core 4G LTE handset'll ship out to eager subs who plunk down the $299 on contract price before November 10th. If you're not the early bird type, you'll have to sit tight a wee bit longer as plans for an in-store launch have yet to be announced. Of course, you could always hold out for that eventual Galaxy Nexus to make its first place carrier debut, or even cross your toes for a Nokia Lumia 800 (one can hope, right?). Whatever your preference, this holiday season's sure turning out to be a cornucopia of high-end mobile options. Check out the official presser after the break. Update: Droid Life got a hold of an internal Verizon screen that pegs the Droid RAZR's off contract price at $650. Still no word on an actual retail date for the device, but we're sure that's right around the corner.
Nexus S port of Ice Cream Sandwich is available, if you can stand some rough edges
Why wait to get an official bite of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich when you can load it on your Nexus S right now? After a quick tease a few days ago, an early preview is available to all thanks to a few hard working developers, although beezy's post on Android Central warns you may have to live without WiFi and Bluetooth for the time being. His build is only tested on the Sprint Nexus S 4G, although concurrent work posted at XDA-Developers should give 3G Nexus S owners a shot at the port as well. As usual with these early tester ROMs YMMV, but those who enjoy life on the bleeding edge can hit the source links for more info. [Thanks, Dan]
Nexus One takes a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwich, chews slowly
The Nexus One, grandaddy of Android's latest pure-bred wonder, appears to have some fight left in it. Developer drl33tmd has managed to coax the old man into running an early port of Ice Cream Sandwich, although it's not perfect. The somewhat unstable build is a bit sluggish, and suffers from media playback issues and a distinct lack of WiFi. Check out the demo after the break to see the original Google smartphone struggle up some increasingly steep software stairs.
Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI, turns your phone into full game console
Take that, Xperia Play. USB gamepads are already supported in Honeycomb, so we had plenty of hope that Android 4.0 -- also lovingly referred to as Ice Cream Sandwich -- would offer the same functionality. We finally have the answer, and it's a resounding yes, courtesy of Google framework engineer Romain Guy's Twitter account. The cool part, though, is that HDMI's playing nice as well. In short, you could hook up an external gamepad to a USB-to-microUSB adapter on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, connect it to your TV and transform your handset into a fancy portable gaming console. It's definitely something we can see developers flock towards, and we'll expect some cool stuff to come out of it. Just in case you thought the Nexus wouldn't let you get anything else done around the house already, this pretty much seals the deal. Move below the break to see a screenshot from the SDK.
Switched On: Android's tablet traversal
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. At AsiaD this week, Google's Andy Rubin noted that there were at least six million Android tablets in use. That number included only those running Google services. One could question whether the briskly selling Nook Color -- which is not open to Android apps at large -- is relevant to that tally, at least from a developer perspective. It will certainly be the case, though, that the Kindle Fire -- also expected to be a hot seller -- will be an important addition to the number moving forward. Still, Rubin conceded, it was a tally far behind that of the 30 million cumulative units of the iPad, which broke open the modern-day tablet category, extended its lead with the iPad 2, and will likely see another revision this coming spring. When Apple introduced its tablet device, it set a precedent for third-party developers by rewriting core applications to take advantage of the iPad's larger display with "HD" versions. And while there are still far fewer native iPad apps than iPhone apps, Apple is far ahead in the race for native tablet software. But not everyone wants to join that race.
Motorola Xoom will get updated with Ice Cream Sandwich, but when?
Now that Ice Cream Sandwich is real, the inevitable next step is a parade of announcement that certain devices will / won't experience the latest and greatest flavor of Android. Xoom owners can breathe easy however, as a support forum mod (totally reliable source) confirms Moto will issue an update for its family-friendly tablet, but can't say when we'll see it. Feel free to check out our emulator-powered Android 4.0 tablet demo until then, but considering how long it took to slide LTE into those slabs, you should probably grab a Snickers.
Verizon (finally) confirms it will have the Galaxy Nexus
After a few leaks and false starts, Verizon has finally made its plans to offer the Galaxy Nexus "later this year" official. That's really the only detail revealed, as its price, release date and availability on other carriers are still unknown. Check out the press release after the break if you need any more confirmation.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich includes native stylus support
Styli and Android haven't exactly been strangers as of late -- with devices like the HTC Flyer and Samsung Galaxy Note offering pen-based input -- but it looks like that option will soon be even easier to implement with Ice Cream Sandwich. As noted on Reddit, Google's recent overview of some Android 4.0 platform highlights includes a small tidbit towards the end that details the "full support for stylus input events" in the OS -- including features like pressure sensitivity and the ability to distinguish motion events from different sources (i.e. a pen and your finger). Of course, it still requires some hardware-level assistance from tablet and smartphone makers, but native support in the OS could well open up some interesting possibilities, especially when it comes to third-party apps.
Ice Cream Sandwich already unofficially ported, Nexus S 4G gets first dibs
Well, that was fast. Just two days (barely) after the Android 4.0 SDK was released, a resourceful dev claims to already have the code up and running on a handset that isn't the Galaxy Nexus. Android Central forum user Breezy is working on delivering a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich to the Nexus S 4G. It's already pretty clear that particular handset will be getting the upgrade at some point, but we know how impatient you can be. Breezy hasn't released his ROM just yet, because there's still some bugs to work out -- like the non-functioning WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular data and the wonky touchscreen. So, while you wait for him to get the kinks ironed out, enjoy the additional photo after the break, which sports the same alternate orange theme.
