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Android Jelly Bean update now rolling out to ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700
ASUS had said it would be coming soon, and it appears owners of that long-named Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 are now on the receiving end of the promised Jelly Bean goodness. According to a kind tipster and other folks from the Xda-Developers forums, an Android 4.1.1 update can currently be found in the usual spot within settings, though there are others reporting to have checked and not being greeted with the same luck -- this, however, is likely due to the rollout being a gradual one. Either way, those who wish to snag the Jelly Bean treats can try and do so now via the familiar "check for update" in your myriad ASUS tablet. And, of course, do let us know how it's working out for you in the comments below. Update: Unsurprisingly, the very same update is being pushed to ASUS' other Transformer Pad / Prime devices as well. [Thanks, Anthony]
CyanogenMod resurrects OTA updates for latest CM10 nightly builds
CyanogenMod ROMs give Android users the latest Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean treats to their otherwise-neglected smartphones, and it's mostly open-source except for one piece: the boarded-off ROM Manager. To remedy that, the modding organization is bringing its OTA updater back from the CM5 and 6 graves, letting users pull updates straight to their devices. Notice we say "pull," because pushing would require the Google Apps framework, which the CM updater won't have. However, as the screen above shows, you'll be able to set a timeframe to check and grab the latest versions directly from CyanogenMod's servers, and after flashing yesterday's CM10 ROM, we can confirm that the software is working on our Galaxy S. That'll bring a much-needed dose of simplicity to upgrading CM firmware and make all that modding slightly more mainstream.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012
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!
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 24th, 2012
If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, Dan Hesse shared his turnaround vision for Sprint, Jim Allchin revealed where T-Mobile stumbled and AT&T welcomed a new GoPhone. Not to stop there, we discovered two updated launchers that've piled on inspiration from Jelly Bean. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of September 24th, 2012.
Samsung Galaxy Note II variants for AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon possibly caught at the FCC
It's no secret that Samsung plans to bring the Galaxy Note II to many US carriers by mid-fall. Even so, getting there requires the FCC's blessing -- which makes us glad to see the regulator approve what might be three carriers' variants of the giant Android phone. The SGH-i317 looks to be the model for AT&T and Canadian carriers, having been greenlit for their key 3G and 4G bands while lining up with a briefly available benchmark of the device sharing the Note II's HD screen and use of Jelly Bean. The SCH-i605? Based on its inclusions of both CDMA and GSM, a lone 700MHz LTE band and a past screen capture leak, it's a dual-mode Note II destined for Verizon. As for the SGH-T889, it's even more conspicuous beyond what we've already seen: the T889's HSPA includes the 1,700MHz AWS frequency that T-Mobile will still call home for a long while. LTE likewise exists on the 1,700MHz and roaming-friendly 700MHz bands in possible instances of futureproofing. While we rarely want to say a mobile device is confirmed until we see it first-hand, the convenient timing and natures of the three FCC approvals only help to fuel suspicions that Samsung's pen-focused event on October 24th is all about the Note II's American launch.
PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend
Those who have been keeping a close eye on Google's 7-inch, Jelly Bean-loaded Nexus 7 would know that the company kindly includes 25 bucks worth of Play credit with any purchase of said tablet. Unfortunately, as the famed cliché would tell us, all good things must come to an end -- and, well, such is the case with this neat promotion, which will expire on Sunday, September 30th. Here's the good news, however: there's still a relatively good amount of time for folks interested to get it on the Google Play deal, so now would be the perfect moment to snag what some are calling the best $200 tablet -- and who knows, this might even lead to a post-order Gangnam Style celebration of your own.
FAVI's $50 Streaming Stick adds apps, streaming services to any HDTV with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Why get a Smart TV when you can enhance your existing HDTV with a dongle? That's the precise inquiry FAVI is aiming to answer with its SmartStick, a device that lets you access streaming movies, music, apps, and games just by plugging it into your television's HDMI port. It runs Jelly Bean, the latest Android OS, and supports services like Netflix, Hulu, Epix, YouTube, and Pandora. Other features include a full internet browser, 4GB of memory, and the ability to wirelessly stream media from your computer via its MediaSHARE app. Since it runs Android, you can download apps from the Google Play store as well. While we're still fans of the Roku Streaming Stick, the SmartStick's $50 price tag is hard to beat. You can also get a mini wireless keyboard and touchpad mouse for $39.99 for easier navigation. The FAVI Streaming Stick will be available this November, though you can pre-order it now for an October 30th ship date. Check after the break for the SmartStick promo video and the press release.
ASUS Transformer Prime TF201 gets Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update
The folks from ASUS gave North American Transformer Pad Prime and Infinity owners a tease yesterday, telling them that the TF201 and TF700 models would receive an update to Android 4.1 within the next three days. Today, the Taiwanese firm's made good on half its promise, delivering Jelly Bean to the Prime OTA. We confirmed that the update is rolling out, as our in-house TF201 has, indeed, been upgraded to version 4.1.1. Alas, Infinity owners are still sans their software goodies, but ASUS still has plenty of time left in that 72 hour window. [Thanks, Anthony]
ASUS teases Jelly Bean update coming to Transformer Pad Prime and Infinity within 72 hours
Oh, ASUS. While it was so forthcoming with an update to Jelly Bean for the Transformer Pad TF300, it has been shy about upgrading the tablet's higher-end cousins. The company must be coming out of its shell: it just posted a teaser for Jelly Bean updates coming to the Transformer Pad Prime TF201 (formerly the Eee Pad Transformer Prime) and the flagship Transformer Pad Infinity TF700. ASUS was initially hesitant to say more than that it would come "soon," but Technical Marketing Manager Gary Key has stepped in to confirm that North America will get the update within a surprisingly quick 72 hours. The only glaring omission is a matching refresh for the original Eee Pad Transformer to give veteran owners a little TLC.
Hands-on with Wikipad, the $500 Android gaming tablet (video)
The Wikipad is an anomaly. It's a 10.1-inch, $500 Android tablet aimed squarely at gamers -- an expensive portal to a platform many mobile game developers have abandoned due to piracy. It's got an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, an NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (at launch). So ... it's not quite as sharp in the graphics department as some other tablets on the market, nor is it as pretty as its main handheld gaming competition, the PlayStation Vita. On top of that, it's from an engineering firm that you've never heard of -- Wikipad is also the name of the business behind the tablet, and this is the company's first product launch. Oh, and did we mention that the main selling point is an attachable game controller that frames half the tablet in a mess of plastic buttons, joysticks, and speakers? And no, the controller won't be sold separately, nor will it work with any other tablet. Defying all logic, however, the Wikipad feels like a surprisingly solid piece of equipment (regardless of the fact that the prototype model we used was hand-built). From the light but solid construction of the tablet's chassis, to its grippy molded rear -- which helps both for gripping the tablet without the controller attached and assists sound amplification when the device is laid down -- nothing about the device feels cheap. As a tablet, it's speedy and responsive. Apps load quickly and smoothly, and it's got extra loud speakers for gaming without headphones (or for David Guetta, as was demonstrated to us). The custom skin it was running felt a bit rough -- the apps get reorganized with a gaming focus and slapped onto a flippable cube, which caused some visual stuttering from pane to pane. Another feature of the custom OS is a special 3D game launcher, which includes sections for Nvidia's Tegra Zone, PlayStation Mobile games, GameStop-suggested titles, and Google Play. There are some less than exciting ad banners attached to this launcher, but they're easily ignorable. Though Gaikai is still working with the Wikipad post-Sony buyout, CEO James Bower told us the game streaming service won't be there at launch -- he's hoping it'll arrive by year's end, "but that's up to Sony."%Gallery-166636%
Samsung Galaxy Note II launches on three carriers in Korea
Looking for Samsung's latest big phone? Get yourself over to Korea, where the Galaxy Note II has kicked off its launch "world tour" with a party in the center of Seoul. The 5.5-inch Jelly Bean superphone will be available across SKT, KT and LG U+ carriers, supporting LTE connectivity on all three, available in 32GB and 64GB storage offerings. The Galaxy Note II will eventually arrive in 128 countries -- and we're expecting a US arrival date sometime in November, on even more carriers than its Korean debut.
Samsung rolling Jelly Bean out across most of its smartphone, tablet lineup 'soon'
Now that Samsung has commenced beaming Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OTA toward deserving Galaxy S III customers, it's announced a raft of other devices set to receive the buttery OS in the near future. On the list are the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and 10.1, Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Music, Galaxy Chat, Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Beam, Galaxy Ace Plus, Galaxy mini II and Galaxy S Duos. That should bring a bit of extra speed and smoothness to those devices, along with Google Now for search and Samsung's own flourishes from the latest TouchWiz UX. As for the rest of us, there's more than one way to skin a Smartphone -- or avoid skinning one, as the case may be.
First official Jelly Bean OTA update for the Samsung Galaxy S III lands in Poland
The long-awaited roll-out appears to have commenced, with lucky GS III owners in Poland being among the first to get an early official taste of Android 4.1.1. If you hadn't heard, the update will bring a host of subtle yet powerful improvements, including Google Now for anticipating search queries, smooth UI improvements from Project Butter, as well as some Samsung extras already seen on the Galaxy Note II, such as a resizable Pop-up play screen. Hopefully this means the update will soon be sent on its merry way to GS IIIs in other parts of the Old World, and maybe at some point -- dare we suggest it -- those in the US too.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012
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!
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 now on sale in Canada for $499
After landing on American store shelves just a few short weeks ago, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has officially gone on sale in the Great White North. Priced at $499, the Galaxy Note 10.1 features a 10.1-inch display, a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4 quad processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.9-megapixel front shooter for placing video calls. Sadly, the Galaxy Note 10.1 ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but Sammy has promised that it'll be blessed with Jelly Bean "very soon." In addition to its snazzy innards, the Galaxy Note 10.1 includes its signature S-Pen and offers 50GB of free storage from Dropbox for two years. If you think this sounds like all that and a bag of chips plate of poutine, you can purchase the Galaxy Note 10.1 at Staples and other major Canadian retailers.
Verizon Galaxy Nexus finally lands Jelly Bean update
As Alton Brown is fond of saying, "your patience will be rewarded." Today, those of you with Verizon-branded Galaxy Nexus handsets (at least those that didn't run out and download an unofficial Jelly Bean) are finally getting your reward. Android version 4.1.1 (better known as JRO03O among the hack happy) is being pushed out OTA to Big Red customers, complete with the preemptive magic of Google Now in tow. If you haven't seen an alert yet, head to the About Phone section in your settings, and tap System Updates. Having recently been welcomed back to the AOSP fold, we'd have hoped for an update sooner, but it's still among the first wave of handsets to move to the latest version of Android. Now if only this would restore Google Wallet functionality. (Hey, a guy can dream can't he?) The complete announcement from Verizon awaits after the break.
Samsung Galaxy Note II for Sprint hands-on
All we know so far is that it's possibly coming to US shores at some point in November, but the good news is that Sprint brought along one of the world's most famous phablets to a press event in New York City and, better yet, we got to play with it for a little while. Yes, we're talking about the Galaxy Note II. Looks-wise, the Now Network's flavor of that 5.5-inch behemoth hasn't exactly changed much from the unit(s) we landed our hands on when it was first unveiled to the world, meaning there's no "Sprint" branding anywhere to be found on the plastic shell -- at least for now, and, frankly, we kind of hope it stays this way. With that being out of the picture, the oversized handset looked as shiny as ever in its Marble White attire, which is the only color Sprint was happily showing off for the night. And while this particular Jelly Bean-loaded Note II was capable of running on the carrier's new LTE network, we weren't able to test out out data speeds due to matters out of our reach. On the software side of things, we didn't notice any major hiccups worth pointing out, with the experience being rather similar to the one during our first encounter with Sammy's second-gen Note -- or, in other words, it felt very, very snappy and overall great. That said, the carrier, as it did with the Galaxy S III, looks to be pre-loading the device with some of its own applications, including ones such as Sprint Zone and other third-party apps like Polaris Office 4. Naturally, we popped the obvious question to Sprint of when we could expect the device to legitimately become part of its lineup, to which the carrier told us that it'd be sometime "this holiday season." For now, it looks like the hands-on gallery below will have to suffice, but you can be sure we'll let you know as soon as we find out the official release date.%Gallery-166208%
New Android Jelly Bean factory images now available for Nexus S models
It's been nearly two months since Google quietly posted that initial batch of Jelly Bean images for its ever-growing family of Nexus handsets. And while today a few members of the pack are being left out, those with a Nexus S (save for the Korean version) or its 4G flavor can now grab the refreshed Android 4.1.1 images (JRO03L, JRO03R) straight from Mountain View's developer site. You'll find all the necessary download links at the source below, and you can be sure we'll let you know as soon as the rest become available.
Acer Iconia Tab A110 comes to Europe this fall with Jelly Bean, £180 UK price
Acer missed its summer launch target for the Iconia Tab A110, but it's making amends for its timing. The 7-inch, quad-core tablet is now reaching Europe in the fall, but it's also carrying that rumored upgrade to Jelly Bean -- including the same mini-tablet interface that we know best from the A110's arch-rival, the Nexus 7. Hardware hasn't moved on since then, however, so you'll still have to cope with a lower 1,024 x 600 resolution and likely the same 8GB of storage, even with a 2-megapixel front camera offering a slight upgrade. That feature loadout may make the sales prospects difficult, at least in the UK: Brits will have to pay £180 ($292) versus the £159 ($258) Nexus 7. Let's hope that any US plans involve a price slash.
Samsung Galaxy Note II to land 'by mid-November' on all major US carriers
We'd say the wait is nearly over, but that wouldn't be telling the whole truth. Inching ever closer to a hard launch date, Samsung's Galaxy Note II is now poised to hit stateside on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular "by mid-November." If you're seeking anything more specific than that, you'll have to hold out for individual carrier announcements. What we do know for sure, however, is that the US variant of this 5.5-incher will be packing HSPA+42 / LTE radios and sporting a nigh unchanged build -- much like the company's other flagship, the GS III. To recap, this S-Pen equipped phablet, recently unveiled at IFA 2012, features a 1280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED display, quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos processor, 2GB RAM and ships with a skinned version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Sure, this release is shaping up to be a slow tease, but that anticipation just makes the final bow of this second act even sweeter. Official PR after the break.
