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Refresh Roundup: week of August 29, 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 at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates The biggest update we saw this week was a widespread push of Android 2.3.3 to the Motorola Droid 2. This one is done OTA, so simply go into your settings menu and check for updates to see if it's there. (thanks to everyone who sent this in) While we saw a rollout of Android 2.3 to a select few LG Optimus Ones in June, we're hearing reports that the update's now getting pushed out again to a few more regions. This refresh must be done manually through LG's updater tool, so you'll definitely want to check to see if your phone is one of the lucky recipients. [via PocketNow] US Cellular took to its Facebook Page to let customers know it's working on revamping the Samsung Mesmerize to Gingerbread at some point, though no official date or timeframe was given aside from "as soon as possible." [via AndroidCentral] HTC announced the arrival of Android 2.3 for the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible this month, via its Facebook page. [via AndroidCommunity] In fact, some users have already reported getting Gingerbread for the Incredible, and we suspect the rollout will be complete no later than the end of the month, to fulfill the company's promise. [via Phandroid] Gingerbread is in the plans for the Motorola Milestone 2, and according to the company the refresh will begin rolling out in early Q4. [via MyDailyGadget] The Samsung LC11 LTE mobile hotspot is getting a new build, EF07, that appears to improve its handling of multiple devices and congested WiFi locations. It also adds security patches and new protocols. [via Verizon] An update for the Droid 3 was apparently available to soak testers and leaked online, but was pulled from Motorola servers shortly thereafter. It appears to add video chat support in GTalk and adds a new radio that's supposed to save battery life. The via link still has the update available for anyone interested. [via Droid-Life] Unofficial Android updates / custom ROMs / misc hackery The root method used on most Motorola Android devices has been employed to root the Droid Bionic before it's even been released. [via Droid-Life] LG has released the kernel source for its Gingerbread build of the Optimus S. [via AndroidCentral] The HTC Dev site expanded its support for the bootloader unlock tool this week, now encompassing all versions of the Sensation -- including T-Mobile's. [via AndroidCentral] Other platforms SPB Shell 3.0 is now available for Symbian^3 devices. It brings a fresh 3D-style UI to the OS, and can be yours for $15. [via IntoMobile] Updates already covered this week HP planning TouchPad OTA update for added functionality HTC Flyer Honeycomb ROM leaks Samsung Nexus S updated to 2.3.6, fixes voice search and breaks tethering
US Cellular's Mesmerize gets its heaping helping of Froyo
While US Cellular's promised Froyo update for the Mesmerize might have slipped a few months since its rumored November timeframe, we're certain owners of Samsung's wildly popular set will be a very happy crowd. As you're likely all aware, this update features some fairly useful improvements like better Exchange support, Flash 10.1, and the portable hotspot feature -- which requires a tethering plan. The other boon here is that this update may potentially spell the end to the berating your buddies have been handing you as they enjoy Froyo -- and soon Gingerbread -- on their Galaxy S devices. Enjoy the update, and remember to read the instructions and heed the warnings before you forge ahead.
Samsung ships 3M Galaxy S devices in the US, becomes top Android supplier in the country
You know what happens when you manage to launch essentially the same high-end smartphone on every national carrier in the US plus the top regional? Well, this happens: Samsung has just proudly announced that it's pushed some three million Galaxy S models in the US -- sold as the Fascinate, Captivate, Epic 4G, Vibrant, and Mesmerize on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular, respectively -- which gave it 32.1 percent of the US Android market in the third quarter according to Gartner, enough to vault it to the number one position. When your competitors are HTC and Motorola -- both of whom have knocked some Android phones out of the park this year -- that's pretty impressive. Follow the break for the full press release.
Samsung Galaxy S meets US Cellular: Mesmerize coming on October 27 for $200
Samsung had promised a US Cellular-branded version of its wildly ubiquitous Galaxy S line... and here it is. The so-called Mesmerize name fits in appropriately with some of its contemporaries -- Vibrant, Fascinate, Captivate -- and looks very much the same, too, featuring the usual 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera with 720p capture, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and both WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. Unfortunately, it'll be launching with Android 2.1, it seems, but a Froyo update is promised for "later this year." Look for it in stores on October 27 for $199 after an $80 mail-in rebate, followed by a couple other Android devices -- the LG Apex and Optimus -- in November and December, respectively. Follow the break for USCC's press release.
PSN Thursday: Trials of Hawkish, Mesmerizing Snakeballs
This week's batch of PlayStation Network content is pretty massive - "our biggest ever," according to the official US PlayStation blog. There's a catch, of course, in that PSN will not be updated next Thursday (also known as Christmas Eve). Enough pouting, let's open our presents a week early!Warhawk fans have the most gifts under the tree this week, with the already-opened Omega Dawn expansion, a free theme, a game video of the expansion and (gasp!) the original Warhawk PS One title downloadable as a classic for play on either the PS3 or PSP. Rhythm fans also get a tasty sampler of the usual Rock Band DLC and a free Guitar Hero III song, the holiday-themed "We Three Kings" (strangely absent from the list: the premium GH3 songs for this week).Downloadable games include Toy Home, Snakeball and two PS Eye games: Trials of Topoq and Mesmerize: Distort. A demo for Blacksite: Area 51 is also out, and those looking for more festive updates can check out the free Folklore DLC and PAIN wallpaper. Full update list after the break; check out our sister site PS3 Fanboy for European PSN update info.Update: So apparently we have two fewer days to shop for Christmas gifts than we thought. Hmph.
See the promise of PS Eye software
The first round of PlayStation Eye titles already put everything on the EyeToy to shame; it's not even a contest. To prove that, check out this new compilation video, which showcases, not only the graphical power of the PS3, but also the potential of the PlayStation Eye. Europeans who own a PS Eye can already experience Tori Emaki and Mesmerize as they were just released yesterday on the PlayStation Network. Don't worry, though, fellow Americans, our time will come.
