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Refresh Roundup: week of November 28, 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!
Motorola Xoom 2 hands-on (video)
Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition hands-on (video) Panasonic Toughpad A1 and B1: the tablets you can drop and pick back up again Motorola Xoom a bit slow boomerangin' back with 4G LTE update Motorola has just unveiled two new tablets in Europe, and we've managed to get our grubby mitts on them. This one is the Xoom 2, the (almost) same-size successor to Moto's first Android tablet. Matching its older sister's 10.1-inch Gorilla Glass screen, there's now an all-over splash resistant coating (inside and out), with those intriguing cut-off corners we've seen already there to aid the ergonomics of handling the slab. Add to that, Motorola's new intelligent grip suppression, which means you can hold the screen and navigate with your other hand without hindrance. It runs Honeycomb 3.2, and gains an improved 1.2GHz dual-core processor inside, with a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, and a five megapixel shooter on the back. Comparing the tablet to its predecessor, you won't believe how much thinner it is -- this is Galaxy Tab 10.1-scale skinniness. Motorola also boast that it's now 100g lighter than the original Xoom, but we still get an HDMI port, microUSB connectivity and 16GB of storage, not to mention stylus functionality, though the capacitive pen is sold separately. The Xoom 2 itself has now been priced up at £379.99 and you can check out those cut-off corners in our hands-on video after the break.%Gallery-138342%
Motorola Xoom 2 officially priced at 400 Euros, coming this Christmas to Carphone Warehouse
For those unaware, Carphone Warehouse is a warehouse that sells carphones in Europe, Jupiter and other locales in the known galaxy. It also sells smartphones and tablets. And according to the leaked flyer that we've acquired, the long-awaited Motorola Xoom 2 (or Xoom II, as it were) will be landing in Ireland before Christmas. The price? €399.90, or around $545, for the WiFi-only edition with 16GB of inbuilt storage. Other specs include Android 3.2 (what, no Ice Cream Sandwich?), an 8.2-inch touchpanel, and much, much more. In fact, CW calls it "everything a tablet should be." Truth in advertising? You be the judge. [Thanks, Artyom]
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.
Mystery Moto tablet swings through the FCC, refuses to take any questions
What exactly is this mystery device that just shuffled through the FCC? Well, it's definitely a Motorola tablet and a member of the Xoom family, but beyond that we can't tell you much. The FCC ID, which ends in 56MJ3, makes it clear that this is part of Moto's flagship tablet line, but whether this an upcoming Xoom 2 or simply a souped up variant of the original Honeycomb slate is unclear. The filing makes no mention of cellular connectivity, only WiFi and Bluetooth, but that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't any on board. We do know that, whatever this turns out to be, it sports an HDMI out, 1GB of RAM, a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, a 1200 x 800 screen and comes in 16, 32 and 64GB varieties. If you're in the mood to dig through the test reports yourself, check out the source link.
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.
Motorola's Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger. event liveblog!
The countdown is almost at an end. And that means it's time for some serious Daft Punk-referencing Motorola action. What can we expect today? The Spyder / Droid RAZR handset? The sequel to the Xoom? Perhaps an early taste of Ice Cream Sandwich? All of these answers and more will be revealed at 12PM ET. Psst... and toss your own time zone / day in comments below! 06:00AM - Hawaii (October 18th) 09:00AM - Pacific (October 18th) 10:00AM - Mountain (October 18th) 11:00AM - Central (October 18th) 12:00PM - Eastern (October 18th) 05:00PM - London (October 18th) 06:00PM - Paris (October 18th) 08:00PM - Moscow (October 18th) 01:00AM - Tokyo (October 19th) Photos by Zach Honig.
Motorola's Android future to be revealed later today, get your liveblog here!
Promising us something faster, thinner and stronger later today, Motorola has paired up with Verizon to make some big announcements. We're going to be smack dab in the middle of it all, chronicling every little detail on our liveblog. "Sandwiched" between Blackberry's DevCon and another dynamic duo, we're still intrigued as to what (or even how many) phones and tablets Moto has crammed up their capacious Google-monogrammed sleeves. Could it spoil Samsung's party with some Ice Cream Sandwich news of its own? Who knows, but it's going to be a hectic day for tech news. Best grab another cup of coffee, and bookmark this page to keep up. Feel free to throw your time zone and day in the comments below, we may even +1 you if you do. 06:00AM - Hawaii (October 18th) 09:00AM - Pacific (October 18th) 10:00AM - Mountain (October 18th) 11:00AM - Central (October 18th) 12:00PM - Eastern (October 18th) 05:00PM - London (October 18th) 06:00PM - Paris (October 18th) 08:00PM - Moscow (October 18th) 01:00AM - Tokyo (October 19th)
Verizon sending Xoom docks back with delayed, updated slates
Still bummed about the delay in getting your Xoom back from its trip to the shop? Well, it appears Verizon may be looking to smooth things over with those who have been waiting the longest. One of our readers let us know, that because they were "among the first" to send off for the 4G LTE / Honeycomb 3.2.2 upgrade, the carrier sent back a Standard Dock (worth $50) along with the juiced up slate. Is it enough to make up for the extra wait time? That depends on your Xoom addiction -- but we have to admit, it's a pretty nice gesture from ol' Big Red. [Thanks, Nazir] Update: We're hearing from many of you that the Dock was part of the original update process while supplies lasted. You can still consider yourself somewhat lucky if you were quick enough got one. Update 2: We've gotten official word from Motorola that, while it wasn't part of the original upgrade plan, the company is offering Standard Docks as a goodwill gesture due to the delay in the update being released. Also, Moto let us know that it's not upgrading the device otherwise -- only a thorough cleaning and new lens protector application. So if your slate is sporting new digs, you might want to go buy a lottery ticket.
Motorola Xoom a bit slow boomerangin' back with 4G LTE update
Consider yourself lucky if you sent off your Motorola Xoom for the 4G LTE upgrade and got it back in about a week, as promised. It seems that Motorola Mobility is now having some trouble holding up their end of the bargain on the quick turnaround. In a note to eager, empty-handed slate faithful, the company informed those waiting that it's experiencing delays and will let customers know when their device finally ships. Surprised that an upgrade that requires you to actually mail in your tablet isn't being returned "on time?" Yeah, neither are we.
Xoom 4G LTE upgrades boomerang back with Honeycomb update, microSD card support now a go
Xoom owners that hastily shipped off their slates for an LTE upgrade are in for a surprise. Turns out the newly equipped 4G tablets are not only being expediently returned, but also come with an upgrade to version 3.2.2 of Honeycomb. Details of just what's been included in the new firmware are scant, but the main takeaway from Verizon's overhaul is the now functional microSD slot. That's right, unless you were privy to that non-U.S. Android 3.1 update or installed the Tiamat kernel, you'll now finally be granted read/write access to your microSD card. It seems wishes do come true in Big Red land, you just have to practice extreme patience.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 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 top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt's long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device -- until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life] Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn't the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it -- plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone's connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It's disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed] LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we're still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral] Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral] Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral] Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity] Casio G'Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life] Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog] T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn't appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral] Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware] You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life] If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn't announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog] Other platforms Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango. The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral] Refreshes we covered this week Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out How to force Mango to your phone right away Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?
Skype 2.5 for Android brings video calls to 14 new devices, including Honeycomb tablets
...And then there were 41. Oh, sorry, we're talking about Android devices here. Specifically ones that support video calling over Skype. With the update to version 2.5, the VoIP service has tacked on another 14 Goog-powered gadgets to its list of officially supported handsets and tablets. Yes, that's right, we said tablets. In addition to bringing support to phones like the Atrix, Bionic and Nexus One, Skype is inviting the Xoom, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Acer's Iconia to the party. We've even received reports that video calls are working on other Honeycomb slates like the ASUS Transformer. You'll find the full list of officially supported devices in the PR after the break.
Motorola Xoom 4G LTE upgrade process begins tomorrow, new tablets on sale October 13th
Verizon's dangled a 4G LTE upgrade carrot in the noses of the Xoom-adopting hordes from the start. Now, it appears the carrier's ready to make good on that promise. Starting tomorrow, current owners of Motorola's Honeycomb tab can visit a dedicated VZW site for a step-by-step guide through the upgrade process. If you were amongst the eager few who signed up for alerts, the company's going to prioritize you and send out a notification via email. The entire swap-out should take up to six business days, returning a freshly enhanced LTE-enabled slate free-of-charge. As for the rest of you Xoom-less onlookers, Big Red's going to be offering up the updated tablets this October 13th for $499 on a new two-year service contract. Jump past the break to parse through the official presser.
Motorola's Xoom 2 tablets pair up for a portrait, both at around 9mm thick
There's nothing like a family portrait, and the Xoom 2 brothers have paired up for this year's Christmas card shot -- or at least for an anonymous tipster's latest leak. These pictured tablets give us a better look at the rear-facing buttons we heard about last week, which appear to be a power button and a volume rocker. The smaller sibling sports the same "Fleming" moniker we saw in yesterday's images, the same 8.2-inch screen size as previously reported, and appears to be about as thick as a 9.3mm iPhone 4. Combining with This is My Next's intel, it appears that both tablets are of very similar thickness. Around back? A few stickers, again spelling out the smaller tablet's codename and outing LTE compatibility. Interestingly, our tipster tells us that both slates share the Fleming codename, along with Android 3.2 goodness and five-megapixel HD cameras on the rear, though both prototypes are also "buggy as all hell, with frequent reboots and crashes." This could mean that we're still some time away from seeing the original Xoom's successors, so for now, check out our gallery below to get an eyeful for yourself. Update: Our tipster has confirmed LTE for both devices. [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-134813%
Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts -- new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition?
Talk of a younger, slimmer Motorola Xoom just keeps on coming. A helpful tipster is adding fuel to the rumors of a Xoom 2 with these shots of a similar, but not exactly identical Motorola tablet. When compared to the images we saw yesterday, this unnamed Android 3.2 slate looks a tad less polished in the rear and seems to favor a portrait format, with the camera resting up top. What's more, our source says the slab appears to be smaller than what we've already seen, which could line up with a report from This Is My Next, pegging a Xoom 2 Media Edition. That device is rumored to have an 8.2-inch HD IPS display and weigh .95 pounds. It is apparently being billed as an "e-reader replacement," and comes with an onboard IR remote and subwoofer. In further Xoom 2 news, TIMN is saying the classic version will measure 9mm thick, pack a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and enable 1080p video recording. If all of that isn't enough to satisfy your Motorola-tablet craving, we've got a gallery of photos below.%Gallery-134781% [Thanks, Anon]
Is this the Motorola Xoom 2?
Who's looking sleek in angled corners? Why, it's the Motorola Xoom 2 -- at least it might be, according to Droid-Life and the folks that leaked it the above image. The outfit's informant tells them that the pictured device is flaunting micro-USB and HDMI ports, a SIM card slot and a few large, flush buttons on its back. Is it the real deal? Well, we can't say it looks much like Verizon's door-destroying tablet, or even the shy slate that we spied on Motorola Mobility's leaked website redesign -- but we wouldn't put too much stock into ambiguous renders and inconclusive advertisements anyway. There's one more image after the break for those of you that are into rear-facing cameras and "confidential" engravings.
Motorola rolling out 4G LTE upgrade for select Xoom users?
It's been a while coming, but it looks like some Motorola Xoom users will finally be receiving 4G LTE support, in the very near future. According to a customer service e-mail obtained by Droid Life, the manufacturer has already begun sending out instructions on how to receive the upgrade, as part of an apparent gradual rollout. To make the jump, select consumers, businesses and government clients will have to first back up their Android-based tablets, before shipping them off to Motorola in a pre-paid FedEx box. Once that's taken care of, they'll have to twiddle their thumbs for three business days before receiving their newly refreshed devices, dripping in Verizon's LTE goodness. No word yet on when the rest of the Xoom community can expect similar treatment, but hit up the source link to read the full e-mail for yourself.
Refresh Roundup: week of August 8, 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 Acer took to its Facebook page in Malaysia to announce that the Honeycomb 3.2 OTA update for the Iconia Tab A500 has been delayed until August 25. [via Phandroid] The LG G-Slate is starting to receive Honeycomb 3.1. [via AndroidCentral] We've also heard the HTC Flyer's on the receiving end of a 2.3.4 bump in Germany. [via HTC Inside (translated)] Motorola's announced that Honeycomb 3.1 has arrived on the Xoom in Europe, after several months of waiting. [via ITProPortal] Tomorrow, Sprint's pushing out a maintenance fix known as RD.00.02 for the Motorola Titanium. From a leaked screenshot, the main "enhancement" is correcting a bug that kept users from dialing from a meeting on the Exchange calendar. [via SprintFeed] Android 2.3.4 is making its way to unbranded HTC Sensation units in Europe this week as an OTA update, and will likely spread to carrier-branded devices over the next couple weeks. [via Phandroid] Both Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada are rolling out Gingerbread to its Galaxy S Vibrant. The download is available to any of its users by accessing Samsung Kies. [via MobileSyrup] HTC began pushing Gingerbread to the Inspire 4G on Monday. If you still haven't received your update OTA yet, instructions can be found on how to do it manually via its website. [Thanks, Brian] Are you an HTC Desire owner that's been eagerly awaiting Gingerbread? It's here now, but the manufacturer isn't going to push it out OTA -- rather, you'll need to do it on your own, so head to the via for a video tutorial on how to do it step-by-step. [via PocketNow] T-Mobile has announced that its OTA Gingerbread rollout for the G2x is now officially over. If you missed your opportunity, you may still download it using the LG updater tool. [via TmoNews] This is definitely a rumor, but an HTC support rep apparently emailed a concerned Incredible user to assure them that Gingerbread was still indeed in the plans for the year-old device. No timeframe was given, however. [via Phandroid] AT&T took to its Twitter account to state that the Infuse 4G is on track to receive Gingerbread sometime this month. [via AndroidCentral] Unofficial Android updates / custom ROMs / misc. hackery We heard last week that the Motorola Photon 4G had been rooted, but it required the use of the phone's fancy (and expensive) HD dock. This obstacle has since been removed, and you can root your brand new phone without it. [via AndroidCentral] Speaking of the Photon 4G, a System Boot File (SBF) is now available for the device. The SBF is a backup that comes in handy if something goes awry and your phone ends up getting bricked. By using the SBF, your phone will be restored back to its original factory defaults. [via SprintFeed] A dev preview of CyanogenMod 7 for the HTC Sensation 4G is now being shown at a YouTube near you. Did someone say CyanogenMod 7? Well, this week also witnessed a user updating their Motorola Triumph to Android 2.3.5, but almost nothing works properly on it; since the kernel source hasn't been released for it yet, the update isn't quite up to par. CM7 is also said to be coming to the Motorola Atrix 4G and LG Optimus 3D soon as well. [via Phandroid] Other platforms The tools used to flash Windows Phone Mango's RTM version has been leaked, and you can find instructions on how to get it on this XDA thread. Remember that you do this at your own risk. [via WMPowerUser] A few rumors circulated the web this week that Mango would be released on September 1. WP7's own Joe Belfiore was the one responsible for shooting down that rumor via Twitter. [via WMPowerUser]
Apple's Samsung complaint reveals it's also suing Motorola over the Xoom
Yes, we've now reached the point in the ongoing Apple v. Samsung brouhaha where we're having lawsuits revealed within lawsuits. As spotted by FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller, Apple's recent complaint against Samsung that led to a preliminary injunction blocking sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe also contained a brief passage indicating that Apple is suing Motorola over the decidedly tablet-like Xoom as well. What's not clear, however, is whether Apple is also seeking an injunction against Motorola to block sales of the Xoom, but Mueller suggests that is indeed likely (Apple has also reportedly sued and received an injunction against local German tablet manufacturer JAY-tech). Of course, Apple and Motorola are no strangers to legal entanglements, but this is the first time we've seen things spread beyond phones to tablets.