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AT&T rolls out Android 4.0 to HTC Vivid, other devices getting ICS in the 'coming months'
Be still our beating heart. Just two weeks ago we heard Android 4.0 -- that upgrade lovingly referred to as Ice Cream Sandwich -- would be reaching the HTC Vivid "in the coming weeks." We even saw the update trickle in to select devices last week without any official notice from the mother ship. AT&T's finally ready to open the floodgates and pour the refresh out to the masses. This download in particular includes Sense 3.6, but throws in third-party Beats Audio support -- a feature that until now has only been seen in version 4.0. If you're packing a Vivid, just make sure you're hooked up to WiFi and head to the settings to get your download on. If it doesn't find the update yet, you also have the option to sideload it from your computer.In the same breath, AT&T also made it known that it's still hard at work readying ICS for several other devices, and we can expect the updates to arrive "in the coming months." There aren't any surprises on the list of candidates: the Motorola Atrix 4G and Atrix 2, Pantech Burst and Element and the LG Nitro are all there, as well as a litany of Samsung devices like the Note, Galaxy S II, Skyrocket, Captivate Glide and Galaxy Tab 8.9. There's no more information yet, so the lucky owners of each one will just have to remain waiting on pins and needles for yet another undetermined number of months. Find the press release underneath.
Aereo countersues broadcasters over its internet TV streaming service
Now that Aereo has launched its antenna TV-over-the-internet service it can devote some attention to its legal issues, and today countersued the TV networks suing it (Fox, PBS, Univision, WPIX and WNET) in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. It's already filed another suit against Disney, CBS, NBCUniversal and Telemundo, as they wrangle over whether or not its scheme -- using an individual "microantenna" for each subscriber and streaming to that person over the internet, as long as they're in the broadcasting area -- violates their copyright. According to Aereo, it's merely relocating the equipment from the customer's home to its remote facility. We'll see if that argument works out any better than it did for Zediva, which announced last week that customers wouldn't be getting their money back after it was sued out of existence last year.
Aereo TV broadcast-streaming service launching today... in NYC
Despite getting served by a mighty squad of TV networks, Aereo's keeping its original plans of launching on March 14th. However, the broadcast-streaming service will only be available to folks living in the Big Apple -- at least for now. If you're unfamiliar with the startup's offerings, $12 a month gets you all major network and local TV channels on any Cupertino-born device (iPad, iPhone, MacBook Pro, etc) and Roku boxes, though with HTML5 support you can tune in on most anything with Safari as the browser. Meanwhile, native support for the green robot army is said to be "coming soon." Aeroe's letting all newcomers in on a 90-day day free trial, so those of you in the land of bridges and tunnels can head over to the source link below.
TV stations predictably sue Aereo over antenna-to-internet streaming plans
We had to wonder if Aereo / fka Bamboom would actually be able to launch its $12 / month antenna-based live TV over the internet service before the networks tried to sue it out of existence and the answer is in: no. Ahead of Aereo's planned March 14th launch, AllThingsD reports several New York Area broadcasters including Fox and PBS have filed suit in US District Court to stop it from getting off the ground. Put simply, they don't believe copyright law allows Aereo to retransmit their OTA broadcasts on the internet without obtaining a license from them to do so, whether it uses one large antenna or an array of tiny antennas (pictured above) -- one for each subscriber -- as it says it will. Clearly Aereo disagrees, however we don't recall that argument working out so well for Zediva. Hit the source link to read the entire complaint in PDF form for yourself or just peep a press release from the National Association of Broadcasters after the break, we'll let you know if Aereo has any response.Update: Check out Aereo's response, also included after the break. Just as predictably, it "does not believe that the broadcasters' position has any merit and it very much looks forward to a full and fair airing of the issues."
ASUS Transformer TF101 Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out now in the US
Just as the official ASUS Twitter account foretold, today is the day WiFi Eee Pad Transformers meet Android 4.0 in the US (3G devices and other international users are still on the waiting list). Our tipsters and posters on XDA-Developers have reported receiving the rollout OTA, and for those interested -- it apparently does not affect the status of rooted devices. Start mashing that check update button and let us know how Ice Cream Sandwich feels on your dockable slates.Update: Outside the land of the free and the home of the Daytona 500? You may still be in luck, we're hearing it's out in Canada, ASUS' UK Twitter account confirmed today's the day across the pond, plus ASUS gave the good news to the land down under via Facebook. Check the company's Campus Life blog for a list of changes.[Thanks, James, Rob & Udupa]
ASUS Transformer TF101 finally receives ICS update, Taiwan takes the first bite (update: US tomorrow!)
Shortly after amending the Eee Pad Transformer Prime's locked bootloader fiasco, ASUS has just announced that the original WiFi Transformer's much anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich update is now slowly rolling out, with Taiwan being the first region to receive the home-baked Android dessert over the air. The 3G Transformer and folks around the rest of the world are told that they'll get their share soon after, which should be no later than March if ASUS's promise is still valid. Meanwhile, Hasbro remains the only Transformer fan who's still not happy about this.Update: ASUS's Twitter account mentioned that the US should start receiving the update tomorrow! Thanks @areddy78!
BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 now ready for download
After touring the exhibition circuit for what seems like an eternity, PlayBook OS 2.0 is finally ready to settle down and make itself available for download. Check for updates via Settings on your tablet and you should see it sitting there, wearing last season's fashions but nevertheless looking every inch the major OTA update that it is. Expect improvements like native email, calendar and contacts, integration with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, some newfangled Bridge functions, and access to the first crop of Android apps in BB App World. You'll find more details in the PR after the break and how-to demos at the More Coverage link. Enjoy!
Acer Iconia Tab family to be given Ice Cream Sandwich treatment, rolling out to A200 now
Acer's revealed that it'll be bringing Android's latest and greatest version to its existing tablet family. The update is rolling out (as promised) on the Iconia Tab A200 now, but version 4.0 will also make an appearance on both its seven inch (Iconia A100) and 10 inch (Iconia A500) relatives in April. The update adds all those ICS features, including refreshed widget design and improved multitasking, but leaves the manufacturer's own Android addition -- the Acer launcher ring -- intact.
Aereo puts TV antennas in the cloud, streams OTA broadcasts on the internet
We've all heard about SlingBox, that nifty bit of kit that lets you stream your cable or satellite television to the mobile device of your choice, and now a new company called Aereo aims to provide a similar service for OTA broadcast television. The service costs $12 dollars a month and will launch March 14th, but is only available to folks in New York City through Aereo's HTML5-powered website. It'll stream all the major networks, and also offers a cloud-based DVR service on the internet-connected device of your choosing, whether it's a media streamer, phone, tablet or TV. Aereo's powered by large devices containing tons of tiny, dime-sized TV antennas connected to the cloud, with individual antennas corresponding to individual users -- giving each the ability to tune into one channel at a time. Intrigued as much as we are? Learn all about Aereo's new service at the source link below.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 23, 2012
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 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!
Boxee Box Live TV starts shipping, Boxee 1.5 software update now rolling out
Both have been promised as coming soon in recent weeks, and now Boxee has confirmed that two fairly big new rollouts are underway. The first is the Boxee Box Live TV dongle, which is now shipping and will let you augment your Boxee Box with some OTA TV channels for $50. You can get a closer look at it in our hands-on from CES earlier this month. Alongside it, Boxee is also rolling out its Boxee 1.5 software update, which boasts a new UI and a number of other refinements including better search, new library screens and filtering options, browser pop-up management, and the addition of Rotten Tomatoes listings. Boxee says it's staggering the release over the next 72 hours, but those eager to check it out can find instructions for a manual update at the support link below.
Kindle Fire firmware update 6.2.2 brings full-screen browsing
The fine folks over at Amazon have further flushed out the firmware on its fiercely popular Fire tablet. Upgrading your Kindle Fire to version 6.2.2 will bring a handful of small performance tweaks, bugs fixes and, most notably, add a full-screen mode to the device's Silk browser. If you've gone ahead and rooted your Fire, applying the firmware bump will kill superuser access -- although a fresh build of BurritoRoot 2 should get you back on the straight and narrow. The new code is being pushed out over-the-air as we type, while those that enjoy the endorphin rush associated with instant gratification -- and know how to manually update a Kindle -- can find a link to the 6.2.2 firmware file below. Happy updating!
US Wi-Fi Xooms now getting Ice Cream Sandwich OTA
You might have thought being the first Honeycomb tablet, and offering a completely stock Android experience, would give the Motorola Xoom some sort of priority when it comes to updates to Android 4.0. Sadly and surprisingly for tablet early-adopters that was not the case, with the Transformer Prime first to hop the update train to Ice Cream Sandwich Town. A week later the Xoom is now catching up, with an OTA update percolating down from the cloud to users, but for the moment it appears only American Wi-Fi versions of the slate are receiving. International and LTE-equipped ones are going to have to wait at least a little longer.
Hands-on with Dyle Mobile TV, broadcasting live to a handset near you (video)
Dyle couldn't have found a better showcase than CES to exhibit its next gem. It's only been a few days since we first heard that the joint venture between MetroPCS and the Mobile Content Venture would bear fruit in 2012, and, well, we're in Las Vegas and we've seen it take its first steps. Although live TV broadcasting to mobile devices couldn't exactly be considered cutting-edge, judging by our time with the handset, this is one of the greater implementations of the concept. The company tells us that the app is set to hit its beta stage within the next few months at no cost, but that might change depending on partners and networks. Speaking of partners, Samsung alongside the Metro carrier will be the first to have the chipset-embedded smartphones on the market -- yes, that means you won't actually see the circa 1990's antenna. Dyle's also partnered up with Belkin to bring the service past phones and onto tablets, however, unlike the Sammy-branded phone that's expected to use the chip, the tablets will be able to pick up the airwaves by doubling the headphones as a receiver. Jump past the break to see the mobile telecast in action.
Simple.tv DVR / placeshifter frees free TV from the constraints of location, time
One of the many innovative products we checked out tonight was this ViXS XCode 4210 powered Simple.TV box, which tunes into free, unencrypted channels (even in HD) via cable or antenna. Where it starts to differ from other boxes like Sling and Monsoon however, is that it eschews any direct video out or even passthrough, working solely to transcode those feeds to variable bitrate MPEG-4 streams for playback on internet-connected mobile devices and TV boxes. Besides the missing TV out, this headless unit also only supports DVRs courtesy of whatever storage you may add yourself, since it doesn't contain any. The Simple.TV box is set to launch this spring and initially should have viewing apps available for Roku and iPad, with Boxee Box and Google TV viewers eventually planned as well (there is also a $29 Windows Media Center app). Currently the pricing is set at $149, and while streaming to another device in the home and simple DVR function are free to use, adding a guide and allowing streaming to up to 5 devices over the internet will require another $4.99 per month. If you're interested, check out the video after the break and keep a spot near your coax line open.
Eee Pad Transformer to receive Ice Cream Sandwich after January 12th, ASUS confirms
ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer is about to get a healthy scoop of Ice Cream Sandwich. The company's UK branch confirmed the news today on its Facebook page, announcing that its original tablet-netbook hybrid device will make the jump to Android 4.0 sometime after January 12th. That date, as you may recall, is when the Transformer Prime is slated to receive the update, though ASUS has yet to confirm a specific date for the predecessor's update, saying only that it'll roll out "ASAP." As always, we'll be sure to let you know when we hear more.
MetroPCS hooks up with the Mobile Content Venture for live TV on the go
The wireless-for-all carrier's been agreeing to all sorts of partnerships of late in an effort to keep its users content, the latest one being the tie-up with Mobile Content Venture that'll bring local broadcast TV live to your MetroPCS handset. The service, which is said to be coming later in the year, will be offered via a Dyle Mobile TV app, and the companies are guaranteeing that you'll be able to watch the content "right out of the box." There's 15 total broadcasters named in the deal, some of which are: FOX, ION Television, NBC, Telemundo and Univision (for all your novela needs). We've seen a plethora of mobile devices come and go since we first heard of the Mobile DTV promise, but they did say 2012 would be the year, and, well, here we are. A peek at the PR below tells us we'll see this in action next week at CES, so we'll let you know if it's as marvelous as it sounds.
XDA dev provides means to block Nook Tablet OTA updates
Worried that an OTA update will put a crimp in your Nook Tablet modding activities? Then you may want to follow the lead of xda-developers member Indirect, who has managed to tweak the tablet to block all OTA updates and kindly provided the means for you to do the same. That involves installing a few files on your device (another method is also available that involve tweaking some files), but Indirect says that the process "holds no risk," and that it won't prevent you from buying books from Barnes & Noble. Complete details can be found at the source link below.
Kindle Fire's 6.2.1 update breaks root, disables SuperOneClick utility
Just when you thought it was safe to root your Kindle Fire with a single click, Amazon has clamped down on homebrewing enthusiasts. The company has begun pushing out an update for the $199 tablet that breaks the root, disabling the SuperOneClick utility in the process. If you've rooted your tablet and are still running a version of the Amazon-flavored Gingerbread, you're susceptible to the update any time you're connected to a WiFi network. However, if you've already made the leap to another version of Android, such as CM7, you can bypass this and any future software updates. There are some improvements with 6.2.1 though, as smoother scrolling, password protected WiFi use and the ability to remove recently used items from the home screen carousel are among the upgrades. If you're looking to read up on the issue before taking action, roll up your sleeves and hit the links below. [Thanks, Brad]
Refresh Roundup: week of December 12, 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!
