upgrades
Latest
webOS gets OTA update, delivers performance improvements and bug fixes
With so many of us performing funeral dirges in honor of webOS it's easy to forget that the tablet and smartphone platform is still officially supported HP. In fact, just today, the company issued yet another incremental update -- pushing TouchPads to version 3.0.5, while Pre 2 and Pre 3 handsets are moving on up to 2.2.4. Both form factors will be getting improvements in calendar and messaging, while the Pre2 gets better Skype support and MAP for Bluetooth. TouchPads are also adding support for HTTP live streaming and bringing the time-saving "double space equals period" typing shortcut to the table. For a complete change log and to download the SDK check out the source link.
Android 2.3 continues soaring upward, now installed on 55 percent of Google devices
Google's monthly Android distribution charts may be the most visual piece of evidence that the mobile OS is riddled with fragmentation, but at least Gingerbread has clearly become the dominant player -- and it continues to build momentum at a healthy pace (for now, at least). As always, Google reviewed which devices accessed the Android Market during a 14-day period of time in the month of December, and found that over 55 percent of those units were running a version of Android 2.3, a ten percent turbo boost from October and an increase of seventeen percent over three months. Froyo devices -- many of which are likely older phones or tablets sentenced to a upgrade-less future -- numbered over 30 percent, and Honeycomb still amounts to a meager 3.3 percent. Cupcake and ICS are tied for last place, but we expect ICS to climb rapidly as soon as it's, y'know, officially available on more devices.
Sony details Xperia's Ice Cream Sandwich progress, remains on track for late March kick-off
Yes, Sony Ericsson has already gone about communicating its intention to deliver Android 4.0 to its Xperia smartphone collection, but the company is now sharing further details about the pending arrival. So, we thought you'd like to be in on the know. For starters, the first devices to receive the upgrade will be the Arc S, Neo V and Ray, each of which are on-track for a late March / early April rollout. Then, beginning in late April / early May, Sony intends to deliver Ice Cream Sandwich to the Active, Arc, Mini, Mini Pro, Neo, Play and Xperia Pro handsets. Even the Live with Walkman is set to receive a new lease on life during the time frame. In each case, the latest version of Android will be rolled out in phases, over the course of a few weeks. Now, let's just hope that Sony Ericsson is able to keep to its schedule.
Bell Mobility hints at Ice Cream Sandwich release dates for Galaxy S II, Raider and Sensation
We've come across an internal document from Bell Mobility that's bound to raise the hopes of a few good Canadians. Yes folks, we're talking Ice Cream Sandwich. The carrier to the north estimates that it'll have Android 4.0 ready for the Sensation in February, which is to be followed by the Raider's update in March -- this handset may be more familiar to AT&T customers as the Vivid. Pulling up the rear, users of the Galaxy S II are to expect the upgrade in April, and while the Optimus LTE is also mentioned, there's no specific time frame for that one. Certainly estimated release dates don't always come to fruition, but at least we know what Bell's aiming for, anyway.
Sony's latest Xperia update brings WebGL support to 2011 smartphone lineup (video)
Why Sony chose to sit on this one, we have no idea, but the company just revealed that its software update for the 2011 lineup of Xperia phones -- which was released last month -- also adds browser support for WebGL. This means that if you're holding an Xperia Arc, Mini, Neo, Play, Ray... or any other of its most recent handsets, then there's a good chance you're wielding one of the first Android phones to support this modern graphics platform. Designed to bring advanced visuals and gaming to the web, the API holds roots in JavaScript and has been used to develop everything from Angry Birds to far-out music videos. Sony Ericsson first previewed its WebGL efforts back in February, and after all these months, its official arrival is a welcome one, indeed. For a quick demo video, be sure to hop the break.
Refresh Roundup: week of November 21, 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!
Report: iOS 5 installed on 1 in 3 compatible devices
Well, that was quick: Analytics firm Localytics says that iOS 5 is already installed on one of every three eligible devices, meaning that just a week or so after release, it's already set up and running on a big chunk of the ecosystem. Even taking the iPhone 4S out of the equation (which of course comes with iOS 5 installed), the number's still up to 31%, which is a pretty solid install base put together so quickly. As you can see from the chart above, the iPad 2 actually has the highest rate of install, according to the data Localytics is looking at. Makes sense that both the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4 would be up there, as those are likely Apple's most devoted users, dedicated to keeping the latest and greatest Apple products running. But I think in general this information shows that Apple has done a great job of letting its customers know just how important and useful the upgrade to iOS 5 can be. Most devs will still want to support older versions of the operating system, obviously, but widespread support like this make it easy for most devs to support options like iCloud and iOS 5's other new features. [via TechCrunch]
iOS 5 and OS X 10.7.2 available for download: get your iCloud and iMessage on
Even if you were one of those Apple fans who was less than impressed by the iPhone 4S, there is still reason for excitement -- and that reason's name is iOS 5. If you've got an iPhone 3GS, 4, third- or fourth-gen iPod touch, or either of the iPads you can download Apple's latest and greatest mobile OS right now. That's right, all the fun new features like pull-down notifications, iCloud, iMessage, Find my Friends, Twitter integration and lock screen access to your camera will be at your disposal. Sadly you will not be getting a taste of Siri, which appears to a 4S only feature for now. Still, there's more than enough here to make it a worthy upgrade to your device. So, what are you waiting for? Go hit that update button now. Update: Just so you're aware, you'll need iTunes 10.5 installed to get the latest iOS. There's also an update to OS X coming down the pipes -- version 10.7.2 -- which officially delivers iCloud to your Mac. Huzzah! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
OWC unleashes Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD for MacBook Air
Other World Computing has released the Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD upgrade kit for 2011 MacBook Airs. The SSD releases some serious speed in the latest MacBook Air models thanks to their SATA Revision 3.0, 6Gb/s buses. The Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G will give the 2011 Airs over 500MB/s read & 450MB/s write speeds. OWC says real world use will be up to 68% faster than stock MacBook Airs from Apple and that critical 4K random reads/writes will be up to 3.5X faster. Pretty impressive. The upgrades don't come cheap, however. A 120 GB Aura Pro Express 6G costs US$349 and the 240 GB model costs $599. OWC also offers Mercury Aura Pro Express 3G SSD upgrades for both the 2010 and 2011 MacBook Airs. The 3G variety runs at over 275MB/s data rates and cost $319/449/1227 for the 18/240/480 GB models. [via Engadget]
Sprint axes Premier program, no more annual upgrades for Gold customers
Well, hope as you might that it was untrue, Sprint has killed off its Premier program and is putting an end to annual upgrades for Premier Gold customers. Premier subscribers will still be able to take advantage of the perks provided by their accounts through the end of the year, but once the calendar flips to 2012 you'll be thrown back in with the rest of the riffraff. Gold members, who previously enjoyed discounted handset upgrades every year, will have through the end of 2012 to take advantage of one more subsidized phone. But, after that, they'll be on the same 22 month schedule as everyone else. Sorry folks, dem's da breaks. Check out the FAQ at the source link for more details. [Thanks, Eric]
Go behind the scenes with RuneScape's August updates and upgrades
RuneScape players have a treat in store for them, as Jagex has released the August Behind the Scenes letter today. What do players have to look forward to in the coming month? Quite a bit, actually. Not content to rest on its laurels after the ambitious clan citadels update, Jagex is maintaining full speed with a variety of upgrades and updates to the world of RuneScape. For starters, the Grand Exchange will be seeing an upgrade that will split it into four wings in order to disperse the crowds around the central exchange booth, thereby making the service easier to use. The game's audio will be seeing an overhaul as well, with all elemental, normal, and Ancient Magick spells receiving new sound effects. Agility users will also notice some spankin'-new sounds as they scamper around. Temple Trekking is getting completely reworked, with the Temple Trekking partners' AI getting a large improvement. The largest update this month comes in the form of Branches of Darkmeyer, which will pit players against legions of deadly vampires in pursuit of shiny new vampire-slaying equipment. For all of this and more that we just couldn't fit, check out the August Behind the Scenes letter over at the RuneScape website.
Galaxy Tab 10.1 update coming soon, ushers TouchWiz into the Honeycomb era
That "future software upgrade" Samsung promised us for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is "coming soon" according to the company's site, though, when exactly "soon" might be is anyone's guess. When it does start trickling its way on to Sammy's slate, it'll be bringing with it a host of new features, including that Honeycomb edition of TouchWiz that's sure to be just as divisive as its smartphone ancestor. It does, however, pack in some nice functionality, like a multimedia clipboard for copying and pasting pictures and videos as well as text, and a Live Panel widget for pulling in news, weather, and updates from your social networks. Other features that you're used to on Samsung devices are also coming along for the ride, including the Media Hub for purchasing videos and the latest, intense version of Swype. There's also a remote tracking and wipe function for those who have a tendency to leave their gadgets behind at Starbucks, and it unlocks USB, SD card, and HDMI functionality -- with the appropriate accessories of course. Check out the source link for a few more details.
Telus makes it simple to terminate contracts, replace your feature phone
Taking a page from its own playbook, Telus Mobility has extended its Clear and Simple Device Upgrade program to the logical conclusion of contract termination. Now, if a customer chooses to cancel their service, they must pay only a $50 administrative fee and the remaining portion of their phone's subsidy -- it could still result in a lot of loonies, but the amount decreases monthly according to a fixed schedule. Similar to Rogers, Telus offers its customers early upgrades by allowing them to pay this unrecovered subsidy and commit to a new contract. To make the process even easier (and more tempting), the carrier is now including this magical number with its monthly bills. So, as you dream of getting cozy with a new Nexus S or Optimus Black -- or ditching the Telus network -- just follow the break for the PR.
EVO Shift 4G owners start manually upgrading to Gingerbread
Right on schedule, EVO Shift 4G owners should be able to step on up to Android 2.3. Yesterday, an anonymous tipster gave us a heads up that the upgrade was nigh, and indeed, we're seeing reports that people are manually downloading the update, which includes not just Gingerbread, but Swype, a downloads application, and a fix for apps that haven't been able to stream media. In fact, we've heard some folks say they received the update last night, when we had heard it was scheduled to drop today. If for some reason you want to wait until Sprint pushes the update to you, that should happen on Monday. As always, proceed with caution and let us know how it goes. [Thanks, Jeff]
EVO Shift 4G getting Gingerbread, Swype on June 20
Shift owners, you didn't think you were chopped liver, did you? On the heels of blessing the EVO 4G with Gingerbread, the Shift 4G is about to get some Android 2.3 lovin' of its own. According to this leaked page of instructions sent in by an anonymous tipster, the package includes not just Gingerbread, but Swype, a downloads application, and a fix for apps that haven't been able to stream media properly. Officially, the update's coming on Monday, though it looks like impatient folks should be able to manually update their phones starting tomorrow. Let's just hope it's a smoother transition than when the EVO 4G stepped up to Android 2.3 -- we got a deluge of tips from disgruntled readers who found the update had rendered Netflix unusable.
Verizon updates Fascinate to improve calls and... well, updates of course
It seems the Samsung Fascinate is receiving another update from Verizon -- though minor in comparison to this delicious serving of Froyo -- and this time it's targeting the update process itself. Once you finish pulling in nearly 100MB over Big Red's network, version ED04 promises to improve the delivery of OTA updates -- a blessing if you've ever experienced a bricked install. Additionally, missed opportunities will be minimized thanks to a fix that sharpens the phone's ability to receive inbound calls. Unfortunately, this also means no excuses for "missing" that call from your employer, so you'd best keep that last bit under wraps. It'll be our secret. [Thanks, Jesus]
EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you're impatient)
Well, this was inevitable. After Sprint's website snafu outing its Android 2.3 intentions for the EVO 4G, we've received evidence that points to June 6th as its release date. Better yet, if you're willing to manually check for its availability, you might even find a happy surprise this Friday. In addition to Gingerbread, users will find SMS and Gmail fixes, along with a tweak to the phone's power management software. Hopefully you've got WiMAX, because this update is coming over-the-air. Should everything go according to plan, users will have less than a week to say goodbye to Froyo. It's a trusty companion for sure, but that spicy aroma is quite enticing. Hit the break for some corroborating clues. [Thanks, Tone Bone] Update: It's official -- Sprint is now confirming the Android 2.3 release for June 6th (and Friday). Follow the source for the announcement.
Best Buy Mobile Upgrade Checker reveals other numbers on your Sprint account, invites scaremongering
Some crack reporting from an NBC affiliate news station has revealed a little foible in Best Buy's cellphone upgrade checking utility. If you punch in your Sprint mobile number and ZIP code, you get taken to a screen showing all the other numbers on your account as well. This applies only when yours is the main number on the account, mind you, but the issue is in the obviously lax approach to securing data you might care to keep private -- Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile customers have to pass a security check first. Of course, the actual risks resulting from someone being able to find other numbers associated with your cellular account are so small as to verge on the benign ("somebody can use that... for something", as the KXAN report sagely advises), though that hardly excuses Best Buy from being sloppy with Sprint subscribers. They're human too, you know!
Acer Iconia Tab A500 and ASUS Eee Pad Transformer getting Android 3.1 updates in June
Well, that was fast. Almost immediately after Google unveiled Android 3.1, Motorola was first out of the gate with an update, and now, not even a week later, Acer and ASUS are following suit with plans to freshen up their respective tablets with the newly minted software. To recap, 3.1's benefits include resizeable widgets, support for USB peripherals, and new Movies and Books apps, among other perks. Acer confirmed to us that it aims to start selling the Iconia Tab A500 with 3.1 next month, as well as upgrade existing units running Android 3.0. ASUS, meanwhile, has been touting the impending update for the Eee Pad Transformer on its Italian Facebook page. To which we say, grazie!
Dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10 gets Android 2.2 upgrade, patient owners join 2010
Good things come to those who wait. If you bought the dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10, Android 1.6 be damned, we have some good news -- the tablet's getting an upgrade to Android 2.2. Just to refresh your memories, that leap from Donut to Froyo means ViewPad 10 owners will now get updated Gmail, Calendar, Google Maps, Gallery, and YouTube apps, a refined onscreen keyboard, compatabilty with newer applications, and a healthy dose of sorely needed eye candy. New customers can choose one that also runs Windows 7 Home Premium and has 16GB of flash storage ($599) or one with Win 7 Professional and 32GB of space ($679). As for those of you champing at the bit to upgrade, ViewSonic is keeping things interesting by compelling you to download Froyo onto a thumb drive, and then plug both it and a USB keyboard into the ViewPad to install the update. Then again, something tells us the kind of person who would opt for the ViewPad 10 over other ViewSonic tablets might actually enjoy the challenge.
