Artem Russakovskii
Artem is a die-hard Android fan, passionate tech blogger, obsessive-compulsive editor, bug hunting programmer, and the founder of Android Police.
Most of the time, you will find Artem either hacking away at code or thinking of the next 15 blog posts.

10
Aug
image

These updates might not amount to much, but it's always nice to see official updates to older devices. I'm talking really old, like the myTouch 3G Slide and the G2, both released all the way back in 2010. If you're in possession of said devices and are not yet running a custom ROM with something more fresh than Android 2.2 and 2.3.4 respectively (why not?), here's what's coming:

  • Security patch
  • Improved software stability

Descriptive, isn't it? Here are the details of each update:

MyTouch 3G Slide

G2

Again, these may not be very big, but something is better than nothing at all.

09
Aug
image

Script Kitty has actually been around for a while, but after receiving its 2.0 update last week, it's now a serious contender for one of those must-have apps (at least for anyone with an ssh-enabled server). I downloaded and set it up in a matter of a few minutes (including generating an RSA key for key-based auth and adding said key to a few Linux servers), and now have a stupid easy way of doing certain things very quickly without having to even resort to ConnectBot.

scriptkitty

What is Script Kitty?

Here's the gist: if you have repetitive tasks, such as checking available disk space or quickly restarting apache on all your servers, Script Kitty is the app for the job.

06
Aug
image
Last Updated: August 8th, 2012

Sprint may not have officially announced its plans to fire up the speedy LTE network outside of the initial launch markets and a few additional ones, but it looks like a working 4G-LTE connection can be already picked up in the Bay Area Peninsula way ahead of the rumored schedule.

Our tipster Seth reported getting 4G connectivity on his Galaxy Nexus around Palo Alto and Mountain View, getting Speedtest.net speeds of 13+Mbps down and 8+Mbps up. After looking into the situation, I found a number of users of the S4GRU forum confirming connectivity in the same area, along with Sunnyvale and Cupertino, the home of Apple.

06
Aug
image
Last Updated: August 13th, 2012

After a long series of post-MWC changes, Samsung has finally readied its long-awaited flagship Galaxy Note 10.1 Android tablet and officially announced its global availability. The release schedule is set to start immediately with the United States, United Kingdom, Korea, and Germany, followed by other markets "starting in August." The initial release includes only the Wi-Fi only and the 3G/HSPA+-enabled variants, with the LTE flavor coming later this year.

Note: The press release is a little ambiguous on whether the "starting in August" bit refers to the four aforementioned countries or the following global availability, but we're inclined to side with the latter.

02
Aug
image

Chameleon Launcher, a highly anticipated launcher replacement for Android tablets, has just released the initial beta version of the app into the Play Store. While everyone with a compatible device can download it, you will need to have an invitation, whether from your Kickstarter pre-order or pre-registration (say, if you're a member of the press or a private beta tester).

image

If you think you're part of the private beta, head over here (replace YOUR_EMAIL with your pre-reg email address and YOUR_NAME with your name) and associate your registration email with your Play Store account, then grab the app from the Play Store and fire it up.

02
Aug
image

If you still had any doubts at this point that the HTC Rezound Ice Cream Sandwich update was indeed rolling out as reported by the first batch of users, let me dispel them right now. Verizon Wireless just updated the official document detailing the Android 4.0.3 rollout (it's indeed HTC build version 3.14.605.12 and Sense 3.6). Here are some screenshots of the doc along with the changelog:

image image image

With this upgrade, your device will now run on Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Additionally, here are some feature enhancements included with this software release.

Applications & Widgets
+ V CAST Media Manager has been updated to Backup Assistant Plus with an enhanced user experience.

02
Aug
image

The HTC Rezound ICS update finally started rolling out today, and what do you know - it looks like the same version 3.14.605.12 that we've been holding onto for a few weeks. Since the OTA version matches the RUU we have, we're releasing it for those who don't necessarily feel like waiting for the staggered update or want an ability to restore back to full stock, or simply want to roll their own custom ROM.

Because I don't have a Rezound myself, I can only verify that the build number in the RUU matches up (3.14.605.12), and there are mentions of 1.16.002 and 2.10.002 which are also both present in the OTA's PRI version.

02
Aug
image

After countless leaks, a rumor of questionable origin, and a missed target release timeline of June-July, it looks like Verizon has opened the flood gates, and the HTC Rezound ICS update has started rolling out to the first batch of users, just a few days late.

Update: Verizon just officially confirmed.

The 299MB OTA bears the same version 3.14.605.12 that we heard about a few weeks ago and may take several months to become fully available to 100% of devices. That's the bad news.

The good news is that we've actually been in the possession of the full .12 RUU for a while but haven't bothered releasing it unless we could verify it was indeed the final OTA (it seemed too minor compared to the previous .10 leak).

29
Jul
GALAXY_Note_10.1_Product_Image_(2)

Firmware for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, including the full system dump, was leaked by SamMobile this weekend. As expected, the OS version in the dump is currently ICS 4.0.4 as opposed to Jelly Bean, but there is still a slim chance we'll see 4.1 at launch. The tablet has received a number of upgrades since the announcement at MWC earlier this year, the most notable ones being a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a stylus slot. It is still unclear when the Note 10.1 is going to launch.

Update: Some Basemark benchmark scores.

If you're a developer feeling especially adventurous today, you can download the full firmware by hitting the source link or the system dump I've already converted to ext4 from Samsung's proprietary format and mirrored below.

28
Jul
google_play
Last Updated: January 6th, 2013

Google is in the process of rolling out a Play Store update v3.7.15 which follows 3.7.11 and 3.7.13 from early July. The latest version doesn't bring any new features as far as I can tell, so we can only assume it contains under-the-hood improvements and/or bug fixes.