Android 2.2 - 2/11 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Froyo Update For Samsung Epic 4G Halted After Reports Of SD Card Access and Data Connection Problems

Posted by Zak Stinson in Android OS, Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Sprint

Samsung has a reputation for not being the greatest at updating their devices, but this week has been especially rough for them. First, Microsoft had to halt an update to the Samsung Omnia 7 due to reports of bricked devices. Today, Sprint has just stopped pushing the Android 2.2 update for the Epic as users have found hardware problems after applying it.

According to Sprint's support forum, there have been an increased number of calls into their Care Centre about issues with wireless data connectivity and the ability to access the SD card. While it's a relief that no one has reported a bricked phone, I can imagine the long wait for Froyo would be made that much worse by having it break some core functionalities of your device.

Feb

Samsung Captivate To Get Froyo Update February 24th

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in AT&T, Captivate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung

Last Updated: February 24th, 2011

The final pieces of the Galaxy S Froyo puzzle are finally falling into place - AT&T's Captivate, one the two remaining GS devices still stuck on Éclair, is now scheduled to get the update to Android 2.2 tomorrow (2/24)! While you're waiting, be sure to check out AT&T's Q&A with Dante Martin video, which attempts to explain the delay behind Android software updates - let us know what you think of his excuses via the comments below.

P.S. Here's the complete changelog, as seen in the support page that leaked out a while back:

Home Screen:

New Home screen tips widget assists new users on how to configure the home screen with shortcuts and widgets and how to make use of multiple home screens.

Feb

Android 2.2 Begins Rolling Out To Samsung Epic 4Gs Tonight - But You Can Download And Flash It Now!

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Sprint

Ah yes, Android 2.2 (build number EB13) for the Epic 4G is finally here. Well actually, that's not quite accurate if you're waiting for the official OTA rollout - which won't start until 9:00 p.m. PST - but if you're willing to flash the update as a ROM, you can have it now.

In addition to all the usual Froyo goodies, EB13 brings GPS enhancements, "user friendly" tethering for 3G and 4G, and TouchWiz 3.0 (you can get the full rundown here). Sprint will be rolling the update out in stages, with all Epic 4Gs running Froyo within four days.

Feb

Photos Of NEC MEDIAS - World's Thinnest Android Smartphone - Leaked

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in NEC, News, NTT DoCoMo, Rumors

Last Updated: January 21st, 2013

If rumors are to be believed, NEC's newest Android phone - the MEDIAS E-04C - will be the world's thinnest smartphone at 7.7mm when it launches this Thursday. It has only been a short time since Sony Ericsson launched the razor-thin Xperia arc and Samsung crowned its Galaxy S II phone as the "world's thinnest smartphone," but at 8.7mm and 8.49mm at their thinnest points, respectively, these phones look positively obese in comparison.

According to Akihabara News, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo will be announcing its new spring collection later this week, but apparently someone could not wait and leaked photos of NEC's newest offering to Japanese blog Ameba.

Feb

Sprint Makes It Officially Official: Epic 4G To Receive Froyo Update Beginning February 21

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Sprint

That wasn't so long, was it? As expected, Sprint has officially announced the official Android 2.2 update for the Epic 4G is set to start rolling out February 21 and will continue to be sent in waves until February 25, when all devices will have received the update. While you probably already know everything Froyo entails, Sprint has compiled a list of the major enhancements and additions you can expect:

This software update (version EB13) will include:

Upgrade of the Google OS from Éclair to Froyo (2.2.1)

Ability to install applications to external storage

Improved Bluetooth device support

Bluetooth Voice Dialing

Flash Player 10.1

GPS Enhancements

Improved OS performance

It's certainly been a long time coming, but maybe this Froyo update will win back some customers for Samsung.

Feb

ViewSonic Debuts The Dual-SIM V350 Android Smartphone

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Froyo 2.2, News, V350, Viewsonic

Another day, another well-meaning manufacturer launches an Android phone. Today it's ViewSonic's turn, and they've debuted the V350 Android 2.2 (Froyo) smartphone.

This lower-end smartphone features a 3.5-inch screen, 600Mhz processor, 512MB of memory, 5 megapixel camera and access to all the other standard Android apps and services.

Setting this device apart from the other countless Android smartphones is the two built-in SIM card slots; allowing the user to have two different phone numbers from (potentially) two different carriers on one single device. There are very few smartphones that offer dual-SIM technology and this in itself makes the V350 an appealing device.

Feb

Google Reader App Update Brings Widgets And Other Improvements

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Applications, News

The Google Reader app for Android is streamlined, slick and easy to use. It performs one function and it does it well: reading your RSS feeds.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when the app updated today with some additional useful features.

Firstly, two new widgets have been added, one to show the unread count and one to display new stories in a news ticker format. The unread count widget can be set to show the number of unread stories in a feed, label, person or on all your items. The news ticker widget scrolls through any of the RSS feeds in Reader.

Feb

Support Page For Samsung Captivate Froyo Upgrade Secretly Goes Up - Update Imminent?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in AT&T, Captivate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung

Update: Just like that, the page has been pulled! Hopefully we'll still see the update soon - it'd be embarrassing to have this drama drag on any longer.

Looks like Kies Mini is the path Samsung has decided to take with the Galaxy S Froyo updates (at least in the US) - first, the Vibrant got its 2.2 fix via the Windows-only software, and now it appears that the Captivate will soon join the club. That's right: according to a recently published page on Samsung's own support site, Android 2.2 for the Captivate will roll out via Kies Mini rather than a standard OTA method.

Jan

Abra-Kadabra! HTC Thunderbolt To Allow For Simultaneous Voice and Data On Verizon 3G!

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

With training for the HTC Thunderbolt starting today, a few Thunderbolt goodies surfaced. According to the leaked screenshot, the HTC Thunderbolt will be able to handle both voice and data simultaneously on Verizon 3G. As many of you probably already know, Verizon's CDMA network was incapable of producing this in the past (voice and data use separate channels on CDMA), but apparently HTC and Big Red have done some magic and figured out a way on this new 4G device.

For those who can’t see the text in the watermark in the image above:

There is functionality in the Thunderbolt that allows simultaneous voice and data while on the VZW 3G network, however, we cannot promise the experience will be one that is consistent with our brand. As a result, do not reference this functionality as a benefit during your conversations with customers.

Jan

Motorola XOOM To Launch On February 17th, Confirmed By Internal Best Buy Document

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Motorola, News, XOOM

An eager reader forwarded an internal Best Buy memo to Engadget which indicates, in no uncertain terms, that the Motorola XOOM tablet is set to launch at Best Buy on February 17th.

A leak from Verizon has confirmed that the unsubsidized price of the XOOM will be $799. However, Best Buy may be retailing the device for an altogether different price.

The XOOM is an important device for both Motorola and Google because it will be the first tablet to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, an iteration of the Android OS that supports the tablet form factor. Google rubber-stamped their approval over this product when Andy Rubin demoed Honeycomb on the XOOM at AllThingsD's D:Dive Into Mobile.