Android 2.3 - 3/6 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

Surprise, Surprise - Gingerbread Update For Galaxy S "Temporarily Suspended"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy S, Gingerbread 2.3, Samsung, Vodafone

Don't tell us you didn't see this one coming: Samsung's Gingerbread update for the Galaxy S has been "temporarily suspended." Great.

This time, the abeyance was actually brought about by Google - apparently, the update includes "an issue," though Vodafone claims that their variant of the device is not affected. Nonetheless, the 2.3 software is no longer available from KIES, and won't be until it is "reinstated" (which will happen "as soon as possible").

In the meantime, well, you can look forward to hearing your Galaxy S-wielding friends bemoan Sammy's unreliable updates... again.

Source: Vodafone Forums via Engadget

Mar

Qualcomm Developer Phone Packs 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Snapdragon, 13 Megapixel Camera - But Won't Be Hitting Carriers Anytime Soon

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Gingerbread 2.3, News

The last two Android developer phones - the Nexus One and Nexus S - have both been quite popular amongst the Android fans because of their latest-gen hardware and fast-paced software updates (though maybe not so much for the N1). But a new developer phone coming straight from chip manufacturer Qualcomm won't be aiming to replace your personal phone - it's all about the development.

Knowing just a few of its specs, it certainly seems like it could be some manufacturer's next flagship phone, but there are two big catches:

1.2 GHz Dual core Snapdragon processor with Adreno 220 GPU
1GB RAM
1.2 megapixel front-facing camera
13 megapixel rear camera
Stereo speaker system
Four microphones
Android 2.3
No Market access
Battery "pack" as opposed to a cell

Those last two points are the reason this phone won't be available or even usable for consumers.

Mar

HTC Representative: Gingerbread Hitting HTC ThunderBolt In Q2 2011

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Here's some news that ought to make ThunderBolt owners smile: an HTC representative reportedly told a customer that Gingerbread will be made available for Verizon's new flagship phone in - wait for it - Q2.

According to Droid Life, John (or rudyt83) emailed HTC customer support after experiencing some issues with Bluetooth on his new ThunderBolt. HTC's (rather lengthy) response included this little nugget of information:

We are excited to announce that the Thunderbolt will receive the Gingerbread (Android 2.3) update in Q2 2011. Stay tuned for details as we get closer to the update availability.

The rep proceeded to list features added in Gingerbread, though the similarity to Google's own Android 2.3 changelog leads us to believe that the additions aren't specific to the ThunderBolt.

Mar

Sprint Announces The Nexus S 4G With Integrated Google Voice

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Gingerbread 2.3, News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Sprint

A short while ago we reported on a rumour that suggested that the Nexus S 4G was coming to Sprint. It has now been officially confirmed that Google's second Nexus phone will be coming to Sprint in the next few months.

Fared Adib, VP of Sprint Product Development noted that the first 4G powered Android 2.3 smartphone would deliver on the "promise of advanced data capabilities of 4G to deliver an incredible Web browsing experience". Sprint has also stated that the Nexus S 4G would be the first to receive Android platform upgrades and the latest versions of apps. Let us hope Sprint keeps their promise.

Mar

New Leak Details Specs Of HTC EVO 3D, EVO View 4G, Confirms Sprint-Bound Motorola XOOM

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO 3D (Shooter), EVO View 4G, Flyer, HTC, Motorola, News, Sprint, XOOM

The rumor mill has been abuzz with gossip about Sprint's CTIA event lately, and if BGR's sources are to be believed, the speculation was spot-on: the conference will indeed be centered around the HTC EVO 3D and EVO View 4G, with a WiMAX version of the Motorola XOOM making an appearance as well.

EVO 3D

First up, we have the EVO 3D - HTC's first foray into three-dimensional territory - which will reportedly feature:

A 4.3-inch qHD (960x540) autostereoscopic 3D display
4GB of RAM (I'm thinking this is a typo - even powerhouses like the XOOM and the Atrix only have 1GB of RAM)
1GB of ROM
A 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8660 Snapdragon CPU
Dual 5MP rear cameras; dedicated camera button included
A 1.3MP front-facing camera
A 1730mAh battery
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC's Sense UI
Blockbuster on-demand
YouTube 3D

EVO View 4G

Just as expected, the EVO View 4G is almost exactly the same tablet as the (admittedly underwhelming) Flyer that HTC demoed at MWC.

Feb

Monster Madness Powered By Unreal Engine 3 Creeps Into The Android Market, Complete With Zombies, Weapons, And... Gingerbread/Tegra Requirements

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Games, News

Earlier this month, along with the CNN app for tablets, Google demoed 2 3D games that utilized both of Tegra 2's CPU cores - Monster Madness and Great Battles. The former of these games, Monster Madness, just quietly crept into the Android Market with a hefty $10 price tag. The price of 2 Starbucks coffees is a bit steep for a game, but not unheard of.

So, what does Monster Madness offer you? Zombies, upgradeable weapons, power-ups, destructible worlds, and great 3D graphics, powered by Unreal Engine 3. Not a bad package at all, don't you think? Additionally, local co-op mode via Wi-Fi means you can gang up on those monsters with your friends who can jump in and out of the game as they please.

Feb

[Breaking] The "Few Weeks" Are Finally Over - Android 2.3.3 Now Rolling Out To Nexus One And Nexus S

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, Nexus One (Passion)

It seems Google has a funny definition of "a few weeks" - the Nexus One has been waiting for an update to Gingerbread for almost three months now - but late or not, the update is finally rolling out.

It isn't just any update, however; it's the recently announced Android 2.3.3, which features API level 10 as well as enhancements to Bluetooth, Graphics, Speech Recognition, and Media APIs (sorry, the Nexus One won't benefit from NFC enhancements as it doesn't have the hardware).

Nexus S users should also be seeing the update, and they'll get an extra treat to go along with it: writing/transmitting NFC capabilities.

Feb

Rumor: Nexus One Gingerbread OTA By End Of This Week Or Early Next? We'll Believe It When We See It

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Nexus One (Passion)

HTC Nexus One, the predecessor to the Gingerbread-sporting Samsung Nexus S, has been teased with the Android 2.3 over-the-air upgrade ever since Gingerbread was released. At the time, we anxiously waited for the upgrade that seemed to be imminent, but weeks flew by without any news. Then, Google said it was coming "in the next few weeks," but months slowly churned, and thousands of Nexus Ones owners are still GBreadless.

How many times can you cry wolf before people stop listening to you? I don't know, but I hope this is the last time - Mobile Crunch reports that multiple sources, including Googlers on location at MWC in Barcelona, claim the 2.3 OTA is coming to our precious N1s by the week's end or early next week at the latest.

Feb

Vodafone Makes It Official: Nexus S Launching Worldwide In Black And White

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Google, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Vodafone

Vodafone has officially announced they will be launching a black and white Nexus S on contract in 24 countries worldwide. Vodafone, which was one of Google's first carrier partners for the Nexus One, has listed the device as "coming soon" on their website. This should bump Nexus S sales a bit in the UK as up until now, the Google-branded handset was only available in the UK unlocked.

At this point, we do not have any details on a price or probable launch date, but look for this device soon. For those interested, hit the source link for more details.

Feb

[Rumor] Android 2.4 Coming Soon To A Smartphone Near You

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Gingerbread 2.3, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Pocket-lint has been told that the Viewsonic ViewPad 4 smartphone will be the first device with Android 2.4 when it launches in April of this year. Android 2.4 was confirmed over a month ago; however, this rumor lends credence to the fact that the update will not be a major release. Instead, the update will augment Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), allowing dual-core apps specifically designed for Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) to work on single-core devices.

Earlier last week, we heard that Honeycomb was designed exclusively for tablets and not for smartphones, though some of its features will be carried over to smartphones. This appears to be in line with Pocket-lint's rumor today.