android 4.0 - 9/12 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Dec

Dropbox Preview Build 1.3.0.6 Now Available On The Dropbox Forums

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

Everyone knows and loves Dropbox, and with build 1.3.0.6, its Android version is about to get even better. For now it's but a preview -- a "forum build," by official Dropbox terminology -- though we'd expect that to change soon, as in my experience it seems quite stable.

The main addition here is "optimization" for Android 4.0, presumably consisting mainly of performance tweaks. Additionally, the update features:

support for foreign languages
quick offline access to files ("favorites")
the ability to bulk upload photos and videos
the option to rename files and folders
single-tap access to all file and folder actions
an improved gallery
uploading from and exporting to local storage
the obligatory bug fixes

Interested?

Dec

Samsung: Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, Galaxy R, Tab 7.0 Plus, 7.7, 8.9, 10.1 All To Get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by David Ruddock in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Samsung

Samsung has finally made an official statement regarding its plans to upgrade current handsets to Ice Cream Sandwich (Android version 4.0), and the short list is indeed quite short:

Galaxy S II (including AT&T LTE version)
Galaxy Note
Galaxy R
Tab 7.0 Plus
Tab 7.7
Tab 8.9
Tab 10.1

Updates will start with the Galaxy S II and Note in Q1 2012, but that time frame likely applies to world versions of the phone, so those with American carrier-branded versions of the GSII will probably be waiting a little longer. The rest of the devices listed will "soon follow."

There are no mentions of any other possible candidates, so if your phone isn't listed, you can rest pretty well assured it won't be getting an upgrade to Android 4.0 from Samsung.

Dec

Android 4.0.3 Announced, Brings Bug Fixes And New APIs For Developers

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Looks like the incremental updates for Android 4.0 are rolling along nicely at this point - the VZW Galaxy Nexus received the update to Android 4.0.2 yesterday, and now Google has announced version 4.0.3. As you may expect, it crushes many bugs that have been found in current builds, along with throwing some optimizations into the mix.

This update will also bring some new goodies to the table for developers in the form of new APIs:

Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user’s contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each.

Dec

Adobe Flash 11.1 Hits The Android Market With Support For Android 4.0

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Adobe promised that it would update Flash to support devices running Android 4.0 before the end of the year, and it has now made good on that promise - just in time for the U.S release of the Galaxy Nexus, no less.

Better grab it now, because this is likely to be the last major update that Flash for Android will ever see. Of course, Adobe will continue to push security updates to the app, but that will probably be the extent of it.

This update to Adobe Flash Player 11 includes compatibility with Android 4 supported devices, performance improvements and bug fixes related to security and stability.

Dec

Sony Ericsson Releases Alpha ICS ROM For Certain Unlocked Xperia Devices

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Xperia Arc (Anzu, X12), Xperia Neo (Hallon), Xperia Ray (Urushi, ST18i)

There must be something weird going on with manufacturers lately - first Huawei released an alpha build of ICS for the Honor, and now Sony Ericsson (soon to be just Sony) has released an ICS ROM for certain unlocked Xperia devices, including the Arc S, Neo V, and Ray.

Since it's an alpha ROM, it's not made for day-to-day use, as it is limited to just a few functions at the moment. As far as things that aren't working are concerned, here is the list, as provided by SE in the official blog post:

Google Mobile Services (GMS) apps are not included (for example, Gmail, Google Maps, etc.).

Dec

[Update: Maybe Not] HTC Customer Support Seems To Confirm Ice Cream Sandwich Update For MyTouch 4G In Early 2012

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, myTouch 4G (Glacier), News, T-Mobile

Although it wasn't among the select few HTC devices confirmed to be receiving Ice Cream Sandwich, we have reasons to believe that T-Mobile's myTouch 4G will indeed be receiving the update in early 2012, according to an HTC customer support representative. Here's the original message:

First I want to thank you for the amazing job you've done building and maintaining my phone. It's my favorite phone I've ever owned by far. I'm incredibly excited for android 4.0 (Ice cream sandwich) and am really hoping for the update to come to the T-mobile mytouch 4g. I absolutely love the phone and don't want to replace it with another. I'm emailing to request that the T-mobile mytouch 4g be put on the forefront of update candidates. Thank you again.

Nov

LG Announces Plans To Bring ICS To "High-End' Devices, Evaluates Other Models For Compatibility

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, LG, News

Earlier today via its Facebook page, LG announced that it would be bringing ICS to a number of "high-end" devices, including the Optimus 2x, Optimus Black, Optimus 3D, and Optimus LTE. Other LG devices are still on the chopping block, as they are currently being evaluated "to determine whether [ICS] is compatible with the functionality, features, and performance of other LG smartphones."

More details, including an upgrade schedule and specific model information, should be available and posted on the LG Facebook page sometime next month. We'll be sure to keep you posted as more information shows up.

[LG Mobile Facebook; Thanks, Micah!]

Nov

[Raising The Dead] The HTC G1 Gets A Taste Of Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Cameron Summerson in G1 (Dream), Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Still rocking the HTC G1, the world's first Android phone? Didn't think so, but if you have one laying around somewhere, you may want to grab that thing and knock the dust off of it. Why, you ask? Because there's a "working" (I use that term loosely here) port of ICS ready to flash.

As you may imagine, it is incredibly slow and nearly unusable, but c'mon - you have to admit that it's pretty cool. Here's a video of it in action (again, I use that term loosely).

There are a few things that still aren't working in this build, like screen rotation, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

Nov

Unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus Now On Sale At Expansys.com... For $750

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy Nexus, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Samsung

Not in the mood to wait around for Verizon to finally decide to put a firm release date on the Galaxy Nexus' head? Tied to one of the other carriers? If your answer to either of those questions was affirmative (and if you have three-quarters of a grand lying around), you'll be delighted to know that Expansys just put up a page from which customers can purchase the I9250 GSM variant of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

At $750, it won't come cheap, but as this is an "intermational" handset (Expansys' "be first" motto apparently means it doesn't dedicate much time to proofreading), you'll be able to use it on both AT&T and T-Mobile.

Nov

Adobe: Flash Will Be Updated To Support ICS Before Year's End, But Not Future Versions Of Android

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Earlier this month, Adobe announced that it would be halting development on the mobile version of Flash, which included support for Android devices. More recently, it was realized that the current version of Flash isn't compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich, leaving early adopters of the Galaxy Nexus without the ability to view flash content on the web.

Adobe has now confirmed that it will be bringing Flash to ICS devices before the end of 2011, but it will not support any version of Android past 4.0. Throughout the lifespan of ICS, Adobe will continue to push critical updates, bug fixes, and security updates to Flash for Android to ensure device security, but that will be the extent of development as far as mobile Flash is concerned.