Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 - 9/27 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

T-Mobile Galaxy SII, Sensation, Amaze Planned ICS Update Dates Leaked Along With A Few New Devices, Launch Dates

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Leaks, News, T-Mobile

Giving T-Mo customers a few things to look forward to in the coming months, a roadmap of planned release/update dates leaked earlier today, revealing the proposed dates for several new device launches, as well as dates on which users can expect updates to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Before we take a look at the leaked screenshot, though, it's worth noting that these dates are of course subject to change, especially considering this chart wasn't meant for public viewing.

As you can see, T-Mo's Galaxy SII is looking to catch up to its global counterpart with an update to Ice Cream Sandwich on May 14th, while HTC's Amaze and Sensation 4G will be waiting till June 16th.

Apr

[Leak] Verizon's Update List Slips Out The Backdoor, HTC Rezound, Motorola Droid RAZR/MAXX, and Xoom 3G/4G To Receive ICS

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Verizon Wireless

It's April now, a solid five months or so after the Ice Cream Sandwich source code dropped. We've all been waiting eagerly for our old devices to see Google's latest and greatest. Today, on Reddit, a Verizon employee dropped some slides that detail Verizon's plans for ICS launches. Notable devices include the HTC Rezound, the Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX, as well as the premiere Google tablet, the Xoom 3G/4G.

According to the documents, the Rezound should be seeing an update to ICS on May 9th, while the RAZR/MAXX pairing will be receiving the update later in the month, on the 21st.

Apr

Ice Cream Sandwich Now Rolling Out To The Sony Tablet S

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Tablet S

Back in late March, Sony announced that it would indeed be bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to the Tablet S and the funky little Tablet P. True to its word, the rollout has already begun for the former.

The update brings several new features to the 9.4-inch slate:

Enhanced lock screen
- Direct access to Notifications
- Unlock direct to camera
New panoramic camera mode
Enhanced Gallery media viewer
- Direct SD card access + photo editing tools
Exclusive “Small Apps’ for multi-tasking
- Calculator, Browser, Remote Control
- Move to screen edge for reduced clutter
New Home Screen actions
- Drag icons together to create folders
- Add names to folders
Enhanced web browser
- Switch from mobile to desktop web sites
- Save pages for offline viewing
Access files directly from SD card
Native screenshot capture
- Press “power” and “Volume –“

With the release of ICS, Sony is also offering a $50 discount and a free desktop cradle to anyone who picks up a Tablet S between now and May 12.

Apr

[Deal Alert] Expansys USA Drops Unlocked Galaxy Nexus To $399.99, Beats Google By Almost $50 With Free Shipping And Lack Of Tax

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Deals, Galaxy Nexus, News, Samsung

Just yesterday, Google started selling the Galaxy Nexus on its Play store. The news caught many off guard - not only had Google not done anything of the sort for quite some time, but the price ($399) was surprisingly low for an unlocked, contract-free device. Unfortunately, however, there was a catch: namely, the gadget was still subject to all the usual taxes and shipping fees (at least in all the states we tested - CA, TX, KY, MN, and likely many others), bringing the total cost up by almost $50. Here's a screenshot:

But fear not - Expansys USA has come up with a solution.

Apr

Acer's Iconia Tab A500 Getting A Taste Of Ice Cream Sandwich Two Days Ahead Of Schedule

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Iconia Tab A500, News

It looks like owners of Acer's Iconia Tab A500 have something to be excited about today – according to various reports, an official update to Ice Cream Sandwich has begun rolling out. Users began reporting the update just this afternoon, indicating that Acer is pushing ICS to A500 owners a full two days ahead of the official start date.

Photo courtesy of XDA user indukwe

You may remember that the A100 also saw an early update to ICS, with rollout beginning three days ahead of schedule. Users from around the world are reporting success with today's rollout, though there is some debate as to whether the "Gen2" variant of the Iconia Tab A500 is yet able to grab the update.

Apr

Ice Cream Sandwich Update (2.14.531.1) For T-Mobile's HTC Amaze 4G Leaked

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amaze 4G (Ruby), Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Leaks, News, T-Mobile

Remember way back in December when T-Mo hinted an Ice Cream Sandwich update for the HTC Amaze? Almost five months later, the page has not been updated and an official software update has not been released. Thanks to veteran XDA user Football, however, Amaze owners can download a leaked version of the official ICS update. Considering that the Amaze recently got S-Off capability, it's looking like users have a lot to be excited about this week.

For those interested, this update contains software version 2.14.531.1. Though the download was only posted earlier today, several reports of success are rolling in already.

Apr

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review: The Best Cheap Android Tablet Around

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Reviews

Last Updated: April 30th, 2012

While we're all waiting around for the Galaxy Note 10.1 to arrive and blow us away with its S-Pen powers on a Photoshop-equipped tablet, Samsung has set a couple new tablets loose on the market. Headlining on price, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 competes head-to-head with the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire. This tablet's advantage: Android 4.0. At $250, it's the cheapest way to get the full Android experience.

When we first heard about a $250 7" Android tablet, it wasn't from Samsung, but ASUS. Since then, ASUS has grown suspiciously quiet on the subject of its cheap tablets (perhaps because of a change in plans?), but Samsung has taken up the mantle.

Apr

[Updated: Mexico/Brazil Added] Acer Clarifies A100 And A500 ICS Update Date - Starting April 27 In The US

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Acer, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Iconia A100, Iconia Tab A500, News

You're probably getting used to OEMs being conveniently vague about dates of Ice Cream Sandwich rollouts. Well, Acer has seen fit to set the record straight and clue everyone into the update schedule for the Iconia Tab A100 and A500 Android tablets. Both devices will begin getting the update on April 27, which is a mere 10 days from now. The A200 got its update way back in February.

Update: Mexico and Brazil updates clarified:

The aforementioned April date is only for the US variant of the devices, though. Latin America is actually getting its updates under way a few days earlier, but sadly, Iconia A100 owners in Canada will have to wait until May 3.

Apr

Archos 101 G9 Turbo Review: A Good Budget Tablet, Largely Because It Gets Out Of Google's Way

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in 101 G9, ARCHOS, Reviews

Last Updated: April 30th, 2012

Archos may not make the most headlines for its series of mid-range tablets, but occasionally, one of them deserves a mention. The Archos 101 G9 is a strong contender for your money if you're on a tight budget. The savants among you may want to hold off for a Galaxy Note 10.1, or whatever Google is cooking up for its tablet line. Still, with prices starting at $270 for the 8" 8GB version to $330 for the 10" 8GB version, it's difficult to ignore. Oh, and did I mention it runs stock Ice Cream Sandwich?

Hardware And Build Quality

On the inside, the tablet isn't a beast, but it's no slouch either.

Apr

Sony Begins Rollout Of Ice Cream Sandwich To The Xperia Arc S, Neo V, and Ray In Nordic Countries

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Xperia Active (Satsuma), Xperia Arc (Anzu, X12), Xperia Arc S, Xperia Mini / Mini Pro (Smultron / Mango), Xperia Neo (Hallon), Xperia Neo V (Haida), Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone), Xperia Ray (Urushi, ST18i)

Sony has done an excellent job at being transparent with its progress on the bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to a number of Xperia devices. It has kept users aware of what's going on throughout the process, as well as shared alpha and beta builds along the way. Now, though, it looks like the beta days are behind them and the build is ready for prime time for a certain Xperia devices.

The rollout will being with unlocked variants of the Xperia arc s, neo v, and ray (seriously, Sony, stop with the lowercase device names. It looks awful) in Nordic Countries and will continue over the next four to six weeks.