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Nov

Motorola Photon Q Update Rolls Out - No, It's Not Jelly Bean

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Photon Q

Who doesn't love a good software update? Today, Sprint is beginning to rollout a minor upgrade to the Photon Q that brings a few incremental improvements. Sorry, there are no Jelly Beans to be seen, but there are still some things to be excited about. Here are a few of the key features of the newest build:

Enhancements/Fixes

Improved text messaging when requesting usage and upgradeability through Sprint Zone
Select number of users to access Wi-Fi hotspot
Random power cycle when using Wi-Fi Direct
Manually send or auto-sync emails from outbox
seamless international text messaging
Faster launch and playback using the YouTube application
Improved browsing with Google Chrome for Android Mobile Browser
Improved MMS functionality

All in all, it's not a huge update by any means, but users of the device should still appreciate the tweaks.

Nov

Google Releases October's Android Platform Distribution Numbers – Jelly Bean At 2.7%, Gingerbread Still Hanging On At 54%

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Once again and right on time, Google has released Platform Distribution numbers for Android, this time for the month of October. The numbers still show Gingerbread holding on at just over 54%, but Jelly Bean is gaining a little more ground at 2.7%, up 0.9% over the previous month.

Again, the Gingerbread/Jelly Bean numbers are a bit disappointing considering the extremely small change from the previous cycle (a change of less than 1% for each), but it's worth noting that these numbers will (hopefully) be helped along by updates rumored to be coming soon (or those that just arrived).

Nov

Panasonic Eluga Gets Update To Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich Courtesy Of A Play Store App

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Eluga, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Panasonic

Taking a new approach to firmware upgrades, Panasonic has decided to update its Eluga handset to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich via a downloadable Play Store app appropriately named 'ELUGA ICS Update.'

For those who don't remember, the Eluga is a little-talked-about handset that debuted in Spring 2012 in Europe and Japan, touting a waterproof and dustproof chassis.

According to its description, Panasonic's update app "connects to Panasonic download server [sic] and downloads the Ice Cream Sandwich software update." Of course, many of us are familiar with what improvements Ice Cream Sandwich brings over Gingerbread 2.3.x, but Panasonic emphasizes the new "powerful new features" of its custom skin as well, listing the lock screen, status bar, home screen, and app drawer as areas of improvement with the update.

Nov

LG Viper On Sprint Finally Getting An OTA Update To Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Sprint, Viper

It's hard to believe that any high(er) end phone released within the last six months shipped with Gingerbread, but sadly, that's the case. Sprint's first LTE smartphone, the LG Viper, was one such device. Thankfully, the company is now pushing out an OTA update that will bump the Android version up to 4.0. It may not be the latest and greatest that Google has to offer, but it's still a huge improvement over Gingerbread.

Sprint's full changelog basically highlights some of the many features that ICS has over GB, so it's unclear if the OTA brings any other enhancements to the table (because a massive OS upgrade isn't enough, right?):

To see if the update is available for your device, head into Settings > About Phone > System Updates.

Oct

ARCHOS Announces The 80 Cobalt, A Lower-End Dual-Core 8" ICS Tablet Without A Price Tag Yet

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in ARCHOS, News

Today, ARCHOS released details on its newest small form factor tablet, the 80 Cobalt. Clearly aimed at the lower end of the slate market, this device packs a 1.6Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage and a rather meager 1024x768 display. Fortunately, the device also includes the controversial as of late micro SD card slot.

Here's the full list of specs you care about:

Dual core @ 1.6 GHz with Quad core GPU
1GB RAM
8” 1024 x 768 display (4:3 aspect ratio)
8 GB flash memory
2MP rear camera
0.3MP front camera
Micro SD slot (SDHC compatible) Up to 64 GB
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

To put it politely, the specs don't exactly overwhelm.

Oct

LG Spectrum ICS 4.0.4 Update (Build VS920ZV7) Rolling Out To Devices Soon

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in LG, News, Spectrum

Ah, the poor LG Spectrum. Soon after it was released with mediocre Gingerbread-based software the Samsung Galaxy S III showed up to rain on LG's parade. Well, the Spectrum is getting a big update to Android 4.0.4 that should make owners much happier. Watch out, though. It clocks in at a whopping 384MB.

Many of the new features will be familiar to users of ICS on other devices, but some of it is part of LG's Android skin. Features include:

Customizable lock screen shortcuts
Customizable home screen launch bar
ICS system theme
ICS-style app drawer with widgets
ICS multitasking
ICS-style notifications
Quick settings in the notification panel
New power saving functionality
ICS data usage monitor
Verizon Remote Diagnostic Tool (if you're into that sort of thing)

Yes, Jelly Bean has been out for months, but this was not a terribly well-received phone.

Oct

Sony Confirms 2012 Smartphones Will Receive Jelly Bean In 2013, 2011 Devices Are Stuck On ICS

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Sony

Straight from the horse's mouth is always the best way to hear about updates, even if it's less-than-stellar news. Today, Sony confirmed its schedule for Jelly Bean updates on its line of phones. For starters, the recently-launched Xperia T and Xperia TX will be upgraded "from mid-Q1 2013." This will put the latest and greatest from Sony a solid six months behind Android 4.1's initial launch and, if our guess is correct, at least a few months behind the possible release of Android 4.2.

After that, the rest of Sony's 2012 lineup, including the Xperia S, Xperia acro S, Xperia ion, Xperia P, Xperia go and Xperia J will all be upgraded to Jelly Bean sometime next year.

Oct

Motorola Atrix 4G Gets Leaked Ice Cream Sandwich Build – Here's How To Install It

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Leaks, News

Last Updated: October 11th, 2012

Soon after Motorola revised its software upgrade timeline, changing the original Atrix 4G's ICS ETA from Q3 2012 to a disheartening "further plans coming soon," a leaked Ice Cream Sandwich build has cropped up on XDA's forums. If you're the owner of an Atrix 4G and you're tired of waiting, there's good news - the leak, which carries an August build date, can be downloaded and installed on your device in just a few easy steps. Here's how it's done:

Disclaimer: Android Police isn't responsible for any harm to your device - proceed at your own risk.

Step 1.

Oct

Ice Cream Sandwich Now Rolling Out To The Atrix 2 On AT&T

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Atrix 2, News

Back in late September, Motorola updated its ICS rollout timeline, highlighting that several updates had been delayed, one of which was the Atrix 2. Then, much to the surprise of basically everyone, Moto released details and a soak test of the Atrix 2's Android 4.0 update just three days later. Silly Moto.

According to the official AT&T blog, the update is ready for that masses and should be rolling out to users now. Aside from all the changes that come with ICS, there are a few noteworthy Moto-specific changes, as well:

Due to Adobe's discontinuation of Flash development, Flash Player is no longer pre-loaded to this device.

Oct

ICS Now Rolling Out To The XOOM 2 Wi-Fi And XOOM Family Edition In Europe

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, XOOM, XYBOARD / XOOM 2

While the US variants of the XOOM 2 (known as the Xyboard/Droid Xyboard in the States) have been sitting on ICS for a while now, the lonely European versions have been idly waiting for their update to roll in. Good news: today's the day!

Motorola announced via its Facebook page that not only are the XOOM 2 variants getting the bump to ICS, but the XOOM Family Edition is receiving the update, as well.

Both OTAs should be out in full force by now, so head into Settings > About tablet > System updates > Download to pull it down.