ics - 22/26 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Dec

CyanogenMod Posts CM9 Progress Report – Original Droid To Lose Support

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

In a reassuring blog post, Cyanogen recently told readers that "things are slowly starting to come together," regarding progress on the hotly anticipated Cyanogenmod 9, which is based on Android 4.0.

The entry goes on to explain that the devices most likely to see CM9 first are those based on OMAP4, MSM8660/7X30, and Exynos chips, as well as a few Tegra 2 tablets (including the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and ASUS Transformer).

That's the good news. The bad news is that owners of the OG Droid will be left in the cold, come CM9. The team is also facing challenges due to framework changes in Android 4.0 that "break compatibility with older proprietary camera and graphics drivers." Despite such setbacks, however, Cyanogen writes "I am confident that the team will be able to overcome these issues like we have in the past."

The progress update also promises shorter "spin-up time" when compiling Cyanogenmod from source, and a few other enhancements, including an overhauled music app, a brand new file manager, and a new launcher based on Ice Cream Sandwich.

Dec

Gingerbread Now Running On 50% Of Android Devices, Just In Time For Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Cupcake 1.5, Donut 1.6, Eclair 2.1, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Last Updated: August 20th, 2012

Google has released the latest of its monthly Android version distribution charts, and for the first time Android 2.3 Gingerbread is present on over half of all Android devices. A milestone, to be sure.

We also get a look at the end success rate of Honeycomb (a tablet-only version of Android), which achieved a mere 2.5% piece of the Android pie since the first Honeycomb device release back in February. Android 1.5 and 1.6 (Cupcake and Donut) have continued their march toward extinction, commanding only 2.1% of the Android population total. Android 2.2 has remained relatively steady at 35%, but is clearly on the downtrend.

Nov

[Updated: Not An Easter Egg But A Screensaver!] Weird, Star Wars-Like Light Speed Launcher Found Hidden In The Depths Of Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Off-Topic, Videos

Apparently, this and Nyan Droid are both part of a new screensaver feature Google called "Android Dreams" that was disabled by them before Ice Cream Sandwich was released (presumably because it wasn't ready for prime time yet). Here is a picture of the re-enabled feature in CM9, courtesy of Steve Kondik who stopped by our G+ post.

We're not sure whether what you're about to see is yet another Easter egg in Ice Cream Sandwich (remember the Nyan Droid?) or the next amazing launcher that will do your dishes and fly you into space, but it turns out the stock ICS launcher actually has another launcher buried inside.

Nov

New HTC Ville Renders Leak, Reveal Brushed Aluminum And A Slim Profile

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in HTC, News, Ville

Remember the upcoming HTC Ville that we heard about earlier this month? Pocketnow has snagged what seems to be an official render, and the image reveals a device swathed in brushed aluminum - not to mention, as rumored, the Ville does look like it will check in at under 8mm thick.

Other details remain the same as what we've heard before:

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display
1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor
8MP rear shooter (the same one that's reportedly in the Edge) with 1080p video
Metal construction
Less than 8mm thick
HSPA+
1650mAh battery
Sense 4.0
Beats Audio

HTC is expected to reveal the Ville at MWC in February, to be released in April.

Nov

[Update x2: Dan Morrill Confirms Software Fix With Sensible Explanation] Google: Galaxy Nexus Volume Bug Is Fixable In Software - Fix Already On The Way

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Galaxy Nexus, News

There's been quite a stir caused in the past few days about a mysterious volume bug which surfaced on the Galaxy Nexus. The bug began drawing attention over at XDA's forums, where several users reported ostensibly random muting, and erratic response from the Nexus' volume rocker.

It was quickly discovered that the issue seemed to have something to do with the use of 2G signal, specifically the use of a 900 MHz frequency used by many European carriers. The bug could also be replicated using other phones situated near the Galaxy Nexus, leading to concerns that perhaps the bug was hardware-related.

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

MoDaCo's Paul O'Brien Releases Patch For Galaxy Nexus Softkeys With Menu And/Or Search Key Reinstatement

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Development, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

One of the most prominent new features on the Galaxy Nexus, and Ice Cream Sandwich, is that the soft-keys are displayed right on the screen. While the notion is a sound one, there will always be those who miss some of the legacy features left behind. In this case, those would be the Menu and Search keys, stalwarts of Android's interface paradigm since its release with the G1. What was once four buttons - Home, Menu, Back, Search* - has been whittled down to just Home and Back, along with the introduction of the new multitasking-purposed App Switcher button. This combination was seen previously in Android 3.0 Honeycomb, but is about to encounter widespread use on upcoming phones**.

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.

Nov

[Aww Yea] Cyanogen: ICS Coming Soon To The Galaxy Tab 10.1

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Tab 10.1, News

While we've seen the newest iteration of Android show its stuff on the phone, we've yet to see what the experience will be like on a tablet. That's all about to change, though, because Cyanogen himself posted the following on his Google+:

ICS on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is pretty great. Coming soon to a CM mirror near you :)

I, for one, am giddy with excitement about this; I've been looking forward to ICS on my Tab 10.1 for a while now. Of course, we all know the first rule of Cyanogenmod by now, so we'll just hang out on the sidelines and wait for this one to make its way to the mirror network.

Nov

[Update: Download Mirrors] Google Music 4.0.9 App Now Live On The Android Market

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Google, News

The Google Music 4.0.9 update (remember the pre-release version 4.0.1 we leaked last month?) is live in the Android Market. The app now integrates with the new Music-enabled Market and has a brand new, much improved ICS-like UI.