ics - 8/26 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

ARCHOS Announces Single-Core 97 Carbon, First Member Of The New "ELEMENTS" Tablet Range

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in 97 Carbon, ARCHOS, News

Well, would you look at what the cat dragged in: ARCHOS, the now-infamous king of cheap Android tablets, has just announced a whole new line of low-end ICS slates - aka "ELEMENTS." Though the line will eventually feature 7", 8", and 9.7" devices, today's announcement was limited to the ARCHOS 97 Carbon, which (as its name suggests) is of the 9.7" variety.

Before you get too excited, though, check out the ~~rather~~ extremely lackluster spec list:

1GHz single-core ARM Cortex A8 processor
1 GB of RAM
21.8 ounces
0.45" thick
9.7" IPS display
16GB of internal flash memory
microSD card slot
Google app access, including the Play Store
Android 4.0

The device will go on sale later this July for $229.99 - $249.99.

Jul

Motorola 'Dinara' Now A Reality – Moto Reveals The ICS-Powered ATRIX HD For AT&T

Posted by Liam Spradlin in ATRIX HD, News

Remember last month when we finally saw a press shot of the fabled Motorola Dinara? Well, it looks like the device has come to reality as the ATRIX HD. Discovered earlier this evening, an official Motorola landing page gives us all the juicy details on the device, many of which we saw coming from the first rumors.

Maintaining Moto's recent design language, the device sports a carbon-fiber backing and a slight chin up top where the camera lives. One of the most beautiful things about the device so far is the fact that it will evidently run a lightly seasoned version of Ice Cream Sandwich, sporting on-screen navigation buttons.

Jul

Android Platform Distribution Updated: 10.9% On Android 4.0, 22.7% Still On 2.2 And Below

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, News

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

Depending on how ~~fanboyish you want to be~~ you want to look at it, things are either getting better by the day, or still dismal as can be. First, the charts:

Obviously, the good news is that in the past month, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0+) has moved up from 7.1% to 10.9% - and considering there are hundreds of millions of devices running Android, that seemingly meager 3.8% is actually quite a few devices.

And then there's the bad news. First, the fact that ICS is the latest (and by far the best) version of Android and yet we're happy to see it on just under 11% of devices is sad; it's even worse that it's literally 8.5 months old.

Jul

HBO GO Update Brings Support For Android Tablets Up To 4.0.4

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Back in May, HBO updated their HBO GO app to support Ice Cream Sandwich, but even then the app was still missing support for tablets, a major issue for an app designed for streaming video. Fortunately, they've rolled out an update today to address that problem, bringing support for tablets running anything up to Android 4.0.4 (sorry, no Jelly Bean support here yet). Oddly enough, HBO's MAX GO app was also updated today, but still lacks support for tablets.

As per usual, you won't be able to use the app unless you already have a cable package and a subscription to HBO.

Jul

Some HTC Incredible S Users Getting Treated To 4.10.405.1 OTA, Bringing Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Incredible S (Vivo), News

Some users of HTC's Incredible S have received a sweet surprise today, with OTA updates to Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) rolling out throughout the day. Currently, the update seems to be going out to users throughout Europe, with no reports from North America just yet. The update is about 250MB, and brings the device's software up to version 4.10.405.1, with ICS running underneath Sense 3.6.

There's no word from HTC just yet on when the OTA will begin to roll out to other users, but we'll keep an eye on the story and update pending more information. In the meantime, those wanting to monitor the situation can check out this XDA thread.

Jun

AT&T Galaxy S II ICS Update Now Rolling Out Via Samsung Kies, No OTA

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Galaxy S II, News

After a little bit of a false start several days ago, it looks like the much-anticipated Android 4.0.3 update is rolling out for the AT&T flavor of the Samsung Galaxy S II. The update was available briefly a few days ago via the Samsung Kies update software, but Samsung pulled the file saying it was merely a "test."

Users from XDA have now successfully installed the update through Kies on stock devices. It's looking like the update is not going to go out over-the-air, but will be restricted to Samsung's old-fashioned desktop software. That means you'll have to plug your phone in with a cable to run the update, like it's the middle-ages or something.

Jun

Toshiba Delays Android 4.0 Update For Thrive And Thrive 7 To "Early Fall" / 5th Of Never

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100, Thrive 7, Toshiba

As the person that reviewed both of these devices, the Thrive and Thrive 7, here at Android Police, I felt something of a responsibility to post on this matter. On its community forums, a Toshiba rep issued the following statement on the status of the Ice Cream Sandwich update for its Thrive tablets:

We are working hard to bring Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich to our Thrive tablets. While we originally estimated it would be ready this spring, we now estimate the update will be delivered to all Thrive 10” and 7” tablets by early fall. Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Jun

[Update: Rollout Begins On June 22] Verizon's DROID RAZR/RAZR MAXX ICS 4.0.4 (Build 6.16.211) Update Docs Now Live

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, RAZR / RAZR MAXX, Verizon Wireless

Update: Verizon just posted on its official blog that the rollout is slated to begin today, June 22.

Verizon has just uploaded the official support documents for the RAZR / RAZR MAXX Ice Cream Sandwich update (which by the way will be build 6.16.211 – the same build that recently leaked). With the docs going live just moments ago, users should expect the update to officially start rolling out any day now.

The update, besides upgrading your device to Android 4.0.4 (including many of the features we've come to love like folder creation, data usage, etc), brings global roaming, improved Bluetooth audio quality for music enjoyment, and other various other improvements to Verizon apps and basic phone functions.

Jun

Ice Cream Sandwich For The Droid Bionic Leaks, Flash At Your Own Risk

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Bionic, Leaks, News

About a month ago, Motorola updated its Ice Cream Sandwich update timeline. While we've already seen one update go live on schedule, we're still waiting on official word for the rest of the handsets on the list. Late last night, however, an ICS ROM for the Droid Bionic surfaced, and it seems to be a mostly-complete build.

Flashing this is extremely risky, and could potentially brick your device. You've been warned!

The leak first showed up on Droid Hive, and after digging through pages and pages of comments, users seem to be having a pretty good experience with it thus far.

Jun

Android 4.0 Now Available For The Sony Xperia S

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Xperia S (Nozomi)

Say what you will about Sony and its mobile products, but the complete transparency regarding ICS updates on the 2011 Xperia line has been nothing short of impressive. In their most recent blog post, Sony has detailed the ICS update for the Xperia S, which is rolling out now.

The update features a new features a new suite of entertainment apps: Walkman, Album, and, Movies. According to Sony:

The “WALKMAN” application blends the best of signature Sony audio technology with social features; to discover the music your friends like and share personal favorites. Facebook integration gives you a visual way to interact with content – accessing album art, artist images and information, directly from Gracenote®

The “Album” application brings new intuitive ways to sort and browse high quality photos and videos in blazing speed, as well as providing instant viewing, commenting and sharing of photos on Facebook and other online albums, leveraging the great camera capabilities of Xperia S

The “Movies” application streamlines the playback and viewing of movies in high quality audio and video, whilst using intelligent database search to grab movie posters and information for a richer experience

The update also brings all of the goodies that come along with ICS, like resizable widgets, improved lockscreen, mobile data usage control, and more.