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Dec

[Weekend Poll] Do You Prefer Hardware Or Software Buttons?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Did You Get An Android Device For The Holidays?

In tablets, having buttons on-screen rather than built into the body is standard operating procedure. On phones, however, there's really only one that eschews physical buttons for software, and that's the Galaxy Nexus. Still fuzzy on what I mean? Take a look at the comparison shot below, lifted from our review of the Galaxy Nexus:

^{On the left, the Galaxy Nexus, with its three software buttons displayed on-screen. On the right, a Motorola Atrix, with its four hardware buttons at the bottom.}

Dec

Software Update Coming Soon To Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – I905.EL01 Brings TouchWiz Enhancements, Photo Editing, And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Galaxy Tab 10.1, News, Tablets, Verizon Wireless

According to Verizon's system update documentation, owners of big red's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 can expect a software update any time now. While it isn't the Ice Cream Sandwich users are undoubtedly craving, the update (bringing system software to I905-EL01) offers quite a few interesting features.

Among these are improvements to Samsung's Touchwiz UX, a new Social Hub widget, built-in photo editing capabilities, and The Daily – a news app that allows users to "access the best of print, web, and broadcast news from around the world."

The update also brings Bluetooth 3.0 compatibility, additional support for more Wi-Fi routers, DivX, security patches, enhancements to TouchWiz's music and video players, and built-in support for "industry standard VPN clients." There's no word yet on just when the update will be available, but we'll be here to keep you updated.

Nov

Here's What's New In Verizon's LTE XOOM Update HLK75F (Hint: It's Not Ice Cream Sandwich)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

Owner's of Verizon's LTE-enabled Motorola Xoom should be expecting an update soon, bringing system software to version HLK75F. The update is a tiny 7.8MB, and brings with it compatibility for Pay As You Go LTE service.

Verizon's informational document about the update is tacit on the subject, listing the following benefits:

Now offers month to month, pay as you go 4G LTE Mobile Broadband service.
Updated Google Setup Wizard to improve reliability of Pay As You Go detection on first device power up.

For those interested, Verizon also has a document outlining how to obtain the software update. There's no word on exactly when this update will begin rolling out, but Verizon has attached a reassuring "COMING SOON!" tags to the links leading to the update's documentation on the Xoom's system update page.

Nov

Kindle Fire Gets An Update That Breaks Root – Don't Worry, You Can Root Again

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Kindle Fire, News, Tablets

Amazon has begun pushing a software update to Kindle Fire owners, updating the tablet's software to version 6.2. The online shopping giant kept quiet about just what the update included however. Given this (lack of) information, the real story here is that the update breaks root. Additionally, the Fire is configured to update automatically over WiFi, and there isn't an immediately apparent way to stop it.

There is a bright side, however. After your Fire updates, regaining root access is not only possible, but easy, using SuperOneClick. For instructions, head over to the discussion on XDA Forums. It's worth mentioning that the update may wipe the Android Market app and custom keyboards, along with your root privileges.

Nov

Google: Software Update Coming To Logitech Revue In The "Next Few Weeks"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Google TV, Logitech, News, Revue

Logitech may have said that launching the Revue was "a mistake of implementation of gigantic nature" and that it has chosen to ditch Google TV entirely, but it has, thankfully, decided against reneging on its promise of one more software update. And, yes, said software update is exactly the one that was shown to us back at the end of October: the one that brings an updated, usable interface and - drumroll please - Android Market integration.

Indeed, as indicated in the above tweet from the official @GoogleTV Twitter account, the update will be rolling out in the next few weeks, just as promised.

Aug

HTC EVO 4G Maintenance Update 4.53.651.1 Rolling Out Over The Next 1-2 Weeks - Here's What It Fixes

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G (Supersonic), HTC, News

Even though the HTC EVO 4G is now well over a year old, it holds a special place in Sprint's heart, and because of that (and you know, the fact that it's the most popular Android phone on the network), the company seems committed to providing us with timely updates. A new maintenance update with version number 4.53.651.1 and the following changes and fixes is next up for the OG 4.3" pioneer that changed the smartphone world:

HTC EVO Software Update - 4.53.651.1

Enhancements/Fixes:

- Integrated voice recognition accuracy with voice search and voice-to-text

- Image size issue with contact transfer over bluetooth

- Images cut off in Picasa

- Group contacts not in alphabetical order

- Out of memory, Unable to send SMS

The update should be rolling out over the next 1-2 weeks starting now.

Aug

[Updated: Walkthrough Video] Official Android 3.1 Beta For Logitech Revue Leaked; Flash At Your Own Risk!

Posted by John Thompson in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Revue

Heads-up, Revue owners! We've got a nice little surprise for you all this morning. A member of the GTVHacker forums has posted about a leaked beta of Android 3.1 for the Google TV device, and the good news is that you can download it right now!

The update ~~looks like~~ is an official one (signed and hosted by Google/Logitech), as you don't need to be rooted to flash this on to your device; you can apply it like you would any other operating system update with no root necessary. However, as this is a beta version it will have some bugs lurking around in it and more importantly you cannot roll back to a previous version once you have updated the software, so do this at your own risk!

Jun

Gingerbread Now Available For HTC EVO Shift 4G As A Manual Update

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Sprint

Looks like EVO Shift 4G owners won't have to wait till tomorrow to get their Gingerbread fix; in spite of what we heard yesterday, it appears that the update is already available.

As a refresher, the update brings Swype and addresses a few media streaming-related bugs in addition to adding all the usual Gingerbread goodies.

To download it to your device, first open the Settings app, then tap "System Updates," and finally go to "HTC Software Update." Alternatively, you could wait for Monday, when Sprint will officially begin the rollout, automatic notifications and all.

Feel free to leave a comment about what it's like to be liberated from the shackles of Froyo at long last!

Jun

Confirmed: Motorola To Make Bootloaders On Current Devices Unlockable In "Late 2011" - Where Carriers Allow It

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Motorola, News

A few months ago, Motorola announced that its "portfolio of devices" will be graced with unlockable/relockable bootloaders in late 2011. However, there was some confusion over whether this concerned future handsets only or current devices as well.

Yesterday, Ausdroid reported that unlocked bootloaders will be coming to all existing Motorola Android devices (or rather, those still on Moto's update schedule) later this year via a software update. Needless to say, this was excellent news, and it had many a DROID X user jumping for joy.

To confirm, we reached out to Motorola - here's what we got in response:

Motorola has announced we will enable an unlockable/relockable bootloader in future software releases where channel and operator partners will allow it.

Jun

Samsung Shows OS X Users Some Love, Releases Kies For Mac Beta (Finally)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Samsung

If you own a Samsung phone or tablet, there's a good chance that you've heard of Kies, Samsung's proprietary synchronization software. If you're also a Mac user, I'd be willing to bet that you're familiar with the frustration of Kies' Windows exclusivity.

Good news, though - the days of booting into Windows just to sync some data or grab an update are over, as Samsung finally released a version of Kies for Mac. Beware, though - this software is beta, so you'll probably experience some bugs. Also, the initial version only supports two devices: the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Tab - so if you're not holding one or the other, you'll have to wait for Sammy to push an update that supports your device.