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Jun

Verizon Is Sending Maintenance Update ED04 To The Samsung Fascinate

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Fascinate, News, Verizon Wireless

Owners of the Samsung Fascinate on Verizon should be getting prompted to install an OTA update pretty soon - but it's just a maintenance update with a couple of bug fixes. When I say a couple, I mean it in the most literal of ways - it fixes two things. The two things in question? It improves the delivery of over-the-air updates and incoming call connectivity. That's it. I do find it ironic that they're sending out an OTA update to improve OTA updates, though.

You should be able to pull this update now, if you haven't gotten it already.

[VZW]

Thanks, @payrow!

Jun

[Updated x4: Solution To Failed Updates] I/O Edition Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Update (KF3) To Honeycomb 3.1 Available Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Tab 10.1, News, Samsung

Last Updated: August 2nd, 2011

If you were lucky enough to attend Google I/O this year, then there's no doubt that you've been loving your limited edition Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (check out our review). You're about to love it even more, because the Android 3.1 update just went live.

This update brings a gaggle of nice features, including widget resizing, USB host support, and improved multitasking, just to name a few.

Update #1: In addition to the standard 3.1 stuff, Samsung provides the following list (and warns to disable any device locks prior to the update specifically for the I/O Tab):

KF3 (Google IO):

Core update from Honeycomb 3.0 to 3.1.

Jun

Exclusive Leak: HTC Thunderbolt MR2 OTA Update (1.66.605.2) - Stock And Rooted Downloads

Posted by Justin Case in Development, Exclusives, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

From Chingy and TeamAndIRC comes Maintenance Release 2 for the HTC Thunderbolt. The OTA update should be hitting stock phones on June 15th, but we're giving it to you early.

The major improvements brought about by MR2:

Fixes random reboots
Improves GPS locking
Improves signal strength
Add 3G/LTE toggle in settings
And more... (we don't have an official changelog yet, unfortunately)

Un-rooted Stock MR2 Update

First up, the full, signed RUU. (This is NOT the same as a simple OTA - it is a full "image" of a phone running the new MR2 update) This is for you developers or stock users who wish to get the update early.

Jun

Real-Time Transit Schedule Updates Now On Google Maps For Android, Desktop, And Mobile

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News, Tips & Tutorials

Google announced a new update to Maps that would bring a much sought-after feature for those who use public transit in major cities: real-time updates that provide the whereabouts of busses. No longer will you have to hang out wondering when the bus is actually going to show up, because with the help of Maps, you'll have all of that info in the palm of your hand.

El Goog has teamed up with transit agencies to make this update happen, but there is one downside (for some people, anyway): it's only in four US cities as of right now. The lucky four are Boston, MA; Portland, OR; and San Diego and San Francisco, CA.

Jun

[Video] Angry Birds Rio Carnival Update Coming Soon - Very Soon

Posted by David Ruddock in Games, News, Videos

Surprise, surprise - Rovio's about to issue the next major content update to Angry Birds Rio early! The Carnival update will be available on the Market shortly (exactly how long, we don't know), and we already have the basic changelog:

15 levels in new world named Carnival Upheaval
Blue, the Macaw, can now be used alone.
The new hidden fruits are papaya (thanks to everyone who helped us figure this out)

There's several iOS sites that are already reporting on the update, and Rovio stated 2 days ago that Carnival would be coming to Android at the same time as iOS:

We'll keep this post updated as we learn more.

Jun

Fring For Android Updated, Finally Supports Nexus S (2.3.4), Thunderbolt, DROID Charge, Galaxy S II, G2X

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Charge (i510), Flyer, G2x (p999), Galaxy S II, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Tips & Tutorials

So, you bought that fancy new Nexus S/DROID Charge/Galaxy S II/G2X/Flyer with a front-facing camera, and you were excited to make video calls. Then you noticed there isn't any native video chat client for Android (yet - Talk will have this integrated soon). Then you heard about fring, which is pretty cool. Then you tried to install it, only to discover it didn't work. Then you probably had a sad.

Well, frown no more - fring has been updated to support all sorts of front-facing camera-having devices (like the ones in the title, plus the HTC Flyer). The update has also included general bugfixes and improvements to audio quality, so head on over to the Market and check it out!

Jun

[Video] Rovio Announces Yet Another New Episode Of Angry Birds: Mine And Dine

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News, Videos

So, you love Angry Birds, and you've already achieved a three-star rank on every available level in the original, Seasons, and Rio? Then we have some good news - Rovio Mobile announced that another episode is coming to the original Angry Birds, called Mine and Dine. This time, the pigs have taken to the underground in hopes of escaping with the delicious eggs once and for all. Naturally, those kamikaze birds are not about to let that happen, and they're hot on the piggie trail, determined to once again take back what is rightfully theirs.

In typical Rovio fashion, a teaser video has been dropped to prep the masses for even more bird slinging action.

Jun

[Now With Direct Download Link, Known Bugs] EVO 4G Gingerbread Update Now Available Via Manual OTA Check

Posted by David Ruddock in EVO 4G (Supersonic), Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News

Looking for a rooted version of this update? Have no fear - head over to our other post.

Update 2: Here's a direct download link from our own (fast) mirror for the EVO 4G Official Gingerbread OTA.

HTC EVO 4G Official Gingerbread OTA: Download here

To flash it, follow these instructions:

Download the OTA
Rename the file "update.zip" (the actual file suffix needs to be .zip, make sure .zip isn't just in the name [eg, not update.zip.zip])
Place the file on the root of your SD card (the main directory you see when you mount your EVO as a disk drive)
Reboot into recovery (power off, then hold volume down when you hit then power button to power back on)
Select recovery from the menu with the power button, then, when the sign with the exclamation point appears, press Power+Volume Up at the same time, and wait (up to 30 seconds).

Jun

Thrutu App Gets A Massive Update, Adds Tons Of Features To Your Phone Calls

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Out of all the things that we use smartphones for these days, calls come in pretty close to last. We're too busy texting, taking pictures, surfing the web, getting directions... you get the idea. What if we could incorporate all of these things into our phone calls though? That's exactly what Thrutu aims to do, and the newest update to the app makes most of that possible. Here's a video to get a better idea:

Every feature isn't highlighted in the video, though - it can actually do even more than that. Here's a breakdown of each option, directly from the Market listing:

Location: callers can see each other’s position on a map, updating live as they move.

Jun

[Update: Manual Update June 3rd!] [Update 2: Confirmed!] HTC EVO 4G To Get Official Gingerbread OTA Update On June 6th

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G (Supersonic), Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Sprint

EVO 4G owners, it looks like you won't have to wait long for your Android 2.3 fix, at least according to what looks like a shot of an internal Sprint memo that we were just tipped off to by Mr @5c13nc3 on Twitter (tweet since deleted).

Update: According to the full text of this memo, sent by another anonymous tipster to AndroidCentral, the part that we are missing next to "manually update" actually reads "June 3rd." To force the check, just hit up Settings > System Updates > HTC Software Update, but wait till Friday to do so!

Update 2: Sprint just released the official word that the update will indeed start rolling out on Monday, June 6th, with a manual update available on June 3rd.