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May

[Update: Already Available] AT&T's Galaxy Note Android 4.1.2 Update Rolling Out On May 3rd Via Kies

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Galaxy Note (GT-N7000), News

Verizon just started pushing Android 4.1.2 to the Galaxy Note II. AT&T will start offering that same update to the original Note tomorrow, May 3rd.

Update: The word on the street is that this update is already available through Kies. Hook up and get it!

While the Android version bump is the same, however, everything else about this one is quite a bit different. Here's what you an expect post-update:

Software update includes

Popup note: Allows user to instantly write down directions, phone numbers, and other information while on a call.

Popup Video and Browser: Allows user to watch video or browse the web while performing other tasks.

May

Verizon's Galaxy Note II Getting Updated To Build JZO54K.I605VRAMC3, Brings Android 4.1.2, Multi-Window, And More

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Device Updates, Galaxy Note II, News, Verizon Wireless

Last to the party as always, Verizon is finally pushing Android 4.1.2 to its version of the Galaxy Note II. This update also brings some Samsung enhancements like a proper version of multi-window, along with overall bug fixes and enhancements. Overall, it looks like a pretty good one for Big Red's note-taking behemoth.

May

Google Updates Platform Distribution Numbers – Gingerbread Down To 38.5%, Jelly Bean Up To 28.4%

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, Google, News

As usual Google has updated monthly platform distribution numbers for Android in its developer dashboard. The numbers, based on devices accessing the Play Store over the last 14 days (ending May 1st), tell developers which versions of Android are most prevalent, and which are on the decline.

This month, as last month, we're seeing a decline in Gingerbread and a rise in Jelly Bean. Gingerbread has dropped from 39.8% to 38.5%, a 1.3% drop for those keeping tally at home. Jelly Bean, meanwhile, has seen a slightly more substantial shift, rising 3.4% from 25% to 28.4%.

Elsewhere, the ebb and flow of version numbers is more or less expected.

Apr

Yahoo! For Android Goes 1.0 With Story Streams, 'Summaries By Yahoo!'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Yahoo's self-branded app for Android – called simple Yahoo! – has just moved up to version 1.0, an update that brings with it some not-insignificant enhancements.

First among these is the app's story streams and "summaries by Yahoo!", in which news stories are parsed into bite-sized summaries. The functionality is somewhat similar to Wavii's aggregation and summarization service, but is more probably tied to Yahoo's recent acquisition of Summly. While we can't be sure just yet if Summly's handiwork is making Yahoo's app tick behind the scenes, it was noted at the time of acquisition that the summary service's technology would "soon return to multiple Yahoo!

Apr

PowerAMP Updated With Lots Of Widget Tweaks (Reconfigurable Widgets!), New Languages, And More

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

PowerAMP, my music player of choice, has just been updated with a number of new features and fixes, the most exciting of which to me are the addition of reconfigurable widgets and widget management. You can now tap the top right corner of a PowerAMP widget to go to a new management UI where you can customize and completely change it without the need to remove and recreate it from scratch. Neat, I've been waiting for it.

The other changes are less exciting - here's the full changelog of v2.0.9-build-528:

What's in this version:

- each widget type now have selectable predefined styles and can be further customized/saved/exported/imported/shared
- widgets can be re-configured by pressing top-right corner (2.2+)
- 4x4 and 2x2 are now resizable on phones, all widgets - on tablets (3.1+)
- Disable Route Output Button option
- Album Art/Use 24-bit RGB option
- Look and Feel/General/Notification Album Art option for old Androids
- Arabic (BLueBLaze, mohjif)/Vietnamese (alienyd, robot_boy_tn, thanhtai2009)
- few issues fixed

Grab the update in the Play Store and switch up your widget style for a change.

Apr

ASUS Transformer Pad 300 3G (TF300TG) Currently Getting Its Android 4.2.1 Update, Full ROM Download Already Available

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Device Updates, News, Transformer Pad 300

ASUS is on a roll with the 4.2 updates lately – it started with the TF300 (Wi-Fi) back in early March, and followed with the Infinity (TF700) and MeMO Pad Smart shortly after. And of course, it released full ROM downloads along the way for those who prefer to manually flash their devices.

The 3G version of the TF300 – the TF300TG – is next in line for the 4.2.1 update, which appears to have started rolling out sometime over the past couple of days. If you haven't gotten it, however, don't fret – ASUS has your back, as it has already released the full ROM to its download site.

Apr

BBC iPlayer Updated, Brings Support For 1080p Phones

Posted by Bertel King, Jr. in Applications, News

For those unfamiliar, the BBC iPlayer allows our friends in the United Kingdom to watch live BBC programming on the go. Featured shows and up to seven days of previous content are also available for streaming. The application is incompatible with international devices, so don't bother paying the Play Store a visit if London is more than a couple hundred miles away from where you live. And the latest update to the app ushers in support for 1080p displays, allowing it to take advantage of the latest-gen handsets.

The experience is also said to be "improved" for devices like the Galaxy S III, Nexus 4, and Note II.

Apr

Small 17MB Update (v10.6.1.15.3) Rolling Out To The ASUS Transformer Pad 300, Fixes Some Bugs

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Transformer Pad 300

When it comes to well-support devices, ASUS is a company that stands by its products. The TF300 was the first non-Nexus device to get Android 4.2, and the Taiwanese manufacturer followed up by bringing the updated build to the TF700 (Infinity) and MeMO Pad Smart.

Today, it's sending another small (17MB) update to the TF300 that brings a handful of improvements and bug fixes:

1. IME bugs fix
2. improve HDMI compatibility with more devices in the market
3. improve the Gmail compatibility with Splashtop
4. improve the privacy : only account owner can access any UI or settings related to external storage device
5.

Apr

Google Drops The Hammer, Bans Facebook (And All Others) From Performing Non-Play Store App Updates

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Shortly before the Facebook Home launch, some users noticed a new version of Facebook was available on their device, but it wasn't through the Play Store. Instead, the update came directly through the app, bypassing the Store altogether. Naturally, there was outrage, people were angry, felt violated, and whatnot. For Facebook, however, this was a way of getting a beta version of its app out to some users without having to give it to all users. It did a similar sort of update just last night, proving that this wasn't just a one-time thing.

Regardless of why Facebook has chosen to circumvent the Play Store for its own update mechanism, though, that didn't sit too well with Google.

Apr

Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.0.27

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, News

A minor update to the new, cleaner Google Play Store v4.0 started rolling out earlier today. The new version is 4.0.27 which follows closely the previous version from April 19th - 4.0.26.

There is a more recent version of the Play Store available for download here: Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.1.6 - Sweet New Designs And OCD Fixes

And a few earlier ones:

Ron and I tore down the apk but found only minor changes to translations and a small change to the manifest that removed android:excludeFromRecents="true" from one of the billing activities.