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Jul

Exclusive: Kyocera Echo Gingerbread Update Coming Starting August 1

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Echo, Exclusives, Gingerbread 2.3, Kyocera, News, Sprint

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Today's Sprint Playbook just landed in our inbox, and one thing stands out: the Kyocera Echo will be receiving an update to Android 2.3. The update will be over the air (OTA), and will be rolled out across a four-day period beginning August 1 at a rate of 10%, 25%, 25%, 100%.

The details of the update (as shown in the screencap above):

Eco Mode
EAS enhancements
Swype 3.0
Miscellaneous security patches
Gingerbread Android OS software update

Including improved power management
Improved text input
Minor performance improvements
Manage Applications Control
Download Manager

[Thanks, Captain Anonymous!]

Jul

[Update: Not Just Yet] Gingerbread Update For The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Available Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Gingerbread 2.3, News, Xperia X10 (es209ra)

Update: It looks like someone in Sony's camp got a little overzealous concerning this update, as it's actually not available just yet. According to the Sony Ericsson Product Blog, the launch is coming, but "[they] just need more days before [they] can push the button." We'll keep you posted of any developments on this front -- like, you know, when it's actually available.

Owners of the Sony Erricsson Xperia X10, make ready your computers - the official Gingerbread update is ready and available to download. The update brings many new features aside from the goodness of Gingerbread, including Facebook inside Xperia, Sony's take on Facebook integration; Wi-Fi hotspot and USB tethering, a new music player with equalizer, photo widget, and app tray sorting.

Jul

Angry Birds Updated, Gets 15 New Mine And Dine Levels

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Angry Birds loyalists and lovers, rejoice! Everyone's favorite bird flinging game received an update this morning that adds 15 all-new Mine and Dine levels to the irritated franchise.

The update is now live in the Android Market, so grab your device and enjoy.

Angry Birds

Jul

Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-10.1-Android-3.1-Honeyomb

Samsung Hosting An Event In NYC On August 3rd To Unveil The TouchWiz UX Update For The Galaxy Tab 10.1

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Tab 10.1, News

An email just hit our inboxes directly from Samsung, inviting us all to join together in NYC on August 3rd for the official unveiling of a "major software update" for the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

We have known that this update was coming for the past several weeks, but now we can finally lock something a bit more concrete down. According to the above image, onsite Tab 10.1 updates will be open to the public at the event, so I wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing a national rollout begin that very same day.

For those who are unaware, TouchWiz UX will bring a lot of useful features to the device, including a mini-app tray for quick access to frequently used applications and an infinitely useful notification area power widget.

Jul

Still Waiting For The OTA? Don't Be - Update Your Sprint Nexus S 4G To Official Android 2.3.5 Manually (Build GRJ90)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Samsung, Sprint

After 2 weeks of delays, the much anticipated Nexus S 4G update (Sprint only for now, sorry AT&T/T-Mo) to Android 2.3.5 (GRJ90) started rolling out earlier today. If you haven't gotten yours yet but want to apply it immediately to enjoy that nice boost to 4G speeds, among other things, then proceed to our instructions below - you'll be rocking the official 2.3.5 build in no time.

Instructions

Note: Make sure you're running stock Android 2.3.4, build GRJ22 (the update will likely fail if you're rooted).

Download the update file GRJ90-from-GRJ22 and rename it to update.zip (make sure it's named update.zip and not update.zip.zip if you're using Windows and have it set to hide file extensions).

Jul

AT&T Promises Gingerbread To All Post-Paid 2011 Android Phones

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Captivate, Gingerbread 2.3, Infuse 4G, Inspire 4G (Ace, Stallion), News

It looks like the ATRIX Gingerbread update that started over the weekend is just the start of a line of updates set to hit all AT&T 2011 model post-paid smartphones by the end of this year. Ma Bell is standing on the rooftop shouting out this glorious news for all to hear, along with a list of the phones that will see Android 2.3 sometime this year:

HTC Inspire 4G
LG Phoenix
Motorola ATRIX 4G
Pantech Crossover
Samsung Captivate
Samsung Infuse 4G

Once the ATRIX update is complete, the next device to get some Gingerbread lovin' will be the HTC Inspire 4G, with the update rolling out "in the coming weeks."

Where applicable, the updates will be in delivered OTA (over-the-air) fashion, but in some cases may require PC intervention (because we all know how much manufacturers love their proprietary software).

Jul

[Weekend Poll] Does A Manufacturer's Android Update History Affect Your Purchasing Decision?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Actually Read App Permissions Before Accepting?

Android updates are a bit of a tricky subject for all involved parties. Obviously consumers and Google are on the same page in that they want Android updates to roll out to individual devices as soon as possible. But for manufacturers and carriers, updates are costly to customize, quality test, and roll-out. Further complicating the issue, it's unclear exactly who's to blame when updates take longer than expected.

A good illustration of all these complications: the Android 2.2 update for the original Samsung Galaxy S series.

Jul

ATRIX 4G Gingerbread Update Now Available Via OTA - Brings Sideloading, New MOTOBLUR

Posted by David Ruddock in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News

Better late than never, right? Motorola's first dual-core handset, the ATRIX 4G, has finally received the green light for Gingerbread - and the OTA is a go. If you head into your Settings menu, and hit About Phone, then System Updates - the update should be waiting for you. If not, just wait a while - OTA's often take several days or even weeks to complete the "rollout" process.

What does the update bring? Well, Android 2.3.4 is the big star of the OTA. ATRIX 4G users will experience better app performance, UI refinements, and (hopefully) a slew of bugfixes. You'll also get a shiny new version of MOTOBLUR - hopefully one that's similar to what the DROID 3 is running, which we think is the best (well, least bad, maybe) version of the skin to date, and by a country mile.

Jul

Nexus S 4G Android 2.3.5 Update With WiMAX Speed Improvements Rolling Out July 25

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Sprint

Last Updated: July 26th, 2011

After a delay, Sprint has unveiled the much-awaited Android 2.3.5 update for the Nexus S 4G, and it will start rolling out Monday, July 25th. The update brings a much needed fix for bogged-down 4G speeds on the handset, which have plagued users since the phone's release.

Additionally, some Wi-Fi bugs have been exterminated, the speakerphone should sound better, and TTY support for deaf users has been added. You'll also ~~get a 4G toggle widget~~ (update: maybe not), and NFC will officially be enabled. Here's Sprint's statement on the update:

Nexus S™ 4G is getting a software update designed to improve 4G data speeds for users and provide several other updates.

Jul

[Leak] Official Gingerbread Build For The HTC G2 Lands On The T-Mobile Support Forum

Posted by Cameron Summerson in G2 (Vision), News

The T-Mobile G2 has seen its fair share of ups and downs, teases, and leaks of Gingerbread, but it appears the time of release is nearly upon us. A user over at the T-Mobile support forums has dropped a leaked version of the official Gingerbread build for the G2 for all to download and install. The post puts strong emphasis on the fact that this is the exact same version that ended up on some refurbished handsets - so I assume that it's the real deal.

If you plan on pushing this update to your phone, there are a few caveats you should be aware of: