Android OS

Mar

WSJ: Google To Open Online Store This Year, Will Sell Tablets Independently Of Retailers (Perhaps With The Launch Of Jellybean)

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Android OS, ASUS, Jelly Bean, News

A report from the Wall Street Journal offers new details on Google's expected shift in Android tablet strategy, and it's reportedly much more than a single Nexus tablet. The move is being likened to the Nexus One launch, with Google at the center of the distribution and support system for a line of branded tablets. The Nexus One might have been too much for Google to handle, but the search giant is apparently moving full speed ahead this go around, which includes plans to open its own online store where it will sell the rumored tablet line.

Back at CES 2012, Asus teased a magical $250 Tegra 3 Android tablet, but we haven't heard anything concrete since then.

Mar

Sony Releases Beta ICS ROM For Unlockable Xperia Play Models

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

In a time when many users are wondering if an Android 4.0 update will ever come to their devices, it was a pleasant surprise that Sony was open enough to release a beta version of ICS for some of their devices - the Xperia Arc S, Neo V, and Ray. But they didn't stop there, as they have, "upon request," released a beta ICS ROM for the Xperia Play (or as you may know it, the PlayStation Phone).

As with the previous releases, this is certainly far from a final release. A number of features are missing, most notably Google Apps and Wi-Fi, though Sony says that most "basic functionality" is working.

Mar

GSM Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 OTA Now Available For Download - Here's How To Install It

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

The Android 4.0.4 OTA update started rolling out to the GSM Galaxy Nexus yesterday (where's the love, Verizon?), but many users are still without the update. Fortunately, the official update is now available for download directly from Google. Getting it installed, on the other hand, is a bit of a task. We've done most of the legwork for you here, so follow the below instructions and you'll be running 4.0.4 in no time.

Let's get started.

This update is for 4.0.2 to 4.0.4 only. If you're running any other version, don't flash this.

Verify which GNex you have

This update is for yakju only, so you need to verify your device before you even bother pulling the download.

Mar

[Updated] Google Pushes Source Code Of Android 4.0.4 (IMM76D) Into AOSP

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Source code for Android 4.0.4 (AOSP tag android-4.0.4_r1.1), the latest incremental update with "a few hundred changes over 4.0.3," is being pushed to AOSP (Android Open Source Project) as we speak by JBQ, one of AOSP's main sourcerers (yes, I just made that word up).

This is excellent news for any ROM developers compiling their ROMs from AOSP (such as CyanogenMod) - chances are 4.0.4-based ROMs will start appearing very soon, maybe even tonight. Oh, and, of course, it's even more excellent news for custom ROM users (raise you hands).

Earlier today, official 4.0.4 updates got pushed out to the Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi and the GSM Nexus S.

Mar

[Updated] Official Android 4.0.4 (IMM76D) Update Comes To The Nexus S - Here's How To Get It Right Now [Download]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

Last Updated: March 29th, 2012

An new official update IMM76 (Android 4.0.4) is poised to roll out for the Nexus S. The update file, which weighs 18MB, can be downloaded directly from Google's servers and applied only over stock IML74K (Android 4.0.3):

post-build=google/soju/crespo:4.0.4/IMM76D/299849:user/release-keys
post-timestamp=1332707372
pre-build=google/soju/crespo:4.0.3/IML74K/239410:user/release-keys
pre-device=crespo

It has been shown to work on the i9023 variant, and we're currently trying to figure out whether it works on different flavors of the i9020. If you have the Nexus S 4G on Sprint, sorry, this update is definitely not for you - you have access to 4.0.4 already anyway. And, of course, if you have the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, your 4.0.4 update leaked last month here.

Mar

Epson Begins Shipping The Moverio BT-100, A See-Through Wearable Display Powered By Android

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News

Epson announced today that the Moverio BT-100, the first Android-powered see-through wearable display, is now available from the Epson store.

While Epson's Moverio glasses aren't exactly the fabled augmented reality spectacles Google is said to be working on, they are at least an interesting entry into the wearable display market, utilizing a wired, Froyo-powered track pad controller and micro-projection technology to put a perceived 80" display over whatever you're looking at. The interesting thing is that the virtual display is ever so slightly translucent, meaning it won't totally block your vision.

The glasses also support side-by-side 3D imaging, have Wi-Fi connectivity, and a microSD slot preloaded with a 4GB card, expandable all the way to 32GB.

Mar

[Updated] CyanogenMod 9 Nightlies Go Live For The HP TouchPad And AT&T LG Nitro HD / Bell LG Optimus LTE

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in AT&T, Bell, HP, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, LG, Mods, News, Nitro HD, Optimus LTE, TouchPad, Videos

The AT&T Galaxy SII (i777) isn't the only Android device getting official CyanogenMod 9 nightly love today, as the first nightlies just went live for the HP TouchPad (codename tenderloin) and the LG Nitro HD (codename p930, also known as LG Optimus LTE on Bell Canada).

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

Mar

AT&T's Galaxy SII (i777) Gets Its First CyanogenMod 9 Nightly

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, Galaxy S II, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0

The CyanogenMod team has done it again, bringing their CM9 build for AT&T's variant of the Samsung Galaxy SII to nightly status, and releasing the build to the CyanogenMod mirror network just yesterday.

The build actually released just before news that a seemingly official (and fully TouchWiz-ed) build of ICS had leaked for AT&T's SII, so SII owners have a couple of great options to satisfy their Ice Cream Sandwich cravings. To grab the first (and latest) CM9 nightly for the i777, just follow the link below.

Source: CyanogenMod Mirror Network

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers here:

Mar

Ice Cream Sandwich Leaks For AT&T's Original Galaxy S II, Available To Download Now

Posted by John Thompson in Galaxy S II, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Leaks, News

Some owners of the original AT&T Galaxy S II may have been left feeling unwanted when Ice Cream Sandwich leaked for the GSII Skyrocket a couple of days ago, but now they have their very own version to download and play around with.

This morning, RootzWiki posted a leaked built of Ice Cream Sandwich for the original Galaxy S II, and looking at the build.prop file alongside the screenshots of the build, it seems to be the real deal from Samsung, just like the leak for the Skyrocket.

ro.build.description=SGH-I777-user 4.0.3 IML74K 117 release-keys
ro.build.fingerprint=samsung/SGH-I777/SGH-I777:4.0.3/IML74K/117:user/release-keys

If you're running Windows and have a copy of Odin on your PC, then you will be able to go ahead and use the one-click installation file available at the source.

Mar

Carbon Twitter Client For Android (Of WebOS Fame) Gets Previewed On Video, Alpha Coming Soon

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Applications, News, Videos

In the increasingly crowded market for Twitter clients on Android, another big player is about to jump into the fray - Carbon. You may know Carbon from its days on WebOS, but now that HP's mobile operating system is little more than an open source zombie, Carbon's developers are looking for a new (and more profitable) home.

While the app is already available on Windows Phone 7, that version is styled quite differently from the upcoming Android version, shown in the video below.

As you can see, Carbon is an app with a rich (and unique) user interface, with lots of animated flourishes on top of some recognizable Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich design elements.