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Android 4.0, nicknamed 'Ice Cream Sandwich,' was an exciting release. It brought all the improvements in Honeycomb back to smartphones, and for the first time ever, Android had a somewhat-cohesive visual style. However, those days have long since passed, with 4.0-4.0.4 now representing less than 0.5% of the overall Android install base.
Mozilla has been getting everyone excited for Firefox 57, nicknamed 'Firefox Quantum,' which will bring a new interface and speed improvements to both the desktop and Android browsers. Firefox 57 isn't quite ready yet (you try it in beta, if you want), but version 56 has just been released with a few notable changes of its own.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was a sweet frozen treat when it came out in 2011, but now something else is freezing—Chrome for ICS. Google has announced that Chrome v42 will be the final build available on Android 4.0. It's a sad day for any remaining ICS users... well, more sad than a regular day of being stuck on ICS already is.
It's that time again! Google has updated the developer dashboard with new platform distribution numbers, showing the current state of Android version distribution among devices that have recently checked in to the Play Store.
After the rollout of XE12 in mid-December and the announcement that January would not bring an update, Glass Explorers have been anxiously awaiting the release of XE14, originally due in February. As it turns out, they were to be disappointed. In a posting to the private Glass Community forum late yesterday, Teresa Z explained that XE14 had missed its February deadline. The reason: it simply wasn't ready to be released. Unfortunately, no details were given with regard to the timeline for the next update.
Remember the BlueStacks App Player? It's been around for a pretty long time now. How long? Until just recently, the software that allowed users to run Android inside of Windows was powered by Gingerbread. Now the emulation software is making the leap to Ice Cream Sandwich, and while it's still two years behind the times, at least it looks somewhat modern. Well, until more devices make the transition to KitKat, that is.
TV Guide Mobile Version 3 Released With Interface, Experience Overhaul For ICS, Jelly Bean Users
If you've been paying attention to TV Guide's official app, you know that it's needed some attention for a while. Its UI through version 2.x was an outdated
If you've been paying attention to TV Guide's official app, you know that it's needed some attention for a while. Its UI through version 2.x was an outdated pastiche of Gingerbread tabs and gradated iconography desperately in need of a redesign (and support for 4.0+). Today, TV Guide has fulfilled that need (for the most part), bringing to the Play Store TV Guide Mobile version 3.0. The update also brought "many cool new features" to the app, which we'll discuss momentarily. First though, check out the difference between the old and new interfaces.
Verizon Announces The Pantech Perception, A 4.8-Inch $150 Pile Of ICS-Powered Mediocrity, For Release On April 25th
If the phones that Pantech has released in America thus far have been your sole exposure to the South Korean manufacturer, you might be surprised to learn
If the phones that Pantech has released in America thus far have been your sole exposure to the South Korean manufacturer, you might be surprised to learn that the company has some legitimately awesome hardware in its home territory. The Pantech Perception... isn't. While it competes with the likes of the Galaxy S III on paper, at least in some respects, a combination of old software and expensive hardware makes this new Verizon phone a hard sell to anyone who wants a high-powered device. It launches on Thursday, April 25th for $100 on contract... after a $50 mail-in rebate. Remember those?
It's that time again! We get another glimpse at what the platform distribution numbers are like for Android. If you've been following along, you'll notice there aren't many changes: Gingerbread is still the biggest slice of the pie, Ice Cream Sandwich is second, and the two major versions of Jelly Bean together make up the third largest. 2.3 is down to 45.4% from 47.4% a month ago. That 2% difference seems to have gone overwhelmingly to Jelly Bean which went up to 13.6% from 10% a month ago.
Update: The OTA is rolling out now. Go get it! Thanks for the heads-up, James!
If you're an Atrix 4G owner, I've got a case of the feels for you. When the handset came out, it was one of the first pieces of hardware with a dual-core processor and it seemed like it would last forever. So far, though, it hasn't managed to get ICS. We all get burned by manufacturer updates but this one seems particularly harsh. Which is why I'm glad to bring a bit of good news: Motorola appears to be beginning its soak test program for the handset.
Back in 2011, Eric Schmidt (among others) predicted that Android would soon power home devices, including refrigerators and other appliances. Samsung fulfilled the refrigerator vision with the RF4289. We've questioned the wisdom of Android-powered appliances in the past, but today's pre-CES announcement from Dacor is definitely worth talking about. The California-based company, known for manufacturing quality home appliances, has just announced an Android-powered in-wall oven.
The long, hard road towards the future of Android slogs on. While Gingerbread still remains the largest major version of the platform, its dominance is decreasing steadily. As of January 3rd, Gingerbread only represented 47.4% (down from 50.6% in December)of all Android devices. The second runner-up was Ice Cream Sandwich with 29.1% (up from 27.5% in December). The two versions of Jelly Bean totaled up to 10.2%, though if you subdivide by the Summer and Winter releases, they get much farther apart: 4.1 accounts for 9%, while 4.2 is on a measly 1.2% of devices.
If you're still toting the US Cellular-connected Galaxy SII, good news – it seems the device's update to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 is ready to go and can be installed using USC's "Simple Upgrade Tool" any time now.
A few days ago, we were treated to a lovely look at what Tasker, the highly-customizable Android automation app, could look like if it got a nice facelift. Unfortunately, this was done by the Android team and was not representative of any real work being done by the developer. As it turns out, though, the developer behind said application is working on a holo conversion. There are quite a few obstacles to deal with in the meantime:
With the end of another month comes a fresh batch of Android platform distribution numbers. Like clockwork, Google has once again updated their numbers, showing Gingerbread's cold, withered hand still holding almost 51% of the pie (though it's down from 54.2% in October), with Jelly Bean making gains to 6.7%, up 4% from last month.
Back in September, we heard that AT&T was rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Captivate Glide. Well, it turns out, that was delayed. How long, you ask? Until tomorrow, it seems! According to a blog post by AT&T, the upgrade should be available starting November 10th via a download on Samsung's website. There will not be an OTA.
It never rains, but it pours. Yesterday Samsung posted the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean source code for both new Galaxy Tab models and the AT&T Galaxy Note II. Today they're keeping the open source train rolling with the first available code for the new Galaxy S III Mini, the flagship model's 4-inch brother-from-another-mother. The 4.1 code is available now from Samsung's developer website.
Taking a new approach to firmware upgrades, Panasonic has decided to update its Eluga handset to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich via a downloadable Play Store app appropriately named 'ELUGA ICS Update.'
Ah, the poor LG Spectrum. Soon after it was released with mediocre Gingerbread-based software the Samsung Galaxy S III showed up to rain on LG's parade. Well, the Spectrum is getting a big update to Android 4.0.4 that should make owners much happier. Watch out, though. It clocks in at a whopping 384MB.