Nexus S to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update soon, for real this time

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  • March 16, 2012 at 5:29 am

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Nexus S special edition back

One of the allures of getting one of Google’s developer-friendly Nexus Android devices is that you have bigger chances in getting timely official updates when new major Android versions hit. Well, the Nexus S and Nexus S 4G started receiving the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update only a month after Google released the latest and greatest version of Android, however the update was soon pulled with Google citing battery and Wi-Fi issues related to the update.
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HTC Sensation and Sensation XE receiving Android 4.0 and Sense 3.6 update in Europe, here’s how to update yours now

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  • March 9, 2012 at 4:58 am

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HTC Sensation running Android 4.0 ICS and Sense 3.6 homescreen

Limited numbers of HTC Sensation and Sensation XE owners in Europe have been receiving over-the-air (OTA) updates to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 3.6. HTC had eluded in a previous statement that the Sensation and Sensation XE would be getting an early taste of Ice Cream Sandwich in Europe with entire line (including the Sensation 4G and Sensation XL) to be updated by end of March.

The update comes as a hefty 200MB+ download and seems to be rolling out to individual countries in stages and specifically to unlocked (i.e. without carrier branding) handsets. If you have an unlocked European handset and are anxious for the update, you can download the leaked HTC RUU 3.30.401.101 and 3.30.401.1 on a Windows computer to manually update either handset.
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HTC Sensation and Sensation XE handsets getting an early taste of Android Ice Cream Sandwich

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  • February 16, 2012 at 5:37 am

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HTC Ice Cream Sandwich

HTC has already promised March 2012 Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) updates for its Sensation series smartphones worldwide, but some lucky users might be getting an early taste very soon. The company just sent us word that it will be updating a limited number of Sensation and Sensation XE handsets in Europe to the latest version of Android and its own Sense 4.0 UI.

HTC is calling it an “early access preview” so that a few hundred users can play around with the new software and hopefully share the experience with the rest of the Android community. HTC will be doing similar sort of previews with other handsets in the future. As a reminder, the HTC Sensation, Sensation 4G, Sensation XE and Sensation XL should all get Android ICS updates by the end of March.
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Skinny HTC Ville stars in early hands-on video, shows-off Sense 4.0 skinned Android 4.0 (video)

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  • January 31, 2012 at 12:36 pm

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HTC Villed leaked hands-on video

The HTC Ville has been in the rumor mill since last November and it’s only reasonable to expect that we will be seeing it at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in late February. Well, it seems the Android device was too anxious to hit the limelight and it has popped-up in an early hands-on video. Although it should be tramped in specs by the quad-core 4.7-inch 720p HTC Edge, it’s definitely no slouch. The Ville is said to have a 4.3-inch 540×960 qHD screen, and run on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor.
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Random reboots continue to plague the Galaxy Nexus, how about yours?

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  • January 16, 2012 at 1:56 pm

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Galaxy Nexus back - close-up on Google logo

When we thoroughly reviewed the Galaxy Nexus, the buggy launch of the device was one of its sticking points. While both the GSM and LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus are now running Android 4.0.2, there are a number of bugs still plaguing both devices.

One of the most annoying issues plaguing the Galaxy Nexus are random reboots. I’ve been having them on my first Galaxy Nexus and now the same situation has been going on with the second Nexus I’ve got my hands on. They could happen at any time and a couple of times the Galaxy Nexus rebooted while charging during the night. If you have a PIN number set, your device will be ‘off the hook’ when it restarts, until you punch in the PIN number. I also had my first reboot yesterday after updating to 4.0.2 on a GSM/HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus last week.
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GSM Galaxy Nexus updated to Android 4.0.2; we test: some fixes, many bugs still remain

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  • January 14, 2012 at 10:13 am

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Galaxy Nexus Android Ice Cream Sandwich keypad

An over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 4.0.2 has been rolling out to the GSM/HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus — the Verizon LTE Galaxy Nexus is already at version 4.0.2. We’ve been testing it out on our device for the past 48 hours and here are the initial results.

As we mentioned in our full-length review of the Galaxy Nexus, it has had a buggy launch and some of the well published bugs have been plaguing my device as well. Mind you this is the second Galaxy Nexus I’m burning through, since the first one had an unfortunate accident.

Specifically, I’ve had the occasional random restart, the Wi-Fi hotspot won’t work with my MacBook under MacOS X and while in a call, after pressing the speaker button the other person can’t hear me. You could also consider the screen’s yellow tint as something of an annoyance. I’ve experience a couple of occasional minor issues, like hangs on 3G data connectivity and a confused volume rocker tht would change media instead of the ringtone volume.
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HP TouchPad now seen running Android 4.0 thanks to CyanogenMod 9 (video)

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  • January 13, 2012 at 7:36 am

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HP TouchPad running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

The CyanogenMod Android custom ROM may have just reached an important milestone of 1 million installs, but as we’ve said before, it’s getting ready for even bigger things to come. One of these, is to liberate the HP TouchPad from the uncertainties and lack of app support of WebOS.

We’ve already seen CyanogenMod 7 (CM7) running on the tablet. But the install was plagued with a bunch of issues and CM7 is based on the not so tablet-friendly Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The CM team has been fiendishly working on the latest version of the ROM, CyanogenMod 9 (CM9), which is based on the spanking new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Although a final stable build of CM9 has not yet been released for any device, the aftermarket ROM has already found its place on the HP TouchPad. It also seems that significant progress has been made since the last time we saw the TouchPad flirting with Android and CM. As you can see in the preview video below, everything is working pretty smoothly, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Only key sticking points remain the camera and video playback.
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Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10-inch tablet with Android 4.0 and keyboard dock

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  • January 9, 2012 at 4:38 am

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Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10.1-inch Android tablet with keyboard dock

Did we mention we are expecting an onslaught of Android tablets at CES 2012? Hot on the heels of Acer’s Ice Cream Sandwich bearing Iconia Tab A700, Lenovo has announced its own Android 4.0 tablet. The Lenovo IdeaTab S2 with a 10.1-inch IPS LCD 1280×800 resolution and Qualcomm’s latest 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC. Similar to the Asus Trasformer Prime, the IdeaTab S2 can be used with a detachable keyboard dock.

Thin is the game now, and the S2 tablet measures just 0.34 inches thick and weighs a mere 1.1 lbs. Lenovo claims a 20 hours runtime when the tablet is paired with its keyboard dock. We’ve mentioned that it will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, though Lenovo will slap its own Mondrian UI on top. You get the typical set of Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, micro-USB and micro HDMI. The S2 is said to come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, though no pricing or availability has been made public yet.
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Acer Iconia Tab A700 10-inch tablet with 1080p display, quad-core Tegra 3 and Android 4.0

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  • January 8, 2012 at 6:47 pm

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Acer Iconia Tab A700

CES 2012 is expected to open the floodgates for new tablets, yet Acer has managed to put its competitor early in. The Acer Iconia Tab A700 is a 10.1-inch tablet with some spectacular specs. The screen has a full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, it runs on the quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, which is clocked at 1.3GHz, and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed.

Of course you get a typical set of ports, like micro-USB and HMDI, and connectivity, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3G, together with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing camera for video chatting. The A700 also boasts Dolby Mobile sound. Measuring 9.8mm thick, it might not be the thinnest tablet around but with a 9,800 mAh battery you’ll be pleased to carry it all day with you.
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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now accounts for 0.6 percent of Android devices

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  • January 4, 2012 at 1:21 pm

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus bottom screen close-up

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was released with much fanfare this past November together with the Galaxy Nexus — you can read our full review here. Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) is a huge step forward for Google’s mobile platform, and offers a large number of visual and backend enhancements.

We are pretty sure that every knowledgeable Android user can’t wait to get his hands on this latest version, however ICS currently only comes officially pre-loaded on the Galaxy Nexus, while existing Android device owners would have to wait if and when their devices get upgraded. The ASUS Transformer Prime tablet, will be the first device to receive an Android 4.0 update on January 12.

Well, now we have the first official numbers for the adoption of Android ICS, which now accounts for 0.6% of all Android devices that have accessed the Android Market during a set period. The pie chart below is based on the number of devices that accessed the Android Market within a 14-day period ending January 3rd.
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ASUS Transformer Prime to receive update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on 12 January

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  • January 3, 2012 at 2:00 pm

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ASUS Transformer Prime running Android Ice Cream Sandwich

ASUS has taken to its official Facebook page to announce that its Nvidia Tegra 3 tablet will soon be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). The update will start rolling out on the 12th of January to the 10.1-inch quad-core ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, making it the first Android tablet to officially receive Android ICS. We are sure this will put a smile on all the lucky Transformer Prime owners out there.

Nevertheless, there has been a backlash from the developer community, as Transformer Prime owners discovered that the tablet’s bootloader is locked. ASUS explains that having a locked bootloader is a Google DRM (Digital Rights Management) requirement in order to allow users to rent videos. ASUS intends to provide an unlock utility. Use of the tool will void your warranty and make Google Video unavailable.
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus complete review

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  • December 5, 2011 at 6:41 pm

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus in hand - on homescreen

There has been a lot of buzz around the release of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and that has mostly centered on the fact that this is the first smartphone to carry the latest (and greatest) iteration of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (‘ICS’). Similar to previous Nexus devices, it acts as Google’s launch device for a major Android version.

What one must understand is that this is a mass adoption device rather than a super high-end smartphone. It lacks the exotic materials found in other high-end phones and features such as Bluetooth 4.0, GLONASS satellite navigation or an advanced camera.

Nevertheless, it’s a well-executed device, albeit a few early teething problems. The Galaxy Nexus features a sharp 4.65-inch Super AMOLED 720p display and a fast dual-core 1.2GHz processor. It’s also a pure Google Android experience smartphone, without any user interface customizations such as HTC’s Sense or Samsung’s TouchWiz, which is important for some.

Most importantly, it’s the only device to officially run Ice Cream Sandwich, for a while, and similar to past Nexus devices, it will be the first smartphone to receive future software updates as they are released by Google — at least until the next Nexus device is launched. Although the Galaxy Nexus might not be bleeding edge with regards to hardware features, it will be cutting edge on software, which, can be argued, is more important.

This review is an in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and centers on the device’s hardware features, real-life performance, as well as what’s new in Android Ice Cream Sandwich. We will further cover Android Ice Cream Sandwich in more detail in a future review. So read on for our opinion on the latest and greatest Android smartphone.
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