android 4.0

Owners of Acer's Iconia Tab A100 and A500 tablets can look forward to a dollop of Ice Cream Sandwich in another week and a half.

An Acer support document confirmed that the two tablets are scheduled be on the receiving end of Android 4.0 in the U.S. on April 27. Other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Latin America, will also receive the update on or around the same time, but all updates should be out and about by the first week of May.

Released last summer with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the Acer A100 is a … Read more

Ematic entered the Android tablet fray yesterday when it announced the inexpensive eGlide Prism.

Priced as low as $157, the device runs Android 4.0 and features a 7-inch 800x480-pixel resolution display. Powered by a 1GHz processor, it also brings 8GB flash memory, 512MB RAM, and a front-facing Webcam. While it's certainly not the type of hardware to contend with a Galaxy Tab 2, it's in that interesting space between a Kindle Fire and a "real" tablet.

I typically cringe when I hear the word "value" associated with mobile tech -- Ematic proudly call themselves a "leader in value tablets" -- since the word conjures images of creaky plastic and poorly lit, low-resolution displays. That's why I'll pass on this model and recommend that others save a few bucks on something else. … Read more

Of all the major wireless providers in the United States, Verizon Wireless is the only provider that hasn't announced an Android 4.0-powered HTC smartphone for 2012. But that could change in short order if a leaked successor to the Incredible actually comes to pass.

Details and images of the handset, once codenamed Fireball, surfaced this week that suggest what Verizon has in store as we approach the two-year anniversary of the Droid Incredible. The rumored name of (Droid) Incredible 4G doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering Verizon's push of the 4G LTE network.

The … Read more

Last week, Lenovo took to YouTube to unveil its first ICS-based tablet. The new tablet sports a 9.7-inch, IPS screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio and an iPad 2-matching resolution of 1,024x768 pixels. This obviously falls short of the new iPad's 2,048x1,536-pixel resolution and even most Android tablets, which usually top out at 1,280x800 pixels.

The S2109 includes Micro-USB, a microSD card slot, and a single 1.3-megapixel front camera. However, say what you will about its unibody design, 8.9mm thickness, or its purported 10-hour battery life; the most intriguing detail has to be its inclusion of quad speakers on the back.

All tablets include speakers -- usually one or two -- but by featuring four, Lenovo is kind of raising my expectations of what I should expect from the tablet's audio capabilities.… Read more

Restless for a taste of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich? If you're a Samsung Nexus S 4G owner, don't be.

Sprint began rolling out the over-the-air ICS update today. The carrier predicts that by the end of the month, all users will have had a chance to install Google's most recent OS (so a little patience might be necessary.)

Of course, Nexus S 4G users are used to patience at this point, while waiting months for their turn to get an update that many assumed would come to their "pure" Android devices first.

We … Read more

Samsung has been a bit of a tease when it comes to exactly when we might see Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Galaxy Note -- and nobody likes a tease, especially in the rooting and modding community.

At first, Samsung told us to expect the upgrade sometime in the first quarter of 2012, and then as March was winding down, the update was pushed back. Now, a leaked version of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Galaxy Note has been posted at RootzWiki and the reaction in the community so far seems to be quite positive. … Read more

Sony today announced that it plans to begin issuing Android 4.0 updates to its 2011 Xperia smartphones beginning in mid-April.

The first models expected to see Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V, and Xperia Ray. These updates should take around four to six weeks to complete and will depend on the various markets and carriers.

Jumping ahead to May and early June, Sony expects to deploy Android 4.0 to the remaining models, including the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, and Xperia Active. Sony's new Xperia S won't be upgraded … Read more

Buyers of Samsung's 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus smartphone can now score a free extended-life battery with the usual two-year contract.

The free battery bundle consists of the i515 2100 mAh battery and a special cover for added protection. This package normally sells for $49.99 directly from Samsung and runs anywhere from $30 to $40 from various online retailers.… Read more

HTC today confirmed that an Android 4.0 update is now available for AT&T's HTC Vivid smartphone.

As one of the first handsets in the United States to see an Ice Cream Sandwich update after launch, the Vivid also benefits from HTC's Sense 3.6 user interface and Beats Audio enhancement. Additional details include added Bluetooth options, general UI improvements, face unlock, and better e-mail and Exchange support. … Read more