Refresh Roundup: week of October 17, 2011

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates Given up on the HTC Thunderbolt’s mystical Gingerbread update? HTC’s still insisting that it’s on its way, despite multiple delays . This time, however, the OEM isn’t giving a timeframe for ETA. [ Droid-Life ] The T-Mobile G2 was boosted to Android 2.3.3 in July , but we’re glad to see the device getting yet another refresh.

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Refresh Roundup: week of October 17, 2011

Samsung Stratosphere, Motorola Droid RAZR to be first Verizon LTE phones with Micro SIMs?

Looks like Verizon’s got a hardware-crush on teensy 3FF Micro SIMs . The carrier’s two latest 4G handsets, Samsung’s Stratosphere and Motorola’s Droid RAZR , both appear to make do with the diminutive cards. Neither, however, would be the first, as that honor was bestowed upon the carrier’s version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 . If you’re eager to call one of these devices your own, but already sport Big Red’s LTE service, then get set to bust out the scissors for a little SIM card arts and crafts. Further pictorial proof of these itsy, bitsy modules awaits you at the source. Samsung Stratosphere, Motorola Droid RAZR to be first Verizon LTE phones with Micro SIMs? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 08:33:00 EDT.

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Samsung Stratosphere, Motorola Droid RAZR to be first Verizon LTE phones with Micro SIMs?

BlackBerry Playbook 2.0 developer beta previewed, Android apps look right at home (video)

Are you in DevCon withdrawal? Need a little BBX preview to ferry you safely into the weekend’s arms? Well, you’re in luck, as German site Macberry.de took the time to film a walkthrough of the recently released BlackBerry Playbook 2.0 developer beta . The homescreen of this new build now offers users folder options similar to that on iOS, neatly collecting your gaggles of data into appropriate bundles — like documents and games. But you probably care less about that, and more about seeing BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps in action. We’re happy to report those Google-specific applications are shown here running quite smoothly, filling the 7-inch tab’s screen without any hint of lag. You can download the dev build now for your own first-hand account, or simply click on past the break to gawk at the silent tour. Continue reading BlackBerry Playbook 2.0 developer beta previewed, Android apps look right at home (video) BlackBerry Playbook 2.0 developer beta previewed, Android apps look right at home (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:17:00 EDT.

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BlackBerry Playbook 2.0 developer beta previewed, Android apps look right at home (video)

Google Voice app returns to iTunes, iOS 5 crash bug fixed

Less than a week after it disappeared from iTunes , the Apple-friendly Google Voice app is back and declared iOS 5 friendly, per its official Twitter account. Also improved is operation when you don’t have a data connection, as there’s no data required for all numbers previously called. Hit the source link below for v1.3.1.1891 — we’ll never go back to the dark days of v1.3.0.1771. Google Voice app returns to iTunes, iOS 5 crash bug fixed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Sony Ericsson bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to Xperia handsets

HTC may be busy pondering its Android 4.0 future, but Sony Ericsson is apparently ready to take a bite out of Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich. Yesterday, in a post on its Facebook page, Sony Ericsson’s Dutch branch stated that it will indeed upgrade its Xperia lineup to the latest Android OS, though it didn’t offer any details on release dates. We reached out to the manufacturer for confirmation, and received the following statement: Sony Ericsson is currently rolling out the upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3.4 across its entire 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio. This software upgrade will be available through a phased roll out in select markets. Beyond Gingerbread 2.3.4, we plan to upgrade our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio to the next Android platform made available to us. The company went on to say that all official software announcements will be posted on its blog, so we’ll let you know as soon as we have more details.

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Sony Ericsson bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to Xperia handsets

Google’s Bradley Horowitz: ‘we’re throwing fewer things against the wall’

And with that, a dream dies. Well, maybe that’s a bit sensational, but we aren’t going to lie — we weeped inside upon hearing Google’s Bradley Horowitz (Vice President of Product Management) contritely state that his company is “doing less of throwing things against the wall.” In fact, he proclaimed that Google+ was morphing into a platform that would absolutely, without question become a pillar across the company in some form or fashion. In other words, it’s too big to fail. He stated that the idea of using the general public as a test bed for products (hello, Buzz !) was fading quickly, and that this “transformation” would “very healthy” for Google. He did affirm that engineers are still given their token “20 percent time” in order to innovate on whatever they darn well please, but we seriously got the impression that the culture under Larry Page isn’t focusing nearly as intently on that kind of frivolous, outlandish and absolutely marvelous behavior. Bradley noted that while “20 percent time” isn’t going away, there are changes taking place. There’s a “higher bar on what gets put to market, and more of an editing function than before.” Continuing on, he stated the following: “Instead of making these decisions in the market..

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Google’s Bradley Horowitz: ‘we’re throwing fewer things against the wall’

Hands-on with the Motorola Droid RAZR’s (many) accessories (video)

It wouldn’t be a Motorola event without a glut of accessories, and boy howdy did the company deliver on that front. Sure, the Droid RAZR may not actually be out yet, but when it does hit, the handset will have plenty of things to hold it, dock it, charge it and stream stuff from it. In fact, Motorola devoted a full room to the things at today’s event. First and foremost are two additions to the Lapdock family. The docking station comes in new flavors: the Lapdock 500 ($300) and the Lapdock 100 ($200), measuring 14 and 10.1 inches, respectively. The 500 ($300) features a front-facing camera (a first on a Lapdock), as well as Ethernet and VGA sockets. As with its successors , the handset rests in the rear of the Lapdock, utilizing Webtop to turn your smartphone into a laptop

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Hands-on with the Motorola Droid RAZR’s (many) accessories (video)

Motorola Droid RAZR hits FCC with Verizon LTE, global GSM radio

Surprisingly, Motorola seems to have been taken a page out of Apple’s book, as the Droid RAZR was curiously approved by the FCC almost immediately after it was announced . And there’s some good stuff to behold in here, too; in addition to the usual Verizon-friendly LTE Band 13 radio with CDMA 800 / 1900 support, we also found instances of GSM and WCDMA. In fact, we discovered that the 850 / 1900 bands were tested — even though they’re locked from being used by US operators. And that’s not all, folks: the docs specifically state “this device supports voice call functionality over GSM and WCDMA on non-US cellular networks.” We don’t want to say for sure that this means the RAZR will be the first LTE device on Verizon to officially support global GSM roaming, as it could simply mean the device could be sold unlocked overseas, but it’s a strong indication towards the possibility. If fun graphs and measurements are your thing, the link is open for perusal below. Motorola Droid RAZR hits FCC with Verizon LTE, global GSM radio originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:20:00 EDT.

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Motorola Droid RAZR hits FCC with Verizon LTE, global GSM radio

How would you change HP’s TouchPad?

Not like it matters much now, but hey — why not, right? HP’s TouchPad was tossed into the closeout bin just over 40 days after it initially went on sale, and it actually served to be a spark for the eventual webOS fire that still seems to be smoldering. When we tested it — and before we knew HP was about to demolish its operating system in the consumer realm — we found tons of promise. That said, we also found lackluster hardware and a relatively barren application store, but we held out hope that the latter would blossom. These days, our readers are using fire sale TouchPads for all manners of tasks , but if you had the chance, how would you change yours? Toss in a different CPU / GPU?

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How would you change HP’s TouchPad?

Motorola Atrix 2 just a few clicks away from your purchase at AT&T for $100

The latest high-end Android phone on AT&T’s lineup definitely looks like a hundred bucks, and fortunately it won’t cost you a penny more — on the contrary, it’ll be a penny less before taxes and fees get involved in the ruckus. We’re talking about the Motorola Atrix 2, announced and shown off last week at CTIA Enterprise & Applications . If you’re anxious to get a new phone and one of them fancy iDevices aren’t doing it for you, this 4.3-inch qHD handset with a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 21Mbps HSPA+, an 8MP camera with 1080p HD video capture and front-facing cam, Android 2.3 and a full gigabyte of RAM will be a stunning option at a midrange price. Envisioning a beautiful future together with the Atrix 2 right now? Check it out (and checkout) at the link below. Motorola Atrix 2 just a few clicks away from your purchase at AT&T for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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