Official Android 2.2 (Froyo) update emerges for Sprint’s Epic 4G

Samsung may have missed its promised September (and November) ship dates for Froyo on the Galaxy S range, but at this point, we’re just pleased to see any progress at all. Sprint’s Epic 4G has just become the first US Galaxy S phone to nab an official Android 2.2 (v2.2.1, in fact) build, with the requisite files populating Google’s servers this evening. If you’ll recall, a near-final build actually leaked out around three weeks ago, but the DK28 version making the rounds at xda-developers looks to be the real deal. Head on over to get your update going, and be sure to let us know how everything turns out in comments below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Official Android 2.2 (Froyo) update emerges for Sprint’s Epic 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Market update brings long-awaited ‘Related’ tab, similar app suggestions

Remember that “Related” / “Similar” tab we spotted in Google’s own Gingerbread video? Looks as if you won’t have to wait for Android 2.3 to enjoy the spoils of having El Goog sort out what similar apps you may like after you download one. This morning, waves of Android loyalists are finding a new tab in their Market, with a Droid 2 and Nexus One both seeing the update here at Engadget HQ. Naturally, it works just like the App Store’s equivalent, but it remains to be seen just how accurate the advice is. When looking at ‘Related’ for the (also recently updated) Engadget app, we’re finding items we’d prefer to be listed first about a page or so down, but we’re sure the mix-and-match engineers in Mountain View are already fine tuning things as we speak. You know, during the brief moments they aren’t preparing for Tuesday’s big Chrome reveal.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android Market update brings long-awaited ‘Related’ tab, similar app suggestions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 2.x now accounts for 83 percent of all active Googlephones

We’re not totally sure that Android 2.1 users will be happy to be bundled in with 2.2 consumers — after all, there’s plenty in Froyo that’s not available on Eclair — but the fact remains that a cool 83 percent of actively used Android phones right now run one of the two latest iterations. A reminder is merited to say that by “active” we mean those that accessed the Android Market over the foregoing two weeks — which might have a slight bias toward over-representing the newer phones with folks either abandoning their Cupcake and Donut handsets or simply not searching for new apps for them. Either way, we reckon it’s good to see such nice big slices taken up by Android’s most advanced versions, it seems almost a shame that Gingerbread’s arrival will soon disrupt things all over again. For now, we’re off to our delicatessen, all this food talk’s given us the munchies.

[Thanks, Dan]

Android 2.x now accounts for 83 percent of all active Googlephones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos Internet Tablets get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo

Archos Internet Tablets and PMPs get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo

Okay, maybe not everybody, but the vast majority of the Android offerings from Archos are receiving some guilt-free sweet treats. Models 23, 32, 43, 70, and 101 (you know, these guys) are all on the lucky receiving end of firmware updates that bring Android 2.2.1 to the table. That comes with improved performance, better battery life estimation, and support for external GPS adapters. All yours for the low, low price of free — well, assuming you’ve already bought the tablet, of course.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Archos Internet Tablets get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Star struts its stuff on film, toys with an iPhone 4 (video)

We can’t get enough of the world’s first Tegra 2 smartphone, the LG Star, so if the 4-inch diva wants a closeup while parading about Tel Aviv, who are we to argue? GSM Israel somehow managed to obtain the same dual-core Android 2.2 handset we glimpsed earlier this morning, complete with 8 megapixel camera and HDMI port. Though we don’t have the foggiest idea what they’re saying in the video after the break, the LG-P990 certainly seems to be a speedy little machine in side-by-side webpage load tests with the fan-favorite iPhone 4, though we seem to detect a hint of hesitation when the Star’s capacitive touchscreen gets brushed. Chalk it up to faux embarrassment, we suppose. Video after the break.

Continue reading LG Star struts its stuff on film, toys with an iPhone 4 (video)

LG Star struts its stuff on film, toys with an iPhone 4 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Office Depot welcomes 10-inch ViewSonic G Tablet into the fold, slaps $399 sticker on it

If your tablet wishlist includes things like Tegra 2, Android 2.2, and 1080p video playback, you might want to drop by your nearest Office Depot some time soonish. ViewSonic’s G Tablet has just been made available for purchase at the store’s many outlets across the US and is also supposed to be up for grabs at its online portal. We say “supposed” because we can’t find it anywhere on officedepot.com, but that’s probably just a temporary issue. The main point is that $399 will buy you a seat on the Froyo tablet bandwagon, a very glossy 10-inch seat with 1024 x 600 resolution. Skip past the break for the full PR.

Continue reading Office Depot welcomes 10-inch ViewSonic G Tablet into the fold, slaps $399 sticker on it

Office Depot welcomes 10-inch ViewSonic G Tablet into the fold, slaps $399 sticker on it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell US now offering Streak unlocked with Froyo, in Cherry Red

We knew good and well that Android 2.2 was sneaking out and making itself active on Dell’s unlocked Streak units, but now it seems that the backlog of older units has been cleared. That has made way for new stock over at Dell’s US site, with a 16GB Carbon Black unlocked Streak going for $579.99 with Froyo from the factory; the 32GB model is listed at $678.99. Curiously, that 16GB model is $30 more than what the unlocked Android 1.6 model went for back in August. Also, we’re left to assume that even the “unlocked” models will still be SIM-locked to AT&T, though Dell does play up the fact that unlocked Streaks can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to eight WiFi-enabled devices without ponying up extra to Ma Bell. In related news, the long-awaited Cherry Red Streak is also on sale in the US of A, but you’ll have to flip to page two down in the source link in order to find the 32GB and unlocked variants. Good luck wading through the options, champ.

[Thanks, Jar Jar Binks]

Dell US now offering Streak unlocked with Froyo, in Cherry Red originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Optimus One is LG’s fastest-selling phone ever: one million in 40 days

One million units sold in the realm of smartphones isn’t quite as impressive of a feat as it once was — especially if your phone is available on numerous carriers around the world. Still, there’s something to be said for the pace at which it reaches the milestone, and for LG, the Optimus One managed Seven Digits in just 40 days after initial launch. Given that it’s still rolling out globally — Verizon’s about to pick it up November 18th as the Vortex — we doubt that number’s letting up anytime soon. On a related note, given the success of this budget-minded Android 2.2 phone, something tells us LG will be focusing much heavier on that market segment.

Optimus One is LG’s fastest-selling phone ever: one million in 40 days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App Review: NetFront Life Browser for Android

This is no photoshop — it really is an Android browser that lets you tilt web pages, but there’s more than meets the eye. The folks at Access have just launched this free NetFront Life Browser, which packs a few interesting features that caught our attention. Let’s hold hands and walk through them together. Upon launching the app for the first time, we were taken to a “unified navigation” landing page that consists of two sections: the top half displays live thumbnails of opened windows, and swiping left or right gives you a smooth 3D transition between them; whereas the bottom half shows you stacks of pages à la Apple Time Machine for history, bookmarks, and scrapbooks. Speaking of which, the scrapbook feature is also one of the main — and probably the funnest — highlights here: this is where you can store virtual cut-outs using the scissors tool at the bottom right of the browser, thus creating pictorial bookmarks. If you want to mark something specific on a page, then you can use the checkmarking tool — located right next to the scissors — to do so, but bear in mind that the marks will disappear if you close the page’s window (so it’s fine as long as you keep it in the background).

Continue reading App Review: NetFront Life Browser for Android

App Review: NetFront Life Browser for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 2.2 update starts rolling out to unlocked Dell Streaks, includes Stage UI

We’ve pretty much been waiting on the Dell Streak’s Android 2.2 update for as long as the 5-inch tablet / phone has been on the market, and it looks like the time has finally come… well, at least for owners of unlocked Streaks. Word is that Dell has started to push out its over-the-air Froyo update to unlocked Streaks; those that purchased devices locked to a carrier will see the update hit those 5-inch screens sometime in December. (Note: Streaksmart also reports that Dell will start selling an unlocked Streak in the US with Froyo preloaded in the next couple of weeks.) There are details on the entire upgrade process at the source link below, but just as we’d heard, the update includes Dell’s new Stage UI, which we’ve been told will eventually be included as a software layer on all of Dell’s consumer devices. We got a chance to see the interface a few weeks ago, and have to say the widget-based UI looks really slick. Those who prefer their Android untouched will be happy to know you can turn off the layer. We’ll be doing an in-depth preview of the updated software once it hits our AT&T and O2 Streaks, but until then you can check out a few pictures of the new Froyo goodness below.

Android 2.2 update starts rolling out to unlocked Dell Streaks, includes Stage UI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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