LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first

While all of you Droid, Incredible and EVO 4G owners wait patiently for an official Froyo update to call your own, LG’s wasting no time introducing its first phones based on the latest and greatest Android build. Over in the UK today, the company has decided to launch the Optimus Series, a family of smartphones that’ll run “on a range of operating systems as well as Android.” If all goes well, LG will introduce around ten new smart devices worldwide in the second half of this year under the Optimus label, though only two are being partially revealed for now. The Optimus One with Google and Optimus Chic will both ship with Android 2.2 onboard, with the latter being specifically aimed at fashionistas who just might appreciate the “sleek curves” that make themselves so apparent. Further details surrounding pricing, availability and specifications remain to be seen, but here’s hoping this is just the beginning of the Froyo flood to come.

Continue reading LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first

LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered ‘One’ and ‘Chic’ arriving first originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG confirms Android tablet for Q4 2010 launch, Froyo for Optimus Z

Now this is jolly good news. LG, which already has a Windows 7 tablet in the works, is gearing up to service those with a hankering for some Android in their slate computers as well. Clearly unwilling to fall behind its fierce rival Samsung, LG has just announced that it’ll bringing out its own Google-centric tablet before the end of 2010. Indications are that it’ll be different (presumably better) than current offerings on the market, but alas there’s nary a peep about what that might mean on the spec sheet. In other machine-translated news, the Korean company is also planning a new version of its SU950 handset, aka the Optimus Z, which will come preloaded with Android 2.2. Current owners of the phone need not despair either, as Froyo upgrades are planned for them by the fourth quarter as well. Hmm, all this Q4 and 2.2 action flying about, would be nice to think this tablet would benefit from the same treatment.

LG confirms Android tablet for Q4 2010 launch, Froyo for Optimus Z originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1&1’s 7-inch SmartPad is the most unlikely Android tablet you’ll ever see

We knew at Computex that tablets were on track to completely take over the world, but now it’s official: a German internet provider has just revealed that it’ll soon be offering a branded tablet PC of its own. You heard right — a German ISP is making a tablet. The delightfully named SmartPad is a 7-inch, touchscreen-based slate that’ll eventually support Android 2.2 (v1.6 will be pre-installed), and there’s also inbuilt WiFi and an optional 3G module for those looking to “stay connected.” It seems as if the company is still hammering out the final specifications, but we are told to expect an SD card reader (2GB will be included), a USB socket, a 500MHz ARM11 processor, 256MB of RAM and a proprietary app store that’ll undoubtedly enrage you. According to the promotional video hosted just past the break, it should ship later this month for precisely nothing so long as you pick up a data plan to go alongside of it. ‘Course, getting one outside of Deutschland is another challenge entirely…

Continue reading 1&1’s 7-inch SmartPad is the most unlikely Android tablet you’ll ever see

1&1’s 7-inch SmartPad is the most unlikely Android tablet you’ll ever see originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android team’s Morrill discounts Gingerbread rumors

Eldar Murtazin has a pretty decent track record when it comes to smartphone whispers, but his Android 3.0 Gingerbread morsels yesterday are now at odds with someone a bit closer to the dough — namely, Dan Morrill, Android’s Open Source and Compatibility Tech Lead (yeah, that’s a bit of a mouth full). Here are a few highlights from his Twitter feed tonight: “I love it when people just make stuff up” (sarcasm, obviously), “rumors are not official announcements,” and so on. Sure, he could just be playing coy here, but for now, this is more or less the final word on the matter — until either Google or the rumor mill heat up again, of course. Guess that’s how the, erm, cookie crumbles.

Android team’s Morrill discounts Gingerbread rumors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus One gets yet another Android 2.2 Froyo update, FRF91

Another day, another Froyo build. Now that Android 2.2 build FRF85 — i.e. the big one that got pushed over-the-air to every Nexus One this week — is out on the prowl, Google’s taken it upon itself to release yet another update, FRF91. We’ve heard from a few tipsters that it’s also going out OTA, but our devices have yet to be notified — all the same, a direct link for the file has been found, so it’s legit. Word on the street is it’s just a security update, but we’ve yet to install it ourselves. Go on, live a little, download’s just below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nexus One gets yet another Android 2.2 Froyo update, FRF91 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung says all Galaxy S phones will get Android 2.2

Samsung has mercifully confirmed at an event in New York this evening that all Galaxy S versions — including the Captivate, Epic 4G, Vibrant, and Fascinate — will be receiving updates to Android 2.2 Froyo later this year and offer compatibility with Flash 10.1. All of the devices will be shipping with Android 2.1 out of the gate, so considering that Froyo’s already launched, we’re sure there’ll be no shortage of pressure to get the updates fast-tracked. Sprint says it won’t be a long wait on the Epic, but otherwise, we don’t have any time frames at this point.

Samsung says all Galaxy S phones will get Android 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC: expect Desire, Legend and Wildfire to get Froyo ‘beginning in Q3’

It’s summer. It’s hot. Naturally, everyone wants to lick some frozen dessert in one form or another. Shortly after the Nexus One got its absolutely official Android 2.2 update, HTC has once again leaped out to tell us of its own Froyo offering. The Taiwanese mobile giant has informed Recombu that it’s expecting “several of our 2010 models including Desire, Legend and Wildfire” to join Google’s latest green bot party “beginning in Q3.” We went to the trouble of confirming this with HTC ourselves, and while this isn’t really much of an update from the company’s previous statement in terms of time frame, here’s hoping that at least some of its customers will get the delivery before the summer fiesta ends.

HTC: expect Desire, Legend and Wildfire to get Froyo ‘beginning in Q3’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for Nexus One (update: official)

We’ve been receiving numerous tips over the last hour that Nexus One owners on AT&T bands are receiving an over-the-air update for Android 2.2 FRF85, otherwise known as the “bulletproofed” Froyo build. No confirmation at this point, and since you’re asking, no word yet either on an update for the larger T-Mobile N1 install base (though we’ve had at least one report of a user on FRF50 getting the OTA today). We’ve pinged Google for answers, will let ya know what we hear.

Update: Thanks to a few readers, we’ve now got a direct link from Google’s servers to update from EPE54B to FRF85.

Update 2: Tipster Christian R has sent us a picture of his T-Mobile-banded Nexus One with FRF85, apparently updated from Android 2.1 build ERE27. Has the T-Mobile rollout begun? Not for us, at least.

Update 3: And now we’ve got a direct link to download a FRF85 build that’ll supposedly work for any Android build. We can safely say that it worked for us on a T-Mobile device with 2.1 / ERE27. Download from Google here, and if you need direction on how to do the update yourself, take a cue from our commenters. [Thanks, MRCUR and afinite]

Update 4: And now it’s official. Keep an eye on that notification bar if you’re itching for the OTA method. So that’s one phone down, quite a few to go! [Thanks, cl]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for Nexus One (update: official) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget app updated for Android and webOS

Is it possible we’ve been so busy we didn’t notice our Android app getting a handful of totally fresh new features? Maybe, but hey — you still win. If you’re an Android user, you might like to know that some time last week we flipped the switch on an update to our app that includes some pretty sexy new features, such as search and video playback inline (for Froyo devices). Additionally, our webOS app was recently bugging out, but that issue has since been fixed. Of course, the iPhone and BlackBerry apps are still available and as fly as ever — so go grab a copy right now! We’re including the changelog for the Android app after the break, too. Feel free to nerd out on that.

Continue reading Engadget app updated for Android and webOS

Engadget app updated for Android and webOS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid 2 rumored to be launching August 23rd with Android 2.2

We’ve certainly gotten a peak at quite a few Droid 2 details so far, but word of a release date has unfortunately never been among them. That now looks to have changed, however, with the folks at Android and Me reporting that a “trustworthy source” has informed them that the phone will be launching on August 23rd. According to the site, that date was apparently chosen so the Droid 2 would be the first phone to ship with Android 2.2 out of the box, although that of course remains to be confirmed (current test versions of the Droid 2 are said to be running Android 2.1). If recent rumors pan out, however, the Droid 2 wouldn’t be the first Droid to make the jump to Froyo — the original Droid is said to be getting the update in “late July,” while the Droid X will have to wait until late August.

Droid 2 rumored to be launching August 23rd with Android 2.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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