Archos GamePad arrives in the States for $179

Archos GamePad arrives in the States for around $180

Tired of waiting for the WikiPad? Needing some immediate gratification for your thumbs? Willing to consider Archos to fill that void? If your answer to all three was a mighty, “Aye!” then you’ll be glad to know that the Archos GamePad is now for sale in the US at various online retailers. The portable gaming system combines Android 4.1, a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 screen and honest-to-goodness physical buttons, all within a 0.3-inch thick enclosure that’s priced between $179 and $189. The GamePad sports a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU and a Mali-400 MP GPU, and while it may lack the cachet of the WikiPad, it has the distinct advantage of being available now. And you know what? Sometimes, that’s all that matters.

[Thanks, Duncan]

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Source: Adorama Camera, Amazon, Google Shopping

Huawei’s 6.1-inch Ascend Mate priced in China, turns Yu into part-time model

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Huawei is once again showing its aggressive side in the consumer space, this time by way of its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate which debuted at CES (with a little help from Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu, pictured above). What’s new is that earlier today the company announced a price for this Android 4.1 tabletphone in China: ¥2,688 (about $430) unsubsidized, which is pretty competitive given the specs. Need a quick recap? The Mate comes with a 1.5GHz quad-core HiSilicon K3V2, 2GB of RAM, IPS display (but only with 720p resolution) with Gorilla Glass 2 and glove-friendly “Magic Touch” technology, up to 64GB of microSD expansion (on top of the native 4GB available space), 8-megapixel camera and a 4,050mAh battery. Better yet, this particular model comes with WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 pentaband radio, so it’ll work nicely for frequent travelers. Interested buyers can hit the order button on Huawei’s Vmall online store on the 26th next week.

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Via: Engadget Chinese

Source: Huawei Vmall

Verizon to update the Droid 4 with Jelly Bean 4.1 starting tomorrow

Verizon to update the Droid 4 with Jelly Bean 4.1 starting tomorrow

It’s always a good day when we can report on older handsets getting updated with some fresher software. If you happen to have bought the Droid 4 when it came out on Verizon last year, then today’s your lucky today: the carrier has confirmed it will begin updating the phone to Android Jelly Bean (4.1) starting tomorrow. As always, this is more of a rollout than anything else, so try and stay patient if your phone doesn’t immediately show an update prompt. And as ever, do hit us back and let us know how the upgrade goes.

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Source: Verizon Wireless

Gmail update lets Jelly Bean users archive and reply to emails from notifications

Gmail update allows Jelly Bean users to reply and archive from notifications

Got a relatively recent version of Android on your smartphone? Good, because today, Google’s giving Jelly Bean users another reason to be happy. In the company’s latest update to Gmail, users will now find the ability to archive, delete and reply to incoming mail directly from the notifications drawer — a small improvement, but we’ll gladly take it. What’s more, users of Ice Cream Sandwich and above will benefit from faster searches (online and off), along with a few performance improvements and bug fixes, too. So, time to tap that update button, eh?

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Source: Official Gmail Blog

Refresh Roundup: week of March 11th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of March 11th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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!

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Refresh Roundup: week of March 4th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of March 4th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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!

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LG Optimus G for Sprint updated to Android 4.1.2

LG Optimus G for Sprint updated to Android 412

Today’s been a good day for smartphone updates. In addition to the One X on AT&T and the Droid RAZR on Verizon both receiving bumps to Jelly Bean, Sprint is giving another reason to smile with an update to Android 4.1.2 for the Optimus G. Along with the usual set of improvements such as Google Now, Chrome replaces the default Android browser in this release, and users will also find improved voice search and a new camera app. Additionally, users of alternative launchers will be glad to know that system widgets can be now be installed without root access. All in all, it’s high time that this top shelf smartphone made the leap into the world of Jelly Bean, so go ahead and grab the OTA update today.

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Via: Sprint (Twitter)

Source: Sprint

Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx get updated to Android 4.1

Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx get updated to Android 41

Today is the day for Jelly Bean updates on older carrier-branded devices, apparently. In this round, it’s the Verizon-branded Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx that have the honor of being bestowed with Google Now, expanded notifications and the rest of everything Android 4.1 has to offer. The rollout will take place in phases, so don’t be terribly concerned if you don’t see the update showing up on your device right away. We haven’t had the chance to play with it yet, but soak tests seemed to indicate that much of the Droid-related bloatware has been removed in favor of several stock Google apps; if you get the update, let us know in the comments if this is the case.

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Via: Android Central

Source: Motorola

AT&T HTC One X finally receives update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

 AT&T HTC One X finally receives update to Android 41

Global variants of the HTC One X have enjoyed the good graces of Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) for a few months now, but it appears that the AT&T model is finally ready to get in on the action. The carrier’s firmware update will feature the usual Jelly Bean trimmings along with a new countdown timer for the front-facing camera, ISIS support and AT&T apps like DriveMode, Locker and Messages. Check the source for all the info.

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Source: AT&T

ASUS Transformer AiO launching Q2 for $1,299 and up, marries Windows 8 desktop with monster Android tablet

ASUS Transformer AiO launching Q2 for $1,299 and up, marries Windows 8 desktop with monster Android tablet

We were beginning to think the ASUS Transformer AiO was just a figment of a summer daydream after hearing nothing of it since our chance look many months ago. As it turns out, we were right about the furtive FCC filing last December, and with all that paperwork in order, we’ve now been granted a formal introduction. The Transformer AiO (all-in-one) is very true to its name, as like the Autobots, it has two completely different configurations. In desktop mode, you’re looking at a Windows 8 machine running on a Core i3 / i5 / i7, with a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT730M GPU, between 4 and 8GB of RAM, and up to a 2TB SATA HDD. It also has a DVD-RW optical drive (can you believe it?), a card reader, a bunch of ports and even a TV Tuner should you want one. Being a Windows 8 rig, it’s not surprising that the 18.4-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display has ten-point multitouch, but it gets even more interesting when you free that screen from its desktop restraints.

Popping it from the dock means you’re now looking at a monster tablet with its own internal specs: a quad-core Tegra 3, 2 gigs of RAM and 32GB of flash storage. If you’re in the mood to continue peering at Redmond’s squares, it’ll work as a remote terminal for the “PC Station.” But, if you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can switch the slate to Android mode and knock around in 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Transformer AiO (P1801) is expected to be available in North America early second quarter at $1,299 for the basic model, which doesn’t sound all that extortionate given the versatility of the desktop-come-tablet. Head to the source link for the full spec sheet, or check out the video below if you’d like a visual tour.

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Via: PhoneArena

Source: ASUS