Hasta La Gadget!

Getting Jelly Bean to run on a Galaxy S III has so far required a strictly unofficial build that strips away much of Samsung’s handiwork. If you prefer the official software to the point where thoughts of TouchWiz keep you comfortable at night, you’ll be glad to hear that a beta of a more official Android 4.1 upgrade has reportedly landed in the hands of AndroidMX.net. An extensive video look in Spanish (after the break) almost completely mirrors what you’d expect: clear advantages like the expanded notifications and Google Now make the cut, while Samsung’s Nature UX vibe remains intact. Only a few minor surprises have snuck their way in, such a brightness slider in the notification bar that we’d previously seen in some firmware for the Galaxy Note. We’re skeptical of claims that Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S III is just days away — Samsung isn’t exactly known for speedy Android updates. As long as the update we’ve seen here isn’t just a clever hack, however, it’s close enough to completion that it might tame the pessimists.

Continue reading Official Jelly Bean for Samsung Galaxy S III spotted in the wild, blends old with new (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Official Jelly Bean for Samsung Galaxy S III spotted in the wild, blends old with new (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Right alongside iOS 6 beta 4, Apple has also pushed out beta 4 software for its Apple TV — useful for “testing AirPlay for iOS apps,” according to the company. Not surprising, actually, considering that a bit of the polish from the former relied on updates to the latter. It’s available as we speak to registered developers, and it promises to fix a number of niggles involving restarts while using the Remote app, the wrong resolution being displayed on one’s HDTV, and a Photo Stream quirk that prevented some images from loading. The bullet-point breakdown is hosted up after the break.

Continue reading Apple TV software beta 4 released to developers, addresses Photo Stream and control issues

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Apple TV software beta 4 released to developers, addresses Photo Stream and control issues originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a false start to its Kickstarter funding, the Chameleon launcher project for Android is finally arriving — at least in beta form. It’s currently ready for install from Google Play by anyone with an Android tablet running 3.2 or higher, however to actually unlock the software you’ll need to have your account authorized on its servers . For the moment that’s restricted to a VIP list of early testers to bash on its core systems as well as the included HTML5 widgets. The beta for Kickstarter backers and pre-orderers will be staggered to let the company test its activation system, so if you haven’t been switched on yet it shouldn’t be too long of a wait. If you’ve hopped over the velvet rope, let us know how the new experience is running on your slate, those stuck on the outside looking in can catch a quick demo video embedded after the break, as well as hit the company’s website to register for access and progress updates.

Continue reading Chameleon Android launcher appears, pre-orderers and Kickstarter backers get beta access soon

Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software

Chameleon Android launcher appears, pre-orderers and Kickstarter backers get beta access soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And just like that, it was all over. Shortly after the well-known, always-informative Major Nelson announced that this year’s upcoming Xbox Live update had officially opened its beta doors to the public, he soon followed up with a note saying it was already “full and no longer accepting sign-ups.” For the lucky ones, though, the public beta will give them early access to a slew of anticipated Xbox Live features, such as personalized dashboard recommendations, improved category / discovery features and, best of all, a look at Internet Explorer on Microsoft’s entertainment console. Sadly, Major Nelson didn’t say whether or not there’s going to be more spaces opening up soon, but we’ll keep you in the loop if anything changes.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Software

Microsoft kicked off public beta for 2012 Xbox Live update, but quickly ran out of space originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can’t bear to part with your favorite browser extensions, but can’t stand to see them devour your system memory? Maybe you should check out Firefox 15. According to Mozilla’s Hacks blog, the browser’s latest beta should patch up the majority of memory leaks gushing from Firefox add-ons. Also new, is the beta’s support for Opus, a free audio format partially supported by Mozilla. The firm hopes competing browsers will pick up the format as well, calling it “as good or better than basically all existing lossy codecs.” The blog makes quite a case for the format, citing tests and bitrate information, going as far as giving instructions on embedding Opus players in web pages. Check out the codec of tomorrow for yourself at the source links below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Firefox 15 beta boasts support for Opus audio format, reduces add-on memory leaks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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