Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re the sort to get a little too adventurous with CyanogenMod 10 or other custom ROMs, Google just gave you a crutch. Android 4.1.1 factory images are now available for every Nexus device that can currently get a taste of Jelly Bean: the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and the expected Nexus 7. While it’s not a complete safety net, the gesture will let dedicated modders flash their phones and tablets knowing that they can almost always jump back to the pure OS if someone’s definition of “alpha build” is a little too rough. CDMA users are unfortunately left out of the loop; let’s just hope they’re brought up to speed before too long.

[Thanks, Vince]

Filed under: Cellphones

Google posts Android 4.1 Jelly Bean images for Nexus devices, modders rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite the sweltering heat waves, our spirits are high at Engadget, and for good reason: it’s time for our summer edition of the smartphone buyer’s guide. Here, you’ll find our top recommendations for the best smartphones across several US carriers, along with the best QWERTY and budget alternatives. In many ways, it’s now easier than ever to find a world-class smartphone, but unless you’ve developed a strong brand preference, choosing one is likely more difficult than ever before. It’s no secret that the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III have firmly cemented themselves as the premier smartphones of the day, but if you’re torn between the two, we’ll reveal our preference in this latest installment.

Summertime also brought a bit of a shock, as Microsoft revealed that Windows Phone 8 apps won’t be compatible with the current generation of Windows Phone hardware. For this reason, we’ve excluded all Windows Phone handsets from consideration in the latest buyer’s guide. While the future of Microsoft’s mobile platform looks incredibly bright, a purchase now would guarantee obsolescence in the short-term. Instead, all prospective Windows Phone purchasers must wait for the next generation of handsets to become available — you’ll regret it otherwise.

Naturally, there is no shortage of rumors surrounding the next Apple iPhone, and given the handset’s current lack of LTE connectivity, the iPhone 4S is certainly showing its age. While cautious purchasers may choose to bide their time, the iPhone remains top-notch in many other respects, and its arrival at a number of prepaid carriers brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stagnant environment.

If you’re curious to see how it all unfolded — and we know you are — join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition

Filed under: Cellphones

Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems that not all Galaxy Nexus owners are experiencing all the buttery goodness that Android 4.1 a.k.a. Jelly Bean has to offer. Following the rollout of Jelly Bean to Galaxy Nexus devices two weeks ago, some users are reportedly experiencing problems with its GPS functionality, even with a satellite nearby. If you’ve been experiencing GPS issues on your Galaxy Nexus, you might want to confirm if you’re affected by opening an app like Google Maps and try to check the notification for a GPS message.

If you’ll find a text that says “Searching for GPS” without a flashing icon, then you’re most likely not getting a GPS lock. You can also download the GPS Test app to check for satellites nearby. Assuming that you have the same problem, a simple tweak might do the trick. You can try to visit Settings and choose Location services. Then, you can try to uncheck and re-check Google’s location service to fix it. Perhaps that will solve the issue, as others have said. Google has yet to issue an official response to the reported GPS issue.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google officially announces Jelly Bean OTA update for Nexus S phones, Nexus One receives pre-alpha Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROM,

Sky has extended support for its Sky Go on-demand and streaming TV Android app to a further three Samsung smartphones, including the latest flagship Galaxy S III. The new update brings Sky Go – a free service to existing Sky subscribers – to the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy Note as well, joining the existing support for a clutch of HTC phones.

One proviso is that your handset must be running Ice Cream Sandwich, Sky says. If you’ve been holding off on the upgrade to your Galaxy Note, now might be a good time to load up Kies and install it.

Sky Go allows subscribers to register two devices to their account, and in addition to Android phones there’s support for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch access. The service includes access to the five Sky Sports channels, Sky Sports F1, EUROSPORT and ESPN, 11 Sky Movies channels, Sky News and Sky entertainment channels.

Meanwhile, on-demand access to movies and other content is also bundled. You can download the Android app here.

Full list of supported handsets:

• HTC Desire
• HTC Desire S
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC Incredible S
• HTC Sensation
• HTC Sensation XE
• Samsung Galaxy S
• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• Samsung Galaxy Note
• Galaxy Nexus

Sky Go hits Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of July 9th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software

Refresh Roundup: week of July 9th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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