HTC One S owners are seeing the light at the end of the Jelly Bean tunnel, as Android 4.1.1 is now being pushed out to the global models. The company originally promised it way back in July, with rumblings about an October arrival as well, but up until now there’s been no joy. HTC One X global owners started to see that Jelly Bean release last month, and we can confirm that it’s now come to our very own HTC One S handset too, as the image above proves. XDA Developers also caught wind of a direct HTC link, which will finally bring the extra fluidity of Google’s butter to the mid-range handset. There’s no word yet about US carrier-flavored versions, but it wouldn’t hurt to check your own handset, or XDA’s CID list at the MC link below.
ASUS started rolling out the Android Jelly Bean update for its Padfone 2 handset, which was announced back in Ocotober. The update reached a small number of users last month, but is now finally available for all Padfone 2 users starting today. The update will take users to Android version 4.1, and is hitting users in waves.
Initial reports are showing the update hitting users in Japan, Hong Kong, and other locations. In addition, ASUS published the update files for the WWE and HK version, so those users can grab it manually. This comes after users in those regions already received the update, but we’re hearing that this one brings some small updates that the previous one lacked.
The update to 4.1 offers several improvements and changes. Both the Padfone’s audio quality and its USB Internet sharing have been improved so that there’s better audio and less chances of disconnecting. GPS has been optimized to function better. The camera received some enhancements, including better focus and features that improve photo quality.
ASUS Studio has been added for image editing, and video streaming playback has been optimized for more smooth videos. The WWE update is for users running firmware versions 9.8.8.40 and 9.8.8.5. The latest update takes the firmware to version 10.4.5.36. If you’re not seeing the notification to update yet, you can try manually checking for the upgrade under Settings.
Acer has released a couple of smartphones already, but they haven’t yet made a lot of noise in the smartphone industry. However, details of a new Acer handset point to the company’s first Jelly Bean smartphone that could make a splash in the market. Called the V360, the leaked device is rumored to arrive early next year, and it includes specs that put it right beside a lot of today’s current mid-range smartphones.
What we know so far is that it’ll have a 4.5-inch display with a rather disappointing qHD resolution (960 x 540). On the inside, it’ll run a dual-core 1GHz processor, and will feature a 5MP rear camera with a VGA-quality front-facing camera. It’s said it’ll run Android 4.1, as opposed to 4.2, but at least it’s getting Jelly Bean to begin with.
There’s no mention of how much RAM this puppy will hold, nor is there any say on whether a microSD card slot will be available. The device is said to weigh in at just under five ounces and has measurements of 132mm x 68.5mm x 9.9mm, making it a fairly large handset, but not anything that we haven’t seen before.
The V360 is expected to be available in both black and white, and will debut somewhere around $300 without a contract, which isn’t a bad price at, especially off-contract. Of course, it’s definitely not a high-end device by any means, so it’s certainly believable that it won’t cost as much as some top-tier phones currently on the market.
We learned back in October what devices Motorola was and wasn’t going to support with an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. The ATRIX HD was one of the handsets that was promised such an update, and now AT&T has announced that it’s finally coming to ATRIX HD owners and should be rolling out now.
Starting today, AT&T and Motorola are pushing the OTA Android 4.1 update to devices, which will bring a handful of improvements over Ice Cream Sandwich, including Google Now, Project Butter, and improved notifications. Of course, Motorola has also thrown in some tweaks of its own into the mix, like Drive Smart and Quick Settings.
The RAZR M was the first Motorola device to get a bump to Jelly Bean, and that was followed by the RAZR HD and the RAZR MAXX HD. This is also AT&T’s fourth device that runs Jelly Bean, joining the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy S III, and the HTC One X+, with more to follow in the future eventually.
The ATRIX HD runs a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (expandable microSD storage available). The update should be live anytime, so if you aren’t seeing a notification for it, head into Settings > About Phone > Software Updates to see if it’s available on your device.
Storage Options is known to launch its own Android-powered slates in the UK every now and then, and, as of today, we can safely add one more to the outfit’s expanding list. What’s more, according to the company, the newly announced Scroll Evoke is its “most powerful” tablet to date, with that self-imposed tag likely gaining its status thanks to the pretty decent specs this 7-incher is packing. Aside from the 7-inch, 1024 x 600 display, though, the Scroll Evoke also boasts a dual-core, 1.6GHz Cortex A9 CPU alongside a mighty quad-core Mali-T604 GPU, 8GB of built-in storage (up to 32GB via microSD) and, to make things better, it’s indeed running Jelly Bean (v4.1, to be exact). Those living across the United Kingdom can now pre-order the Scroll Evoke for a mere £120 from the Storage Options site — and if you’re looking to do just that, then hit the source link below, where you’ll also find more pictures to gaze at.
The Samsung Galaxy Note II is ready for action on Verizon’s 4G LTE network now, and what better way to usher in a new version of the device that’s also out on several other networks than to do some speed tests and processor benchmarks? The big differences between the Samsung Galaxy Note II on Verizon and the competition’s carrier networks is the speed at which it accesses data, the cost of the data therein, and of course the Verizon-specific apps (mostly for tracking your data and your data costs.) Other than that it’s the same cool Galaxy Note II experience you’ve gotten used to on T-Mobile, AT&T, and internationally.
Before you go any further, be sure to check out our two big reviews of this device already up in the archive: Samsung Galaxy Note II Review [International], Samsung Galaxy Note II Review [T-Mobile]. You’ll also want to see our several hands-on posts in the timeline at the end of this post. To start the Verizon party you’ll be interested to know that yes, indeed, it does go very, very fast in the data department:
Have a peek at the app selection here as well – you’ll find that in addition to Google’s collection, you’ve got Samsung’s offerings as well as Verizon’s add-ons as well. On the whole, this is a pretty average amount of apps you’ll be finding on a new smartphone from Verizon.
Benchmarks ring true with the rest of the Galaxy Note II family – extremely hefty and easily amongst the top smartphone devices on the market today, even with its massive display. The biggest competitor in the near future for this device in the benchmark department is the LG Nexus 4 – very possibly surpassing the Galaxy Note II with its Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor due to its unlocked and hackable nature as well as its smaller display – keep watch!
Have a peek at an average battery lifespan here as well to get an idea what a regular day of 4G LTE and a massive bright and high definition display looks like as well. Note that this is regular usage, not the usage of an ultra power-user.
As for the rest of the hardware you’re looking at today, you’ll find the same lovely specifications as the rest of the family – Samsung Exynos quad-core processor at 1.6GHz, a massive 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel HD Super AMOLED display, and 2GB of RAM. Inside you’ve got 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot that’s able to work with microSD cards up to 64GB in size. On the back of the device you’ve got an 8 megapixel camera, on the front you’ve got a 1.9 megapixel camera, and this device works with the same fabulous Samsung S-Pen stylus that makes this Samsung competitor extremely unique.
The competition for this device is without a doubt the HTC DROID DNA, the other gigantic smartphone device on Verizon. The Samsung Galaxy S III is right around $300 with a 2-year contract attached while the DNA is right around $100 less – and with one whole heck of a lot of significant differences aboard. You’ll want to check out our full HTC DROID DNA Review to make sure you’re making the right choice in the end!
Samsung has started rolling out the Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update for international Galaxy S III users, bringing with it a series of features call the Premium Suite Upgrade. Galaxy users can now enjoy some features already available to Galaxy Note II users, such as multi-window view. Thus far, users in Poland, India, the UK, France, Sweden, Italy, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Algeria are seeing the update.
The update is split into two categories: contextual awareness and enhanced features. The contextual awareness updates include Page Buddy, which is a predictive feature that prompts your phone to respond to your actions, such as launching the music player when headphones are plugged in. A contextual menu now allows users to view the most frequently used apps first, while contextual tagging allows users to immediately tag photos with date, place, and weather.
The enhanced features, meanwhile, include multi-window support, something Galaxy Note II users have been able to enjoy for awhile. Users can now view two apps simultaneously via dual windows, or can switch to Reader Mode and tweak text size while single-click sharing Web pages. Facebook Lock Ticker makes it easy for users to monitor their Facebook news feeds via a ticker on the lock screen. Finally, Galaxy S III users can now auto share snapshots via an “Auto Share Shot” mode on the camera, allowing photos and videos to be shared with NFC.
If you look closely, you’ll see that the video above is labelled as Part 1; Samsung teases us in the announcement with an allusion to more features that will be announced in Part 2. Need something to keep you entertained until the update rolls your way? Check out this video of how Samsung stress tests the Galaxy S III, which includes mechanical button pushing and a robotic backside clad in denim jeans sitting squarely on the screen.
When it became apparent not too long ago that the LG Nexus 4 was selling out of the Google Play online store faster than free bricks of gold, we immediately asked ourselves: was this by design, or was it a mistake? There are two possibilities that remain even after the information being reported today by no less than the head of mobile at LG UK has been released – even after Andy Coughlin spoke up with CNET about the fact that the device “had proven extremely popular” when it was released initially to Google Play. One possibility is that yes, indeed, Google simply did not expect so many devices to be sold, so they didn’t order a supply to meet the demand – the other is more nefarious.
This set of quotes from LG also includes a couple of sentences that should be analyzed by you and I, those interested in how Google went about setting up sales for the Nexus 4. “As with any sales process, LG supplies product quantities against partners’/customers’ (ie retailers, operators etc) forecasts,” LG’s Coughlin said, “demand via the Play Store has been very high in this instance.”
The Nexus family is one made by Google to present a pure version of their newest Android operating system without mobile carrier software add-ons. In the past, Google had presented each new Nexus device as one made for developers primarily – a software developer looking to make Android apps would always benefit from having a device that not only had the newest Android software, but was able to access the newest updates from Google faster than any other device on the market. With the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung ramping up to the LG Nexus 4, the public started seeing the Nexus platform as the true Android hero, a hero for all consumers, not just developers.
The other option that isn’t simply Google not seeing this demand for what it was is the possibility that Google ordered less than they expected they’d sell on purpose, this creating artificial demand and many more interesting stories in the press than there otherwise may have been. Of course this would presuppose that Google did not have enough confidence in the selling power of the Nexus 4 for it to sell massive amounts of its own merit, and we simply cannot believe such nonsense.
Instead we must believe that the projected numbers simply did not meet the end demand and that the scramble Google and LG are experiencing is real – and that the Nexus 4 really is the start of Google’s initial vision for Android in which one device could be released straight from Google across all carriers at once. One hero device, one Nexus. Perhaps with the 5th handset this will be true – we know people want it, now it’s time for Google to make it.
You’ve waited long enough, haven’t you? The low-cost PMP leader has kept the mantra alive with its GamePad, which is now shipping to those interested for £129.99. Put simply, it’s a widescreen gaming handheld that runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), replete with a 1.6GHz dual-core processor and Mali 400mp quad-core GPU. There’s a 1,024 x 600 resolution touchpanel, physical control buttons and analog sticks, and the whole thing checks in at just 0.3-inches thick. Unfortunately, there’s no word on battery life, but even the optimist in us can’t predict a number that’d be worthy of boasting about. Hit up the source link to make plans for purchase, or click past the break for the full presser.
Update:Anandtech reports the device will come within range of US gaming thumbs early next year, though there’s no dollar price to go with that information.
The folks at ARCHOS have today announced retail availability for their new GamePad device for Europe with plans to unleash the device in the USA in the first quarter of 2013. This device is a sort of a gaming hybrid with physical controls on the sides of a center touchscreen display, this making it both a tablet and a personal gaming console. This machine will be released with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a collection of ARCHOS-added apps for a lovely gaming experience.
This machine works with many games by bringing physical controls to take the place of virtual controls. In fact, ARCHOS currently has it that the GamePade uses “unique mapping software that allows you to link the virtual controls of any game to physical controls.” Any game at all – that’s a winning formula!
This machine is able to access the official Google Play store for content as well as Google Mobile Services galore. With this device’s 14 physical buttons as well as dual analog thumb-sticks and technology unique to ARCHOS, this may well be the gaming device you’ve been looking for for Android. The display is 1024 x 600 pixels across a 7-inch display with a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU under the hood.
You’ll be able to work with wi-fi for connectivity and is able to connect to your HDTV via its built-in mini-HDMI port so you can view your games gigantically. Get pumped up about the release across Europe today for a cool 149.99€ or wait with your fingernails deep in your kneecaps for the first quarter of 2013 where it’ll be released in the USA.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
