Hasta La Gadget!

If you’ve embraced Motorola’s vision of tablets warmly enough to have picked up a Xyboard 8.2 or 10.1, your loyalty is being rewarded. Both the WiFi versions and Verizon’s Droid Xyboard variants should be receiving their Android 4.0 updates starting now, with everyone onboard over the course of the weeks ahead. Don’t anticipate a Droid RAZR-style visual revamp: much like Google’s regular jump from Android 3.2 to 4.0, the changes involve subtler components like the improved built-in browser and Face Unlock. The release is no Jelly Bean update, but we’d still call it a big step forward for fans of sharply-angled slabs.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Motorola Xyboard WiFi, Verizon 4G models get Android 4.0 updates originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phonedog, Android Central  |  Motorola (1), (2), Verizon  | Email this | Comments

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.

Permalink Droid-Life  |  AndroidMX.net (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Order up a Retina MacBook Pro and you’ll likely be confronted with a gravelly message about how the SSD is “built into the computer” and not user-upgradeable. As it turns out, that’s not quite true — so long as you’re prepared to ignore a whole bunch of other warnings written inside the chassis itself, iFixit has shown how to remove the factory drive and now OWC has a new SSD to replace it with. The only downside is the cost: at $580, OWC‘s 480GB Mercury Aura Pro is actually more expensive than Apple’s official 512GB upgrade. In an effort to sweeten the deal, OWC is offering those who buy before September 30th a compact USB 3.0 enclosure to make use of the freed-up drive. Alternatively, you may want to wait for prices to drop or for OWC to offer an even bigger capacity with better cost / benefits.

Filed under: Laptops, Storage

OWC offers 480GB SSD upgrade for Retina MacBook Pro, requires screwdriver and careful math originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Macrumors  |  OWC  | Email this | Comments

The Droid 4’s update to Android 4.0 has been in the making for long enough that we’d started to wonder if someone in the QA department had a grudge against keyboards. Verizon just proved that there’s still plenty of QWERTY love to go around by posting a document, and starting a soak test, that gives the OS upgrade a rubber stamp. Motorola’s messaging phone is getting more than just a new software layer with this upgrade: the Android 4.0.4 release will switch on global roaming for those willing to pay Verizon for access abroad. Camera quality should get a quiet lift in the process, while the rest of the phone is getting a proper polish as well. Verizon hasn’t mentioned just when we’ll see that update notification flit past our screens, but the carrier’s tendency to push updates days after notices like these could see Droid 4 owners treated to Android 4.0 well before August wraps up.

Update: Apparently, “soon” means “today” for Verizon: over-the-air updates should already be rolling out to Droid 4 owners as part of a phased process.

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid 4’s Android 4.0 upgrade clears Verizon hurdles, brings global roaming soon (update: starts today) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Droid-Life  |  Verizon (PDF), @Motorola (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Motorola may have pushed some of its earliest Android 4.0 updates to the Verizon-centric Droid RAZR, but it hasn’t forgotten those who call the international, HSPA-based RAZR (the XT910) their own: the phone’s first wave of over-the-air upgrades to the new OS should be rolling out now, going by GSMArena‘s tips. Who exactly is getting the upgrade isn’t obvious, although at least one owner on Tesco’s network has the visual evidence to suggest the UK is part of the first batch. We can vouch that at least a few Canadian RAZRs are still making do with Android 2.3. Never mind the unconfirmed claims of carrier-related delays for the update, though — we’re just glad that both Americans and the rest of the world will likely be on the same page before too long.

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola starts Android 4.0 upgrades for international RAZR owners originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  GSMArena  | Email this | Comments