Hasta La Gadget!

The Nexus S is due to receive an over-the-air update to Android 2.3.4 over the coming weeks, but Google earned a +1 from eager fans and devs hoping to get the extra Google Talk functionality sooner. Instead of hopelessly checking for updates until the time is right, the Powers That Be are now offering the upgrade as a manual download to anyone who is already running 2.3.3 on the i9020T (the AWS-equipped model). We urge you to proceed with caution here and double-check that your phone is compatible, since those are the two requirements for the download to install properly. We’ve happily bumped one of our devices up to 2.3.4 this way without any sweat or tears, so we hope it will be a smooth experience for others as well. If you choose to be adventurous and update your Nexus S, click the source link below to download the necessary ZIP file.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nexus S 2.3.4 update now available to early adopters via manual install

Nexus S 2.3.4 update now available to early adopters via manual install originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 04:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lately, anything goes when a RIM CEO gets in front of the media. Fortunately, it was the other CEO, Jim Balsillie, talking to Bloomberg this time delivering a calm, cool rebuttal to all the lukewarm PlayBook reviews. His consumer defense is largely based upon the PlayBook’s ability to receive software updates (we received three in the brief time we had our review unit) throughout its lifetime. Jim, as you can imagine, preferred keeping the conversation focused on how the PlayBook is fully functional today when used in combination with a BlackBerry handset in business environments. Balsillie did seem to hint that the consumer experience could improve relatively quickly, saying, “We’ll have an over the air email client to announce very very soon. We have BlackBerry World — our user conference — in a couple weeks. Stay tuned for all capabilities we have coming out on this stuff.” See the man dance on the hotseat right after the break.

Continue reading RIM: PlayBook email client ‘very very soon,’ 3G model this summer

RIM: PlayBook email client ‘very very soon,’ 3G model this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia loves telling the world about the 150 million Symbian handsets it will ship in the years to come. Problem is, that’s far from a factual statement — it’s a goal, a hope, and something that will only be possible if developers and fans don’t abandon the platform wholesale as the company transitions from Symbian to Windows Phone smartphones over the next two years. As such, Nokia is desperately trying to convince us that Symbian and the Qt developer framework are far from dead. In an open letter of encouragement to developers from Purnima Kochikar, VP of Nokia Forum & Developer Community, Purnima attempts to coax devs into fine-tuning their Qt skills in preparation for a “strong portfolio” of new Symbian products with “GHz+” processing and faster graphics coming in 2011 and 2012. Presumably she’s talking about the T7, X7, and E6 leaks among others. And because Symbian is still the leading smartphone platform in markets like China, India, Russia, and Turkey, she hints that Nokia will likely continue to support Symbian well beyond the transition to Windows Phone, at least in select markets.

Of course, hardware has never really been Nokia’s issue so it’s nice to hear Purnima commit to a first major Symbian user experience update this summer that includes the new home screen, icons, browser, and navbar we’ve already seen, in addition to a “fresh look and feel” to the Ovi Store and Maps with the latter also getting a integrated social media services update. The Symbian update — some of which has already been seen on the C7 Astound — will come to “all users” over the air. Too late to save the platform but just in time for the Symbian faithful.

Nokia promises strong Symbian devices through Windows Phone transition, major OTA update this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the spirit of issuing software updates with the sole purpose of preparing for more software updates, Motorola says there’s about to be some brand new firmware for the Xoom, which will cross the Ts and dot the Is required to install the promised Adobe Flash Player 10.2. The company doesn’t say when, exactly, to expect Flash, only that it’s “coming soon,” but the update will also fix a bug with Daylight Savings Time, which — given recent history — should find itself richly welcomed. If you’re paying Verizon for 3G bandwidth, you can expect an OTA update in the days to come.

[Thanks, Bob, Jake and Oscar]

Motorola Xoom update rolling out starting tonight, brings ‘required enhancements’ for Flash 10.2 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Mediaset appears to be (one of) the first to convey 3D content over a terrestrial connection, it isn’t actually serving up any 3D television — it is “datacasting” or ever-so-slowly downloading 3D movies to a set-top box, which you may later consume directly from the hard disk that received them. The innovation here is in the utilization of spare airwaves to basically trickle a movie into your Motive Bestv STB — we know, it’s an irrelevancy to most of you cable- and internet-connected media mavens, but it’s one way to deliver 3D content to less technologically developed nations. Motive is already in talks with companies in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Turkey about doing the same, but Italy gets the honor of being first with a choice of 50 3D titles on Mediaset’s 3VOD service. Let’s see what the Azzurri think of it, eh?

Italy’s Mediaset sends 3D content over terrestrial connection, isn’t actually broadcasting 3D TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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