Hasta La Gadget!

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. 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 from 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!

Official Android updates

• The top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt’s long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device — until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life]
• Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn’t the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it — plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone’s connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It’s disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed]
• LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we’re still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral]
• Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral]
• Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral]
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity]
• Casio G’Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life]
• Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog]
• T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn’t appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware]
• You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life]
• If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn’t announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog]

Other platforms

• Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango.
• The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral]

Refreshes we covered this week

• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out
• How to force Mango to your phone right away
• Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?

Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like T-Mobile is getting a seven-inch stablemate for the incoming Galaxy Tab 10.1. According to these shots from TmoNews, Huawei’s dual-core MediaPad will arrive in magenta clothing, though branding is limited to a few apps and an additional press shot, included after the break. Aside from a 1280 x 800 IPS display and 4G goodness, details remain sketchy, though pricing is expected to be around $200 with a two-year agreement. No word either when it’ll go on sale, but if Huawei’s earlier promises of end-of-year availability apply to carrier-branded versions, you can expect to get your hands on it at some (vague) point between now and 2012.

Continue reading Seven-inch Huawei tablet headed to T-Mobile, priced at $200 on contract?

Seven-inch Huawei tablet headed to T-Mobile, priced at $200 on contract? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mickey’s ditching the steamboat and giving up Fantasia in pursuit of all things mobile as Disney launches the DM011SH and DM010SH — joining the company’s other Android offering. The 4-inch 3D capable DM010SH handset will be Walt’s top-of-the-line variant with a 960 x 540 qHD touchscreen, 8MP camera and a 1GHz processor. Next in line is the DM011SH waterproof slider with a 3.4-inch touchscreen sporting 854 X 480 resolution and an identical processor and camera to its higher-end cousin. Both Android 2.3 phones come decorated with the signature insignia in tweentastic candy colors like pink and white, with a black version of the DM010SH available for more subdued Mouse House fans. Aside from the phones, Disney also outed the internet-enabled DM001Photo, a 9.4 x 5.6-inch digital picture frame for viewing pictures, videos and emails over 3G for ¥890 (or $11) a month. Although prices have yet to be finalized, the DM010SH is slated to hit the Japanese market in October, while the other two should appear on store shelves by December. Check out the full Japanese PR and product pages by hitting the source links after the break.

Disney launches two new Android smartphones, mouse ears not included originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s pronounced “twerp,” but don’t mistake TeamWin’s Recovery Project for a run-of-the-mill chump. The software is intended as a touchscreen replacement for ROM managers such as TWRP 1.0 and ClockworkMod Recovery. In addition to the all-important backup, restore and install functions, the utility now provides a full GUI for touch input that’s fully customizable with XML themes. As a particular boon, developers will have the option to design custom installation processes unique to their particular ROMs, which is a lovely (though very metaphorical) cherry on top. As you’d expect, the software supports both phones and tabs, and if you’re interested to see more, just check the full demo video after the break. According to the developer, the utility still needs some work before it’s ready for prime time, but it’s rather nice to see the group stay productive as it matures.

[Thanks, Ian]

Continue reading TeamWin demos TWRP 2.0 recovery manager for Android, scoffs at your volume rocker (video)

TeamWin demos TWRP 2.0 recovery manager for Android, scoffs at your volume rocker (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When a tablet or smartphone accessory is described as “universal”, it’s usually not very good. There’s just just too wide a difference between all the smartphones and tablets for many of the peripherals described as universal to be especially effective. For some, this is actually a deciding factor when thinking about switching to a new […]