BlackBerry to offer BBM as standalone app for iOS and Android this summer

Posted on 14/05/2013 by Joseph Volpe

Thorsten Heins just broke what has to be the biggest news out of BBLive this morning: BBM is breaking out of its walled garden. Starting this summer, users running iOS 6 and Android ICS or higher will be able to download the BBM app for free and join in the messaging experience so highly curated by BlackBerry. Initially, however, only the messaging and group features will be accessible for outside users, but throughout the year, the company hopes to add BBM voice, BBM channels, screen sharing and video capabilities. You'll have to hold tight for a more specific launch date, as Heins didn't announce any concrete timing. But if you've waited for this news for years, what's a few more months?

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Blackberry

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eFun’s Nextbook Premium 10SE tablet with ICS now available for $280

Posted on 24/10/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

In a market slightly populated by some great well-priced tablets, and one that eFun is quite familiar with, the company decided now was a good time to add yet another slate into the mix. And while the Premium 10SE is slightly pricier than, say, the entry-level Nexus 7 model, eFun's latest Ice Cream Sandwich slab does sport a larger 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display. Still, the Premium 10SE won't impress many with the rest of its run-of-the-mill internals, which include a 1GHz CPU alongside 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage (expandable via microSD) and a front-facing 0.3-megapixel shooter -- it's also worth mentioning that eFun is kind enough to bundle in 25 eBooks at no extra cost. The Premium 10SE is available now for $280, though you can save a little cash by heading to your local Radio Shack or Hastings shop, where the Nextbook tablet's priced at a more affordable $250.

Filed under: Tablets

eFun's Nextbook Premium 10SE tablet with ICS now available for $280 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ematic outs 7-inch FunTab Pro with ICS and a Zoodles mode for kids, available for $150

Posted on 09/10/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Even though the market's currently populated with slabs such as Archos' ChildPad or LeapFrog's LeaPad 2, the race to become the go-to child-friendly tablet could still be considered as wide open. Having previously introduced its FunTab for kids, Ematic's not exactly a newcomer to this territory, and this time out the company's looking to build on that with the announcement of a slightly more powerful "Pro" model. Inside the 7-inch, 800 x 480 FunTab Pro, parents and children alike will find an undisclosed 1GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, a taste of Google's Ice Cream Sandwich and 8GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 32GB by way of microSD. Additionally, Ematic's placing emphasis on the built-in Zoodles features that "create a safe and educational online learning experience for children," plus the inclusion of pre-loaded apps like Skitch, School Assistant, Cut The Rope and none other than Angry Birds. The FunTab Pro will be available at Walmart (and other retailers) for $150 -- and, yes, that includes the colorful, interchangeable faceplates you see in the gallery below.

Gallery: Ematic FunTab Pro press shots

Continue reading Ematic outs 7-inch FunTab Pro with ICS and a Zoodles mode for kids, available for $150

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Ematic outs 7-inch FunTab Pro with ICS and a Zoodles mode for kids, available for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony starts delivering Ice Cream Sandwich update to Xperia go, Xperia U and Xperia sola

Posted on 29/09/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Well, it looks like Sony's in-house software developers have decided this is the perfect week to deliver delicious treats to a large portion of the company's mobile lineup. Not long after outing updates for the Tablet S and Xperia Ion (in the US), the electronics giant is now bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to handsets such as the Xperia go, Xperia U and Xperia sola. The refresh itself brings a slew of novel traits to the trio of Xperia slabs, including a "new way to experience" music, photos and video, improvements to the lockscreen, the ability to resize widgets and the addition of a "multitasking" button. While the standout features remain the same across the board, the Xperia sola does get an added bonus in the form of a so-called, self-explanatory glove mode -- which is made possible by the device's "floating touch" technology. Sony does note that availability of the 4.0 upgrade will vary by market and, not surprisingly, carrier requirements. Let's just hope you get to enjoy the changes soon.

Continue reading Sony starts delivering Ice Cream Sandwich update to Xperia go, Xperia U and Xperia sola

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Sony

Sony starts delivering Ice Cream Sandwich update to Xperia go, Xperia U and Xperia sola originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ice Cream Sandwich update now available for AT&T’s Sony Xperia Ion

Posted on 26/09/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

At long last, the illustrious Android ICS refresh can finally be enjoyed by proud owners of that AT&T-branded Xperia Ion. Naturally, this long-awaited update brings a slew of new features over to Sony's 4.6-inch handset, including an enhanced browser, offline reading mode, the beloved facial unlocking method first introduced with Ice Cream Sandwich and the promise of improvements in mobile hotspot / WiFi speeds. Additionally, AT&T says there are other tweaks in calendar and email that should, in theory, help you stay better organized, while the Maps and YouTube should also perform better "when rotating between portrait and landscape views." Sound good? You'll find all the setup details at the source below, and don't forget to tell us how it's playing out for you.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Ice Cream Sandwich update now available for AT&T's Sony Xperia Ion originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boost Mobile announces the LG Venice: a $220, 4.3-inch handset with Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted on 26/09/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

It's only been a few days since we saw those leaked shots of what was rumored to be Boost Mobile's own variant of that Optimus L7 -- and, well, today the LG handset sees its official debut on the prepaid carrier. The LG Venice, as it'll be more commonly known around these parts, boasts a 4.3-inch, WVGA screen alongside a 1GHz CPU, a 5-megapixel camera on the rear (VGA quality on the front) and a video mode capable of shooting up to 720p recordings -- of course, this is all running LG's UI 3.0 flavor of Ice Cream Sandwich. As we've become accustomed to, Boost Mobile is pricing its new Android handset at a decent price ($220), with the device expected to start hitting "exclusive" shelves on October 10th and other "select" retail shops later the same month.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Boost Mobile announces the LG Venice: a $220, 4.3-inch handset with Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EchoStar HDX-410 set-top box runs native ICS, supports terrestrial broadcasts (hands-on video)

Posted on 07/09/2012 by Zach Honig

You may be familiar with EchoStar's satellite-based (Dish Network) and Sling Media (Slingbox) products, but the company also manufactures set-top boxes for third-party providers, as well as free-to-air services in the UK. It's this last grouping that'll be able to take advantage of the Android-based device we saw today, assuming it does in fact make its way to market. The HDX-410 runs native Ice Cream Sandwich, and is available in two versions -- one supports IP content and local storage exclusively, while a second can also accept terrestrial Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) programming, letting you play back live TV shows in addition to content from a local server, pulled from the web or stored on attached media or an inserted microSD card. It connects to the web using Ethernet or WiFi, and includes USB ports on both the front and the rear, Bluetooth, HDMI out, digital audio out and a standard-definition connection. It's also paired with a QWERTY keyboard-equipped remote manufactured by Philips with gyroscopic or directional-pad curser control, along with pinch/zoom gesture capability.

We had a chance to check out the ICS box at EchoStar's IBC booth today, where the device was running Android 4.0.4 and an early version of the company's hybrid app, which groups "favorited" content alongside terrestrial channels, letting you use the standard channel up/down button to navigate through stored TV shows, IP content or live programming quite seamlessly, as if all of the media was playing from the same source. It's clearly not yet ready for primetime, but the interface was sleek and speedy -- the set-top box performed very well overall. EchoStar reps were unable to confirm whether or not the HDX-410 would be coming to market at all, but they did add that the solution may be made available to third-parties in the future. Click past the break to take a closer look in our hands-on video.

Gallery: EchoStar HDX-410 ICS-powered STB hands-on

Continue reading EchoStar HDX-410 set-top box runs native ICS, supports terrestrial broadcasts (hands-on video)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

EchoStar HDX-410 set-top box runs native ICS, supports terrestrial broadcasts (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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O2 UK denies Xperia Ray, Arc and Neo owners Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted on 03/09/2012 by Jamie Rigg

It's bad news for Xperia Ray, Arc and Neo owners on O2's UK network, as the carrier's reported it won't be updating these Sony handsets to Ice Cream Sandwich. O2 claims it has tested three versions of the OS update and decided not to approve it, due to increased hardware requirements resulting in "speed and performance" issues. This is curious, since Sony itself had no problems getting Android 4.0 up and running on the devices -- even if it did take a while. If you know your way around a ROM, you probably stopped scoffing Gingerbread a long time ago. However, if you're yet to tinker and ain't scared by O2's "you can't go back" warnings, an hour or two on some specialist forums should have you sticky in no time (at your own risk, of course).

Update: O2's been in touch assuring us the decision was not taken lightly, and that although Sony has released ICS for these handsets, they did so with clear disclaimers on performance concerns (see the Sony source below).

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

O2 UK denies Xperia Ray, Arc and Neo owners Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyocera Rise arrives on Virgin Mobile with ICS, 3.5-inch display and slide-out QWERTY keys

Posted on 31/08/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Just as we'd heard, today's the day that budget-minded (and not-so-shy) Kyocera Rise hits the Virgin Mobile USA shelves. Available now for a mere $100 -- without any contracts, of course -- this 3.5-inch, Ice Cream Sandwich device boasts some pretty run-of-the-mill features, including an HVGA, 480 x 320 LCD, a single-core, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 2GB of built-in storage which can be expanded to 32GB via microSD and, as you can see above, a full-on, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Naturally, Virgin Mobile's betting on folks to bundle the cheap handset with one of its unlimited data plans -- not to mention Kyocera's handset is yet another addition to the prepaid carrier's rising smartphone lineup. Those interested can give the Rise a better look down below, where a nice gallery filled with charming press shots awaits.

Gallery: Kyocera Rise for Virgin Mobile press shots

Continue reading Kyocera Rise arrives on Virgin Mobile with ICS, 3.5-inch display and slide-out QWERTY keys

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Kyocera Rise arrives on Virgin Mobile with ICS, 3.5-inch display and slide-out QWERTY keys originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite hands-on at IFA 2012 (updated: video)

Posted on 31/08/2012 by Joseph Volpe

Back in July, word got out that Huawei was prepping a revised version of its entry-level Android tablet, dubbed the MediaPad 7 Lite. As that name implies, this Android ICS tab's of the 7-inch variety and, thus, lends itself well to one-handed use for busy on-the-go types. Considering this isn't part of the outfit's top shelf portfolio, its mix of specs have been kept quite modest: there's a single-core 1.2GHz Cortex A8 CPU underneath that 1,024 x 600 IPS display. But before you knock it for falling short of even 720p territory, bear in mind this device's being marked at a 229 Euro price point -- so it's affordable and geared squarely for the budget segment.

Loaded up with a mostly stock version of Android 4.0.3 and global radios for 3G / WiFi, this humble tab's made for mobile use, as the OEM's VP of Euro operations assured us repeatedly. Performance-wise, its lack of a dual-core setup is heavily apparent, since there was a considerable lag between our touch input and onscreen effect. The tab also sports 8GB of internal storage, a rear 3.2-megapixel camera and VGA front facer -- helpful if you're out and about and want to video chat -- in addition to a 4,100mAh battery.

As for the MediaPad 7 Lite's build, well, it's a bit disappointing especially given the attractive design of the Nexus 7 which is comparably priced and higher specced. In all, it feels rather chunky in-hand, but it does feature a metallic back bordered by solid white plastic. It's set to be released this August in South Africa, China, Russia, Philippines and Taiwan, followed by Germany in October for 249 Euros. Check out our gallery below and head past the break for a video tour.

Gallery: Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite hands-on