Touch-based Ubuntu preview coming February 21st, will work on Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4

Touchbased Ubuntu preview coming February 21st, will work on Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4

It's not like we didn't have ample warning, so by now anyone wanting to try out the new Ubuntu smartphone OS should have gotten hold of a Galaxy Nexus to be their test device. Still don't have one? Then you'll be pleased to know that a Nexus 4 will actually serve just as well, and you have six days to get equipped. The Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview will be made public on February 21st alongside the open source code and all the tools necessary to flash those two devices.

The official aim is to help devs and enthusiasts learn the platform and start building software for it, whether for core functions or for when a full third-party app store eventually goes live. The bigger picture is that, by the time Ubuntu 13.10 launches in October, an app written in this platform's Qt/QML lingo should be able to run on any Ubuntu device -- whether it be a PC, TV, tablet or smartphone -- with no porting required. Rest assured that we have a couple of Nexii at the ready and we fully intend to give this newcomer a thorough hazing / write-up as soon as possible.

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Android 4.2.2 update reportedly arriving on Galaxy Nexus phones, Nexus tablets

Android 422 update reportedly arriving on Galaxy Nexus phones, Nexus tablets

After a few sightings early in January we hadn't heard much about a new version of Android 4.2, but posters on Reddit and Android Police say 4.2.2 is starting to pop up on several flavors of Nexus hardware. First spotted on a r/Android poster's GSM Galaxy Nexus and later on Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets (as shown above), there's no changes listed other than "performance and stability," however there's hope that this includes promised fixes for Bluetooth A2DP issues. We haven't seen any new software on our devices and there's no official word yet, let us know in the comments if you're seeing anything new on your mobile device.

[Image credit: Marco Duran]

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Source: Android Police, Reddit

Refresh Roundup: week of January 28th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of January 28th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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!

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Refresh Roundup: week of January 14th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of January 14th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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

  • Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE: A minor update is available for Sprint's QWERTY slider that's said to improve overall device stability. [Android Police]
  • Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro: This rugged smartphone for AT&T is now eligible for an upgrade to Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean). Users will also find the additions of Swype and Music Hub in this build. [Phandroid]
  • LG Lucid: Verizon has announced an update for this smartphone that brings improved quality of voice calls and installs Flash Player. The newly updated file manager app now brings the ability to manage files in the cloud, and the software also installs Verizon Remote Diagnostics for troubleshooting purposes. [Droid Life]
  • Galaxy Nexus: Google has published the Android 4.2.1 update for the Sprint variant of the Galaxy Nexus to its servers. [Android Police]
  • Samsung Galaxy S III: Owners of unsubsidized Galaxy S III handsets throughout Australia are reporting than an update to Android 4.1.2 -- complete with Multi-Window enhancements -- is now available for download and installation via Samsung Kies. [Android Central]
  • ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T: An update is now available for the Transformer Pad Infinity that brings greater compatibility with microSD cards and decreases lag when playing music in the background. The software also fixes bugs in the camera and Movie Studio apps. [Android Police]
  • Samsung Galaxy Note II: Verizon has pushed out a fix to this smartphone that's designed to resolve Exynos security vulnerabilities. [SlashGear]
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7: Verizon has announced an update for this tablet that decreases electrical consumption while charging the device in a "power off" state. [Android Police]
  • Sprint Flash: Sprint has released an update for this ZTE-manufactured smartphone that brings improvements to the camera, adds timing preferences for the LED notification and resolves issues related to Swype. [Android Police]
  • Samsung Epic 4G Touch: An update is now available for Sprint's version of the Galaxy S II that brings security fixes along with the Sprint Connections Optimizer. [Android Police]
  • Rogers: The Canadian carrier has announced that its Jelly Bean updates for the Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Note, RAZR HD and Xperia T have been pushed to February. [MobileSyrup]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

  • Motorola Droid RAZR / RAZR Maxx: A root exploit has been published for the official Jelly Bean OTA software build, meant for these two non-HD smartphones for Verizon. [Talk Android]
  • Motorola Atrix 4G: Motorola is requesting soak test participants for a pending update to this AT&T smartphone. [Android Central]
  • Sony Xperia Z: Sony has announced that it'll release an Android 4.2 update to the Xperia Z shortly after the smartphone's arrival. [Android Central]
  • Motorola Atrix 2: A pre-release Jelly Bean update has worked its way into the wild for this smartphone on AT&T. Curiously, Motorola has previously stated that the Atrix 2 would never see an update past Ice Cream Sandwich. [Android Community]

Other platforms

  • HTC 8X: AT&T has released its first update for this Windows Phone handset. Known informally as the Portico release, it features an option to keep WiFi connections alive and allows users to reject phone calls while responding with a text message. [WinSource]
  • Nokia Lumia 810: An OTA update is now available for this Windows Phone on T-Mobile that brings fixes to Bluetooth functionality and is said to improve overall device stability. [T-Mobile]

Refreshes we covered this week

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Canonical narrows timeframe for Ubuntu for smartphones to ‘late February’

Canonical narrows timeframe for Ubuntu smartphone OS

Our first look at the upcoming Ubuntu phone OS left us excited but wanting for more details, and it seems that Canonical has now indicated when you'll first be able to grab it. According to OMG Ubuntu, engineering manager Alan Pope said that a downloadable image of the upcoming system will be available in late February for the Galaxy Nexus handset. From what we've seen so far, if you're brave enough to grab it you'll be in for a reasonably fluid and hackable experience, although actually doing something with it might be another story, since there's likely to be very few apps available. Still, for tinkerers with the handset who want to give Android a break, it'll be exciting times when a full-fledged Linux distro finally goes small.

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Source: OMG Ubuntu

CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies spread to more Nexus models, ASUS and Samsung devices

CyanogenMod 10.1 on a Nexus 4

There was a certain degree of irony to the first CyanogenMod 10.1 nightly reaching a lone device that already runs Android 4.2. What about the rest of us? Thankfully, logic is getting the upper hand with the arrival of regular test builds for a much wider hardware selection. All versions of the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 get their expected turn at the code. However, the mix also includes devices that weren't predestined to receive an official update to the latest instance of Jelly Bean, such as ASUS' Transformer Pad Infinity and Samsung devices ranging from the original Galaxy S through to both Galaxy Tab 2 slates. It's still throwing caution to the wind by running an unfinished version of unofficial firmware, but we're sure CyanogenMod's target audience is comfortable enough with the risks to visit the source link.

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Via: Android Central

Source: CyanogenMod

EE introduces the UK’s first 4G Android tablet: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE available starting today

EE introduces the UK's first 4G tablet Samsung Galaxy Note 101 LTE available starting today

Adding to its catalogue of flagship 4G slabs, EE's launched its first tablet for its relatively young network. You can read up our thoughts on how the stylus-friendly tablet handled in our review, but the addition of some high-speed data should add another temptation -- if you're willing to pay for it. Prices for the Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE start at £99 upfront with 8GB of monthly data at £36 monthly, or you can pick up the 5GB plan (after an initial payment of £200) at £30.99 per month. Choosing the smaller 3GB option will set you back £250 to start with, followed by 24 rounds of £26.

EE's also has the Nexus 7 for sale, pairing the WiFi-only device with its own MiFi dongle. One-off payments are £30 for both the 8GB and 5GB services, or £50 for the 3GB option. Monthly costs match the Samsung tablet above, and you'll be able pick up either device (alongside that two-year contract) starting today.

Continue reading EE introduces the UK's first 4G Android tablet: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE available starting today

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Refresh Roundup: week of November 19th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during 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!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of November 19th, 2012

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Sprint’s leaked Black Friday ad touts free Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Victory after $50 mail-in rebate

DNP Sprint Black Friday ad outs free Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Victory

Thanksgiving is a week away and as exciting as family and good eats may be, there's nothing more appetizing than a good deal. Not too long ago we took a quick peek at Sprint's Black Friday offerings and now it's time to wrap things up. An anonymous source has served up the carrier's remaining post-Turkey Day sales and it appears that the Now Network is having a Samsung blowout. Running November 23rd through 25th, Sprint will be offering the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Victory to new and eligible customers for free after a $50 mail-in rebate and two year service agreement. In typical holiday sale fashion, supplies are expected to be limited, so you'll want to plan accordingly in order to cash in on this deal.



[Thanks, anonymous]

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Sprint's leaked Black Friday ad touts free Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Victory after $50 mail-in rebate originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D’oh: Google Voice force-closing text messages for Android 4.2 users

DNP Google Voice force closing text messages in Android 42

The growing pains associated with being an early adopter can sometimes be brutal, as Android's latest software bump doesn't appear to jibe too well with one of Google's most popular in-house apps. Prior to the Nexus 4's official release, word of a Google Voice texting bug began to circulate, but was written off as pre-release jitters. However, it appears that the issue is expanding beyond the search giant's newborn smartphone, as owners of the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus loaded with Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) are also experiencing crashes when attempting to compose a text message within Google Voice. While the app still works for phone calls, text messages are completely off limits. Hopefully, this issue can be fixed with an app update as opposed to a new Android software version altogether. In the meantime, if you're a heavy Google Voice user with Android 4.2 in your crosshairs, we suggest that you hold fire and wait until Google officially sorts things out.

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D'oh: Google Voice force-closing text messages for Android 4.2 users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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