In October, I suggested that more than half of all Android devices would run Android 4.0 or better within four to six months. My time was just about up, but it happened as planned. That’s good for developers and for end users. Read more »
Uptake for Android 4.0 or better continues to rise and there are finally more devices fitting this category than those that use the old Android 2.3 Gingerbread software. That’s good for users and for developers. Read more »
The handset is LG’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, only with more pixels, a slightly beefier processor and no stylus. It’s out in South Korea this week, and elsewhere – including the U.S. – later. Read more »
Few major Android devices debuted at this month’s CES, but next month’s Mobile World Congress is looking up when it comes to hardware. And some old devices got new software this week. Read more »
Got a Galaxy Note 10.1 or Galaxy Tab 2? Samsung has a software update for both Wi-Fi models that will bring Android 4.1 to the slates. The larger tablet also gains the useful Premium Suite. Read more »
For the first time since passing the 50 percent market, less than half of all Android devices are running version 2.3. Instead, nearly 40 percent use Android 4.x. It’s easier to get digital magazines in Google Play and a pic of the Galaxy S4 popped up. Read more »
Verizon’s flagship Android phone, the Galaxy S III, will be getting a software upgrade starting later this week. It’s Android 4.1, not 4.2, but will add a number of key features to the handset including Google Now, ISIS mobile payment support and improved notifications. Read more »
Gmail for Android gains some great enhancements that everyone will likely want, but only devices running Android 4.0 or better can get right now. Pinch to zoom in email, swipe to archive and fit to screen are some of the more impressive features. Read more »
Using Twitter on an Android smartphone or tablet? You’ll want to check out Echofon; my favorite Twitter client for iOS and OS X. Why? Aside from all the basic Twitter features, Echofon for Android syncs your Twitter activity so you never read a tweet twice. Read more »
I tend to upgrade my Nexus phone every other year. Is the Nexus 4 good enough to change my mind and cause me to upgrade from the Galaxy Nexus in just a year? There are many reasons to say yes, even without LTE support. Read more »
Motorola’s Razr M is getting Android 4.1 quickly after launch, illustrating that the Google-owned company is looking to advance the pace of software updates. Verizon is tucking Isis support into the update. And Google is offering price protection on devices sold in the Google Play store. Read more »
Android’s fragmentation continues to recede with new data showing 28.5 percent of Google phones and tablets now running either Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean. The software’s pace of change has slowed and more devices are shipping with the newest software. Read more »
It’s hard to classify what Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 is because it mostly requires two hands to use and has a 5.5-inch display. But it fits in a front pocket and makes voice calls. Here’s our first look at Samsung’s latest and greatest Android device. Read more »
One of Google’s biggest Android challenges has been devices running various versions of the software. But two things have happened that are helping the issue disappear as 1 in 4 Android devices now run the Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean versions of Android. Read more »
When HTC said it was changing strategies and cutting back on phone models, it never said anything about refreshing existing handsets. That’s precisely what it has in the HTC One X+: Same on the outside, but better performance and battery life with new internal hardware. Read more »
Samsung is wasting little time in getting Android 4.1 to its successful Galaxy S III smartphone. Although slated for an October release, the company has the software available in one country now and it listed the 15 other Galaxy devices that will get Jelly Bean. Read more »
After watching the mobile market pass it by, Intel is aggressively moving forward. Its newest chips for smartphones and tablets run longer on a single charge and the company now has the latest version of Google Android, known as Jelly Bean, running on those chips. Read more »
Samsung isn’t known for speedy Android software updates, but it’s apparently making an exception for its fastest selling phone, the Galaxy S III, which recently surpassed 20 million in sales. The company said it would start the Android 4.1, or Jelly Bean, software update in October. Read more »
Android 4.0 is finally getting out on phones and tablets according to Google’s dashboard. Surprisingly, the next version, Jelly Bean, is gaining adoption quickly too. Google’s Wallet now supports more credit and debit cards while T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note blurs the lines between smartphone and tablet. Read more »
Jelly Bean is officially on few Android smartphones and tablets, but the developer community is already hard at work, porting the software to other devices. Case in point: the HP TouchPad tablet, which essentially has no other software future. It’s an early build, but shows promise. Read more »
Android 4.0 is making adoption gains thanks to software upgrades and new devices on sale with the Ice Cream Sandwich software. Nearly 1 percent of devices run Android 4.1 thanks to Google’s Nexus device program and strong demand for the company’s 7-inch slate. Read more »
Will the Nexus 7 be the “standard” for future tablets smaller than the iPad but bigger than a phone? After using a review unit for nearly two weeks, I think so, even though the Nexus 7 isn’t without a few minor flaws. Overall, I’m impressed. Read more »
For the Android crowd, this was an eventful week, thanks to the many announcements at Google I/O. Here’s my first look at the Nexus 7 tablet and Android 4.1 on the Galaxy Nexus, which is temporarily unable to be sold due to Apple winning an injunction. Read more »
At its I/O conference Google unveiled the next update to Android, version 4.1, aka Jelly Bean. The update, which will first become available as an over-the-air download next month, brings a lot of nice improvements and some cool enhancements to search, notifications and navigation. Read more »
The rumors were true: Google launched the Nexus 7 tablet on Wednesday at its annual Google I/O developer event in San Francisco. Nexus 7 runs Android 4.1 and will be sold directly from Google in the Google Play store alongside the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Read more »
Google is widely expected to debut its own Nexus tablet later this week at its Google I/O event, but early details are reportedly leaking out. According to Gizmodo Australia, the tablet is dubbed the Nexus 7 and will start at $199 for an 8 GB model. Read more »
Next week is Google’s I/O developer conference, but it appears that news is leaking this week. Anyone purchasing a GSM Galaxy Nexus on the Google Play site will see the following message at the time of checkout: “[S]oon the first phone with Android 4.1, Jell….” Read more »
Although not officially announced yet, some details of an anticipated Google Nexus Tablet are surfacing online. Our own server logs shows 92 recent visits from Android 4.1 devices in California where Google is based. Here’s what we know and what we expect from Google’s Nexus Tablet. Read more »
