HTC EVO View Honeycomb update now available

Though Best Buy recently pulled their HTC Flyer from their online store, the “Now” network’s EVO View 4G – essentially the same device – has an Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) update available for download. It will be pushed to devices tomorrow, but can be easily downloaded and updated today. Honeycomb brings some much needed features to the EVO View 4G, and the most noticeable being the new “Notifications” menu.

Honeycomb is really the bridge from Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Features from both combine to make Google’s new OS, and only the strongest survived. My personal favorite is the new “Recent Applications” menu icon; if would have been a shame if it was left out.
EVO View 4G owners won’t look back on their previous OS, as Honeycomb is meant to be much more tablet friendly. For those of you wanting this update right now, navigate through “Settings > System Updates > HTC Software Update > Check Now” on your device; it should start right up. Those of you have gone through with the update, let us know if it requires a data wipe – that could really help out the community when preparing to update.
[via Phandroid]

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Rumor: HTC EVO View 4G Getting Honeycomb Before the End of the Year

While the HTC Flyer’s Honeycomb upgrade is rolling out across Europe right now, the United States wasn’t given any rollout date other than “soon”. We have Sprint and T-Mobile with their own versions of the flyer and one of those networks (hint: they like the color yellow) may be getting it sooner than we anticipated.

Sprint is rumored to be getting the upgrade before year’s end, a great turnaround time if this turns out to be true. We won’t be mad if this doesn’t turn out to be true since HTC never gave a specific time window themselves but we’ll be all the more joyous if we can get to New Year’s Eve with a piece of Honeycomb on this 7 inch device. [via Sprint Feed]

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• T-Mobile G2x Gingerbread update goes live again, HTC Radar 4G and HD7 get software patches too (tech-gadget.co.in)

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HTC update for Flyer tablet gets Honeycomb for Christmas

If you own an HTC Flyer tablet there is some good news coming out of France today. Apparently, the French are getting the update for the smartphone starting today. The new update brings the Flyer up to Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Flyer owners have been waiting for this update.

The update brings the software to 3.55.405.1. The update itself is 210MB and is coming OTA. Since the update is larger, do yourself a favor and grab it when available using WiFi. Apparently, this version of the update is for the 32GB version with WiFi and 3G connectivity.
There is no word on version of the update for other tablet models like the 16GB WiFi only version. If you are able to get the update in countries outside of France let us know. Also, let us know if they have the update for the WiFi version of the tablet.
[via HTC-Hub]

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Archos 101 G9 “Turbo” 1.2 GHz dual-core Honeycomb Tab now available

We’ve been following Archos and their line of cheap and affordable budget Android tablets but lately their entire naming scheme is getting out of control. Today we have learned the new Archos 101 G9 “Turbo” edition is available now — in Europe. We got our first glance at the new Archos G9 series a few months back featuring a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and Android Honeycomb. Today they’ve released the same devices only with the addition of “Turbo” to the name with a faster 1.2 GHz TI OMAP dual-core processor.

They have the G9, the G9 Turbo, the Arnova series, and even a G9 G2 was seen at the FCC. Without getting you confused basically the original Archos 80 and 101 G9 series have now been improved with a faster dual-core processor and can be bought over in Europe with the title “Turbo” in the name — fun stuff right.
For a closer look at these budget tablets you can enjoy our Archos 80 G9 hands-on and unboxing to give you an idea of what to expect. The build quality may not be the best but you get an awesome tablet for a low price. Now they have a 1.2 GHz dial-core and Android 3.2 Honeycomb these make for a pretty good alternative to more expensive items available. With a 10.1″ 1280 x 800 resolution display and 16GB of internal storage you wont be missing any features from more expensive devices, although we only have 512MB of RAM on the Archos tablets instead of 1GB like the others. They also have a 1.5 GHz version in the works coming later this month but we are still awaiting more details on that front.

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65-inch Honeycomb “Tablet” bumps Android up to 1080p

How big is too big? Currently tablets top out at about ten inches, but if you’d like something a little more gigantic,  at least one Turkish company is willing to give you what you want. Ardic Technology is running a full Honeycomb interface through a 65-inch 1080p television – that’s 1920 x 1080 pixels, to most Honeycomb tablets 1280 x 800. The prototype is one of a kind for the moment.

There’s a lot of work put into this modification, between boosting the resolution, outputting the video and getting the touch input to work on a remote display. The results are impressive to say the least: it really is a lot like a gigantic Honeycomb tablet, with full multi-touch support and working games, like Fruit Slice. And all it takes is a Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM – that says a lot for the scalability of Android. How does a 1080p panel in your next (normal-sized) Android tablet sound? The custom-built system uses a standard tablet (looks like a Galaxy Tab 10.1 or XOOM) in a dock, with near- instantaneous switching.
Check out the video below for some impressive performance:




Obviously this sort of setup isn’t ready for the mass market yet, but the implications are fascinating. If you watch the video you’ll see that the operator isn’t actually touching the screen, he’s using some sort of motion tracking or infrared system. So if Android runs this well in a fully functional five-foot interface, what’s to stop Google from building all these features into the next Google TV? Heck, why can’t your Tegra 3 tablet be your Google TV? The possibilities seem ripe for gaming as well, with Kinect-style games being the obvious goal.
The company is planning on building an improved model soon. We’ll be keeping an eye on their progress – especially if they plan on selling them!
[via Engadget]

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Team Xron’s CM7 dresses up your TouchPad in Honeycomb

Just like the rest of us, the CyanogenMod team doesn’t have access to the Honeycomb source code, so for now the best they can do for custom ROMS and the HP TouchPad is Gingerbread. But themers are a crafty bunch, and since CyanogenMod is open sourced, a group calling themselves Team Xron has released a skinned version to at least make you feel like you’re using a tablet OS. Users won’t have access to Honeycomb apps, but the various customizations do make Gingerbread look pretty slick.

Installation is simple if you’ve already shoved CyanogenMod onto the TouchPad: just transfer the ZIP over, reboot, select ClockworkMod recovery and flash the new software. You’ll definitely want to make Nandroid backup, just in case the new color scheme doesn’t agree with you, and as always when dealing with community mods there’s no guarantees of success. I f you haven’t used the rather complicated SDK method of pushing the CM7 files to your TouchPad, you can just replicate the installation method and swap out the zip file.
In addition to the tablet makeover, Team Xron has added themed widgets and am appropriate wireless printing app. It looks like they’re updating frequently – certainly more frequently than CyanogenMod, which hasn’t released any new info since the Alpha 2 version weeks ago. Early reports indicate that the build is fast, but certain apps like Gtalk are having issues. Remember, CM7 includes its own theme engine, so if you’re happy with your current build it might be bust to just apply a community theme.
Still not sure about adding Android to the TouchPad’s native WebOS? Take a gander at our hands-on video.
[via Liliputing]

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Android distribution numbers hold steady, Honeycomb still under 2%

When last we saw the distribution of the various Android versions, Gingerbread had nearly cracked 40% of the worldwide Android platform. This month it’s passed it, taking 43.9% and inching closer to the still-dominant Froyo. Android 2.2 is still running on just over half of all Android devices, nearly eleven months after Gingerbread’s release. Android’s tablet OS Honeycomb barely increased to 1.9%, up just two tenths of a percent in a month.

With the imminent release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which plays nice on both smartphone and tablet platforms, Honeycomb seems to be the odd man out. There’s still almost as many non-Honeycomb tablets being sold as there are which run Google’s tablet software, no doubt because the source code for Honeycomb still hasn’t been made availalble. At this point, it probably never will. Makers of cheap Android tablets or those who don’t wish to meet Google’s strict requirements for Honeycomb must use an earlier version.
Speaking of Ice Cream Sandwich, the few Galaxy Nexus phones that are out in the wild aren’t enough to make an impact on the chart. It’s likely to stay that way for a while, too, with the Galaxy Nexus launching in late November at the earliest and only a few official Ice Cream Sandwich devices even rumored for 2011. Don’t expect ICS to make any sort of significant showing in the monthly charts until well into 2012.

Asus’ new Transformer Prime will probably still be rocking Honeycomb when it’s released, and HTC’s new flagship phone the Rezound will be released with Gingerbread on November 14th. HTC isn’t planning on updating the phone to Ice Cream Sandwich until early 2012. Most other manufacturers probably won’t be any faster, though Motorola has promised a six week turnaround after the source code is made available.

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Netflix update officially supports Honeycomb tablets

Well, as if anyone didn’t expect that this was coming today Netflix has finally updated their app in the Android Market with “official” Android 3.0+ support. This isn’t anything new but at least now it’s official. The update back in June worked on most Honeycomb tablets already and last month it came to all 2.2 and 2.3 devices. Now Netflix officially supports Honeycomb.

Gone are the days of root methods and trickery to get Netflix on your Android 3.0 tablet, now all you need to do is get the official application right from the Android market and enjoy all the Daniel Tosh or TV shows your heart desires. Sadly, if you look at our picture below it shows that Netflix now supports Honeycomb, but in no way is designed for it.

The Netflix user interface hasn’t changed and is completely designed for smartphone users and not tablets. So while we have official support, me along with many others are still left hoping for an official Netflix tablet application. Maybe we’ll finally get one with Ice Cream Sandwich finally here. The main issue isn’t the UI, but the streaming is designed for a smaller display and not a 7 or 10″ 1280 x 800 display like we have with Honeycomb.
Either way it’s available so get it now!

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Total Honeycomb tablet sales estimate: 3.4 million units

Google was quick to highlight the continuing rise of Android on the smartphone platform at their third quarter earnings call, citing 190 million total Android activations globally. Google didn’t mention how many of those activations came from tablets running Honeycomb, but according to a developer estimate, it isn’t much. With the Android team’s latest statistics, the total number of active Honeycomb tablets in the wild comes out to a depressing 3.4 million.

Developer Al Sutton reached the conclusion after combining the 190 million figure with the device percentage breakdown released last week, wherein only 1.8% of global Android activations came from Honeycomb tablets. Divide 1.7% into 190 million, and you get a total of 3.42 million. Comparing Honeycomb tablets with Android smartphones isn’t exactly apples to apples, but by contrast, Froyo has 86 million activations and Gingerbread is right behind at 73.5 million.
It’s no secret that Apple still dominates the tablet world, with the iPad retaining an 80% marketshare more than six months after Honeycomb debuted. Analysts are putting 2011 iPad sales in the 20 million range, which just about evens out with the marketshare estimates. The 3.4 million figure doesn’t include low-cost or pre-Honeycomb tablets, most of which are running Android 2.3 Gingerbread by now. Popular devices like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Nook Color don’t factor into these results, and neither will the Amazon Kindle Fire, which runs a heavily-modified version of Gingerbread.
Considering how much the iPad dominates, reaching almost 20% of its sales in less than a year isn’t bad, even if it isn’t ideal. Part of the reason that cheaper tablets use Gingerbread is that Google hasn’t released the source code for Honeycomb, and doesn’t intend to. Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich announcement is coming next week in Hong Kong, and if the company offers the source code to the combined smartphone/tablet OS (as promised), expect cheap ICS tablets to hit the market a few months later.
[via SlashGear]

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Honeycomb paid apps increase four-fold, says Google

At the Android Developer’s Lab in London this morning, Google laid down this gem of a statistic: the number of paid apps being purchased on Honeycomb tablets has increased almost four times over in comparison to other versions of Android. You can see the (rough) growth in the presentation chart posted by Little Fluffy Toys. It claims that Honeycomb users install a much higher number of paid applications than any other section of Android users.

Now, the devil’s in the details for this nugget of information. Google didn’t release any actual numbers, but according to the new OS breakdown posted yesterday, we know that less than 2% of Android devices are currently running Honeycomb. Combine that with the fact that Android users are statistically much less likely to purchase apps in the first place, and you can see why developers might be hesitant to invest time and money into expensive tablet apps. Google is hoping to turn that thinking around.
In a comparison with iPad users, we know that Honeycomb users buy less than half as many non-free apps as their iOS counterparts, and pay less per app as well. There’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation going on, since they can hardly be expected to start shelling out $5 and $10 for apps that, in many cases, simply aren’t there. In any event, the new information that a paid Honeycomb app has a much higher chance of actually being installed on any given user’s tablet aught to spur at least some excitement, especially once developers get used the unified APIs for Ice Cream Sandwich.
[via SlashGear]

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Dell Streak 7 receiving OTA to Android 3.2 Honeycomb

Well folks, we haven’t heard much from Dell lately in regards to their lineup of Android, especially regarding the Streak 7 Android Tablet. Back in July we saw leaks of their new 10″ Honeycomb tablet as well as a glimpse of the Streak 7 enjoying the same tasty Honeycomb. Now sources are stating the Android 3.2 Honeycomb update for the Streak is rolling out now.

Some users are claiming to finally be receiving the update to 3.2 Honeycomb for the Dell Streak 7″ Tablet. Over at the Dell support forums there is some chatter that more than a few have already received the OTA update and are giving it a try as we speak. One mentions all user data was wiped during the update and he lost everything, while another user reports just the opposite and that the update did not wipe the entire device. Either way I’m sure a few Streak users are excited to give the tablet OS a try.
With reports that the hardware menu button isn’t working in select situations, and of course that low resolution not looking its best, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon but at least this is a good sign. For now it seems users across the pond and outside of the U.S received the update and we still have no further details for the U.S. market or those running with a T-Mobile Streak 7.
As soon as we hear more regarding an official statement from Dell, or confirmation on the OTA update we will be sure to update with more details.

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ASUS TOUGH Android Honeycomb 7″ tab hits Japan

We’ve seen plenty of smartphones over the recent past released that are tough, water resistant, and can handle most situations but we haven’t seen many for Android Honeycomb tablets. Today ASUS has unveiled the ASUS TOUGH ETBW11AA Tablet. The ASUS TOUGH is both water, and dust resistant, and comes with 4G WiMAX as well an impressive 1280×800 resolution all on that 7″ frame.

Coming in with a pretty unique form factor it does have some usual specs. Such as the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. We can expect Android 3.2 Honeycomb because of the 7″ 1280 x 800 resolution display. While this isn’t the thinnest tablet around (see photo below) it does look to be able to handle just about any situation given all that added “protection” if you ask me.

Along with a huge 7,400 mAh battery it also features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EVDO Rev.A and GPS, along with mini-USB, micro-SD and a 5-megapixel camera. It’s said to be able to survive 76cm drops onto straight concrete and live to tell about it, as well as remain fully in-tact. Instead of calling this Iron clad we’ll just say rubber clad, coming in around 215 x 132 x 20-22.2 mm and weighing 620g on the scales. All that protection comes with a price — and that is the size.
With a battery that will last all day, and a tablet handling all conditions this should be great for those out and about, especially those on-site construction type workers. The ASUS TOUGH ETBW11AA 7″ Honeycomb tablet should be available in Japan this November but we have no details yet on pricing.
[via SlashGear]

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Google TV update rolling out today, Honeycomb coming soon

We have seen a few updates for Google TV in the recent past including a large update back in March. Yesterday @GoogleTV tweeted some exciting news for today, and for the future. A decently sized minor update is rolling out now and should be hitting Google TV devices over the next few days. Then they mention something major coming soon.

The important part about this seemingly innocent tweet is they mention a “bigger update” is coming soon in the weeks ahead. This, we all know will be Honeycomb. I guess we don’t “know” this will be Honeycomb but what else is major and coming soon. We’ve seen Honeycomb for Google TV leaked a few times and we mentioned the first major leak back in August, then last week a much better Honeycomb build was also leaked for the Logitech Revue.

What we don’t know is what devices will get this bigger update that they’ve mentioned is coming soon but most likely the Logitech Revue will be one of the first, if not the first device to get updated to Android Honeycomb for Google TV. We have also spotted a few Sony Google powered TV’s also running the update so it’s safe to assume they’ll be on the list too.
Exciting times for Google TV users, I can’t wait to see what Honeycomb and then Ice Cream Sandwich brings to the world of Android. Now might be a good time to go snag the Logitech Revue for just $99.
Bonus Video: Creepy Kevin Bacon





[via Twitter]

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Platinum Air Hockey for Honeycomb Tablets

Platinum Apps has just lowered the price on their awesome Air Hockey game made just for Android Honeycomb tablets. What we have is Platinum Air Hockey bringing amazing graphics and life-like physics to Honeycomb. I’ve played a few air hockey games in the past — but with stunning HD graphics on my 10″ tablet this sure beats anything else I’ve tried so far. More details and pictures after the break.

Like I said above air hockey games are nothing new. Platinum Apps have thrown a little spin on the game and not only does it look stunning on Honeycomb, but they’ve also allowed us to theme the ice ring (aka background) and entire game to look nothing like hockey. For Basketball fans you can change it to a court with a basketball, or we can make the entire field of play look old school in the stone age. It’s actually really neat and I think I enjoy the prehistoric stone the most.

Available now in the Android Market they offer both a free version with limited functionality, as well as a paid version that is now discounted to just $1.02 for the time being. The paid version you have access to all the themes and more. With lightning fast accuracy and response, life-like physics, a slick design with multiple themes and the option to play multiplayer wirelessly they’ve covered everything you’d want in a hockey game app. At first I scored a quick 4 goals and though medium was too easy, but I soon learned I was just lucky and found myself behind real quick. Feel free to check out the images below in our full size gallery and then head to the market and give this a try on your Android Honeycomb tablet.

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Firefox Nightlies Now Available for Honeycomb Tablets

Firefox for Tablets was previewed just a few backs, and it seemed we may have to wait some time to get our hands on it. Not the case, as the first nightly builds of the Honeycomb-tailored web browser have become available. You can head over to Mozilla’s site to grab the most recent release and take a spin around the mobile web.
[Mozilla via Gizmodo]

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Opera 11.1 Now Ready For Download – Adds Honeycomb Support and Patches Security Flaw

Opera was just updated in the Android Market today. While all the normal goodies were added (bug fixes and the like) this update now officially supports Honeycomb with the new large screen compatibility mode. The update also fixed some serious security holes in regards to the older version of the app storing cache files with permissions that were not restrictive enough. This could potentially allow for malicious apps to gain access to your sensitive data stored on your device’s SD card. As for the rest of the new stuff check out the changelog below:

• Added support for font styles on Samsung Galaxy devices
• Fix for problem with text disappearing in text fields
• Fix for HTML5 <audio> tag auto-play
• Fix for mismatched RGB colors on some devices
• Fix for black screen when starting Opera Mobile on some devices
• Fix for various stability issues on certain devices
• Fix for various font issues on certain devices
• Security update fix (see below)
• Permissions: See bit.ly/opera_permissions

[Market Link]

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Sony shows off Honeycomb Google TV

It looks like we’re going to get Honeycomb on our Google TV set-top boxes pretty soon. Over at the CEDIA event, Sony was demonstrating its Google TV hardware that has been updated with a near-release upgrade to Honeycomb. Judging by the pictures and video footage of the set-top box, there’s not much to see right now, but I guess we’ll have to get our hands on the final version of Honeycomb for Google TV before we can come to a conclusion.

The Google TV Honeycomb update was announced at the Google I/O event back in May and is expected to arrive on the Google TV Revue at the end of summer, so it shouldn’t be too long now. Head over to endgadget to check out more photographs a and a video of Google TV Honeycomb in action.

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Gateway A60 10.1″ 16GB Honeycomb Tab available for $399

Here is a little deal and news for everyone. Over at futureshop.ca you can get the Gateway A60 Android Honeycomb tablet for just $399. Wait Gateway makes tablets? Yup we recently saw the A60 clear the FCC back in June and now it is available for purchase.

If looking through the FCC pictures above you didn’t notice, this is almost exactly like the Acer Iconia A500 Tab. The Gateway A60 is basically a re-branded Iconia Tab with a few minor changes and a glossy black color scheme but everything else remains the same. Not to say that is a bad thing because we do have the usual awesome Honeycomb specs on board.

With the Gateway A60 you’ll get a NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1.0 Ghz CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 10.1″ 1280×800 res display, 16GB of internal storage, HDMI Out, Micro SD support, and everything else most tablets have these days. 5MP camera on the rear, VGA up front, W-Fi and the works all for just $399. This is basically just the Acer A500 with a different color and a few curves aimed a different direction but otherwise a perfectly great and functional tablet at a decent price. Get it at Futureship.ca right now and they’ll throw in a free 16GB microSD card giving you 32GB of storage all for $399.
[via AndroidGuys]

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HTC Flyer Honeycomb Screenshots and Instructions Appear

In case you were all busy preparing for this holiday weekend, Friday we brought news regarding Honeycomb on the HTC Flyer. What happened is a RUU build of Honeycomb 3.2 with Sense UI for tablets was leaked for the HTC Flyer, a device we still weren’t sure would even get the update to Honeycomb in the first place. MoDaCo’s Paul O’Brien and many others have been working hard and things are developing already.


While the developers are still hard at work getting this safely and easily flashable for users to enjoy we are now starting to at least see some screenshots as well as instructions for those that dare take the early plunge. The developers at xda globatron posted a few screenshots seen above and was nice enough to also provide instructions for flashing Honeycomb on your own Flyer. I wont give details here as the process is very involved and not very stable at the moment but Paul O’Brien and other devs should have things running in no time.
So far things looks great and according to globatron, most apps and games work fine but the device would rather be in portrait mode and a few apps are being cut off in landscape. Remember this is a leaked development build and in no way the final product from HTC although things look very similar to the recently released HTC Jetstream.

It appears we will have a flashable zip for users to try soon enough, and the update will probably be coming from HTC here in the next month or two, we hope. Stay tuned for more details as this all gets uncovered.
[via XDA]

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HTC Flyer Receives Honeycomb Upgrade [Leak]

Several weeks ago we were holding the HTC Flyer for the first time, a brand new tablet running a unique version of HTC’s Sense user interface on top of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, all in a mid-sized tablet form factor with a special “Scribe” stylus for on-screen writing. We got to look at this device as the HTC Flyer (a Wi-fi version of the tablet) and the HTC EVO View, a WiMAX-capable black instead of white plastic casing version. Now what we’ve got coming down the underground pipeline is a Honeycomb upgrade for the full tablet experience!

But wait, wasn’t HTC able to get ahold of Honeycomb back when they first started producing the HTC Flyer? We’d like to think that they were able to do so since the Motorola XOOM had already technically been released right around that time earlier this year, and certainly several Android 3.x Honeycomb devices had been released before the Flyer was sent out to stores, so what gives? More than likely it was simply much more feasible to build Sense around Gingerbread at the time of development for this device than it was to work with Honeycomb.
Now we’ve got this totally-unauthorized BETA, and an early Beta at that, build of Honeycomb for the HTC Flyer in RUU – you can access it at MoDaCo courtesy of Paul – if you should take the risk and run it, let us know how it goes. Meanwhile check out what we know about the AT&T HTC Jetstream, the manufacturer’s first 10-inch tablet and first device running Honeycomb. We’ll more than likely take a look at the tablet before it’s released to the public having been excited about its existence since it was simply called the Puccini.

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