Ice Cream Sandwich AOSP Build Compiled for the Motorola XOOM

Now that Android 4.0.3 is available as part of the Android Open Source Project’s codebase, you can expect to see a lot of effort from the developer community to get Ice Cream Sandwich ported to new devices. An easy place to start is the Motorola XOOM. The world’s first Honeycomb tablet received its own custom-tailored AOSP build from Google, so getting it up and running was mostly a matter of compiling the code and flashing over the new software. The guys at DroidNerd did just that and posted the results up to their YouTube page. They call the updated OS “crazy fast” on the XOOM, making it feel “new again.” With all this fresh source code floating around, we are expecting many opportunities to make Android devices feel new again will be popping up over the coming weeks.
[via DroidNerd]

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AT&T reportedly having difficulties selling T-Mobile assets

According to sources reporting to the Wall Street Journal, AT&T has hit yet another snag in its efforts to acquire T-Mobile, as it is now having difficulty selling T-Mobile assets to other carriers. This selling of assets, also known as divesting, is crucial for AT&T, as it may be the only way for it to gain regulatory approval for the purchase.
Earlier reports had said that AT&T was in talks with Leap Wireless, owner of Cricket, to sell some portion of the spectrum and other assets acquired from the purchase of T-Mobile to Leap. Other reports had said that Dish Communications or MetroPCS were also likely suitors for T-Mobile's assets.
Apparently, at this point, all of those negotiations have collapsed, and those involved say that the deals would not have been significant enough to sway the Justice Department's opposition to the purchase.
The Justice Department and AT&T have put their legal fight on hold until next month, in order to give time for AT&T to figure out its next move as to whether or not it will continue pursuing the acquisition. It has also been rumored that AT&T and T-Mobile could form a joint venture should the outright purchase not gain approval from the government.
[Via: Mobile Burn]

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Sprint Asking Partners To Get Rid Of Carrier IQ

Carrier IQ got a lot of press lately but all that ink turned out to be a tad bitter for the company. Starting from the moment the software bit was discovered until the official Carrier IQ position, and statements from carriers and OEMs, the buzz is just getting more and more hyped.

According to recent reports based on information received from "sources inside HTC", "as a result of the lawsuits targeting Carrier IQ, Sprint, and other CIQ-using OEMs", Sprint "has asked all of their partners to get rid of Carrier IQ". We're talking about the same Sprint that recently said "Carrier IQ can be found on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones". Sprint made it clear that it "does not and can not" look or record contents of messages, photos and videos on phones but the usage of the Carrier IQ bit is limited to understanding device performance on the network, a fact that is also laid down in Sprint's privacy policy.

The plan is for OEMs to prepare updates which will then be delivered over-the-air to phones, refreshes which will of course be lacking Carrier IQ. There's no timeframe attached but you can expect updates to start hitting devices in the very near future.

[Source: Geek]

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Google launches new features for Google+ Pages, adds noise control to your stream and more

Google has just announced a pretty impressive list of new features for Google+ users.
One of the main complaints users have had is the noise – or more importantly – having very little control over it on Google+. Now you can be sure to see all the posts you want to using a new slider which is visible at the top of each circle. You can then determine just how much of that circle will appear in your main stream.

After launching Google+ pages to much fanfare, Google is making a few changes to the feature, finally making it easier to assign administrators. Companies can now delegate up to 50 administrators for any page, with notifications, and more. Page administrators will also be able to find out more about their users, with an aggregated user count of users who have +1′d your page, or added it to their circles.

Google+ has certainly been the rising star among the online photography community so it’s great to see more features being added into the mix. An already pretty impressive looking lightbox has been redesigned with improved navigation, enhanced comments and all-in-all, a better experience. Not to be outdone by Facebook, Google+ also has a new and more intuitive photo-tagging feature.

What do you think of Google+’s new features? Let us know in the comments

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Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx turns up in Verizon system

Earlier this month we reported about a Motorola DROID RAZR MAX that was rumored to be on the way to Verizon outlets, and it looks like those stories are about to come true. The folks over at Droid-Life managed to get their hands on a photograph showing a listing of devices in Verizon’s systems and there is a phone known as the “Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx” in between the regular DROID RAZR and the DROID RAZR White.
While this is confirmation of the device’s existence, there’s no new information about the phone or a possible release date. The DROID RAZR MAX/RAZR Maxx is said to be an improved version of the DROID RAZR – possibly with a larger battery, or a 720p HD Display. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted.

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HTC Desire S getting Android 2.3.5, Sense 3.0 update in India

HTC has started rolling out much awaited Android 2.3.5 update for Desire S users in India. This update also brings the Sense 3.0 UI to Desire S. It is available OTA, so you will soon get a notification on your device to download and install the update.
If you have HTC Desire S, you can go to Settings>> About Phone>> Software Update to check the update manually. Although announced on December 15 by HTC India on its official Facebook page, users have started getting it today only.
Update build number – 2.15.720.3
Do let us know about your experience after the update in the comments.

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Google gives out customised Galaxy Nexus handsets to employees for Christmas

It appears that Google employees are going to enjoy the latest and greatest Android smartphone that the search giant and Samsung have to offer after it emerged the company is giving its staff customised handsets as a Christmas thank you.
The handset itself isn’t an ordinary Galaxy Nexus either; the device has been outfitted with a customised back cover, one that sports various Google+ and Android icons (which are one and the same) — a nice touch considering they are being specifically given to Google employees.
The rear of the device:

We have confirmed that both Google’s London and Zurich offices are giving out free devices to Google employees, requiring staff to line up and claim their free handset, as shown in the photo below (posted by Edu Pereda, a Software Engineer at Google’s Swiss offices):

We have contacted Google to enquire whether all Google employees will receive a free device — we assume that will be the case. We will update the article should we receive a response.

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[Deal] Pre-Orders ASUS Transformer Prime Return To Amazon

One of the hottest gadgets of this holiday season, the Transformer Prime, is scheduled to be released the week of December 19th - that would be any day now starting today. In anticipation of the launch, Amazon re-launched pre-orders for all four color/size combinations after they went dark, disappeared completely, and even got cancelled in some cases shortly after the first wave was sold out. Here they are:

• TF201-B1-GR - 32GB Amethyst Gray
• TF201-B1-CG - 32GB Champagne
• TF201-C1-GR - 64GB Amethyst Gray
• TF201-C1-CG - 64GB Champagne

 

Additionally, every Transformer Prime order comes with a free one-day shipping option:

FREE One-Day Shipping: Buy select products sold by Amazon.com, and select one-day shipping when you check out.
The one-day shipping cost for select products will then be deducted from your order total on the final checkout page.
Here's how (restrictions apply)

For those in need of a spec recap, it's coming right up:

• 10.1-inch SuperIPS + display with Gorilla Glass
• 1.3GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Processor with 12-core GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 32GB or 64GB internal storage with microSD card slot
• microHDMI port
• 8MP F2.4 rear shooter with continuous flash for video recording, 1.2MP front camera (1080p camcorder!)
• 8.33mm thin
• 586g (1.29 lbs.)
• 12 hour battery life playing 720p video, 18 hours with keyboard dock
• Metallic spun finish
• Two available colors: Amethyst Gray and Champagne Gold (show below, respectively)
• Android 3.2.1 - will be updated to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as soon as possible after release
• $499 for 32GB model, $599 for 64GB, and $149 for the dock

Now all we need is that "Temporary out of stock" blurb to change to "In Stock" in my favorite pleasant green.
Thanks, Zachary Rodriguez and others!
[via: Android Police]

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Samsung, Huawei And Nokia Beat Apple In China Mobile Phone Manufacturing

Big news out of China as Huawei has beat out Apple as is now the third largest manufacturer of mobile phones in China.
Reuters reported the news Friday saying that Apple wasn’t as nimble or flexible as Samsung and Huawei. Despite just now breaking back into the U.S. market, Nokia still holds a huge position in Asian and European markets.
Apple has started a major expansion in China as far as their retail efforts go. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple has six retail stores with plans to open dozens more. They also have 200 mono branded stores and over 7,000 points of sale.
What’s hurting Apple in the iPhone department is the fact that they didn’t build a TD-SCDMA iPhone version for China Mobile. China Mobile is the world’s largest cell phone carrier with over 600 million users. To put that in perspective for US readers, China Mobile’s market is 3 times the size of Verizon Wireless and AT&T combined.
Aside from not having an iPhone on their countries largest carrier, Chinese customers are echoing the rest of the world when it comes to smartphones. Android is winning by a lot in China, even with Google’s rocky relationship with their government.
source: Fortune/CNN

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