Android Ice Cream Sandwich Confirmed [Even More For Real This Time]

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You know how all the bigtime Android iterations are named after desserts? Do you also see how the titles of these deserts have been released in alphabetical order? These Android titles go like so: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb. This last version is the first tablet-specific version of Android and should, based on what we know at the moment, be considered as being developed aside from the main Android bloodline. That said, the next version’s name has been “leaked” by a Google developer by the name of Romain Guy: Ice Cream Sandwich.

See, I TOLD YOU man, I TOLD YOU. Actually Andy Rubin told you (sort of) back in January of this year in a conversation with Jason Kincaid. Have a look at that old post and continue on to the following: a code issue inside the subject of Gradients in Honeycomb. In this short and sweet conversation, official Android worker Romain Guy notes the following: “A bug fix will be provided in Ice Cream Sandwich.”

This changes everything! Actually it doesn’t really change anything, but it’s fun to know that the version of Android that will make some big strides to combine both versions of Android now has a sandwichy name. As Eric Schmidt said back at Mobile World Congress 2011: “We have OS called gingerbread for phones, we have an OS being previewed now for tablets called Honeycomb. The two of them… you can imagine the follow up will start with an I, be named after dessert, and will combine these two.”

Tasty enough? Totally tasty. Then of course there’s the most empirical evidence of all: if there were to be a giant Froyo sculpture out in front of the Googleplex and there were to be a giant dish of Ice Cream, there would be some confusion. If the Ice Cream is a big sandwich instead, all of that confusion just melts away like the tasty, tasty treat it is. ALSO, the hero image in this post comes from Google circa 2006. Still yummy.

 

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How To Install Android on Your iPhone

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With this step-by-step guide you can now convert your iPhone into a functional Android device and upload your favourite apps and widgets that you wanted to try out for a long time. However, few bugs and performance issues remain, making your phone work a little slow, but if that’s okay with you, then read on.
Requirements:

• First-generation iPhone/ iPhone 3G with firmware versions between 2.0 and 3.1.2, jailbroken with Redsn0w, Blacksn0w, or PwnageTool. If the software is already updated to 3.1.3/ 4.0 beta, use PwnageTool to create a jailbroken 3.1.2 .ipsw file to restore.
• A 32-bit Linux system (Unbuntu) or virtual machine depending on the type of handset you own.
• The iPhone OS 3.1.2 .ipsw file for your device, namely either iPhone1,1_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw or iPhone1,2_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw.
• The firmware for the Marvell WLAN chip inside the iPhone- Visit URL > Choose your platform > Select Linux 2.6 – Fedora>Click the Search button underneath> Download file SD-8686-LINUX26-SYSKT-9.70.3.p24-26409.P45-GPL. You’ll obtain a file called SD-8686-LINUX26-SYSKT-9.70.3.p24-26409.P45-GPL.zip.

Instructions:
Before starting the process, extract .ipsw file from the Marvell’s Website for multitouch and WLAN firmware for the iPhone.
Step 1: On the Linux machine, create a folder “Firmware” in home directory.
Step 2: Extract SD-8686-FEDORA26FC6-SYSKT-GPL-9.70.3.p24-26409.P45.tar from SD-8686-LINUX26-SYSKT-9.70.3.p24-26409.P45-GPL.zip to a temporary folder.
Step 3: Extract FwImage/helper_sd.bin and FwImage/sd8686.bin from SD-8686-FEDORA26FC6-SYSKT-GPL-9.70.3.p24-26409.P45.tar and move them to ‘firmware’ folder.
Step 4: Rename helper_sd.bin to sd8686_helper.bin. Now, you obtain WLAN firmware. Next we work over the multitouch firmware.
Step 5: On the Linux machine, create a folder “idroid” in home directory. Extract utils/dripwn from the prebuilt tarball (downloaded .tar archive).
Step 6: Copy 3.1.2 .ipsw file obtained from Apple’s Website into the ‘idroid’ folder as dripwn.
Step 7: Begin a command-line shell (Terminal under Ubuntu) and navigate to the ‘idroid’ folder. Type cd ~/idroid.
Step 8: Visit the page and copy the VFDecrypt key.
Step 9: For 1^st generation iPhone, type the following in the shell
./dripwn iPhone1,1_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw [the VFDecrypt key you copied]
For iPhone 3G:
./dripwn iPhone1,2_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw [the VFDecrypt key you copied]
Step 10: Upon execution of the command, zephyr_main.bin, zephyr_aspeed.bin, and zephyr2.bin is obtained in ‘idroid’ folder. Move these files into the ‘firmware’ folder.
You now have all the files needed for Android, and you can begin installing it.
Step 11: If you haven’t already, install the OpenSSH tool on iPhone via Cydia.
Step 12: If you just installed OpenSSH, connect to your iPhone via SSH, log in as root with the password alpine, and change the password for root by typing passwd root. Then, enter passwd mobile to change the password for the mobile user.
Step 13: Extract prebuilt/android.img.gz, prebuilt/cache.img, prebuilt/ramdisk.img, prebuilt/system.img, prebuilt/userdata.img, and zImage from the prebuilt tarball.
Step 14: Use the ‘scp’ command or an SFTP client to upload all of these files into the /private/var folder on the iPhone.
You can use these commands on Linux, if you wish to use scp. Assuming you’re in the same folder as the files, enter:
scp android.img.gz root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/
scp cache.img root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/
scp ramdisk.img root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/
scp system.img root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/
scp userdata.img root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/
scp zImage root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/
Step 15: Using the SFTP client or scp, create a folder called firmware in the /private/var folder on the iPhone. Now, upload all the files from the ‘firmware’ folder.
If the ‘firmware’ folder is inside the home directory, use the following command:
scp -r ~/firmware/ root@[ip address of iPhone]:/private/var/firmware
Step 16: Reboot iPhone. Check to ensure the files are still present after the reboot and that they all have the right sizes. An incorrect file size will not exactly match the source file size.
Step 17: Extract utils/oibc, utils/loadibec, and prebuilt/openiboot.img3 from the prebuilt tarball into ‘idroid’ folder.
Step 18: Shut down the iPhone and place it into Recovery Mode: With the iPhone powered off and plugged into the computer via USB, push Hold and Home simultaneously, and then let go of Hold after the backlight turns on. Continue holding Home until the ‘Connect to iTunes’ image appears on the screen.
Step 19: Run the following commands in Terminal
cd ~/idroid
sudo ./loadibec openiboot.img3
The ‘openiboot’ boot menu should now appear!
Step 20: Use either the volume-control buttons or the Hold button to select the second menu option, Console. Tap the Home button to launch it. A text-mode console should start running on the screen, ending with a ‘Welcome to openiboot’ message.
Step 21: Type sudo ./oibc in Terminal.
The same messages that appeared on the iPhone screen should now appear in Terminal. Create a backup of the NOR, if something goes wrong, your iPhone is safe.
Step 22: Type nor_read 0×09000000 0×0 1048576 in Terminal/oibc. This will read the entire NOR into main memory.
Step 23: Type ~norbackup.bin@0×09000000:1048576 in Terminal/oibc. A file will appear in the ‘idroid’ folder> norbackup.bin. Save it. The command uploads the NOR to the computer. After you make this backup, you are now free to modify the NOR. The next step installs OpeniBoot onto the NOR, supplanting the existing Apple iBoot bootloader.
Step 24: Type install in Terminal/oibc. This process may take a few minutes. Wait until the installation-complete message appears.
Step 25: Type reboot in Terminal/oibc and then exit by pressing Ctrl-C. The OpeniBoot menu should now pop whenever you boot your iPhone. You can uninstall OpeniBoot from oibc with the ‘uninstall’ command. Type help for a list of all OpeniBoot commands.
You can still get into the iPhone OS’s recovery mode by holding down Home on the iPhone OS option in the menu until the ‘Connect to iTunes’ image appears.
Use the OpeniBoot menu to boot Android by selecting that OS from the menu whenever you wish.
 

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No Android Apps or Flash Support for Blackberry 7

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Most of us remember the hype surrounding RIM’s BlackBerry Playbook and how it’s QNX OS would allow users to load Android apps for use on the tablet. I know how excited some of my developer friends were about this possible new prospect. Given the similarities between Android’s Dalvik VM and RIM’s Java based system it seemed like an easy transition. However, the Playbook was eventually released without the touted Android capabilities to many people’s dismay.
Fast forward to today where RIM announced the details of their new BlackBerry 7 OS and although many hoped it would offer some core features from the QNX operating system (Android app compatibility?) – it fell short. RIM officially confirmed today that there will be no Android apps (or even Flash for that matter) on the new soon to be released BlackBerry 7 OS update.
However, Android apps aren’t entirely off the table just yet. According to RIM’s vice president of handheld software product management, Andrew Bocking, the new QNX OS may soon come to handhelds, the only problem is they will need to feature a dual-core processor which RIM doesn’t offer at the moment. He did mention they are hard at work on a more portable cellphone version of the OS and although nowhere near ready you can expect to hear more about it later this year.
What do you guys think at the possibility of a BlackBerry phone running Android apps? Is this something you would be interested in? Or will it be shunned like an Android red-headed step child?
 

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China’s Meizu M9 Receives Speedy Gingerbread Update

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Looks like those guys over at Meizu are on top of things these days. With the launch of their successful M9 many people wondered what the future of the device would hold for consumers. All of those fears can be put to rest with the Meizu M9 users receiving their first taste of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This came in the form of a downloadable update which I think more companies should start looking into seeing how it can get an update out to users quicker than waiting around for a carrier to push out an OTA. Just my two cents.
If you aren’t too familiar with the Chinese Meizu M9 I’ve gone ahead an provided a video of some of the unique UI elements in action.
Apparently, the update isn’t without it’s bugs and early adopters have been reporting back small annoyances like power and display issues. But given Meizu’s new track record, I’m sure they will be on top of offering a new update soon enough to deal with said issues. Now c’mon guys, I think its time to officially welcome Meizu users into the Android family.

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The Samsung Galaxy S II Gets Rooted……Already?

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Of course and as expected, the hard at work hacking community of XDA is at it again.  This time, they’ve wasted no time cracking the Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung’s latest flagship powerhouse to hit the smartphone market.  On paper, this bad boy has it all.  It sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 8MP camera with HD video recording and Android version 2.3 Gingerbread, all packed in a super slim form factor.  Only the good Lord himself knows what this phone will truly be capable of when XDA finally gets to tinker with it.

Thanks to our friends over at AC, a tipster sent in a screenshot of a benchmark test from the device and it’s remarkably through the roof. Extremely impressive stuff!  And from what we’re hearing, it’s not at all difficult to root the device.  Thanks to XDA member Chainfire, it’s as easy as 1..2..3.  So, head on over via the source link if you’re one of the lucky few who have the device and are interested in pushing it to the limit.  Don’t forget to share with us what kind of performance and enhancements you’re seeing on the handset.

 

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T-Mobile G2x Android 2.3 Gingerbread Preview

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Well what do you know? Looks like someone got their hands on an early build of Android 2.3 Gingerbread for T-Mobile’s G2x. It’s Chris Ziegler of This is My Next and by the looks of it, there’s not a whole heck of a lot of surprises, but increased enjoyability nonetheless. Have a look and let us know if you’ll be backing out of Cyanogen long enough to get yourself the official real deal Gingerbread when the time comes.

As you may already be aware, the G2x comes stocked with Android 2.2 Froyo in a vanilla flavoring. This tasty combination means that aside from a few apps here and there, this version of Android is in the original Google-made state. There’s no custom user interface sitting on top of it – you know what that means? It means a much easier path to getting an update to the next version of Android. This means that the device will have Android 2.3 Gingerbread sooner than later.
Now you’re already essentially able to get Gingerbread if you’re the hacking type by heading over to the CyanogenMod 7 for G2x post from a few days ago. If you’re into the real deal from Google, do press on:
Factoids gleaned from Ziegler at TIMN:

• This update will be Android 2.3.3, not Android 2.3.4 with Google Talk Video Calling.
• Scrolling and touch sensitivity appear to be notably improved.
• Gingerbread keyboard, improved text highlighting
• No Tags app, Nexus S Gingerbread system sounds not present
• Gingerbread UI in menus, status bar, dialer, and in glow at the end of lists – buzz!
• Stock Gingerbread camera app (replacing LG’s custom Froyo camera app)
[Source :Androidcommunity]

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US WiFi Xoom gets Desktop UA string change

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A lot of people are familiar with how to change the user agent string in Android. All you have to do is open a browser, type “about: debug” into the browser, and go. Then, it’s all about going into the settings and change out the UAString to have the browser identify itself. The main problem? In order to make this work, you have to do it on every reboot.
Well, not anymore, as XDA user intsy has created a patch to make the change permanent on the US WiFi Xoom. It comes to us via a CWM flashable zip, and comes with a counter-zip to move everything back to stock. To check it out for yourself, be sure to hit the source link, and let us know what you think in the comments.
 

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Acer Iconia Tab A500 deal at Best Buy

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Best Buy is featuring the Acer Iconia Tab A500 in their weekly sales circular and at a pretty good price, too. The Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet is on sale for just under $450, cheaper than Motorola’s XOOM, which is selling for around $600, WiFi only. It’s also available now at that price, while the slightly cheaper EeePad Transformer (at $400) won’t be out for another few weeks. And with our earlier report that users can root the Iconia (with a step by step guide included), the time is ripe to ask the question … why wait?

Specs on the Iconia A500 include a 10.1 inch screen with 1280×800 resolution. It’s powered by a dual core 1Ghz processor running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Storage wise, the A500 sports 1 GB of RAM and 16GB of external storage via the microSD slot. And the A500 has dual cameras – a front facing 2MP model for video chat, as well as a rear facing 5MP. And of course, it has all the usual WiFi and Bluetooth capability.
Now of course, it doesn’t have the nifty the keyboard dock with extra battery like the Transformer. But you can’t have everything. The Iconia, however, is shipping now, and Best Buy looks to move them at that price. And you know the old saying … he who hesitates is lost.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Pro (GT-B7510) Hands-On in the Netherlands

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Sometimes you’ve got to go all the way to the Netherlands just to get a peek at an Android devices. That’s what’s going on right here with the Samsung Galaxy Pro, a Samsung device running Android that I’m sure you’ll find quite unique. It’s certainly not going to win any speed races, and the camera on the back is a whopping 3 megapixels, but look at those big fat keys! A bigger flatter more fat Android has never been seen!

This phone is running a bit of the ol’ TouchWiz 3.0, has a full QUERTY keyboard, and by the looks of it, has the same textured Samsung battery cover as on the soon-to-be-released Galaxy S II. Fashionable! The fellow over in the Netherlands checking this phone out noted that it feels “good in the hand” and that it’s “light and thin.” The touchscreen display is longer than it is tall, and the four Android-centric buttons sit right between the keyboard and the display.
The keys are all raised and balloon-like so typing is “a joy.” This device has 320 x 240 pixel resolution on a 2.8 inch screen. That means it’s pretty low. Furthermore, the screen only supports single-touch. And it comes with a 2GB microSD card! Convinced you want it? Yeah me either. I love the chassis, but have basically no faith in the innards – these feelings might be evidence enough to show why you’re not seeing it saturate the USA.
 

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