Nothing less than expected, Google on Tuesday announced the first beta release of its Chrome Web browser for Android-powered smartphones and tablets. With Chrome, Google is focused on aligning its mobile browsing experience more closely with its desktop browser.
Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is focused on speed and simplicity, but it also features seamless sign-in and sync so you can take your personalized web browsing experience with you wherever you go, across devices.
The buggy build of ICS on the Touchpad we saw earlier has been let out to public. Among the things that currently don’t work are Market access, hardware accelerated video and the camera. The project is developing fast so fixes should be expected really soon.
The source code for the release has also been outed so if you want to play around with your own version of the build you can do that quite easily. Triple boot of webOS / CM7 / CM9 is possible but the developers are currently recommending against it.
The developers who initially bought Android to the touchpad have a glimpse of what is to come. The CM9 build for HP Touchpad is almost ready and the developer has released a video showing it off. There are still a few bugs in the system, like camera and video playback not working. But the dev assures everything else works smoothly. The video goes on to demonstrate that Angry Birds plays great on the Touchpad on ICS.
Always Innovating, the folks behind the Smart Book tablet have done it again at CES 2012. The new gadget is called “HDMI Dongle” and is an entire system on the dongle that can be plugged into your television to give you, hold your breath, Android running on your Tele. The tiny little device has awesome specs too, a Cortex-A9, between 256MB and 1GB of RAM, inbuilt WiFi / Bluetooth, an NFC module and even an accelerometer for when you decide to hold your TV and play Asphalt.
The device dongle is priced starting US $ 79 and should be available soon , if you believe the company, and it bundles a RF remote. Either way whenever it comes we are ordering at least enough to cover all HDMI equipped TVs and Monitors.
ALWAYS INNOVATING INNOVATES AGAIN WITH THE HDMI DONGLE.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January, 2012
Always Innovating is pleased to announce the HDMI Dongle, a revolutionary new portable set-top box. The HDMI Dongle is a device of the size of a stick that can be plugged into any HDMI port to transform a dumb TV into a smart Internet-connected screen. The HDMI Dongle enables Internet browsing, movie watching and games.
The HDMI Dongle can run Android Ice Cream Sandwich and is compatible with GoogleTV. The device provides a full-compatible Android experience and any application for this operating system can run on the dongle. The HDMI Dongle can stream and decode from the Internet 1080p H.264 video. The device is compatible with popular services such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon video-on-demand. The user interface is controlled with a 9-button remote control for easy navigation, and voice recognition for text input. The accelerometer located in the remote control enables a set of gravity-based games. The remote control also features a NFC chip to offer a tap-to-share experience.
The HDMI Dongle is based on the Texas Instruments Cortex-A9 OMAP 4 which can run from 1GHz to 1.8GHz depending of the configuration. It offers 1GB of RAM and a micro SD card for local storage. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module enables the device to connect to the Internet and to any Bluetooth-enabled accessories.
Always Innovating does not intend to produce the HDMI Dongle but offers it on a licensing basis. The HDMI Dongle is expected to hit the selves with a first licensee during the summer 2012. The HDMI Dongle can also be used as the heart of a tablet or MID device. An expansion slot features interfaces to camera and LVDS screen which allows to plug a 1920×1080 LCD. The PCB provides all the features of a tablet including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, battery management, camera and NFC connectivity.
Like all other Always Innovating products, the HDMI Dongle is fully Open Source.
About the Company Founded by serial entrepreneur Grégoire Gentil, Always Innovating leverages the latest developments in open source technologies worldwide to create innovative products that solve real problems for consumers. The company is based in San Francisco, California.
Proud owner of the Samsung Galaxy Note? This should interest your anxious thought process. A new rom based on CM9 will give your Note the most anticipated ICS update well ahead of schedule. The Rom will not retain full pen functionality and all of the S-Pen input is currently not available. This build is also lacking a working camera app and Bluetooth radio functionality. Either way a ROM with more stabler features can be expected soon.
The one thing to note is that Samsung will soon release their updates for ICS to their own Android device arsenal, this will also include an update for the Galaxy Note, which will retain the Samsung Touch Wiz user Interface. So ensure you know what you are getting into, before you try out experimental roms on your precious 5.3 inch device!
Various builds of ICS on the Samsung Galaxy S2 have started to leak out, indicating that they are meant to be upgraded through Kies. They consist of an early Android 4.0.1 build made on December 20th and version 4.0.3 crafted soon after. These builds are much more improved than the builds released earlier, included cosmetic changes and less neon looking notification. The builds also seem to have better integration with Samsung Apps.
While big smartphones struggle to get their fix of Google’s new OS. Folks over at MadTeam, the ones that got us the original Cyanogen on the Galaxy 5, have managed to port over Android’s new baby Ice Cream Sandwich to the Galaxy 5. Although the port is not complete and is not recommended for daily use, infact basic functionality of the device is broken. Check out the list below.
Working:
Hardware Acceleration (Some Parts)
Touchscreen
WiFi
Audio
Broken:
Telephony
3G
GPS
Sensors
Bluetooth
Market
USB Mounting
WiFi Hotspot
Tethering
JIT is Disabled (So, the ROM is slightly slow)
Keyboard (Doesn’t appear completely on the Screen)
While the team is currently removing the bugs, It is recommended that you stay away from this build bless you want to loose all functionality. We expect the full release to come out soon, and will present a full upgrade guide once we have tested the build for ourselves.
A group of Galaxy Tab 8.9 owners couldn’t wait anymore and decided to homebrew their own Ice Cream Sandwich build for the Tab 8.9. Using files from the upcoming final build of Cyanogen Mod 9, this home cooked build is anything but final. Bluetooth, GPS, hardware acceleration and the accelerometer are functioning, while Wifi still remains a problem. The group is refraining from releasing builds for download at the moment, but they are promising quick updates. Check out the video preview below, but if anything, like a user comment, it seems it was recorded on a potato.
Samsung has finally confirmed that most of its top end devices will support Google’s next OS “Ice Cream Sandwich”. This confirmation comes after weeks of consumer engagements and let downs. Samsung will be rolling out the Upgrade to ICS sometime in the first quarter of 2012. The upgrade is most likely not an OTA update and will require a full flash of the device using their proprietary desktop software called “Kies” The full List of devices includes
Samsung Electronics plan to provide the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for GALAXY devices. The platform update for GALAXY S II and GALAXY Note will start in the first quarter 2012, and other GALAXY devices will soon follow.
The ICS-upgradable devices are the GALAXY S II, GALAXY S II LTE, GALAXY Note, GALAXY R, GALAXY Tab 10.1, GALAXY Tab 8.9, GALAXY Tab 7.7, and GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus.
For upgradable models, Samsung will make separate announcements on details of OS updates schedule for each market according to market situation and carriers’ requirements.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Samsung GALAXY Nexus, the first Ice Cream Sandwich powered smartphone, were first unveiled at a Google/Samsung joint news conference in Hong Kong on October 19th.
Ice Cream Sandwich brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. It has a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and a full Web browsing experience. Ice Cream Sandwich also features a new People App which lets users browse pictures, messages and social network updates from friends, family and co-workers.
Ice Cream Sandwich also introduces innovations such as Face Unlock, which uses facial recognition to unlock the smartphone. Using NFC technology, Android Beam allows users to quickly share Web pages, apps and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping two phones back-to-back. Users can even use fun effects while shooting video or video chatting with Google Talk™.
* Google, Nexus, Android, Android Market, YouTube, Google Talk, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Calendar are trademarks of Google, Inc.
[/toggle]
[/threecol_two_last]
This is a major let down especially for those who were on other Samsung devices, hoping to get in on the ICS action. Fear not the developer community is still strong, and almost all devices sporting a processor faster than 650MHz will be able to get a custom developed ICS ROM.
Adobe is following closely in Google’s footsteps, after the announcement early today. Adobe has confirmed that since a large mass of Android owners will be soon shifting to Google’s new OS, they have updated their flash 11.1 client for Android to support Ice Cream Sandwich aka Android 4.0.
There are however known bugs with the release, one that does not prioritize the audio during an incoming call. That means any current Flash clip will play audio before and after the call is received. In addition, the “enter” key does not work in multi-line text input fields.
Why push an update out without removing known bugs? However, Anyone with ICS on their plate should be able to get a add-on of new flash from the marketplace.
Got yourself a curvalicious Nexus S? Then you might fancy yourself a Ice Cream Sandwich. According to a tweet from the GoogleNexus team early last night, Google will now begin pushing ICS updates to lucky Nexus S owners. The information was also available on Goole+
[threecol_one]“We’re rolling out Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, to GSM/UMTS Nexus S devices over the coming month, starting today”[/threecol_one]
[threecol_two_last]The Nexus S is among the first phones to officially get the ICS update. Google has also made note that the Nexus One may also get ICS down the line.[/threecol_two_last]
The new Facebook for Android app update, adds a whole lot of tweaks and and bunch of turbo speed boosts. According to Facebook :Photos and albums are up to two times faster than the previous Android app. It’s also easier to share photos, view comments and edit captions on the go. Your messages and notifications are now at the top of your screen. You can respond to friends and stay updated without leaving the page you’re on in Notification style. Just like the iOS App you can quickly access your News Feed, Groups, games and apps from the new left-hand menu.
Speaking at Le Web in Paris Google CEO, spoke about why Apps were first written for iOS and then ported over to Android. The response was one that would not surprise any Android user, Schmidt claims ” In about 6 months its going to be the other way round.” He predicts that the new OS Ice Cream Sandwich will remove the device fragmentation and lead people closer to the OS, making it a preferred choice of developers.
The Kindle fire is one of those tablets thats taking the world by storm, with awesome pricing and specs the device is turning out to be a developers fantasy. XDA-Developers forum members have been able to get the ICS ported to the tablet with a promise of the kernel release soon. Both hardware acceleration and touch input work great but audio and wifi are giving trouble.
Eagerly waiting to get in on the tablet action, but need something that will secure future updates? Enter Ainol NOVO7 a US$ 100 tablet that has already been launched with Android 4.0. The device was previously selling as a Android 2.3 tablet but now comes with ICS preloaded. It features a Ingenic JZ4770 mobile applications processor and 1GHz MIPS-based XBurst CPU, 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, a Vivante GC860 GPU clocked at 444MHz, 1080p video decoding, rear 2MP camera with VGA front-facing cam, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3, microSD slot.
The company is also working on 8 inch and 9 inch versions of the tablet. Seems like an excellent option for an under 5000 Rupee tablet. oh wait1 the dollar is much more expensive now.
[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]MIPS Technologies and Ingenic Semiconductor Announce Availability of World’s First Android™ ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ Tablet
1GHz, Low-Power Tablet Sets New Market Standard at Sub-$100 Price Point
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – December 5, 2011 – MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications, and Ingenic Semiconductor, a leading China-based CPU provider for mobile multimedia applications, today announced worldwide availability of the world’s first tablet based on Android ™ 4.0, known as ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’, that is retailing for less than $100 (U.S). The tablet is powered by Ingenic’s JZ4770 mobile applications processor, which leverages a MIPS-Based™ XBurst™ CPU running at 1GHz.
According to Andy Rubin, senior vice president of mobile at Google, “I’m thrilled to see the entrance of MIPS-Based Android 4.0 tablets into the market. Low cost, high performance tablets are a big win for mobile consumers and a strong illustration of how Android’s openness drives innovation and competition for the benefit of consumers around the world.”
The new Android 4.0 tablet is available in China and online through Ainol Electronics Co., Ltd. It will be available in the United States and other geographies within the next several months under brands from companies including Leader International Inc. and OMG Electronics Ltd.
The new tablet is available with a 7″ capacitive multi-touch screen. 8″ and 9″ form factors will be available soon. All versions include support for WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3 and microSD, as well as 3D graphics with the Vivante GC860 GPU, 1080p video decoding and dual front/rear cameras. The XBurst processor’s power-efficient architecture provides extended battery life-the 7″ tablet draws less than 400mA during active web browsing.
“We are pleased to join with MIPS to announce these breakthrough high-performance, low-power, low-cost Android 4.0 tablets. Combining the elegance of the MIPS architecture and Ingenic’s innovation in processor design, we are bringing a new level of processor technology to mobile devices. As we continue to collaborate with MIPS to broaden the mobile ecosystem around the legendary MIPS architecture, we anticipate even broader proliferation of our devices worldwide. We believe the mobile world will be more versatile and colorful with another processor joining in,” said Qiang Liu, chairman and CEO, Ingenic Semiconductor.
“The openness of Android is enabling a new level of connectedness and interaction between devices and between people across the globe. We are excited to be a part of the Android ecosystem delivering on that vision. We applaud Ingenic’s accomplishment in developing this new high-performance, feature-rich Android 4.0 tablet, and offering it at a price point that makes it widely accessible. We look forward to teaming with Ingenic as it continues to develop MIPS-Based mobile innovations,” said Sandeep Vij, president and CEO, MIPS Technologies.
Ingenic JZ4770 SoC The Ingenic JZ4770 SoC inside of the new tablet is one of the first MIPS-Based systems-on-chips (SoCs) targeted for mobile devices that delivers 1GHz+ frequency, increasingly a requirement for tablets and other devices that incorporate rich multimedia and high-performance applications/functionality. The JZ4770 SoC is powered by a MIPS32 compatible XBurst CPU designed by Ingenic. The XBurst CPU core adopts an innovative ultra-low-power pipelining architecture which consumes less than 90mW in 1GHz (with L1 cache), and the entire SOC consumes ~250mW with the CPU and video engine operating under full load. In addition to the XBurst CPU, the JZ4770 SoC integrates an optimized 1080p video processing engine, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics processing unit from Vivante Corp. and numerous on-chip analog and application blocks such as audio codecs and GPS.
Pricing and Availability Ingenic’s JZ4770 SoC for Android 4.0 tablets is available now. The new Android 4.0 tablet is available in China and online through Ainol Electronics Co., Ltd. at www.ainovo.com. The 7″ tablet retails for less than $100 (U.S.) non-subsidized. The tablet will be available in other geographies within the next several months.[/toggle]
