It carries a 1GHz processor with 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and even offers an HDMI out. The 7″ will have an 800×480 resolution, and yes – it’s capacitive, not resistive. The microSD slot is capable of expanding your storage by up to 32GB, and has a miniUSB output. It will not only charge the device, but also support external flash storage.

The Auxus will hit stores in India next month – both online and at retail outlets across the country. Every purchase comes with a 1 year comprehensive warranty; something you don’t see too often in cheaper tablets. Upon device malfunction, iBerry will have an agent come to your house and pick up the device for repairs. Too bad we don’t see this kind of service included in every warranty.

[via theMobileIndian]

It isn’t available on Mac OS X yet, so you might have to bug your neighbor to borrow his Windows tower for a second. There are a few preparations you should go through prior to upgrading to Gingerbread. First, you’ll want to make sure your battery is fully charged up. Personally, I always have my device plugged into the outlet during software updates. Next, backup your data!

Contacts will likely be backed up to your Google account, but make sure they aren’t saved to the phone just in case. Once your done dragging all the files you want to keep to your PC, take your phone out of “Mass storage only” mode. Navigate through Application > Settings > SD card & phone storage to do this. Don’t disconnect the USB cable once the update starts! That’s all, easy enough right? Let us know if you run into any problems! We’ll give you some pointers if so.

[Update Link]

[via @LGUSAMobile]

Next up, we had HTC slate a timeframe for updates to Ice Cream Sandwich. They will begin sometime in March, and the Sensation will be first in their lineup. As for Motorola, an executive has let us know that hardware is to blame for their slow software updates. After all, with such a huge jump from 2.3 to 4.0 – we’d all rather receive a ‘bugless’ update later than one with constant crashes now.

It seems Samsung has trademarked the name ‘Samsung Galaxy Camera’. Could they really be planning a release for an Android powered camera? Using Android for solely picture taking purposes is rather unique thus far, and could potentially do very well. It would be nice to install one of many photo editing applications straight from the Android Market onto a decent camera.

And finally, be sure to check out Google Music’s ‘Best of the Grammys’ sale. They’re offering $3.99 albums and $0.59 single tracks. That’s over 50% off for relatively new hits, so grab them while they’re extra-affordable!

If you’re new to Humble’s Indie Bundles, here’s how it works: you name your own price for a collection of small yet generally well-accepted games. You can pay any amount you like – be generous and pay a hundred bucks, or be a jerk and pay a dime. You can choose how your money will be split up: give all of it to the developers or all of it to charity, or any combination of the two. For the last year or so all of the games offered have been cross-platform among PC operating systems, and all the games in the first Android bundle can also be played on Windows, Mac or Linux. You can download all the files for all the platforms once you pay Humble.

The first four titles offered in the bundle were strategy game Anomaly: Warzone Earth, physics puzzler Edge, chill twitch game Osmos, and World of Goo, which unlocks for those generous enough to spend more than the average price at time of purchase. All of the games are DRM free, can be activated on the desktop version of Steam for you gamers who like to keep it integrated, and you even get free soundtracks. If all of this sounds like a great deal (an it is), hurry up and head on over to the Humble Bundle site – there’s only five days left in the promotion.

The gist is that all you need to do to wipe the security PIN is to delete the app’s stored data via the Settings menu, essentially resetting it to the state it was in when you downloaded it from the Android Market. This is a common Android function and is even recommended sometimes when an app is misbehaving. Wipe the data, re-launch the app, and you (or anyone who has your phone) can access Wallet, associate it with your Google account (without entering a password) and set up a new PIN. Then they can spend the money at any online or retail store that accepts Google Wallet – all without root.

Watch as Hashim demonstrates:

This is a much bigger problem than the previous leak, because anyone with physical access to your phone has the ability to do this quickly and easily. The problem lies with Google Wallet’s authentication system: though funds are added into your account and virtually “kept” by Google, the authentication is linked to a single device, not your account. Compare this with any banking app, which keeps your account password connected to your username. Odds are overwhelming that Google will address this loophole very soon. In the meantime, the best way to stay protected while using Google Wallet is to set up a PIN or lock pattern on your device itself – without the PIN or pattern, a thief would have to completely wipe your phone to access any apps or data.

[via 9to5Google, via AndroidandMe]

If the Galaxy Nexus dressed in white appeals to you feel free to head to NegriElectronics and get your own today. They’ve officially started selling and shipping the phone for those interested — only at a premium. This is the GSM version and is fully unlocked. Add in the fact that it is rare because the color they’re asking $660 for the phone. Pretty steep but I’m sure a few are willing to pay it.

That high price will get you the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich device complete with 16GB of internals storage, they don’t have the 32GB version available in white. Negri has a broad range of shipping and will send one stateside if you are that excited about the color. Otherwise the Galaxy Nexus in white will hit the UK on the 13th as originally planned available at various locations and Samsung retail stores. I think I’ll just get out the spray paint and do it myself.

White Galaxy Nexus Link

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : GALAXY Nexus

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : December 15, 2011

Also Known As : Nexus Prime

Display

• Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.33 Inch
• Width : 2.67 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 135 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4460

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

And why not? Google’s already got all the parts: a music service to which you can upload your own songs or buy directly from Google, a rental/purchase system for movies, and a vibrant platform and web presence with which to deliver it. All they need is an iCloud-style service for general files so you don’t have to rely on the likes of DropBox, and they’re golden. It’s not like Google can’t provide massive storage and bandwidth at a whim, and if Google Music is any indication, they can do it for free. Connect all your home devices to the service, and you’ve got remote entertainment and file access anywhere – who needs a hard drive?

There’s just one little fly in the ointment: Google TV. Android and the desktop Chrome browser are both big enough players in their respective markets to drive an entertainment service, but hooking this into the living room entertainment center would necessitate Google TV, which has been all but forgotten by Google’s hardware manufacturers. Even the new partners announced before CES, Samsung and LG, seemed more interested in pushing their own proprietary connected TVs – and why not, since neither Google nor Apple have been able to dominate against other stand-alone services like Roku.

Assuming that all these leaks do indeed point towards a connected entertainment service (and with the acknowledgement that that’s a rather big assumption) Google could play it one of two ways. They could hope that the Android and Chrome components of the system drive a more mainstream adoption of Google TV, not to mention more support from hardware manufacturers. Or they could simply go for the cash and start working with other platforms: various connected televisions, Roku and yes, maybe even Apple TV. Sure, they wouldn’t control the environment, but they’d sell the content. And at 30% a pop, that’s nothing to turn your nose up at.

[via SlashGear]

The update, which brings Netflix on Android to version 1.7 has added Facebook sharing for non-US users, as well as a few various improvements and bug fixes like most updates should. The biggest new feature though is on-screen volume controls for tablet users. Yes software volume instead of hardware controls that get in the way of the display while watching a movie. The image above nicely shows the new volume slider. (Don’t mind the Charlie Sheen Roast)

The developers from Netflix have also solved some audio related issues and stuttering, as well as improved the overall audio/video sync on both smartphones and tablets. The last and minor update was regarding screen flickering. For those experiencing flickering or weird artifacts while streaming Netflix on tablets that should also be resolved with today’s update. It is available now so head to the market and give it a try. Now lets just keep hoping for an HD version for tablets.

Market Link

Here’s the full text of their reply:

The zvelo study was conducted on their own phone on which they disabled the security mechanisms that protect Google Wallet by rooting the device. To date, there is no known vulnerability that enables someone to take a consumer phone and gain root access while preserving any Wallet information such as the PIN.We strongly encourage people to not install Google Wallet on rooted devices and to always set up a screen lock as an additional layer of security for their phone.

That’s a disappointing answer, but not an unexpected one. When you unlock or root a device, you’re always running at least some kind of risk, to your hardware, your software, and even your personal data. The possibility that 1) your rooted phone would get stolen by 2) someone with the technical knowledge to pull a similar hack off and 3) the knowledge that both your banking information is on the phone and that it’s possible to retrieve it is remote to say the least. Considering the low saturation of NFC payment systems, especially in the US, it would seem that root users just need to do without for now.

This isn’t the first time that Google has essentially ignored the considerable percentage of Android users who root: there’s still no way to legally watch movies or TV shows downloaded from the Android Market on a rooted device. While this is thought to be a measure insisted upon by the various entertainment studios, that doesn’t make the refusal of service any less annoying. Even so, it’s not Google’s responsibility to cover every contingency of every Android modification: If you modify the software on your phone or tablet, you’re responsible for any change in functionality or security. That seems like a reasonable position, if at times frustrating one.

ON Honeycomb and ICS tablets, Cornerstone hangs out on the left side of the screen like a second menu bar. Tap it and you can see two “pinned” apps, which scale as if using a separate screen. The effect is not unlike Windows 7′s ability to snap applications to the side of a desktop screen. Meanwhile your “main” app hangs out in the right window, and it looks like it uses about the same amount of horizontal space as a vertical app while in horizontal mode.

Check it out:

Unfortunately you can’t download Cornerstone on the Android Market at the moment, or even as a stand-alone app. Cornerstone comes from developer Onskreen, which is marketing its solution towards the retail space for snazzy demonstrations or inventory management. However, they’ve recently released the open-source code for the project on GitHub, so you might see their multitasking solution show up in standard apps or custom ROMs soon.

[via Reddit]

This durable smartphone that can basically be trashed in any possible way and still come out working great is receiving an over the air update today that should bring some enhancements to performance, not to mention new features and abilities. The most notable change for the G’zOne Commando is push-to-talk has been added to the device. Making this great for construction workers and anyone needing the push-to-talk ability with no additional monthly charge.

The update starting rolling out last night and if you’ve not received the update yourself feel free to go to menu > settings > about phone > and check for updates to enjoy the latest changes. We are also hearing some bugs and problems have been fixed, battery life should be decently improved, not to mention a few tweaks to improve signal. All the details and instructions are available from the image of changes above, and the official Verizon link below. Try out that new Verizon Video app too if you’re bored at work.

[via Verizon Support]

Bonus video: Casio G’zOne Snowboarding

The idea is actually pretty genius. Google is offering all the Grammy-winning or nominated songs for extremely low prices. So all those popular songs that you’ve been hearing on the radio and saw win a few awards can now be yours on the cheap. If I didn’t already own the Mumford & Sons CD I’d be snagging that entire album for only $3.99 instantly. Great idea Google!

It might not be free but getting some of the biggest songs for $0.59 cents instead of $1.29, and full albums for only $3.99 is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Of course all of these get instantly uploaded into the Google Music cloud and can be accessed from anywhere using Google Music the second you purchase them. On your phone, tablet, PC, laptop and even Google TV all from anywhere. If you’d like physical downloaded copies of said songs remember they can always be downloaded to your device or PC with the new Google Music Manager.

Get some award winning music for cheap and rock out!

Google Music Sale Link

This new tool was designed for Windows but appears to also have a working version for those on Linux and will basically allow you to do anything and everything you’d like to the RAZR with ease. From rooting, unrooting, booting to recovery or bootstrap and more. Thanks to the awesome developers at XDA you can learn more and get the root tool by clicking here.

Just like the image above says: “too powerful to fall into the wrong hands”. This goes for both the phone, and the new utility tool released. This program makes things easy but you can also cause some problems with the tap of a button so make sure you know what you’re doing and read up on instructions before giving anything a try. One of the better parts of the tool is the OTA RootKeeper. Install that and just back up root before an OTA update, then restore after completion and you’ll still have root. It works like a charm. Use with caution and enjoy it. One more time here is that link

XDA RAZR Root Tool Link

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID RAZR

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : November 03, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution :
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.15 Inch
• Width : 2.71 Inch
• Depth : 0.27 Inch
• Weight : 127 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 8.9 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 16.384 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 850
• 900
• 1700
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Droid-Life]

Just in time for the new season you can follow your favorite teams and even replay the match you just watched on TV right from your Android device. Inside Real Soccer 2012 is a news and game feed and with the touch of a button it will set up the games being played in real-time right on TV for you. It’s that simple. They’ve integrated custom kits and jerseys so you no longer have to choose what you want. Players can be completely customized to their own liking.

With Real Soccer 2012 we have better graphics, smoother gameplay, and better camera angles. They’ve been officially licensed and offer thousands of real players’ names, 350 teams and 14 league championships to play including England, Spain, France, Germany and South America. With online support the game stays up to date with injuring, roster changes, and player transfers to be as realistic as possible for the thousands of fans.

Real Soccer 2012 is completely free and available for Android starting today. Get it now from the market link below and give it a try. Let us know what you think of the new graphics. Don’t forget to follow along with your friends with the new Gameloft Live! app.

Market Link

Really, this could mean anything. He could be like thousands of others on T-Mobile that bought the international version. Or he could be extra special and received an official T-Mobile Galaxy Nexus early. The reason this is in the news today is because Tony Hawk has been a partner with T-Mobile for years — all the way back to the Sidekick days. They even released an officially branded Tony Hawk T-Mobile Sidekick at one point. Their relationship remains strong and he could be teaming up with them again with this next major release.

Being an Android site and loving T-Mobile we are optimistic and are assuming it’s a T-Mo version. This could all just be speculation and hopefully we’ll get some clarification from T-Mobile soon. If this was all planned it sure would be some sneaky and smart marketing — getting the interest peaked before an announcement. We’ll have to just wait and see. You can see the silver on the bottom right, ruling out the thought of this just being the T-Mobile Nexus S.

Maybe this is nothing and he’s just showing off his unlimited data. Who knows.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : GALAXY Nexus

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : December 15, 2011

Also Known As : Nexus Prime

Display

• Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.33 Inch
• Width : 2.67 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 135 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4460

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Androidandme]

Over on their Facebook page they have just this morning announced the HTC Sensation will be the first to Android 4.0 ICS. Stating that the first round of updates will roll out by the end of March. So we should be seeing them start to roll out a little before that period. First round will be the HTC Sensation, T-Mobile Sensation 4G, and the Sensation XE.

In addition to those few, they’ve also just confirmed a number of popular HTC devices are slated to get the same update very soon, but sometime after March. We knew most devices lately would be updated but here’s the initial list right from HTC themselves: HTC Rezound, HTC Vivid, HTC Amaze 4G, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G, HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. That list isn’t looking good for Thunderbolt owners!

HTC has also stated that they’ll be announcing more details and have more updates in the next few weeks regarding all their popular Android devices. This has literally just hit the wires so we’ll be digging for more information and will report back shortly.

Take a good gander at the invitation above: the roller-coasting model is using a smartphone while pulling a couple of Gs. (Note: do not ever do this, unless you’s like to test your phone’s ability to survive a drop of several stories at 70 miles an hour.) Aside from the inadvisable use case scenario, the smarphone itself is relevant, as currently the only Tegra 3 device on the market is Asus’s Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet. We’ve heard rumblings of quad-core phones from both HTC and LG, and since HTC has its own event scheduled just before the show begins, it’s them that we expect to see partnering with Nvidia at the later press conference.

That implies that none other than the HTC Edge, rumored quad-core smartphone and  HTC’s flagship for early 2012, will be showing up at the conference. The smartphone will be a host of firsts if it’s announced: the first quad-core smartphone, HTC’s first Ice Cream Sandwich device (possibly shared with the HTC Ville) and HTC’s first device to use Nvidia’s system on a chip instead of Qualcomm’s. We can’t wait to see what Nvidia has in store.

Other minor improvements include refinements to the 10.1′s included stylus, faster browser performance, better switching between WiFi and cellular networks, and a complete lack of Ice Cream Sandwich. But the worldwide roaming is the interesting part, since that technically makes the XYBOARD tablets Verizon’s first official international LTE devices. (The Rezound doesn’t really count, since it requires some fairly extensive modifications to work fully.) That certainly implies that more are on the way, or perhaps waiting to be unlocked with a similar update.

This begs the question: why isn’t Verizon advertising the fact that three of its high-profile Android devices can work internationally? It was a big deal a couple of years ago – the DROID 2 got a complete re-release as the DROID 2 Global with only the radio changed. It could be that Verizon simply doesn’t have the marketing materials ready to start advertising international LTE devices. If that’s the case, it’s reasonable to expect a push in the late spring or early summer.

[via Droid-Life]

“When Google does a release of the software… they do a version of the software for whatever phone they just shipped. The rest of the ecosystem doesn’t see it until you see it. Hardware is by far the long pole in the tent, with multiple chipsets and multiple radio bands for multiple countries,” said Wyatt.  That’s certainly true: with the exception of development devices, manufacturers don’t have access to Android’s open-source code any faster than regular users and developers do. Wyatt also mentioned that Motorola’s custom software takes a long time to modify for a new Android release.

But there’s a problem with this justification. I don’t wish to single Motorola out, since most major manufacturers are guilty of the same thing. But the explanation provided to PC World is baloney. Yes, Android’s AOSP source code is released to everyone at the same time. So why is it that independent developers and modders, usually working alone, in their spare time and for no greater reward than the thanks of their peers, can get updates out months faster than an international corporation with vast resources and thousands of employees? Why must Android users void there warranties to get timely updates, or features that aren’t included by default?

And perhaps most of all, if Motorola’s additions to the core Android software are holding up the update process, why are they still there? I can understand that value-adds like extra encryption and MotoSync are important to Motorola’s strategy, but I have never, ever seen a reader or any of my fellows proclaim, “man, those Moto icons and launcher make my phone so much better!” Why must Motorola continue to bog down a perfectly good user experience with unnecessary add-ons, especially if it makes their devices less valuable with the understanding that updates will come late, or not at all? Didn’t you promise (quite erroneously) that retail devices would launch with ICS within six weeks of the code becoming available?

Motorola’s about to be purchased outright by Google. If that doesn’t inspire you to use a dog food strategy (i.e., sticking with your own products) I don’t know what will. It’s entirely possible, nay likely, that the next developer device will be coming from Motorola. The company should take the opportunity to extend a more developer and consumer-friendly policy to all their upcoming phones and tablets.

Oh, and unlock your freaking bootloaders.

Samsung wouldn’t be the first to release such a device, even among major brand names: that goes to Polaroid, with their SC1630 Smart Camera. And it’s not as if Samsung itself hasn’t stretched Android out to unfamiliar territory, first with the original Galaxy Tab running Froyo and then with the Galaxy Player series of WiFi-only PMP devices. Samsung has some previous experience in the area of connected cameras, since they’ve developed their own lone of point-and-shoots with both WiFi and sharing capabilities.

That said, there’s no indication that such a device is actually in development: this is likely one of the first steps after exploratory market research. If Samsung were to bring a Galaxy Camera to market, you could expect it to look something like the current line of Galaxy Players, plus some upgraded sensor and glass components for more high-resolution photos. But Samsung, could you please come up with at least one more naming convention? The “G” section of my review folder is filled to bursting.

[via Phandroid]