Welcome to April, Android fans. And before you ask, no, we’re not doing any April Fool’s stories here on Android Community – for news outlets, there’s just too many nice but somewhat unguarded people who might believe us. But if you want the rundown on some of the funniest April Fool’s pranks pulled by tech industry folks, head on over to our sister site SlashGear. Now, let’s take a look at the big happenings in the world of Android this week.
The Ice Cream Sandwich updates continue this week, with releases and/or leaks from several major manufacturers. Google gets the spotlight with the brand new 4.0.4 release of Android, finally hitting the GSM Galaxy Nexus, GSM Nexus S, and XOOM WiFi. The source code was updated as well, so all the custom ROMs that aren’t already updated should get it within the next week or two. On AT&T Samsung’s Galaxy S II phones got some ICS action, with the GSII seeing a leak of the official software and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket (the LTE upgrade) getting the same treatment. If only the Galaxy S could get some love – all Samsung’s committed to is a “Value Pack” of backported features, which is now available in Korea.
Verizon customers were surely glad to hear that the Motorola DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX and the HTC Rezound would all be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich next week, at least according to a Best Buy leak. That news was confirmed when Moto called for a soak test and later the RAZR software was leaked. Sony made some waves of its own with a beta release for the Xperia Play, followed by a few delays and the news that all Sony ICS updates would come via its desktop client. T-Mobile confirmed, then delayed updates for the HTC Amaze 4G and Sensation 4G, and ASUS updated the Transformer Prime with a minor software tweak that didn’t include face unlock.
As far as new hardware goes, LG finally confirmed the mid-range Lucid for Verizon, and is rumored to release the Optimus 4X HD and others in May. Which, incidentally, is when HTC’s One X may be coming for AT&T, with the HTC One S possibly hitting T-Mobile later this month and the DROID Incredible 4G coming to Verizon… sometime. HTC may also be preparing an iPod competitor with stereo speakers and (YES) a kickstand. Samsung’s Galaxy Beam got a pre-order in the UK, and the mid-range GT-i9300 (which is not, repeat not the Galaxy S III) got a few more details. We saw the first evidence of the DROID Bionic 2 for some reason, Huawei’s MyTouch for T-Mobile got a preview, and Epson’s see-through 3D Android-powered Moverio headset is shipping for way too much money.
On the business side of things, the Wall Street Journal is getting into the Nexus Tablet rumor game and an NVIDIA CEO made some interesting predictions about $200 Tegra 3 tablets. Google Drive got rumored, then leaked. Samsung celebrated 5 million Galaxy Note sales with the help of a pachyderm named Peter. And ASUS is (mostly) off the hook with that Transformer Prime lawsuit from Hasbro, because no one will confuse and Android tablet with a giant robot.
The modding community got a few boosts this week, with a $110 kit full of OEM parts to turn your DROID RAZR into a DROID RAZR MAXX. the popular MIUI ROM is finally available for the Galaxy Nexus in an official capacity, and CyanogenMod is now supporting the AT&T Galaxy S II with Ice Cream Sandwich nightly releases. Desktop junkies can try the new and improved BlueStacks Android player on Windows PCs. Google’s I/O event registration opened, then immediately sold out, but don’t panic: you can watch it all live.
That’s a fair bit of news, but we all know that only one thing important happened all week: Temple Run. It came out on Tuesday and we got an official hands-on video. A lot of devices weren’t supported right off the bat, but got some community-sponsored ports (don’t worry, it’s a free game). The first three days saw an incredible one million downloads, and the very first update fixed running issues on the DROID RAZR and DROID BIONIC.
Here at Android Community we gave you an extensive review of Tenqa’s affordable over-the-ear REMXD Bluetooth headphones, which come highly recommended at just 40 bones. There’s also a hands-on look at Archos’ new 101 G9 Turbo tablet sporting Ice Cram Sandwich and faster specs, as well as one of the very first looks at the new LG Lucid on Verizon. Reviews for both devices will be coming up next week. Sleep tight, kiddos – stay in school, don’t do drugs, and always make a Nandroid backup.
