Motorola has update their upgrade schedule for devices which will give us a better idea of when to expect Android 4.0 for a range of smartphones and tablets. Motorola DROID RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX owners will be first to see the official version of Ice Cream Sandwich along with the WiFi + 3G Motorola XOOM tablet this quarter.

Other devices such as the DROID Bionic, DROID 4 and the OG Atrix 4G will get the update by Q3. The Photon is the last MOTO phone to receive the update and it will receive the update by Q4 of this year.In addition,MOTO also confirmed the DROID X2 and DROID 3 which will remain on Android 2.3,which comes as disappointing news for owners of the handsets that were released within the last year.

source: Motorola Support Forums

Motorola DROID BIONIC is set to receive another update pulled from Cheesecake server. It’s not Ice Cream Sandwich, but it is yet another update that should make the device that much smoother. The build 5.9.905 will bring some stability for the device waiting for the Android 4.0 refresh since months.

 Users should be happy that this phone is getting the attention it gets considering how bad it was when it first launched. In any case, you can go ahead and flash this update if you want. It’s build 5.9.905 but it requires .902 to properly flash.

via Droid-Life

 The “berry pink” version of the Galaxy Note was launched in Korea early in April.Now, it will be seen in United Kingdom next month.Back in April, it was unclear whether or not the pink Galaxy Note would make its way to the shores of another country besides Korea but that appears to be the case.The folks at Carphone Warehouse revealed that it will launch the pink version of the device starting next month and they’ve gone as far as to create a pre-registration page. This page will allow potential buyers to sign up for more information.

As of right now though, there is no word on whether or not the pink Samsung Galaxy Note will be headed to the United States although we suspect that there is a good chance now that the device has been announced for the UK.

To remind you,the Galaxy Note features a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display that features 800 x 1280 pixels, a dual-core processor, an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front-facing camera for video chatting, and the international model recently got Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

source:Carphone Warehouse

Sony Mobile is to offer a new range of accessories for its Xperia smartphone range from mid-May to brighten up your handset.Sony Mobile has just announced a partnership with several phone case and accessory manufacturers for providing quality protective wear options for their Xperia line of smartphones.

Sony listed the new partnerships that so far include: Casemate, AGF, Incipio, Krusell, Dicota, Copter, Muvit, Roxfit, Orbyx and Shinnorie. Sony commented on the blog: “Our friends will announce exciting and stylish products for Xperia smartphones from mid-May”.

It’s a great news for Xperia owners and hopefully  Sony will work closely with the manufactures to ensure a quality end product.The new accessories will include cases and shells but no word on design or prices yet.

Samsung has started taking bookings in India for Samsung Galaxy S III,  but has not revealed the official pricing.If you want to pre-order you can place it  at Samsung India e-store. Company is asking for INR 2,000 as the booking fee, which is non-refundable but will be adjusted in the final price of the smartphone and you will get a free bluetooth headset from the company.

It is all set to launch on May 31 in India, and is expected to be priced around INR 36-38K in the country.To recall, Samsung Galaxy S III comes with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, 1.4GHz Exynos quad core processor, 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera, 16/32/64GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM

According to Company’s terms and conditions you can neither get a confirmed delivery nor will you be able to cancel the order.Here are the terms and conditions:

It has been seen that a new mini-PC-on-a-stick  is selling for a much more reasonable $74  on some Chinese web sites. The unnamed Model #MK802 has the following specs:

• AllWinner A10 CPU @ 1.5GHz + Mali 400 GPU
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB Internal Storage
• microSD slot (Up to 32GB)
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• micro USB 2.0/OTG port
• USB 2.0 Host port
• Android virtual keyboard or 2.4G wireless keyboard + fly mouse
• HDMI (1080p) Video output
• Video Codecs: WMV/ASF/MP4/3GP/3G2M4V/AVI/MJPEG/RV10/DivX/VC-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/H.263/H.264/1280*720P HD 30 fps, 1080P/720*480 D1 30fps
• Audio Codecs: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
• Android 4.0 (ICS)
• Size: 8.8*3.5*1.2cm
• Weight: 200g

Now, the question is why it is cheaper than the Cotton Candy?The reason is that,first it runs a single-core 1.5GHz CPU while FXI’s stick has a dual-core 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos processor. In addition to it,it has an HDMI port rather than a connector built in, which means you’ll need a cable to connect it to a monitor rather than connecting it directly.

It is out of stock with more coming in June 10th. The web site selling it has this message:

Dear all:
Thanks for your support,our stock has been sold out these days.
If you like our goods,pls pre-order first and don’t pay,new batch will be released around June 10th.
All orders which has paid will be shipped next Friday.From now on,we just get pre-order,pls understand.
Thanks,everybody~

This is to bring to your notice thatWoot is offering the 32GB HP Touchpad for $195 for one day only.Paying nearly $200 for this tablet might be justified, all things considered.It’s a refurbished model, but you’ll find that it’s a bargain: as at eBay, the 16GB version is going for as high as $275! The 32GB is close to $500.

HP debuted the TouchPad as a true iPad competitor when it hit stores last summer. But for $500 it was a tough sale even though it was a capable device. Consumers apparently agreed as HP killed the product after just 49 days and eventually cleared out the remaining stock with a $99 firesale. This Woot sale might be the last time you can grab an HP TouchPad.

If you are planning to buy the HTC One X on AT&T, now just might be a good time to purchase the Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone from Amazon, because Amazon has now slashed the price of the HTC One X.The device can be bought at a considerably reduced price of $129.99, that’s 70-bucks off the original price tag. What’s also great about this deal is that it’s open to both new and existing customers as long as you’re okay about being locked into this phone for the next 2 years.

The  deal is applicable only to the grey version and not the white one, but Amazon does throw free two day shipping into the mix to attract you even further.

The phone features  a 4.7-inch HD touch screen along with an 8 megapixel rear facing camera , a 1.3 front facing camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a 1.5GHz  Snapdragon S4 dual core processor, and of course  Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and 4G LTEconnectivity.

So there you have it, why pay full price for the AT&T HTC One X when you can grab the smartphone from Amazon for $70 cheaper, any of our US readers looking to snap up the HTC One X in the near future?

T-Mobile has just announced a new plan that will allow mobile hotspot, tablet and laptop users to purchase a data “pass” ranging from $15 to $50 a month without the stress of a 2 year contract.

The full press release and the details are as under:

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that its new, flexible and worry-free No Annual Contract mobile broadband service passes will debut May 20, making it easier for customers to enjoy access to high-speed Internet on the go whenever they want. With T-Mobile’s new, more affordable No Annual Contract data passes, customers can experience T-Mobile’s blazing-fast 4G network speeds across a variety of mobile broadband devices including tablets, mobile hotspots and laptop sticks – with no strings attached.

Starting at just $15, T-Mobile’s lineup of No Annual Contract mobile broadband passes delivers a pay-in-advance, overage-free solution that offers an allotment of mobile data, making it possible for customers to choose a pass that best fits their data needs without committing to a two-year contract:

• 300MB 1-week pass for $15
• 1.5GB 1-month pass for $25
• 3.5GB 1-month pass for $35
• 5GB 1-month pass for $50

“Although most of our mobile broadband customers choose postpaid rate plans for the best device prices and data rates, we know that many of our customers want the flexibility to be able to experience mobile broadband without committing to an annual contract up front,” said Jeremy Korst, vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “With better pricing and new features like an auto-refill option and a simpler purchase experience, T-Mobile’s No Annual Contract mobile broadband passes make it easier and more affordable than ever to experience high-speed Internet on the go on a range of devices.”

T-Mobile^® offers a variety of 4G mobile broadband devices that, when connected to T-Mobile’s high-speed 4G network, offer customers fast access to the Web, e-mail, gaming, movies and more, while on-the-go.

• T-Mobile’s lineup of mobile, connected tablets, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab^™ 10.1, the Samsung Galaxy Tab^™ 7.0 Plus and the T-Mobile^® SpringBoard^™ with Google^™,  deliver a premium on-the-go entertainment and Web experience, making it possible to stream movies on a road trip or shop online while the kids play at the park.
• The T-Mobile^® Sonic^™ 4G Mobile Hotspot and the T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot are ideal for staying connected on-the-go with colleagues and clients or providing Internet on the go for the family on vacation. Providing simultaneous access to T-Mobile’s 4G network for up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices, customers can use their mobile hotspots to connect their iPad^® devices, laptops, music players, portable gaming devices and e-readers, among other devices, to T-Mobile’s high-speed 4G network.
• T-Mobile’s laptop sticks, including the HSPA+ 42-enabled Rocket^™ 3.0 USB Laptop Stick, are perfect for customers looking for a blazing-fast mobile Internet connection on their laptop.

Availability

T-Mobile’s new No Annual Contract mobile broadband passes are expected to be available beginning May 20 at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers, national retailers and online at http://www.t-mobile.com. More information on T-Mobile’s mobile broadband offerings is available at http://mobile-broadband.t-mobile.com

It has been come to notice that Verizon is  killing off their unlimited data plans for users that have been grandfathered in.Verizon has released some official news about  their new shared data plans, and how this will affect current customers with unlimited data plans.

 Here’s the full statement :

As we have stated publicly, Verizon Wireless has been evaluating its pricing structure for some time. Customers have told us that they want to share data, similar to how they share minutes today. We are working on plans to provide customers with that option and will introduce new plans later this year.

When the new options are introduced, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to our customers purchasing handsets and signing a new contract. Customers who choose to purchase phones at full retail price and are currently on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan. The same pricing and policies will apply to all 3G and 4GLTE smartphones.

We will share specific details of the plans well in advance of their introduction so customers will have time to evaluate the plans and make the best decisions for their wireless service. It is our goal and commitment to continue to provide customers with the same high value service they have come to expect from Verizon Wireless

So,all those having an unlimited plan can keep it as long as they don’t sign a new contract. This means they have to either keep their current device, or buy any new devices off contract for full price.Of course that’s not a good solution, and with no subsidy a lot of the value of sticking with a carrier is lost.

source:Verizon

via:talkandroid