It’s really a shame that it took this long for the Samsung Infuse 4G to get an update to Gingerbread. At this point, I’m not sure whether customers will feel relieved, or like they’re the brunt of a cruel joke. No one likes to get updated to a year old software version when a newer one is already out and this has been the thorn in Samsung’s side for quite some time. To make matters worse, AT&T is making users download the latest version of Samsung’s Kies Mini to sideload (which is ironic, since AT&T was once against side-loading) Android 2.3.6 onto their device rather than push the update out OTA. Well, at least Gingerbread is now available, and here’s what you’ll get with the update:

Although Gingerbread has been available for over a year now, the Samsung Captivate hasn’t seen the update until today (who says Samsung doesn’t update their devices). That’s right, while most people are wondering when Ice Cream Sandwich is going to be ready for their device, there are still some people out there just hoping for Gingerbread. Not an optimal update schedule for most, but I guess it’s better late than never, right?

We’re going to see a lot of automotive electronics at CES this year, and we fully expect Android to be running on a few of these next gen infotainment systems. Parrot, who isn’t a stranger to Android powered automotive electronics, had a few of their latest on display. Their lineup of Android infotainment systems included the compact Asteroid CK, a 3.2-inch device that can be mounted to your windshield or dashboard; the Asteroid NAV, with a 5-inch display; and the Asteroid 2DIN, a 6.2″ in-dash multitouch-capable infotainment system.

Our favorite tasty treat has finally made it onto the Android platform distribution chart (albeit a tiny sliver of a slice). Google puts out these distribution charts to allow developers to see who’s rocking what, when it pertains to versions of Android. This helps prioritize development and support for future and current apps. This is the first time we’re seeing Android 4.0 (actually 4.0, 4.0.2, and 4.0.3) show up in the chart, and I have to admit, it feels nice to be noticed. There’s a lot of other interesting percentage to note, so let’s take a look at which versions of Android are heading the pack and which are following behind.

The Kindle Fire may be shaping up to be the first real device to challenge the iPad’s share of the tablet market but it’s not going to go unchallenged: book retailing giant Barnes & Noble have just announced the next generation of their own Android-based reading tablet, and unlike the Kindle Fire, its specs match and even exceed the iPad 2’s for half the price.