ASUS took to Facebook yesterday to tease an impending update for the Transformer Prime. According to them, the firmware update will have some “awesome new features,” and I have to say, they have me biting my fingernails in anticipation.
Last week Motorola was prepping a mysterious “soak test” for Motorola XOOM WiFi users. It now appears Motorola was getting ready to release Android 4.0.4 as they are sending emails out to let owners know. There’s no mention of when the update will begin rolling out but given the email, it should be soon. The update includes quicker screen rotation, camera improvements, improved stability and more. We have the email for you after the break.
Mobile technology continues to push forward at the expense of battery life. It seems as if the battery industry is moving at a turtle’s pace while everything else is in hyperdrive. We’ve been forced to rely on extra-wide extended batteries, spare batteries, and plugs galore just to get us through a heavy day’s use. From shutting down WiFi to adjusting screen brightness, we’re always looking for ways to extend the life of our batteries. Unfortunately, a study performed by computer scientists at Perdue University discovered that our desire for free apps is hurting our efforts to conserve battery. You may be thinking “Duh!” but I bet you’ll be surprised to learn that up to 75% of the energy used by free versions of Android apps is spent serving up ads or tracking and uploading user data.
A few crafty HTC Vivid owners have been able to pull down the Ice Cream Sandwich update thanks to a little dialer trick. A forum member over at Android Central was surprised to find Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 3.6 waiting for him after performing a system update by dialing *#*#682#*#* . Quite a few people have since had success using the same method while others say the number just disappears from the screen when they try to dial it. Either way, it’s worth a shot to have Ice Cream Sandwich running on your Vivid ahead of most other devices.
Yesterday HTC posted an update on the progress of their Ice Cream Sandwich rollouts. Ice Cream Sandwich has already started rolling out to a limited number of HTC Sensation and Sensation XE users and should see more widespread distribution in the next couple weeks. The Sensation 4G and Sensation XL will soon follow, after that, it’s anyone’s guess. However, HTC has listed all the devices expected to recieve Android 4.0 and they are as follows:
