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Android 4.0 rolling out to Droid 4

Motorola has confirmed that the Verizon Droid 4 is now officially undergoing its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update.

A late Monday tweet from the handset maker advises that the update is rolling out in phases. As is the case with other Android 4.0 builds, the Droid 4 will get features such as face unlock, data management, and a friendlier user interface. … Read more

Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD could come in October

Verizon Wireless customers who thought they were getting a Droid Razr HD last week will have to wait a few more months.

Moto now is expected to release the Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD in October, according to tech site HotHardware. A source told the blog that the date may shift either direction and largely revolves around the sales of the current models.

Presumably, the two Android 4.0 handsets will offer identical hardware save for the extended battery life of the Maxx edition. Said hardware is rumored to include a 720x1,280-pixel HD display, 1.5GHz … Read more

Motorola's Photon Q to push the keyboard phone envelope

Editors' note: This article was originally published on July 26, 2012, and updated August 10 with more details.

When we first heard of Motorola's upcoming Motorola Photon Q, we thought that the keyboarded Android smartphone would serve as a nice lifeline for disillusioned and disenfranchised BlackBerry refugees fleeing the sinking ship.

Running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and driven by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the Motorola Photon Q will certainly surpass Motorola's Droid 4.

While the Droid 4 proved that a QWERTY slider could indeed pack in a swift 4G LTE radio, nimble components, and an excellent physical keyboard, it also suffers from a few shortcomings. First, at half an inch thick and weighing a hefty 6.31 ounces, the phone is big and heavy. Second, the Droid 4 still lives in a time warp, mired by the outdated Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

Thankfully, the Motorola Photon Q boasts fresher features.… Read more

Ice cream maker churns out a tune

Ice cream is more than a blank canvas upon which to heap different flavors. The fact that the cold treat can be enjoyed with flavors ranging from the mundane to the exotic certainly helps to make ice cream tempting to all (and the sweet taste doesn't hurt, either), but the variety of styles it can be served in also contributes to its appeal. Also, it goes good with a tune.

The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Compressor is a countertop ice cream maker that has twelve hardness settings. Producing 1.5 quarts of sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, or ice … Read more

Preload YouTube videos with Wi-Fi for better mobile playback

Update, 2:02 p.m: It looks like this feature is missing from some of the Android 4.0 tablets. Hopefully it'll be added in the next update so everyone can take advantage of this tip.

The YouTube app on Android lets you watch and discover awesome videos while you're away from the computer. However, if your connection is slow in certain areas of your city -- or wherever you wander to -- the experience may not always be a pleasant one.

If you're interested in avoiding those buffering patches while watching a video, you're in … Read more

Android 4.0 lands on Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets

Samsung has rolled out the Ice Cream Sandwich flavor of Android to a couple of its Galaxy Tab tablets.

Android 4.0 is now available to owners of the 10.1-inch and 7.0 Plus models in the U.K., and can be downloaded over the air or installed via Samsung's Kies software application. But the company is so far mum about the rest of its tablet lineup.

The company's U.K. division told TechRadar that "Samsung U.K. can confirm the roll out of the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Galaxy Tab … Read more

Android 4.0 to flavor Raspberry Pi

Those of you who like a little Ice Cream Sandwich with your Raspberry Pi seem due for just such a treat.

Raspberry Pi is a $35 credit card-sized device that functions as a tiny computer. Outfitted with an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, two USB ports, and an SD card slot, it's powered by a 700MHz ARM chip and comes with 256MB of RAM.

The Pi also currently runs Linux, but its developers are adding Android 4.0 to the mix. The latest news from the folks behind Pi indicate "great progress" in porting over Ice Cream … Read more

Sony hoping to work Android 4.1 into Xperia line

Sony has not completely ruled out an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for its 2011 Xperia line, despite what the company may have told you just days ago.

A post on the company's blog today advises that it is "actively investigating" software updates for all of its devices and that 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich deployments still are on track.

Rumors spread quickly last week that Xperia models from 2011 wouldn't see an Android 4.1 update. A member of the Sony UK team hosted a Q&A with Facebook followers where he advised … Read more

Reasons not to buy a Nexus 7

Subscribe: RSS (SD) RSS (HD) iTunes (SD) iTunes (HD) The Nexus 7 is my favorite tablet right now. Google nailed the price, the interface, and the features, and avoided the mistake of selling it exclusively through a mobile carrier. It's enough to make the Motorola Xoom feel like a distant memory.

But no gadget is perfect, and the Nexus 7 is no exception. If you honestly think a $200 tablet can be made without cutting any corners, let me know. I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

Android fans, I recommend following this one up with … Read more