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Samsung Galaxy S II owners on T-Mobile can update to Android 4.0.3, but they may have to jump through a few hoops first.

The latest flavor of Ice Cream Sandwich launched as of yesterday evening for Samsung's Galaxy S II. Owners of the phone can learn how to install it via a T-Mobile support page. But be forewarned -- the update isn't available over the air (OTA), meaning you can't download it directly to your phone.

Instead, you have to install it via Samsung's Kies software, which requires you to download and install the … Read more

As you'd expect, today's Apple WWDC keynote drew big crowds of Apple fans eager for hardware and software news. Yet, you might be surprised that even the most devout Android enthusiasts were watching along to see what the "competition" was doing.

After two hours crammed full of products and services, we came away with some wonderful stuff. What we didn't get, though, is a new iPhone or any promise of when one might come. And while that's surely disappointing for some, it opens the way for a sunny Android summer, dominated largely by Samsung. … Read more

Although the Toshiba Excite 10 has already been out since May, the rest of the family is due to be released in just a few days and they're all excited (ha! see what I did there?) to hit the market.

On June 10, the two remaining members of Toshiba's lineup of tablets are due to hit stores. These Wi-Fi-enabled devices all run on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and they're powered by Tegra 3, quad-core processors. Oh, and they're also all kind of expensive.

The smallest-size option is the Excite 7.7. Unlike its big … Read more

It was big news this week that most Android phones haven't yet been upgraded to the latest Android operating system. Developers also seem to still prefer writing apps for Apple devices, despite Google's predictions. That's sure embarrassing for Google. But does it make that much of a difference to the Android user? I'll offer myself up as a reality check.

The statistics on the sorry situation come from Google itself. Only 7.1 percent of devices that have recently accessed Google Play are listed as using the latest Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" version … Read more

LOS ANGELES--E3 might have left out new hardware this year, but third-party accessory manufacturer Nyko was busy putting together a few items that have a lot of potential.

But perhaps the most promising item is the PlayPad and PlayPad Pro, a result of Nyko's partnership with Nvidia and working with Google that aims to standardize controller inputs on Android's Ice Cream Sandwich tablet platform and beyond.

It's a smart initiative because it not only gives developers the comfort of knowing their Android tablet games will have a proper amount of control, but it also gives players the … Read more

A few weeks ago, we reported that two Verizon products, the Motorola Xoom and the HTC Rezound, would soon be slated for an Android 4.0 update. Lo and behold, it's happening -- at least for the Xoom anyway.

Customers on the Big Red are now able to update their tablets (which won our CES Best of Show title in 2011) to the Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

New features include the Roboto system font, panoramic shooting, e-mail search, the capability to save Web pages for offline reading, and a photo editor integrated in the Gallery app.

In addition, … Read more

Last month I reported that Motorola Droid Razr and Razr Maxx users might get to taste the sweetness of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as soon as May 21, while Xoom 3G and 4G owners seemed stuck in Honeycomb thanks to an upgrade holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

That was then. Today, Verizon began pushing the Android update to Xoom users while Razr owners like myself are still hanging out in our digital gingerbread houses waiting for the next course of mobile OS dessert.

I got in touch with a source within Verizon to ask for a status … Read more

Last week, Verizon Wireless officially announced the Android 4.0.4 update for the Galaxy Nexus. Since then, I've been obsessively checking for the update on my Galaxy Nexus with no luck. But thanks to a forum post on Android Central, there just might be some hope to forcing your Galaxy Nexus to update.

The normal procedure to check for an update is to go into Settings > About Phone > System Update > Check Now.

You can force your device into grabbing the update by going into Settings > Apps > All. From there, scroll down and select … Read more

An "Alvin and the Chipmunks"-themed tablet just for kids? Sounds great, but the skeptic in me says it'll be underpowered and overpriced.

At $129.99, the Archos ChildPad definitely isn't overpriced, especially when you consider that "adult" tablets (like the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet) start at around $200.

As for power, one could argue that younger kids don't need much. But the ChildPad has decent specs, including a 1GHz ARM Cortex processor, 7-inch screen, front-facing camera, and Android 4.0.

In other words, it's more than adequately equipped for the likes of Angry Birds, educational apps, music, movies, and other kid-oriented stuff. Plus, it's modeled in kid-friendly blue and white, and it comes with exclusive "Alvin and the Chipmunks 3" content (consisting of clips, pictures, wallpaper, and an online game).… Read more