4.0

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

Samsung is playing for keeps. The consumer electronics giant has just announced sales of its Samsung Galaxy S III flagship Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone for five U.S. carriers starting in June.

Sprint will start selling the Galaxy S III June 21 -- $199.99 for 16GB of storage, $249.99 for 32GB. T-Mobile will also receive its version on the 21st, but isn't yet releasing pricing. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular will all receive variations of the Galaxy S III this month. Verizon begins June 6 preorders for the white or "pebble blue" handset, which will be available in "the coming weeks" for the same price as Sprint.

For is part, AT&T will offer just the 16GB model, for $199.99, though AT&T will be the only carrier to offer the handset in red, in addition to the blue and white. Meanwhile, U.S. Cellular, the surprise carrier in the bunch, will release pricing information when the phone goes on sale June 12.… Read more

Updating your system's drivers is important in keeping your computer running safe and smooth, but too many users neglect this vital maintenance task. DriverIdentifier is a free tool that scans your system, identifies all its drivers and versions, and compares the results to an online database. The app then presents the results as a Web page on which you can click on any driver to download an update to install.

Since nearly every driver is different, DriverIdentifier doesn't automatically install drivers; it just directs you to them and downloads them for you, if you tell it to, though … Read more

Huawei and "premium" don't often appear in the same sentence when you're looking at the company's smartphone history in the U.S. Yet, the unlocked, global version of the Huawei Ascend P1 offers a glimmer of hope in its eye-catching black-on-white design, its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, and higher-reaching camera specs.

While the P1 is a good step, Huawei will still face plenty of competition at this level, including from the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III, global front-runners with quad-core chips in their international models, excellent screens, and highly competitive cameras.… 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

I know it's starting to feel like Tablet Central around here, but hear me out.

On many occasions I've warned against buying cheap, off-brand tablets. That's because most of the models I've tried were terrible. They had slow processors, resistive (as opposed to capacitive, which is what you want) touch screens, old versions of Android, and crummy app stores.

But something is starting to change. Yesterday, Ematic announced the eGlide Steal, a 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet priced at $119. (Stay tuned: I'm working on getting a unit in for review.)

And today only, Geeks.… Read more

Samsung Galaxy Nexus owners are getting a taste of the latest flavor of Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0.4.

Verizon has already approved the latest Android update to start rolling out. The Verizon Web site indicates that the update is coming soon, though a fellow CNET reporter with a Verizon Galaxy Nexus confirmed that he has already received it.

The 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus came equipped with Android 4.0 out of the box, so the new update brings it up the latest version, namely Android 4.0.4. A Verizon spokesman told CNET that the update also … Read more

Some LG smartphone owners will be receiving the latest version of Android early next month.

An LG Korean news item (English translation) points to the Optimus LTE Tag and the Optimus Vu as getting a dollop of Ice Cream Sandwich -- aka Android 4.0 -- starting on June 4.

As Engadget points out, it's a bit tough to decipher the Google translation. But the update appears to include LG's Optimus UI 3.0, which runs on top of Android 4.0. Owners of the Optimus Vu will also receive "additional features."

CNET contacted LG for … Read more