With the iPhone 5 strongly rumored to drop in either September or October, it seems as though Google has loaded up their cannons to return fire at Apple with their highly anticipated Android 4.0 update, dubbed “Ice Cream Sandwich.” First announced at Google I/O 2011, there is still a great deal of mystery surrounding the next version of Android, but thanks to reports from multiple sources, we have learned that it should be showing up on devices in October. We say devices, rather than phones, because Ice Cream Sandwich will not be a phone-exclusive platform; we’ll be seeing Ice Cream Sandwich on phones, tablets, computers… who knows where else.

Redmond Pie reported on a source who, according to them, has knowledge of Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich plans. The source statesthatthe first device, which may be either a smart phone or a tablet, will be released in October (earlier than planned) to compete with Apple’s next-generation iPhone which is strongly expected to release either in September or October.

Here are some of the features we DO know about Ice Cream Sandwich:

USB Hosting It is understood that Android 4.0 will bring about USB Hosting which will allow you to use practically any device with the tablet ranging from an Xbox controller for games to a keyboard/mouse for surfing and other things. You will also have the ability to integrate a USB device to work specifically with an app. So a heart monitor used with a fitness app, for example.

Tracks Your Face Android 4.0 wil have the ability to track your face so instead of you trying to move around to get into the camera, the camera will auto-focus on to you instead. It will also be handy in video conferencing because the camera will moveto you when you begin speaking and then move to whoever speaks so you don’t waste time trying to move your phone or tablet every time the you want to focus it on someone in particular.

Coinciding with the release of PS3 Firmware 3.70, Sony has released a minor update for PSP — PSP Firmware 6.60 — which is said to patch some1′s 6.39 kernel exploit … and that’s about it.

The good news is, if you’re following neur0n, you’ll see he’s already made some progress — new tags, new keys … he even posted this picture:

Source: psp.dashhacks.com

Not a whole lot to say here. Sixaxis has developed an app for your Android phone that can enable you to use a PS3 controller on your phone, and the process is relatively simple at that. It doesn’t even require soldering! The app isn’t compatible with all phones though, you can download the Sixaxis Compatibility Checker that will let you know whether or not you can use the $1.65 app. Your phone will also have to be rooted. There’s not much to the process though other than running the SixaxisPairTool on your pc to get things up and running.

Source: Engadget
Apps: Sixaxis Controller :: Sixaxis Compatibility Checker

Ubisoft announced that a multiplayer beta would be released September 3rd, initially only available to PSN+ or non-paying Ubisoft Uplay users. Everyone else will have access on September 12th. It doesn’t seem like a beta has been announced yet though for the Xbox 360 or PC. I for one am not very concerned that it seems to be PS3 only so far considering it’s only a multiplayer beta, I am glad though that they are hopefully working out the kinks in the multiplayer aspect this time.

“The beta, Ubi’s announcement indicates, includes subsets of Revelations’s full multiplayer offering, providing, for now, just nine characters (The Sentinel, The Vanguard, The Guardian, The Vizier, The Thespian, The Deacon, The Bombardier, The Trickster and The Champion), three maps (Knight’s Hospital, Antioch, Constantinople) and four modes (Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch, and Artifact Assault).”

To be honest I’d be completely happy if they just removed the multiplayer aspect all together and devote that disc space to a longer singleplayer mode. Maybe it’s just me though, although if a multiplayer beta is any indication of the time they’re putting into Revelation’s multiplayer maybe they can win my heart back. Good idea, now just make it a good execution!

Source: Kotaku

Hi everyone! As we are continuously working toward providing the best gaming and entertainment experience on PlayStation 3, I wanted to give you all a heads up on the following new features and changes coming with the next system software update (v.3.70).

To make things easier for PlayStation Plus subscribers, we’ve added the option to automate two existing features. The [Automatic Download] feature will now be called [Automatic Update] as a result of these new options.

• A new auto upload function for online save data back-up will be added to make it easier to back-up your game save data. Under (Game), select the game for which you want to automatically upload saved data, and then press the Triangle button.
• Also, Trophies will now sync automatically at the timing of Auto Download.

A new recommendation function will be added that enables you to share your recommendations for PlayStation Storeitems, such as games and videos, with PlayStation Network friends. You will be able to send messages with a store link from the product pages within the PlayStation Store.

Due to the increase in video applications being offered on PS3, we are adding a new category on the XMB called TV/Video Services. This category will include video applications such as Netflix, Hulu PLUS, and VUDU.

• You’ll be able to find and download all of the video applications available on PS3 directly from this new XMB category.
• A folder labeled “My Channels” within this category will allow you to easily access your downloaded applications.
• Any videos downloaded from the PlayStation store will continue to be placed in the existing Video category on the XMB

Two updates for all of you enjoying Blu-ray 3D movies on PS3:

• 3D support will now be available when accessing Java-based special features on Blu-Ray
• DTS-HD MA, DTS-HD HR decoding/bit stream output (or lossless audio) will be supported while playing Blu-ray 3D movies.
• 3D digital photos in MPO format can now be viewed in 3D on the XMB and in the Photo Gallery app.

The 3.70 update will be available soon; additional details will be available after the firmware goes live here. Separately, there will also be a minor PSP system software update (v. 6.60) launching soon.

As always the ps3 scene always recommends you DON’T update until more is learned about the firmware. Also expect a new TOS.

As if GameFly’s current offerings weren’t enough to satisfy gamers needs already, GameFly could be adding an online based PC game rental component soon. It seems the service will be launched some time this holiday season which will be incorporated in a new online client. The program will include over 100 titles, with more soon to come following it’s release according to GameFly’s co-founder Sean Spector. Spector says “Now GameFly subscribers will have access to a library of PC catalog titles to play as often as they want and as long as they are a member,” as well as “It’s kind of like a Spotify or Rhapsody or a Napster… You have access to the content as long as you are a subscriber, but when you are no longer a member, the content then disappears.“

It seems Spector will also want to include games that are more family friendly, so that the service will appeal to a more wider audience while maintaining it’s current offerings for the 18-35 aged male group. The service will also include a social networking aspect to it that will allow users to “…follow other subscribers’ comments and what games they are playing” among other features. I can’t say that I didn’t see that coming with everyone trying to develop their own “Facebook”. It seems like this could be a great success if GameFly can convince enough publishers to go along with the idea, and of course that DRM doesn’t get in the way either.

Source: USA Today

Wal-Mart isn’t waiting around for August 12. Despite Nintendo’s official date for the Nintendo 3DS price drop being this Friday, one of America’s largest retailers is jumping the gun, slashing in-store prices of the portable to $169.99 now.

Curiously, Wal-Mart has yet to do this for its online store, and has apparently made no official announcement to this effect. Still, we’ve heard from several IGN readers that they’ve been able to pick up a system from their local shop. Apparently not all stores have implemented the new price.

This has a number of implications, the most obvious being that consumers buying the system today are still technically eligible for Nintendo’s “ambassador program”. By signing online before August 12, these fans, who already bought a 3DS at discount, will be able to receive the 20 free NES and GBA titles that are being distributed throughout the rest of the year.

There are potential implications for Nintendo as well. Hardware agreements can require the publisher to compensate retailers for price cuts to maintain sales margins. (Nintendo president Satoru Iwata just acknowledged this point in his latest investor Q&A.) Will Nintendo have to pay Wal-Mart for the discount in addition to giving away free games?

We’ve reached out to Nintendo for comment on the situation, particularly to find out if it sanctioned Wal-Mart’s premature price drop. Technically retailers In the meantime, let us know if you have any luck getting a cheap 3DS!

If there was ever going to be a chance that we see a slimmed down 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy S II here in the states on Verizon, we needed to see something like this leak overseas. This is a very good sign, folks. According to Korean site IT Tong, an SGS2 variant is headed to one of their carriers in the very near future sporting a 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus screen, 16GB of internal storage, 8MP rear and 2MP front cameras, Gingerbread, and a whopping 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon APQ8060 processor. If you didn’t just get excited about that…
There is one problem though – this specific phone will run on an 800MHz LTE frequency, when we know Verizon’s is 700MHz. I would hope (at least assume) that could be changed pretty easily and will still stay positive that we may see this device some time in the near future.
So this phone looks and has similar specs to the T-Mobile version we saw yesterday; here’s to hoping we aren’t stuck with a slideout Galaxy S2 like many of us have a feeling is coming. Oh, and I would assume that the physical home button would disappear once it hit the states too…hopefully.

Here are the full rumored specs:

We knew that the DROID Bionic would be the world’s first dual-core 4G LTE device, but we had yet to really see it show off the download speeds that it was capable of. Thanks to another tester in the wild, we get just that today. And this is exactly why this phone has been talked about for 8 months now – because it’ll have power, style, and run on Big Red’s shiny new network.
The leaker (Yoda) has also mentioned that he is seeing 15 hours of battery life with moderate usage, something that no other LTE device can really say at this time. We had been hearing from our sources that Moto reps couldn’t stop raving about the massive battery and how long it lasts, so to get confirmation from a tester is a nice add-on.
And is it just me, or have the pics from the last two days that we’ve seen with the screen on, look much less PenTile-y than the DROIDX2 and DROID3? I know, I know, it’s almost impossible to tell from these quick ninja-shots, but they definitely aren’t looking awful.
With the LTE Galaxy S II news from this morning followed by these Bionic speed tests, it’s probably safe to say that DL readers are officially torn between the two. We 100% know that the Bionic is coming in September – the SGS2, is still a mystery.

With still no official confirmation on different variants of the Galaxy S II by either Samsung or carriers, it’s been one big guessing game for most of us. You can now scratch the T-Mobile version off of the list though, as a couple of sites released photos of its SGS2 over the weekend. The Samsung Hercules (codename) (SGH-T989) was willing to show both its front and backsides, making tech enthusiasts drool their Sundays away. With a 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, and the removal of that god-awful physical home button, how can you not get a little giddy when looking at these pics. This new U.S. version looks a lot less iPhoney and a lot more Nexus S-y – something you won’t find us complaining about.
This device will more-than-likely run on T-Mo’s HSPA+ 42Mbps network, but just remember, that doesn’t mean for one second that the Verizon version will. We would certainly hope that Verizon wouldn’t leave us without their super fast new network, but the current batch of LTE phones are all thick, hefty tanks. So the SGS2 variant for Big Red better have new LTE tech in it that’s ultra-slim, or we’re probably not getting 4G. (Just my two thoughts.)

Now if only this exact version would make its way onto Big Red…thoughts?

Source: Droid-Life