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.

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

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

If you’re a media junkie, and are always in need of converting files on the go, then check out MediaConverter. The developer isn’t lying when he states, “Convert Anything”. I was converting 3GP into MP4, pics, and docs into PDFs like nobody’s business. Besides being able to convert and then instantly upload to Dropbox, you can then share it through email and other outlets right through the app.
We didn’t run into any instances of not being able to convert anything, so if you’re in the market for a mobile converter, give it a shot. Let us know how you like it, and more importantly, if you do find something you can’t convert, email the developer so it can be added to the list. The app runs at a more than reasonable $2.99 on the Android Market. Happy converting.

Market Link

So we’ve finally had some time to really dig through the FCC filing of the DROID Bionic that went live today and just wanted to point some things out.  First, is the inductive battery charging which we talked about on Friday when we first saw under the hood of this beast.  There were prongs beneath the battery cover that led us to believe we would have wireless charging, and we are getting pictures of the cover today.  While it looks to add some thickness (as all inductive covers do), it also looks like it will even out the hump – leaving you with a perfectly flat back to the phone.  Got to love that.

Next, we took a deeper look at the user manual and found some confirmations on things like the screen (4.3″) and also the fact that it could be a global device.  The manual talks about roaming in 200+ countries using GSM radios, so unless they pulled that section from the DROID3, DROID2 Global or Pro (SEE UPDATE BELOW), you can tack on another plus to the DROID Bionic.  Dual-core, 4G LTE and a global roamer?  Sign me up.

Here is a look at the top and bottom of the phone. Not too thick and not too thin. We get a solid view of that bottom sloping chin that sort of matches the DROID3. We’re definitely hoping that the lock switch has moved on the final version though. Top left would not be the easiest thing to hit for those of us that talk with our right hands:

We should also point out that the manual appears to be a bunch of filler pulled from previous devices, so by no means is all of this official. The screen and global capabilities more than likely are, but the version of Blur you are seeing and some of the other OS details could differ when this phone is finally released on September 8 (rumor). Also, we’re pulling for a September 1 pre-order to go live – would certainly make sense if the device was going to hit stores on the 8th.
Update: It’s definitely looking like this WON’T be a global device after all. The filing itself makes no mention of the device having GSM radios in it. Like we said above, this manual was patched together from a variety of devices and should not be taken as gospel. The actual tests performed on the device should be and they say LTE/CDMA/Bluetooth/WiFi:

The Bionic, unlike the HTC Thunderbolt, will NOT be able to do 3G voice and data simultaneously either:

Source Droid-Life

Who doesn’t love a good info-graphic from time to time? The newest graph, released by Jumptap, shows 48 U.S. States and how they rank up against each other in overall OS domination. Within their report, spanning 38 million users, Android ranked 1st at a cool 38%. While iOS wasn’t too far behind at an impressive 33%.
They entitled the top graph, “United States of Android”. Suiting, don’t you think? Other data recorded was Android users likely to interact with advertising depending on which which carrier (of the US’s main four) they were on. Verizon, T-mo, and Sprint all sat around 20%, while AT&T users only showed that 17% were interested in interacting with ads.
We can only imagine that these numbers will continue to grow in the same rate, and that the map will be covered in mostly yellow in just a few years. Hard to believe my state of Oregon is dominated by Blackberry. Ay caramba.

Source Droid-Life

Ohhhhh DANG this thang is looking sexy!

Modeled after the Gallery 3D app (hopefully following suite with the GPU acceleration), Google will be giving us Android users a new Music player that will directly rival the competition. In fact, the way it handles the music files, it seems it will outperform even the coveted “Cover Flow”.

The video appears to possibly signify even further advances in the Android OS as a whole. It appears that by clicking the icon in the status bar you are returned to the Apps main menu. Possibly even leading to buttonless Android Phones!

Watch the Video, & Discuss In Our Forums

Angry Birds has finally been released on the Android Market and GetJar store and guess what! It’s free!
Yeah, Rovio decided to bring it to the Android and good thing they did! It’s already seen over a million downloads in its first day on the system. But, you guys should know that it does have ads in it but they won’t get in the way of your game play. Especially if it’s free game play. :p

Discussion: Here
Source: Here