Software quality assurance testing on Android devices is far easier than it was just a year ago, at least according to one of Asia’s largest mobile app developers, Animoca. The Hong Kong company has produced over 300 apps since it started two years ago, and just shot past 150 million downloads collectively. It produces mainly Android apps. Last year, Animoca’s testing process for its… → Read More
There are bugs, and there are pretty embarrassing and ridiculous mess-ups. This one was is a screwup straight from Mountain View, and it’s a very real problem. If you’re trying to add your friend’s birthday to their contact entry under “People,” and you use an Android device with Jelly Bean 4.2, and they’re born in December…you’re crap out of luck, because Google decided to leave December out… → Read More
Google will be delivering Android 4.2 updates to owners of its Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy 7 devices over-the-air, and likely very soon, but if you’re just not able to wait, there’s a way to update manually right now using firmware downloads found on Google’s servers. You’ll need to have the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus for this to work, and any version of the Nexus 7 tablet. → Read More
Apple is hoping to add Samsung’s latest tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to a list of product it claims infringe its patents in an existing court case in California, Bloomberg reports. The arguments supporting these additions were made in federal court in San Jose today, and follow Samsung’s expressed intent to add the iPhone 5 its own infringement claims. → Read More
This week, Google announced a new lineup of devices that would be running its Android OS, Jelly Bean version 4.2. Those new devices are a phone and a new 10-inch tablet, called the Nexus 10. I’ve had a chance to play with both devices, specifically the Nexus 10, and I actually surprised myself with how the device has fit into my daily routine. → Read More
Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color and Tablet are capable and affordable media tablets, but they run an old and locked-down version of Android. If you are fairly technical, you can obviously use CyanogenMod to bypass B&N’s firmware and install a new version of Android on your device. If you’re not that technical, though, the easiest way to get Jelly Bean on your Nook tablet is to buy one of the… → Read More
Samsung has already begun to roll out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates for international Galaxy S III owners (Spain, France, Austria, and Romania have recently joined the Jelly Bean party), but what about all the GSIII owners locked into contracts with Verizon, AT&T, and the like? Well, the Korean electronics giant has announced that it plans to begin releasing the update in the U.S. in “the… → Read More
New data on the state of the Android ecosystem has been posted to Google’s Android Developers site. The big reveal? Gingerbread, the version of the Android mobile operating system released back in December 2010, is still leading with 57.5% of Android OS share. Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is at 20.9%, and Android 2.2 (Froyo) has 14%. Yes, Froyo – released in May 2010. And as for the newest… → Read More
Move over, Nexus 7 — you’re not the only Jelly Bean-powered Android tab in town anymore. According to a handful of Droid-Life tipsters, it appears that Motorola’s aging XOOM tablet is finally getting its crack at Google’s latest and greatest dessert-themed OS update.
The process has been in the works for about two or three days now, with selected members of Motorola’s Feedback Network… → Read More
Well, today’s shaping up to be a banner day for Kindle Fire owners. If the news of some nifty features for Kindle Fire games isn’t enough to get owners hot and bothered, how about a nice dose of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean?
Android developers and hackers have been working feverishly ever since Google released Jelly Bean to the Android Open Source Project repository two days ago, and it wasn’t long… → Read More
Good news, Android fans. A developer over on the forever awesome XDA Developers forums has figured out how to extract Google Now from Android Jelly Bean and port it over to devices running Ice Cream Sandwich. The process for doing so requires a slightly geeky skill set, of course. You have to have a rooted device and you’ll need to be comfortable navigating through the Android file system, for… → Read More
Little by little, Google is slowly piecing together a more cohesive and complete mobile OS. Having the right hardware to drive Android doesn’t hurt either. While the Nexus 7 isn’t quite what I expected Google to roll out last week at I/O given the Motorola Mobility acquisition, it’s arguably the first real Android tablet to date.
With a $200 starting price, Android users and those looking for a… → Read More
Back when Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was first introduced in Hong Kong last year plenty of us jaded tech folk took a shine to its new Face Unlock feature, which allows users to unlock their devices with their front-facing cameras.
Of course, we now know that it isn’t terribly secure — a picture of your face was apparently good enough to fool it — but Google seems to have made Face… → Read More
Google Now, the smart personal search assistant announced yesterday at Google I/O, has now come online. Well, the landing page for the service has come online, that is. The new site introduces the key aspects to Google Now, which arrives in Google’s next mobile operating system, Android 4.1 (aka Jelly Bean), including its ability to track flights, keep an eye on traffic and your calendar, check… → Read More
In a move that shocked absolutely no one, Google’s Hugo Barra announced at the end of the first I/O keynote that attendees would receive a little prize pack as thanks for their support. Goodies included both of the company’s new Nexus gadgets, along with a Galaxy Nexus that would receive its Jelly Bean update that same day.
In another move that should shock absolutely no one, that OTA update… → Read More
Google I/O just kicked off at Moscone West in San Francisco, and it wasn’t long at all before Google’s Hugo Barra pulled the curtains back on the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
The update was originally thought to be a major one (rumors at the time referred to it as Android 5.0), and it seems like quite a treat for Android users despite the… → Read More
Google I/O is nearly upon us, and all signs point to Google revealing a tablet later today. The device leaked and then over the last few hours several high-level sources confirmed the device’s existence. It’s likely a low-end, 7-inch tablet powered by Google’s latest mobile operating system, Jelly Bean.
Try as they might, Google has yet to deliver an answer to the iPad. Most Honeycomb and Ice… → Read More
As is customary, Google has erected a giant statue earlier today on the grounds of its Mountain View headquarters that represents the latest version of Android: version 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is expected to make its debut very shortly at Google I/O. Created by Giovanni Calabrese of Themendous, the statue is a large, clear jar, fitted with the proper Android accoutrements, filled to the brim with… → Read More
Well isn’t this interesting — with just about five days to go until Google’s I/O conference, the company may have just accidentally spilled the beans about their next big Android release. For a brief time, users who tried to purchase an unlocked Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play store was greeted by a blurb describing the device as the “the first phone with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.”
Assuming… → Read More
Android is force that will not be stopped. Google’s Andy Rubin announced yesterday that there are 850,000 daily Android activations, excluding devices like the Kindle Fire that don’t use Google services. Now, even though only one handset is currently sold with Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean might launch later this year.
Speaking to Computerworld, Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice president of… → Read More
In case you’ve lain awake nights wondering what tasty treat will follow Ice Cream Sandwich in Google’s sweet parade of Android versions, allow me to set your mind at ease. According to a “trusted source” speaking to This is my next, it’s going to be Jelly Bean.
But wait! There’s more! → Read More
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