Sprint HTC EVO 3D Finally Gets A Taste Of Ice Cream Sandwich

The long-awaited update to Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 3.6 on the Sprint-branded HTC EVO 3D is finally here! The update weighs in at 305.76MB and bumps the software version up to 2.89.651.2, beating Sprint’s latest announcement of an August release by one day.

Here is the official changelog:

• Upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0)
• Home screen folders
• Launch Bar for commonly used apps
• Improved Android Browser
• Improved Camera Experience
• Face Unlock
• Resizable widgets
• Add/Remove Panels

To check and see if the update is available for your phone, just hit Menu > Settings > System updates > HTC software update. Of course, the general warnings for root users still apply here (i.e., if you’re rooted, don’t take this update – wait for a rooted version to come along).

Open webOS Will Not Support Existing webOS Devices

In addition to today's release of the core apps  and LunaSysMgr for Open webOS, we got some news that's both surprising and heartbreaking: Open webOS will not support existing webOS devices. According to today's blog post on the Open webOS Project Blog, the development team is "aiming for support on future hardware platforms where SoC's [system-on-chips] support Linux 3.3+ lernel and where open source replacements for proprietary components are integrated. Existing devices cannot be support because of those many proprietary components, including graphics, networking and lack of drivers for a modern kernel".

Feel like you just got punched in the gut? Yeah, us to. Despite being a modification and enhancement of the existing webOS, Open webOS will not be able to support any existing webOS devices, including the most-recently-released TouchPad and Pre3. Reasoning? Their processors don't support the Linux Standard Kernel nor are there complete open source replacements for hardware component drivers. If you were hoping to run Open webOS on your TouchPad, you're going to have to rely on the community to get it done, not HP.

We're not at all thrilled with this decision. HP already has access to the proprietary drivers for the TouchPad, Pre3, and a whole slew of webOS devices and could put together a release of Open webOS for those devices. But yet again, HP's made the decision to neglect off a small but loyal customer base in favor of pursuing bigger dreams. We understand that the resources available to the Open webOS team are limited - certainly much more limited than they were eighteen months ago when HP decided not to bother finishing a webOS 2.0 update for older Pre and Pixi devices and buried it under the news of the TouchPad, Veer, and Pre3 announcements - but this pattern of dumping on those who have stuck with the platform isn't the makings for continuing loyalty. People love webOS, but they can only put up with being slighted for so long.

As pointed out in the blog post, there is at least the webOS Community Edition release for us to tinker with for existing devices (i.e. the TouchPad), which included the older version of the LunaSysMgr as released in webOS 3.0.5. Today's announcement crystallizes the Community Edition's reason for existence: it was a pre-appeasment meant to be there, ready for this news, so HP can say, "But we already gave you that! Isn't that enough?"

There are two things to keep in mind moving forward. One: there's a large and growing number of Android devices out there that offer support for the Linux Standard Kernel 3.3, and given the number of devices supported by the open source CyanogenMod Android project there are plenty of drivers available for those components. Two: The webOS homebrew community cannot and will not be held back. They've already started working on the webOS Community Edition release of LunaSysMgr to see how well they can get it to work on the Pre3, and it'll only be a matter of time before they figure out how to get the goodness of Open webOS to work on our current webOS devices.

Open webOS LunaSysMgr Released To open Source

In typical Open webOS team fashion, the releases for this month have come right at the very end of the month. While the System Manager Bus saw an early release back in April, this month's releases didn't come before their time. Up for July is the LunaSysMgr and the core webOS apps. For the uninitiated, LunaSysMgr is the system manager for webOS, responsible for the launcher, card view, menus, running WebKit, and rendering Enyo applications. In other words, it's kind of a big deal for webOS. The core apps include Accounts, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Contacts, Email, and Memos, and are all the Enyo 1.0 versions of those apps (minus some features) as they debuted on the TouchPad.

On the LunaSysMgr front, the big news is both the open sourcing and the inclusion of the QtWebKit engine for "state-of-the-art support for HTML rendering and I/O". Using QtWebKit is said to provide for improved stability and performance in Open webOS. Apart from that, it's not radically different from the existing LunaSysMgr in webOS 3.0.5.

As for the core apps, they're a little handicapped at this point (not that there's much you could do with them). Even though the Accounts app was included in today's release, the services needed to enable Synergy haven't yet been open sourced, meaning you're severely limited in how the apps that rely on outside services can be used. For example, Contacts and Calendar can manage on-device contacts and events, and Email can hook up to POP and IMAP accounts, but none of them can sign into services like Google, Yahoo, or Exchange. Synergy support is expected with the beta release of Open webOS 1.0 later this month.

Things are starting to pick up steam with Open webOS as we approach the full release of the open source successor to webOS. As we move into August we can expect the build release model and the beta and final releases for Open webOS. From there, well, that's another story.

Source: The Open webOS Project Blog; Open webOS (GitHub)

Microsoft Launches Outlook.com

On Tuesday Microsoft’s Outlook Blog took the wraps off of Outlook.com, a new online email portal that cleans up the traditional inbox user interface and adds several social networking features to the mix. On the inbox side, Outlook.com automatically detects emails that are newsletters and puts them into their own separate folder while also giving users the option to easily stop receiving newsletters with a one-click “unsubscribe” button. The new inbox also allows for message “sweep” operations where Outlook will only keep the very latest message from a given sender and will delete all previously sent messages.

Check it out for yourself and sign up for a free Outlook.com email address

Motorola Photon Q Bootloader Will Be Unlockable

Motorola has taken to their blog and Twitter to confirm something that always manages to come up when a new device is announced and eventually released. Will the bootloader be unlockable? In the case of the Motorola Photon Q and some other upcoming unnamed devices:

For months now we’ve been working closely with our developers and carrier partners to provide users a way to to unlock the bootloader on their Motorola Mobility device while keeping the networks secure and satisfying carriers’ requirements.  And we’ve finally found a solution.

Starting with the Motorola PHOTON Q, users will be able to unlock the bootloader. Other products will have this option too in the future.

Motorola PHOTON Q will be available on Sprint in August. Specific details on unlocking the PHOTON Q’s bootloader will be available then.

Motorola PHOTON Q LTE Officially Headed To Sprint

Sprint has made an official announcement of the Motorola Photon Q. Here's a quick rundown of the specs.

• Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich
• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• Rear-facing 8MP camera with 1080p video capture and playback so you can leave your digital camera at home. Plus, those photos can be set to automatically upload to Google+ so you don’t have to worry about accidently deleting them.
• Front-facing HD camera for easy Google+ Hangout video chats or conference calls
• Mirror mode when connected with HDMI cable (sold separately) to view images, files and movies on a larger screen, like your TV at home.
• Sprint ID, offering an innovative way to personalize an Android smartphone with apps, widgets, ringtones and more all, in a single download
• NFC support to share links, apps, YouTube clips and more with Android Beam

First Sprint 4G LTE-Enabled Device with Full QWERTY and International Capabilities, Motorola PHOTON™ Q 4G LTE, Coming Soon.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 26, 2012 - Sprint (NYSE: S), the only national wireless carrier offering truly unlimited data for all phones while on the Sprint network1, and Motorola Mobility today announce Motorola PHOTON Q™ 4G LTE, the next generation of last summer’s popular Motorola PHOTON™ 4G. The new device will boast a five-row, PC-like QWERTY keyboard, international capabilities and a generous 4.3-inch ColorBoost™ display, as well as the ability to operate on Sprint’s new lightning-fast 4G LTE network2.

Pricing and availability for Motorola PHOTON Q will be announced within the next few weeks. Customers seeking additional information can visit www.sprint.com/photonq.

“Motorola PHOTON Q will be the first 4G LTE device with a QWERTY keyboard and world phone capabilities to join the Sprint line-up,” said David Owens, vice president - Product Development, Sprint. “We want to make sure our 4G LTE handset portfolio has the full complement of choices for our customers. Adding a product with both a physical keyboard and world mode makes this a great addition to the Sprint family of devices. This is a dynamic smartphone that customers will really enjoy using and we are pleased to have Motorola as part of our 4G LTE device portfolio.”

Motorola PHOTON Q equips customers with the best of both worlds to communicate – a virtual keyboard for quick texts and a slide out PC-like QWERTY keyboard for double-thumb efficiency. Each laser-cut key is outlined in LED lights so users can see what they’re doing, even in the dark. It also has a dedicated number row for maximum typing efficiency and accuracy.

“When we talk to people who love their QWERTY smartphones, it’s evident this segment is passionate about their keyboards,” said Mark Shockley, senior vice president, Go-to-Market, Motorola Mobility. “Motorola PHOTON Q offers a class-leading keyboard and an amazing big screen so you can see and do more with your smartphone.”

Offering an impressive 4.3-inch ColorBoost™ display, Motorola PHOTON Q offers the largest screen currently available on a 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone. This makes it easy to browse the Web using Google Chrome without enlarging text, look at detail-rich pictures without having to zoom in, and watch a show without straining your eyes. Motorola’s exclusive ColorBoost™ display enables colors to be richer and more vibrant than other smartphones on the market. And with scratch-resistant glass and splash-guard coating, Motorola PHOTON Q resists everyday scratches and spills.

In addition to its technological prowess, Motorola PHOTON Q is the seventh device in the Sprint line-up to receive ULE Platinum Certification, the highest level of environmental performance recognized by sustainable requirements established by UL Environment and Sprint.

Additional key features on Motorola PHOTON Q include:

• Android™ 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich
• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• Rear-facing 8MP camera with 1080p video capture and playback so you can leave your digital camera at home. Plus, those photos can be set to automatically upload to Google+™ so you don’t have to worry about accidently deleting them.
• Front-facing HD camera for easy Google+™ Hangout video chats or conference calls
• Mirror mode when connected with HDMI cable (sold separately) to view images, files and movies on a larger screen, like your TV at home.
• Sprint ID, offering an innovative way to personalize an Android smartphone with apps, widgets, ringtones and more all, in a single download
• NFC support to share links, apps, YouTube™ clips and more with Android™ Beam
• World Smart with 4G LTE Speeds

Motorola PHOTON Q is the first Sprint phone to feature SMARTACTIONS™, the free Motorola app that helps extend battery life and intelligently automates routine, everyday tasks so that smartphones can do more for consumers. For example, walking into a meeting, SMARTACTIONS can turn the ringer to silent so an incoming phone call won’t interrupt the meeting. If the battery is low, SMARTACTIONS can automatically lower the display lighting to ensure the battery lasts longer.

Motorola PHOTON Q is Business Ready with full corporate security including remote wipe, pin lock, and data encryption. It is one of several devices available with Sprint Professional Grade, a new designation for select smartphones that deliver enhanced security, device management and Exchange Active Sync capabilities to business users. Click here to learn more about Sprint Professional Grade designation.

On July 15, Sprint launched 4G LTE in 15 cities including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Atlanta, Kansas City and Waco, Texas. Sprint today announced that four more cities will soon experience the speed and power of the all-new 4G LTE network. As the first national wireless carrier to introduce 4G service in 2008, Sprint will bring 4G LTE to the following cities before Labor Day:

Baltimore, MD
Gainesville, GA
Manhattan/Junction City, KS
Sherman-Denison, TX

Additionally, by the end of 2013, Sprint expects to have largely completed the build-out of its all-new 4G LTE nationwide network – with an enhanced 3G network – covering 250 million people across the United States. The launch of these metropolitan areas demonstrates Sprint’s continued commitment to investing in its network through Network Vision. For the most up-to-date details on Sprint’s 4G LTE portfolio and rollout, please visit www.sprint.com/4GLTE.

Google Fiber + TV Goes Official

Google is launching along with Google Fiber in Kansas City. The hardware consists of a set of three small boxes two in a gray that is as nondescript as possible. That's not really a disappointment these are utility boxes, after all but it does mean you'll want to put these boxes in the corner instead of on your mantlepiece.

The TV box is slightly more distinctive, it's a thin angular black box that's bigger than an Apple TV, but is still much smaller than you average set top box. It's is not hurting for I/O either, with a USB port on the front, and around back there's HDMI Out (and, interestingly, In), optical audio out, component A/V, coaxial, and ethernet. Since it works with a bluetooth remote, you can hide this box as well. You'll need one for each TV you want to hook up, and only the first one will come with the service for free.

One other thing is free with Google Fiber + TV: a Nexus 7 Android tablet that can be used as a remote. The early version of the software we saw looks like a fairly standard set of television remote features, including a guide grid, multi-television control, streaming shows, and of course Google's favorite feature: search. The latter will allow you to set up "smart recordings" that will automatically save shows featuring, say, your favorite actor. Interestingly, in addition to the Nexus 7 tablet, the service will come with a very standard remote control. The goal, Google tells us, is to make TV more accessible to those who are used to a traditional remote. To that end, there isn't a QWERTY keyboard on the remote, but it does work via Bluetooth so you won't need line-of-sight to use it. There is a very large search button in the center of the remote, which brings up a standard on-screen grid for you to slowly peck through.

The TV software is not finalized either, but as of right now the initial release won't be integrated with Google Play for movies or TV. That's right: Google Fiber + TV isn't the same thing as Google TV and other than YouTube, it cannot access any of the Google Play content other Google ecosystem devices can: not music, movies, or TV. It also doesn't appear as though it is able to access the web directly. It can access what Google promises will be a very large library of video on demand content and should have access to content saved on your Google Drive. We're also a little concerned about the channel lineup, but perhaps Google will be able to score a few more content deals before going live. Those complaints aside, Google is pushing the state of the art for DVRs forward, allowing you to record up to eight shows at once and save a total of 500 hours of HD television. The interface we saw looked clean and easy to navigate, but we'll obviously need to spend time with the final version before we render a final verdict on it.

We walked away from our time with the still-in-beta suite of products with cautious (and slightly confused) optimism. It's mystifying as to why Google isn't even making a half-hearted attempt at presenting a unified ecosystem here, instead presenting the same kind of service you can already get from your local cable provider. The same kind of service, that is, except for the stupidly fast 1,000MBps connection that powers it. Even though you may need to make some compromises in order to get that kind of speed, they seem small by comparison.


Check-out the official Google Fiber website, and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Verizon Said To Launch Internal Alpha Testing For Redbox Instant

Verizon and Redbox have been working together at least since February to bring an exclusive streaming movie service to big reds network. Happily called Redbox Instant. Alpha testing or the service is set to begin by this afternoon according to Fast Company. How it all works, the number of titles and the monthly cost for it are still being kept under wraps for now at least. With Redbox locations all over the place, it is feasible to believe that you will have an account that will link you to physical rentals, probably via a barcode on your device’s screen, as well as streaming options.

Redbox does a fairly good job of bringing the latest DVD titles to their physical locations, we wonder how that will translate to digital streaming though as that is a whole new monster to deal with. If Verizon and Redbox plan to compete in the streaming media market, they are going to have to make sure they have a phenomenal list of content and  be sure to make it affordable. Will they charge a buck per movie for one viewing or will they go with a monthly plan? We are extremely eager to find out how they put this out there.

As Arstechnica points out though, there is already a red flag popping up that could cause some trouble in the future. That would be the constant fight for net neutrality. Since Verizon is also an internet provider with FiOS, they will need to be certain that they aren’t favoring Redbox Instant traffic over Netflix or Hulu. We doubt Verizon would put themselves in that sort of position, but we are certain it will arise more than a few times.

Depending on the cost and the service they plan to release, how does a Redbox Instant streaming service sound to our Verizon friends out there? Be sure to check out the original press release by Verizon from February.

[Arstechnica]

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Spotted In The Wild

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 has seen a steady stream of leaks and design tweaks, and now it appears to have landed in the hands of one new owner. The Brave Post claims to have gotten its hands on the white version of the device, and has an array of unboxing photographs to go along with it. While we've already seen many of the Galaxy Note 10.1's specs a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 5MP rear-facing camera, HSPA+ support, and a slot for its S Pen  several items stand out here. Namely, the device is listed as having 2GB of RAM versus the 1GB we'd previously seen, and the tablet is also said to be able to act as a companion to your phone  serving as a speakerphone and allowing users to send and receive messages with it as well. It's not clear just what technology fuels the latter feature, but we saw something similar with the TouchPad's use of the Bluetooth Message Access Profile (MAP), which allowed owners to send and receive SMS messages directly from HP's tablet.

What we don't get with the information is a firm release date. However, with information flowing steadily now and Samsung hosting a Galaxy-related event on August 15th we imagine the Note 10.1 is finally about to start making its way to store shelves.

[The Brave Post]

Say Hello To Rebox Instant By Verizon

At long last, the joint streaming video deal between Redbox and Verizon has gotten an official name. Say hello to Rebox Instant by Verizon.

Verizon and Redbox announced back in February that the two companies would be joining up for a streaming video service some time this year.  Since that time the only other news of the venture was a leak the following day of it possibly being named “Redbox Instant.”

This morning the name turned out to be somewhat official when RedboxInstant.com opened its doors, but the site further down refers to it as “Redbox Instant by Verizon.”  Hopefully that won’t be the full name that is used at all times because it’s just a whole lot of words to say.

Currently the site just says “DVDs at the kiosk + Instant streaming hits, all in one fist-pumping package.”  The most interesting bit of info on the site is that does list Shawn Stickland as the CEO.  He also served as the VP of Verizon’s FiOS service and was heralded as one of the driving forces behind its success.  This, to us, says that Rebox Instant has big plans, and a large portion of that is being driven by Verizon.

There is no indication of how much this “fist-pumping package” will cost you, but you can enter your email address for future updates.

[Technobuffalo]