Daily News Courier

Verizon rolls out Ice Cream Sandwich for the HTC ThunderBolt

Verizon Wireless is truly taking the meaning of “better late than never” to the extreme by rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich for the HTC ThunderBolt today.  The ThunderBolt has been available through Verizon Wireless for nearly two years now and has been taken off the shelf for about a year now.

What was once announced as a promising 4G LTE device experienced battery issues and software upgrade troubles.  Most owners of the ThunderBolt have probably upgraded to a different Android smartphone or iOS device by now, however, for those who are still rocking the TBolt, ICS is headed your way.

According to an announcement from Verizon, the update is rolling out in phases, but most owners should have it within a week or so.  The update includes features found commonly in Ice Cream Sandwich such as Face Unlock and a customizable launch bar.  In addition, it offers more tools to manage your data consumption.

[Verizon Wireless]

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HTC Thunderbolt finally getting its Ice Cream Sandwich update

What more can we say? (Don't answer that!) The HTC Thunderbolt has its Ice Cream Sandwich update ready, and will soon start rolling out to devices. It will be Android 4.0.4 with Sense 3.6, and the update package is about 380MB. If you still have a Thunderbolt rattling around in a drawer somewhere, dig it out, dust it off, and plug it in in preparation. This update won't fix the peeling kickstand, but maybe it can help the battery life a bit. Anyhoo, it's nice to know that the Thunderbolt was not forgotten, no matter how hard we all tried to forget it.

Source: Verizon (pdf); Via: everyone

Samsung rolls out Android 4.1.2 to Galaxy Note 10.1 users in the U.S.

Today, we have some good news for owners of the Galaxy Note 10.1 by Samsung.  Even though it originally launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, we’re happy to report that Samsung finally began to roll out the latest Jelly Bean update.  The update brings Android 4.1.2 to the Galaxy Note 10.1 along with several new features and enhancements.

Owners of the Samsung tablet can expect to use multi-window for multi-tasking, easy clip capability, and Air View (which allows for the S-Pen to hover over the screen to launch a dialog box.  Other general Jelly Bean features and enhancements are in tow as well.

Feel free to wait patiently as the OTA Software Update will hit in waves, otherwise, you can try connecting to Samsung Kies in order to download the update.

[Android Police]

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Sprint Optimus G has root before the phone hits the shelves

The first thing I do with a review phone after I'm finished writing the review is to try to root it. Tonight was that night with the Sprint Optimus G, and it went rather well.

After a bit of Google Translate, I found the root method for the Korean Optimus G and had to try. It's based (either in whole or in part — I don't read Vietnamese) on the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean adb restore exploit discovered by Bin4ry and does the job easily.

The November 11 release can't come soon enough. Hit the forums for the details, and stay tuned for that review while it gets it final editing!

How to root the Sprint G Optimus G (Windows only)

LG Spectrum Ice Cream Sandwich update imminent

One of Verizon's many mid-range LTE phones from early this year, the LG Spectrum (remember that one?), is poised to receive an update to Ice Cream Sandwich soon. The update to software version VS920ZV7 will bring the device up to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, and include many of the features and design that we've seen on other recent LG devices. The support page notes that a couple Verizon "enhancements" will be coming with the update as well — Verizon Remote Diagnostics and a Viewdini app.

The Verizon support PDF doesn't indicate a specific date for when the update will be rolling out, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the users in the forums will be talking about it the moment it starts.

Source: Android Central Forums; Verizon (PDF)

Motorola starting Droid Bionic Ice Cream Sandwich soak test

Some folks have sent emails into Droid-Life indicating that they've been contacted by Motorola to participate in a "soak test" for an Ice Cream Sandwich update on their Droid Bionic. If you haven't seen this go down before, Motorola likes to try and slowly offer an update to specific users to test out before pushing it to the rest of users. It's probably a good strategy in case there are any last-minute bugs, but hopefully it won't be too long of a process.

Motorola has backpedaled a bit in their commitment to update the Bionic to Ice Cream Sandwich in the past, but this will be a good way to make amends with the loyal Bionic owners.

Source: Droid-Life

Google posts more 4.1.2 factory images, and the ICS image for the Nexus Q

Google has posted the 4.1.2 factory images for the non-playstore "Yakju" versions of the Galaxy Nexus, and for the world versions (i9020t, i9023) of the Nexus S this afternoon, giving users of these devices a valid safety net should they need one.

More interestingly, the factory image for the Nexus Q was also uploaded. It's still Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.4) as expected,  but we all hope that it's a sign that Google is finally ready to do something with the cannonball. Bring it we say!

If you're in need, or just don't like waiting for OTA updates, hit the source link and grab them.

Source: Google

Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out to Orange San Diego

The Orange San Diego launching in the UK was a big deal. As the first Intel powered Android device to launch in Europe, it set the ball rolling for the chip manufacturing giant in their latest mobile endeavor. One major criticism of the San Diego at launch was the OS. While very smooth and snappy, Gingerbread is still Gingerbread, and it's just starting to feel dated. Thankfully, Intel is now catching up, and we've seen Ice Cream Sandwich on the new Motorola RAZR i, the ZTE Grand X IN, and, at IFA 2012 in Berlin, we saw the San Diego itself running Android 4.0. 

On a stand at a trade show is one thing, but what really matters is getting it out there into the wild. Word has reached us today that the ICS update for the San Diego is now beginning to push out. This is great news, and as we found out during our brief hands on, ICS on this device is every bit as smooth and snappy as we would hope it to be. 

Have you received your update yet? Hit us up in the comments below and let us know how you're finding it. 

Thanks Paul H!

AT&T introduces the Sony Xperia TL, offers a 13MP camera and Android 4.0

The American variant of the high-end Sony Xperia T is going to be the Sony Xperia TL on AT&T.

Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and Electrify will not receive Ice Cream Sandwich, says Motorola

Well this is tough news. Motorola Mobility has been maintaining an update chart and evaluating its current device lineup as to which devices should go forward with Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. Just a few days ago, they delayed several devices having previously said they would get the upgrade in Q3. Now, they have announced the Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and Electrify will not be receiving the update and will be remaining on Gingerbread.

This is not good news.  We hope this is just a difficult transitional period for Motorola and that they will learn from this. We bet that they will, but that still doesn't help all of you who currently own these devices.

So we feel for you and we'll be here to help you install unofficial updates. You'll probably want to sound off in the forums, and we don't blame you, so here are the links:

• Atrix 4G Forum
• Electrify Forum
• Photon 4G Forum

Their update chart has also been updated to reflect the changes.

Source: Motorola Mobility