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Qualcomm readies Snapdragon S4 developer tablet for Ice Cream Sandwich

While it’s not the first time we’ve seen the latest version of Android on a tablet, it’s fun to see Qualcomm loading Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.1 onto its Snapdragon S4 developer tablet. This will be the ultimate tablet for developers to test their Android apps on, thanks to the impressive hardware specs and Qualcomm’s Liquid mobile development platform. The device packs just about anything you could want in a tablet, and therefore all the tools necessary for any type of app developers try to throw at it. It will of Read more

Notion Ink Adam spotted running Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Remember the Notion Ink Adam? We can’t say that we blame you if you don’t but once upon a time the Adam sounded like one of the most promising Android tablets that would ever launch. Those thoughts were promptly laid to rest after seeing the software and bricks that shortly followed its release. Still, those of you who managed to grab one of the 30 tablets sold have something to get excited for, finally. The video below shows the Notion Ink Adam running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, possibly the Read more

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Review: How does the new face of Android stack up?

By now, hopefully you’ve taken the liberty of reading our Samsung Galaxy Nexus review, which covers a chunk of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. We also told you that we just skimmed the top in favor of a more in-depth review of the latest version of the OS. Below is an excerpt from the Galaxy Nexus review’s software section, along with a break down of more features found within Ice Cream Sandwich. * I’m running a custom ROM on this phone at the moment, so disregard any inconsistency you’ve seen Read more

BlackBerry App World 3.1 beta introduces gifting options

RIM has quietly rolled out a beta for their software portal, BlackBerryApp World, which includes a few handy new features. The biggie is app gifting, something which RIM had talked about a long time ago, and is timely given the holiday season. Now you can request certain apps as a gift from BBM friends, as well as buy gifts for other BlackBerry users through the same mechanism. The content rating system introduced last week is also applied in this beta, so apps will get general, teen, mature, and adult ratings Read more

BlackBerry PlayBook rooted, Android Market is a go

After a brief lead-up period, the Dingleberry jailbreak for the BlackBerry PlayBook is now publicly available, though still in a very early beta. The exploit used to gain root access is actually pretty simple. PlayBook backup files used in the BlackBerry Desktop Software apparently aren’t signed, which means those files can be used to launch just about whatever you want on the device. So what can you do with it? Well, not too much yet, and the three guys behind Dingleberry are hoping that the developer community at large will Read more

Samsung S Pen SDK 1.0 is ready for business

We told you Samsung will release a dedicated SDK for Galaxy Note’s S Pen and voila – it’s here, allowing developers all around the world to use the tablet/phone’s stylus in their apps. Features in the S Pen SDK include Canvas View (basic background for drawing), Pen Setting Popup (panel for adjusting width, opacity and line color), Eraser Setting Popup (Panel for adjusting width for eraser) and Undo/Redo. The S Pen SDK 1.0 is available as a free download and you can get it from here. Of course, in case Read more

BlackBerry App World rolling out age rating system

It looks like RIM is getting a head start on those ESRB ratings coming to apps. BlackBerry App World will soon have a system in place so devs can mark their creations as appropriate for general, teen, mature, or adult audiences. By default, apps will get a G rating, while a variety that fit a certain keyword and category criteria will automatically get a Teen rating. Antsy parents can set visibility and access in App World on their kids’ phone based on these ratings, too.  Developers can figure out what Read more

BlackBerry PlayBook rooted, may eventually run full Android

An exploit found in the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet a few months ago has begun to bear fruit for a trio of scrappy developers. The rooting application, which will be made publicly available within the next week, will be called Dingleberry, and lets you do a few cool things. Hulu, which had previously been blocked when visited through the BlackBerry browser, is now accessible. Another neat, though less exciting possibility is use of the PlayBook’s LED, which so far only blinks when powering up or charging when the device is turned Read more

Jetstar rentable iPads get Gameloft titles, signals a new market for developers

After announcing a unique iPad rental program for inflight entertainment in February, Australian airline Jetstar is expanding the content available on those iPads. Gameloft is bringing twelve of its gaming titles for iOS specifically to Jetstar’s rental units. Of the twelve, five will be available starting in December: Real Football, Shrek Kart, Avatar, UNO, and N.O.V.A.: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance. The other seven games – GT Racing: Motor Academy, Brain Challenge, Blokus, Ironman 2, Let’s Golf 2, The Settlers, and Asphalt 5 – are slated for availability in the first quarter of 2012. President Read more

GetJar getting update notifications for Android apps

GetJar will be launching update notifications for Android apps allowing developers to notify their users when there’s something new with their app. For instance, users can be notified if there are new levels in a game, some new features are added, or simply bugs have been fixed. Additionally, GetJar suggests using updates as an engagement tool — i.e. sending out an update can be a friendly reminder about an app that a user may have forgotten about. Still in beta, the new capability is still being tested out and will Read more

Windows Phone claiming 20,000 paid app downloads daily in U.S.

The latest report from Distimo is focusing on Windows Phone, partly as a celebration of its one-year birthday. Among their findings were figures for daily app downloads in the U.S., which includes 20,000 paid downloads each day, and 101,000 free apps each day. Distimo also agrees with other recent metrics that puts the total number of Windows Phone apps at over 40,000. While that might sound like a lot, Windows Phone is still behind BlackBerry App World, the Android Market, and way behind the iPhone App Store. In fact, iOS Read more