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Sony Ericsson promises Satio software update ‘just around the corner’

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by IBM. 

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Following a December firmware boost, users of Sony Ericsson’s much-maligned Satio should start gearing up for another significant update that — at a glance, anyway — brings some pretty awesome new features to the table. On top of a promise that it’ll “rectify some issues, [and] optimize performance even further,” Sony Ericsson’s high-end Symbian set gets WVGA video recording (though VGA remains the default), integrated picture uploads to Facebook and videos to YouTube, DLNA support, sundry “UI improvements,” and firmware integration of the Facebook app that’s already available on PlayNow. Not bad for a phone that Sony Ericsson could’ve easily abandoned in favor of support for the Vivaz — but probably not enough to totally shake the phone’s tarnished rep this far into the game.

Sony Ericsson promises Satio software update ‘just around the corner’ originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile G1 getting ultra-minor firmware update

Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Feeling like the world is passing you by, G1 owners? That Android has moved on? That no one loves you anymore? Well, take heart: T-Mobile isn’t done updating you yet. The tiniest of updates is now in the process of rolling out to G1s across the land, featuring improved “call performance” without “any additional feature enhancements.” In other words, this is a one-trick pony — but probably a good one, and it’s still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. The update’s already being rolled out, and all customers should have it by March 15.

T-Mobile G1 getting ultra-minor firmware update originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola CLIQs falling victim to latest firmware? (updated with official statement)

Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Haven’t willfully submitted to the CLIQ’s new update yet? Well, you might want to hold off, because it looks like the new code is causing more heartache than good. A variety of reports on T-Mobile’s official support forums echo the same overarching complaint, which is that messaging is a disaster zone ever since version 1.3.18 took hold — long freezes when using the messaging app or widget, messages not getting sent or being sent multiple times — basically all the things you really don’t want to happen on a device that touts its social connectedness. For what it’s worth, we’ve personally seen this happen on a CLIQ since the update, so we know there’s something going on here; T-Mobile says that the complaints have been “forwarded… to the appropriate people,” so hopefully we’ll see some resolution soon. In the meantime, users experiencing issues are advised to not perform a master reset — important advice, considering that’s one of the first fixes many users might entertain.

Update: Follow the break for the full details from Motorola — it looks like a date issue where the year gets stuck on 1969 is priority one for them, but they’ve got a workaround set up until a new OTA update’s ready. Messaging issues may be alleviated by clearing out your backlogs — if you’ve got too many old messages, it sounds like this could be bogging things down.

Continue reading Motorola CLIQs falling victim to latest firmware? (updated with official statement)

Motorola CLIQs falling victim to latest firmware? (updated with official statement) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm’s official webOS 1.4 changelog leaked?

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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You know what’s running out? February. That’s a little alarming considering that Palm had promised that totally rockin’ new cut of webOS, 1.4, before the month was out — but while we wait for this thing to actually happen, at least we’ve now got an official (or official-looking) changelog of the build out of the good folks at PreCentral. Besides a host of bug fixes, 1.4 is said to have performance boosts within the phone and calendar apps, a handful of messaging enhancements, new email sorting options, custom alert sounds for reminders (finally!), and — of course — the addition of video recording and Flash support on the Pre. Interestingly, it won’t have Flash out of the box — you’ll still need to download it from the Catalog, it seems. Head on over to PreCentral for the full log, and read really, really slowly just in case you’ve got a few more days to wait on this stuff.

Palm’s official webOS 1.4 changelog leaked? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Samsung Galaxy Spica ROM leaks, tastes like Eclair

Posted on 24. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Remember those rumors of an Eclair-flavored update for Samsung’s Galaxy Spica earlier this year? Well, boom: it’s not official just yet, but a gentleman by the name of Sameer Prabhakar appears to have scored a leak of an official customized ROM for Sammy’s most diminutive Android set based on 2.1, which is even better than the 2.0 we’d heard we’d be getting before. Prabhakar says that the cut of Google Maps 4.0 included in the new firmware is a bit finicky, so our guess is that we’re not looking at a final release here — in other words, you might want to wait for Samsung to give the green light if you value stability beyond bleeding-edge awesomeness — but this seems to be a good sign that we’re getting close.

New Samsung Galaxy Spica ROM leaks, tastes like Eclair originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia VP: N97 taught company some tough lessons

Posted on 23. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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It’s unusual for a company to publicly admit its shortcomings — particularly a company as big, proud, and resolute as Nokia generally seems to be — but an All About Symbian / Mobile Industry Review joint interview with Anssi Vanjoki, vice president of markets, at MWC last week painted a very different picture with regard to Espoo’s views on the maligned N97. Though he says that the phone absolutely met the company’s goals for sales volume and revenue, it was a “tremendous disappointment in terms of the experience quality for the consumers and something [they] did not anticipate.” This isn’t a sob story, though: he uses the opportunity to note that they’ve completely closed the gap on software quality for the flagship device, launching new firmware first in Norway where the response has been positive. Considering that the N97 was announced way back in 2008, there’s realistically nothing Nokia can do to give the phone a second wind atop the lineup, but Vanjoki seems genuinely convinced that they’ve learned some hard lessons and swallowed some tough pills throughout its life cycle — and those lessons will bear fruit when Symbian^3-based products roll around. Here’s hoping.

Nokia VP: N97 taught company some tough lessons originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Novatel shows off next-gen GPS-enabled MiFi, integrated ‘apps’ (video)

Posted on 19. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Novatel shows off next-gen GPS-enabled MiFi, integrated 'apps' (video)

If you haven’t freaked out and given up on MiFi after they were shown to be, well, a little bit vulnerable, good for you, because there’s good things in store. Novatel is working on a new revision of its routers with integrated GPS, USB charging, and what’s pledged to be better battery life. Perhaps most interesting among the revisions is firmware able to run Linux “apps” that display content within the MiFi’s admin webpage. Current apps are things like data usage and weather but the possibilities are endless — or slightly broader than weather and usage, at least. It’s unclear which (if any) of the current MiFi models will be also be blessed with this firmware update and its resplendent selection of homebrew widgets, but we do know that the new MiFi model will be hitting carriers sometime toward the middle of 2010 and will be selling unlocked around the end of the year.

Continue reading Novatel shows off next-gen GPS-enabled MiFi, integrated ‘apps’ (video)

Novatel shows off next-gen GPS-enabled MiFi, integrated ‘apps’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint: Android 2.1 update for Hero, Moment coming in early Q2

Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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And there you have it, folks — word straight from Sprint that the much-anticipated Android 2.1 update will be coming to the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment “early” in the second quarter of this year. As you may recall, Sprint has actually been talking about this update since December, but “early 2Q10″ is at least slightly better news than the previous “1H2010″ estimate the carrier’s been dishing out.

Update: Sprint has posted a follow-up tweet saying that OTA vs. PC-based or in-store upgrades are “still TBD upgrade options.”

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sprint: Android 2.1 update for Hero, Moment coming in early Q2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N900 gets new firmware, new games coming too (video)

Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Nokia N900 gets new firmware, new games coming too (video)

If your N900 is in need of a little more excitement, this post is for you. First up is word of a new firmware release (3.2010.02-8 (PR 1.1.1)), 16.2MB worth of apparently minor changes along with a slew of new regions, the inclusion of which may mean good things for those who haven’t been granted to this smartphone yet. If that’s not enough for you, at MWC Nokia is showing off some new apps for the handset, the most notable being a couple of 3D games that look a wee bit simplistic in terms of gameplay but don’t disappoint in terms of graphics. No word on when exactly these will be hitting Ovi Store — well, nothing more specific than “soon.” Video after the break (of the games, not the firmware update).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nokia N900 gets new firmware, new games coming too (video)

Nokia N900 gets new firmware, new games coming too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Nexus One ROM leaks, fixes more radio issues?

Posted on 14. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Remember that hand-waving trick that got a Nexus One to give up the 3G ghost way, way too easily? Well, we don’t want to pop the champagne just yet, but there’s a new non-over-the-air firmware update floating around that includes yet another radio bump among its sundry features, suggesting HTC isn’t quite done yet tuning this thing to get proper HSPA without freaking out from time to time. Whatever this update is, it may never see the official light of day in its current form — it includes Google Maps 3.4, for one thing, while Google’s already gone ahead and upped the ante to 4.0 for Buzz support — but at least it seems engineers aren’t done trying to make this thing work properly.

[Thanks, b3ast]

New Nexus One ROM leaks, fixes more radio issues? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vaunted firmware update for Samsung i8910 HD finally hits

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Kinetic scrolling, ladies and gentlemen: are you ready for it? We sure hope so — if you happen to be using Samsung’s rather uncommon i8910 HD, that is — because that sweet update promised back in December appears to have finally hit the ground running. Besides the significantly improved scrolling mechanism being rolled out through most of the handset’s interface, firmware version JB1 is said to bring a “next gen” web experience, improvements to the camera and video recording settings, a repaired podcast app, and a smattering of bug fixes everywhere you look. The general release is bound to make the i8910 HD’s most disgruntled customers a little less disgruntled, but there’s one little issue — the upgrade apparently drops free storage on the phone’s C: drive all the way down to a nightmarish 17MB, which means you’re going to want to make sure you’re using secondary storage for absolutely everything you can. If you can live with that — and with kinetic scrolling, we wouldn’t blame you — it looks like you’ll need to cable up to Samsung’s PC Studio to perform the update.

Vaunted firmware update for Samsung i8910 HD finally hits originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Hero update to Android 2.1 pegged for mid-March

Posted on 09. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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We’ve known for ages that HTC’s been working on yanking its custom-skinned Hero off of Cupcake’s rusty frame, but so far, the only way to drop Android 2.0 or 2.1 on your phone has been to cheat, root, and load a custom or leaked ROM in place of the official first-party firmware. If you’re too straightedge for that, though, keep the faith — your binary isn’t too far off. PR released today indicates that we can expect the Hero to get an Android 2.1 update with Sense in “mid March” according to HTC’s Benelux team, and it’ll feature a new Friend Stream widget that aggregates user updates across services (presumably a nod to Blur), tweaked Exchange support, and a handful of other goodies. This isn’t necessarily indicative of when Hero versions in other regions (Sprint’s version, for instance) will pick it up, but it’s a solid start.

[Image via EnglishRussia]

HTC Hero update to Android 2.1 pegged for mid-March originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange UK’s HTC Hero gets a minor firmware bump

Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Want Android 2.1 on your Hero? Of course you do — but don’t look for it from HTC… at least, not yet. It should be available eventually — and in the meantime, you’re obviously welcome to do some digging for a cooked ROM from the good people at xda-developers — but for now, High Tech Computer is kicking out another Cupcake-based firmware for Hero users on Orange in the UK. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking here, but CoolSmartPhone reports that there’s at least a new People widget with a 3 x 3 grid, which sounds particularly handy for anyone with nine or fewer friends. If you want it, it’s a quick download away — not as cool as an OTA, of course, but still better than accidentally submerging your phone in boiling water.

[Thanks, Anders]

Orange UK’s HTC Hero gets a minor firmware bump originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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N97 firmware update v21.0.045 ready to download

Posted on 01. Feb, 2010 by IBM. 

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Get to it N97 owners. In addition to your free Ovi Maps, Nokia just let loose firmware version 21.0.045 that promises to improve call reliability and internet browsing while smoothing out the jumpiness some have seen with kinetic scrolling introduced in v20. It’s available now via a Nokia Software Update tether if you just can’t wait for it to be set free over the air. As always, let us know how it goes in the comments.

N97 firmware update v21.0.045 ready to download originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Magic’s Sense update ready for download

Posted on 29. Jan, 2010 by IBM. 

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You’ve waited long enough, now today’s the day that HTC releases ROM Version:3.05.401.3 that brings the Sense user interface to Magic owners. Just be sure and heed HTC’s warning to backup your data since this update will overwrite whatever it is you’ve been doing. Now hit that source link and get to updating, heroes.

HTC Magic’s Sense update ready for download originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zune software references rumored Project Pink devices, a video upload service?

Posted on 28. Jan, 2010 by IBM. 

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We weren’t sure things could get any more interesting with Microsoft’s mobile rumor mill, but along comes Zune Boards with some tantalizing findings in the latest Zune software update. First up is the eEndpointFamily files, which lists all the compatible hardware — ZuneHD, for example. Also found, however, were entries for “PmxPure” and “PmxTurtle.” PMX, if you recall, seems to be a reference to Microsoft’s
Premium Mobile eXperiences group, the remnants of the Danger acquisition who have been whispered to be working on Project Pink. As for Pure and Turtle, let’s go back all the way to September 2009, when we first heard those names as the initial Pink duo — there were some supposed renders, too. If that’s not enough, two PMX table entries pointed to a snippet of text stating that “Studio members” can “View and manage pictures and videos taken with your phone at the Studio,” followed by a link that for now redirects to Zune.net. Could the mysterious Project Pink and the oft-rumored “Zune phone” be one in the same, with some “Studio” service for uploading media to the cloud? Is this all some red herring perpetuated by some amused Microsoft staffers? We don’t know, but it’s mean to tug at our heart strings like that, Microsoft, and worse that it makes Mobile World Congress even more painful to wait for. #tmdp

Zune software references rumored Project Pink devices, a video upload service? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G granted ultra-minor firmware update, too

Posted on 28. Jan, 2010 by IBM. 

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The CLIQ isn’t having all the Android over-the-air update fun today — and unlike Motorola’s little debacle, this upgrade looks like it’s here to stay. The myTouch 3G has started receiving what appears to be the tiniest of cute little updates — so tiny, in fact, that it fixes just one bug: a dodgy missed call indicator that wasn’t showing up consistently. The bottom line is that you can’t expect Android 2.0 or 2.1 here — you’ll still be at 1.6, and if you’re intentionally not answering your phone, you may have actually preferred the bug anyhow. Let us know how your updates go, folks.

T-Mobile myTouch 3G granted ultra-minor firmware update, too originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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