Software and games

Ice Cream Sandwich with quad-core chips ready for Mobile World Congress

Over the last month, CNET has written a lot about an upcoming trade show called Mobile World Congress. And over the next week, we'll be writing even more about it.

If you've never heard of the event before, I don't blame you. Indeed, Mobile World Congress doesn't have the same name recognition that CES commands in the United States, but for the wireless world, it's almost as big and just as significant. Each February, folks from all corners of the industry and around the world meet in Barcelona, Spain, to make deals, demonstrate the latest technologies, and show off the latest and greatest phones and tablets.

This will be my fifth year at the show, which begins Monday in Catalonia's Gaudi-obsessed capital city. Though a possible transit strike threatens to make getting around a little difficult, there's guaranteed to be a (metric) ton of new devices, from the very fancy to the strictly functional. It will be a massive amount to cover, but CNET will have a large team on the ground, including editors Jessica Dolcourt, Roger Cheng, Maggie Reardon, and Stephen Shankland. And thanks to CNET TV producers Jamie Yee and Mark Licea, the new handsets will get their star turns on video.

Android avalanche So what exactly will we see?… Read more

Firefox's Jetpack extensions reach mobile browsing

Not long after Mozilla brought its browser to Android, the organization has adapted its Jetpack tools for building browser add-ons for mobile use, too.

"Now you can start developing add-ons for the mobile version of Firefox," said Dave Mason, Mozilla's product manager for add-on technologies, in a mailing list message yesterday about the latest Jetpack, formally called the Add-on SDK version 1.5. "For this initial release we have the page-mod API working so that you can, among other things, create add-ons that will display mobile-friendly versions of Web sites that do not have that option.&… Read more

HTC to bless more U.S. phones with Ice Cream Sandwich

HTC today confirmed that five more of its Android-powered smartphone from North American carriers will see a 4.0 update.

Without providing insight as to when each hanset will get the the update, the company has confimed that the HTC Rhyme, HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Rezound, and Droid Incredible 2 will get their just desserts at some point.

While we already expected the recently announced Rezound to pick up Ice Cream Sandwich we werem't so certain about the Thunderbolt. Still, I'll take what I can get.

Heading north of the border, HTC also mentions that the Raider with Rogers … Read more

HTC further details Ice Cream Sandwich for select devices

HTC has once again taken to Facebook to shed light on Android 4.0 updates for its line of smartphones.

The company has added three handsets, the HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S, and HTC Desire HD, to the list of devices expected to see Ice Cream Sandwich in 2012. These will join other notable smartphones such as the HTC Amaze 4G, HTC Evo 3D, and HTC Rezound in getting 4.0 "later this year."

In addition to adding the new models, HTC has further clarified the time frame as to when other handsets will see the update … Read more

Plenty of new phones could land in Barcelona

Though last month's CES offered plenty of mobile news, committed wireless watchers know that the annual Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona is the smartphone and tablet jackpot.

This year, the fun begins on February 27 with a full afternoon of press conferences coming the day before. And though a possible transit strike is threatening to muck up the logistics of an already logistically challenged event, we're already reveling in a flood of rumors as to what devices might make their debut. Yes, some of this gossip may not pan out, but you can bet that the four … Read more

Sprint offers subscribers a pair of Gameloft ID Packs

Gameloft today announced that it has become the latest brand to join Sprint's growing line of ID Packs.

The two bundles each bring Sprint consumers four of Gameloft's popular Android games along with direct access to news, updates, and more. Depending on what type of gamer you are, or how powerful your handset is, you can install either the HD Games ID Pack or Top Games ID Pack. And for those who simply cannot decide, Sprint allows users to have up to five ID Packs on each handset.

The HD Games ID Pack is designed to run on … Read more

HTC may dish Ice Cream Sandwich to Flyer tablet

Mere weeks after announcing that Android 3.2 is being deployed to the 7-inch Flyer tablet, HTC could be readying a 4.0 update.

According to HTC-Hub, the hardware maker expects to roll out the Ice Cream Sandwich update during the first quarter of the year. If the rumor proves to be true, this may be one of the fastest back-to-back updates in Android history.

The rumors of a 4.0 update got started when a member of the blog spoke to an online HTC customer service representative about some lingering issues that the 3.2 update brought to the … Read more

Google issues Ice Cream Sandwich style guide

LAS VEGAS--When Google first showed off Ice Cream Sandwich last year, the company promised that the update would unify the Android experience between tablets and smartphones.

And today at CES, Matias Duarte, Google's director of Android user experience, announced a further step in that direction.

While speaking with editors of The Verge, Duarte announced that Google has developed an Ice Cream Sandwich style guide for device manufactures and developers.

According to Android Developer Blog, the guide will be a place where developers can "learn about principles, building blocks, and patterns for creating world-class Android user interfaces." In … Read more

Google standardizes Holo theme for Android 4.0 devices

After investing a considerable amount of time and effort on the Android 4.0 user interface (UI), Google is taking steps to ensure that it remains a key component of devices.

Writing on the developer blog yesterday, Android Framework engineer Adam Powell outlined the new compatibility standard for the Holo theme first introduced in 3.0 Honeycomb.

Going forward, devices running Ice Cream Sandwich with official access to the Android Market will offer the Holo themes as they were initially created. So in other words, developers will have a standard set of UI elements to work with, ultimately resulting in … Read more

Samsung said to be rethinking Android 4.0 upgrade for Galaxy S

Samsung dropped a bit of bad news last Friday when it announced on one of its Korean promotional blogs that it wouldn't be bringing Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) to its Galaxy S smartphone or its 7-inch Galaxy Tab.

Users understandably cried foul and chatter of Android fragmentation surfaced again, and the company may be feeling the heat. Though Sammy originally said that the native software on the devices would prohibit an optimal Android 4.0 experience, a report from MSN Korea said today that the company is now reviewing the upgrade process and may find a way … Read more