Ice Cream Sandwich

Android Adoption: Jelly Bean now over 10% with ICS nearing 30% while Gingerbread has finally ducked under 50%. [Android]

Sony Xperia Tablet S Review: Better, But Still Broken

Last year’s Sony Tablet S wasn’t perfect, but it was refreshing. It was a sign that Sony could still innovate, and that it wasn’t afraid to try something different. The new Xperia S tablet is an improvement in every way. But it’s still hung up on those same Sony snags. https://gizmodo.com/sony-tablet-s-review-its-good-to-see-you-again-sony-5836051 What Is It? Sony’s…

Sony Xperia Tablet S Hands-On: Still Weird. A Little Better. Let’s Hope Somebody Buys It This Time.

It’s been exactly a year since the original Sony Tablet S debuted. It was unique, and a lot better than the terrible Tablet P, but it never got to be all that popular. This year’s Tablet S returns with the Xperia moniker and a set of improvements that should fix the flaws from the first…

Archos Gen10 XS Tablet Review: One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

Think Microsoft Surface is the only one that gets to have fun with a keyboard hidden in the tablet’s cover? Hell naw, quoth Archos. The Gen10 XS Tablet is bringing some old-style clickity-clack to the tablet game. If only they’d made it, you know, work. https://gizmodo.com/what-is-microsoft-surface-5919428 What Is It? It’s a 10.1 inch Android tablet…

Motorola Atrix HD Review: A $100 Android Phone That Doesn’t Suck

The original Motorola Atrix was a big star of CES 2011. Despite the fact that it morphed into the world’s worst laptop, the phone itself actually held its own. Now, the Atrix is back. The gimmicks are gone, and what’s left is a solid, affordable phone with a sharp HD screen and a speedy OS.…

Port Google Now To Your Ice Cream Sandwich Android Phone

With the right skills, you can port Jelly Bean’s Google Now over to your Ice Cream Sandwich Android device. If you want to try the oh-so-creepy predictive assistant, but you’re not yet running a build 4.1 operating system, you can do so following a set of instructions posted on the XDA Developers forums. User febycv…

Only 10-Percent of Androids Have Ice Cream Sandwich After Eight Months

Ice Cream Sandwich is now installed on 10-percent of active Android devices, according to Google’s own numbers. About 64-percent of users are still using Gingerbread. And the latest iteration of Android, Jelly Bean, is already on its way. When developers express concern about Android fragmentation, this is what they mean: Users are distributed over so…

Matias Duarte Q&A: Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7, and the Wild, Weird World of Android

Matias Duarte is the Director of Android User Experience at Google, which means he’s the artist who pretties up the green robot’s gears. We got some one-on-one time with him at Google I/O, and he opened up about the Nexus 7, Jelly Bean, and why we shouldn’t be so huffy about Android fragmentation. Giz: What…

Samsung Galaxy S III Review: A Great Phone That Tries Too Hard

Samsung’s Galaxy S II was the king of Android in 2011. But now HTC is on top with the new One X. The Galaxy S III is the most anticipated spec-beast of the year (so far), but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. Why It Matters The Galaxy S II was the best selling…

iOS 6 vs. Ice Cream Sandwich: The Ultimate Comparison

iOS 6 is coming soon(ish) to an iPhone and iPad near you. But how does Apple’s latest and greatest compare to the latest and greatest out of the Android camp, a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich. Gladiators, step forth! For the record, this is not a review. There will be no review until we have spent some…

iOS Vs. Android Fragmentation: Apple Users Stay Current

Here’s a little factoid from WWDC that the Android Community is sure to hate. 80 percent of iOS users are using iOS 5 (Apple’s latest and greatest). Look at that little slice of pie for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Ouch. To be fair, Apple had a head start here, but it’s indicative of a…

HTC EVO 4G LTE Lightning Review: The Phone That Would Be King (But Isn’t)

HTC’s new line of phones is kinda, like, the best. The One S (on T-Mobile) is good. The One X (on AT&T) is very, very good. The latest addition is the EVO 4G LTE. Can it hang with its brothers? What Is It? Remember the One X we liked so much? It’s basically almost exactly…

How To Use Android

Android is awesome and powerful, but it has, shall we say, a learning curve. That scares some people away. After all, iOS is so intuitive that babies can use it. Literally. But you’re not a baby. Android may require a little effort to learn and set up, but you get a tangible return on that…

Acer Iconia Tablet Lightning Review: The Transformer Prime’s Chubby Cousin

Acer isn’t exactly the first name that pops into your head when it comes to top-tier tablets, but the company’s trying to change that with the Iconia A510. But does it hit the sweet spot between performance and price? What Is It? A 10.1-inch tablet featuring a lightly skinned version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream…

HTC One S Lightning Review: Android’s Sturdy, Speedy Wolverine

The old HTC is dead. Long live the new HTC, with fewer products and more attention to detail. The HTC One line heralds this new day. The first product to reach the U.S. is the One S, launching today on T-Mobile. But is it a worthy debut? What Is It? It’s a 4.3-inch phone on…

The Speedy HTC One S Hits T-Mobile April 25th for $200

We knew it was coming, but it’s nice to get the official details. HTC is bringing its Onesy-goodness to T-Mobile starting next week on April 25th. It’ll run you $200 on contract, and it’s a very nice piece of kit. https://gizmodo.com/htc-one-s-hands-on-really-solid-really-fast-updated-5888409 There isn’t a whole lot more to add here from our initial hands-on with…

Hands On: Toshiba’s New Excite Tablets Come In Small, Regular, and Holy Crap

The Toshiba Thrive was big and fat. The Thrive 7 trimmed down a bit, but it was still pretty beefy. That’s why we were surprised when we saw the new Excite series and our reaction was, “Oh sweetie! What, you don’t eat?” https://gizmodo.com/toshiba-thrive-do-big-tablets-need-love-too-no-5822445 There are three new Excite tablets: the 7.7-inch, the 10-inch, and the…

HTC Evo 4G LTE Hands On: One Serious Piece of Slick

When Sprint launched the original HTC Evo 4G, in the spring of 2010, it was arguably the best Android phone money could buy. Flash forward two years, and here comes the HTC Evo 4G LTE. Once again, it might just enter the market as the best Android phone money can buy. https://gizmodo.com/htc-evo-4g-review-a-war-machine-5554198 Remember how excited…

Does HTC’s Face Unlock Patent Mean Android In-Fighting?

HTC has been awarded a patent for a technology that would let you unlock your smartphone or tablet with your face. However, Face Unlock is already a feature on Android that first appeared on Ice Cream Sandwich. Does this mean a war is brewing among the Android crowd? The patent covers the use of “biometric…

New Google Maps Makes Taking the Bus Easier

Public transit riders used to have to just settle for the route that Google Maps dictated—no discussion, no sharing of feelings, nothing. But, the newest iteration of Maps will tailor the route to your preferences while looking gorgeous on Ice Cream Sandwich. With version 6.5, Maps now allows the user to select his preferred method…