No, Pandora's latest update doesn't refer to Jelly Bean or Key Lime Pie

Oh, my, folks sure got themselves into a tizzy this afternoon, didn't they? See, the Android Pandora application got itself a sizable update today. And the third item in the changelog was (and still is) "Compatibility support for upcoming Android OS."

ZOMG! A new, unannounced version of Android?!?!? Jelly Bean, perhaps?!?!? Key Lime Pie?!?!? Licorice?!?!? Meringue?!?!? Newton?!?!?

Not so much. As we suspected, it's just a bit of future-proofing, and isn't referring to any specific and as-yet-unannounced version of Android. In fact, that's exactly what Pandora told us.

"That line just refers to some minor code cleanup that had hard-coded functionality to the current version of Android - Ice Cream Sandwich. This update just future-proofs the Pandora app for the upcoming versions of Android." 

Now, that's not to say there's nothing of note in this update. More and better settings? Sweet. Better and easier sign-up? Excellent. Plus a host of other fixes, including the removal of the "change network state" permission, which should help the tinfoil-hat types sleep better at night.

But no new version of Android was tipped tonight, folks. That'll have to come another day.

Download: Pandora for Android

Instagram rolls out latest update to address some front facing camera issues and device compatibility

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The latest Instagram for Android update is now available for download in the Google Play Store. This update will be higher priority for those of you out there making use of devices with a front-facing camera. As noted in the change log, it corrects some issues when using the advanced camera option as well as some problems with the reliability of photo filters for certain Galaxy Y and Ace devices. If you fit into either of those sections, or just want to ensure you have the latest installed, you can grab the link below.

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Samsung opens sign up page for the latest updates about the US version of Galaxy S III

Want to be the first to find out when Samsung announces details on the US versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III? They just opened up a registration page for the device and promised customers will receive the latest updates about their highly anticipated device in exchange for your email address.

Some will probably notice there is a field for carrier preference that lists AT&T, C Spire, Metro PCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon, but we wouldn’t read too much into that. However, Samsung did say the device will come to 296 mobile operators in 145 countries, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually landed on all those.

Could the Galaxy S III come to all these US carriers? Maybe...

Latest SwiftKey beta brings back the comma, promotes voice-to-text

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AppId is over the quota

SwiftKey, recipients of the prestigious 2011 Android Central Editor's Pick for third-party keyboard, today unleashed a new beta version of the SwiftKey 3 keyboard that, ahem, fixes a few things in the UI department. Most notably, the comma key has resurfaced, with the voice-to-text microphone as its secondar function, so we're not going to complain too much.

Also of note in this beta update:

• Improved the UI: there is now a dedicated comma key, and the <123> key is now in the bottom-left corner. 
• Refined the Smart Punctuation pop-up.
• Reintroduced the Long-press duration setting.
• Improved Smart Space functionality.
• Further reduced lag on some devices.
• Fixed a number of bugs, including the missing decimal point in the numpad and the "What's New" dialog popping up all the time.

In addition to being the 2011 Android Central Editor's Pick for third-party keyboards, SwiftKey also won a Webby this week, which is pretty close in prestige. (Note to Android Central editors: Give away gongs.)

More: SwiftKey VIP forums (registration required)

Latest SGS3 leak makes us happy that May 3 is just two days away

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AppId is over the quota

 

A mere two days away from the huge Galaxy S III announcement, we’re getting yet another sneak peek at what Samsung is hiding up its sleeve. This leak comes courtesy of Sammobile, and appears to show the “next Galaxy” running Android 4.0.4 out of the box. This device looks to be the GT-I9300, the same phone leaked by Gizmodo Brazil and promptly confirmed by The Verge to be nowhere near the final build.  Sammobile's anonymous tipster claims that whatever this pans out to be, it'll have a 12 megapixel camera, a spec all but confirmed for the GS3. 

Does this mean that the GT-I9800 that got its Wifi certification last week will be the actual Galaxy S III, or are these different model numbers perhaps a continuation of Samsung’s tradition of different Galaxies for different carriers? Is the device above ready to ship, or is it just another dummy casing? Who knows, but one thing’s for certain: we can all say adios to renders and prototypes in just 48 hours, when we'll all unravel the GS3 mystery together.

Source: Sammobile

 

The latest Android version numbers show earnings for ICS and gingerbread

The last set of version Android number was published by Google, showing details on the difference between the different versions of the operating system. As always, the statistics were taken from devices for Google during the last two weeks of the month game store. Here ' s a quick breakdown.

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich from a share of 2.9% last month 4.9% this month, marking a continuation of the slow but steady rise for the last version of the operating system. It is probably because the sale of new phones ICS as the series a HTC, as well as updates to existing phones and tablets of bread spice and running honeycomb.
  
• Android 3.x Honeycomb remained flat at 3.3%, probably as a result of slow sales of honeycomb Tablet combined with a modified schedule and pace for the current tabs of honeycomb.
  
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread increased from 63.7 to 64.4%, meaning people are still buying phones of gingerbread. No surprises there.
  
• Android Froyo 2.2 and 2.1 lightning fell steadily in market share and now stand at 20.9% and 5.5% respectively. Older devices are left behind, and more recent are updates to bread of spice and ICS, expect to see more of this in the coming months.
  
• Android Donut 1.6 and 1.5 Cupcake continue to soldier respectively 0.7 and 0.3% of the Android market. Go to the figure.

To locate, watch last month ' numbers s here. If ICS continues to be out-represented by people like lightning, we ' re expect to see a big leap in the next 30 days, with the launch of devices such as the AT & T HTC a X, Sprint HTC EVO 4 G LTE and the Samsung Galaxy S3, in addition to updates to existing even more material. If you like looking at the rankings, you ' ll still find the link of the source.

Source: Android developers

Latest Legends installment, Dark Legends, released on Android and Google Chrome

First there was Pocket Legends, then came Star Legends. Today sees the latest MMORPG effort from Spacetime Studios, Dark Legends, released into the Google Play Store. It also stakes the claim to be the first game of its kind to launch simultaneously mobile and desktop versions. It is also available in the Google Chrome store, on Mac, PC and Linux. 

The Legends series has become a huge smash hit worldwide, with over 7 million downloads of the first two games. If you've played either Pocket or Star Legends -- and there's a good chance you have -- then you'll feel right at home. New players can sign in with email, or via Facebook, and existing Spacetime account holders can just sign right in and play. 

First impressions are good, with the familiar gameplay taken in a new direction with the undead twist. It'll run you for a grand total of free in the Google Play Store, and you'll find download links along with the full presser after the break.

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Verizon adding remote diagnostics tool to latest LG Revolution update

Verizon just gave us a heads up to a new update for the LG Revolution that, among other things, will add "Verizon Remote Diagnostics" to the smartphone.

Before anybody freaks out, Verizon describes this as a "new customer care solution to improve device issue diagnosis during customer support calls." You'll have to give a customer service rep permissions, and they they'll be able to "remotely view the user's device for troubleshooting and application demonstrations."

In other words, they'll be able to see and take over your phone -- again, with your permission -- to show and fix stuff. Different from a Carrier IQ-type analytics tool hanging out in the background (though we're willing to bet it's got full access to that same sort of information if need be). Should be interesting to see what folks pull out of this.

Other fixes coming down the pike in version VS910ZV8 include:

Device Enhancements

• Resolved reboot issue found during operating system upgrade from Froyo


• to Gingerbread.


• Playing AVI video files through HDMI no longer causes display to flicker.


• Placing an alarm on snooze while on a voice call will set snooze to 5 minutes.


• Dolby presets have been updated to use loudness, bass and spaciousness


• to improve the user’s experience.


• When placing the device into Airplane Mode, the 4G icon no longer appears.


• Email, Messaging & Web


• Sending a text message to a 7 digit number will display as sent and received.


• Improved device messaging to fix delays or incomplete sends.


• Pressing the back key while browsing will take the user back to the previous page.

Applications & Widgets

• Verizon Video is now preloaded.


• Calendar widget now displays correct month for November.

It'll be interesting to see if this is just the first Verizon phone to have Verizon Remote Diagnostics added. Either way, props to Verizon for being up front about the addition.

More: LG Revolution VS910ZV8 changelog (pdf)

Archos show shipping G9 Turbo "CSI" Edition with the latest version of the preloaded software

In addition to update its line of Tablet current G9 of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Archos made his debut for two new "CSI" Edition G9 Turbo tablets, storage configurations is slightly different, slightly adjusted prices. As a result, Archos ' first line of Tablet Android certified Google wins three new SKUs.

First up is the Archos 80 G9 Turbo ICS, that comes with a 1.5 GHz CPU, a screen of 8 inches and Android 4.0. It ' available for £ 200 s (~$ 310) with 8 GB of storage flash or £ 240 (~$ 380) for 16 GB. He ' s also the sounding ill-considered Archos 101 G9 Turbo ICS, which offers similar specifications on a 10 inch screen - which ' s yours for £ 270 (~ $ 425) with 16 GB of storage.

So then that all tablets of G9 should upgrade to ICS out of the box, at least you won ' t do any downloading or if you take Archos pending ' tabs news. If you ' ve declined all relying on Archos ' last tablets, don't forget to hit the comments and let know us how you ' re on.

Source: Archos; by: Eurodroid

Archos launches latest Honeycomb effort, the 70b Internet Tablet

The world outside Barcelona goes on as normal it seems, and Archos have today launched their latest tablet, the 70b. The name won't impress you, but the price of this latest Honeycomb effort might. The 7-inch 70b is on sale at just $199.99.

While being aimed towards the lower end of the tablet market, it stills looks fairly capable. As with all the Gen 9 Archos Tablets, the full Google app suite is on board. A 7-inch 1024x600 screen sits atop a 1.2 GHz ARM processor. Onboard storage is only 8GB but a MicroSD card slot is present allowing for another 32GB should you desire. You also get a front facing camera, and as ever Archos devices are capable of decoding pretty much most video formats out there.

The 70b isn't likely to set the world on fire, but offers a full tablet experience at the same price point as the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet 8GB. Archos tablets have always been very media-centric, and maybe the best part -- the kickstand. Always a winner should you like to enjoy movies from your tablet. 

More: Archos