Samsung Just Released Android 4.0.4 Updates for the Galaxy Note

Samsung just unveiled a slight update for the international owners of the Galaxy Note. The update will change the current Galaxy Note’s Android 4.0.3 to 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Together with the typical performance improvements and bug fixes are couple of pretty awesome enhancements to the software.

First is a feature called the POPup Play that was spotted at the Galaxy S III announcement which allows users to enjoy video playback while accessing other apps. It is truly an amazing feature to those who want to read a text or email and still want to continue playing the video at the side of the screen.

Second feature will be the “Signature Unlock” function where you can simply sign your name by means of Sammy’s S Pen to get access to the content of your phone, replacing the old fashioned PIN.

It is indeed not a useless update. The update is already available OTA and can be downloaded through Samsung Kies or the Samsungfirmware page.

Samsung updates ICS upgrade list to include T-Mobile devices

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AppId is over the quota

Samsung has been rather forthcoming when it comes to telling folks what devices will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The list of eligible devices has been updated a couple times now but one carrier; namely, T-Mobile has remained missing off that list until recently. The newly updated list now features in total, four T-Mobile devices:

• Samsung Galaxy S II (SGH-t989)
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G (SGH-t769)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (SGH-t869)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (SGH-t859)

Not surprisingly, they don't differ all that much from the various other carriers out there but it is nice to see T-Mobile added and that leaves us with the impression Samsung and T-Mobile have at least a general idea of when things will get rolling out to the masses.

Source: Samsung, via: TMo News

Sony outlines Xperia ICS update plans - manual upgrade only, starting mid-April

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Sony Mobile (or Sony Ericsson, as it was known back then) was one of the first Android manufacturers to step forward with a a definitive upgrade plan for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. We've even seen public beta ROMs released for a couple of devices by Sony devs, and active engagement with the community to track down bugs.

Today Sony's offering up more details about exactly when each of its 2011 (and 2012) Xperia handsets will be getting the latest version of Android. The manufacturer had previously promised updates during Q1, but with just two days of the current quarter remaining, it should come as no surprise that things haven taken a little longer than anticipated.

The first Sony devices to get ICS will be the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray, starting mid-April. Next up it's the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active and SE Live with Walkman, which will get ICS from "the end of May/early June."

If you've just bought a brand new Xperia S, though, you'll be in for a much longer wait. Sony's new European flagship isn't expected to get ICS until late Q2. As we said in our review, the Xperia S is a phone which sorely needs that ICS update, and early adopters will no doubt be frustrated to find themselves at the back of the line.

Sony also revealed that for 2011 Xperia phones, ICS will be an optional upgrade rather (through the PC Companion app) than a automatic over-the-air update. This is similar to the strategy adopted by Sony Ericsson with the Xperia X10's Gingerbread update. Writing on its Developer World Blog, Sony explains that ICS may actually degrade performance for some users due to increased memory use, and changes to the way SQL databases are handled, so it's not forcing the update on anyone in an OTA.

More technical details are available at the source link, but the upshot is that Sony's giving customers a choice between sticking with the familiar and stable Gingerbread experience, or living life on the edge with ICS. As far as we're concerned, that's got to be a good thing.

Source: Sony Mobile Blog; Sony Developer World

Three UK taking HTC One X upgrade orders from existing subscribers

Three UK might not be taking orders for the HTC One X from new customers just yet, but if you're due an upgrade from them, you may be in luck. It seems the network is already allowing existing customers to secure themselves a One X on launch day, assuming they're eligible for an upgrade. So if your contract with Three is up for a renewal, check the upgrades area and you should be able to select the One X in grey or white.

Orders placed over the past few days are reportedly due for delivery on April 5, which as we all know is the reported launch date for the HTC One series.

As we reported a few weeks back, the HTC One X will be sold on every major network in the UK. Vodafone UK is currently taking pre-orders, while O2 has said it expects to stock the device from April 5. T-Mobile and Orange both specify an April release window.

Thanks to AC reader +Andrew Jones-McGuire for letting us know!

March 10 Galaxy S II ICS upgrade date posted in error, says Samsung Korea

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AppId is over the quota

Yesterday Samsung's Filipino site published statement announcing that the Galaxy S II would be receiving the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, starting tomorrow, Mar. 10. Since then, Samsung has stepped in via its official Korean Twitter account to say that the article was posted in error, and that any official date will come straight from them.

This isn't the first time a supposedly official date for the long-awaited update has been rescinded. Last week Samsung Israel took to Facebook to announce that the update would land on Mar. 15, and that post has since vanished. With all this talk of updates arriving in the next week or so, though, we're sure Galaxy S II owners won't have too long to wait.

Source: @SamsungTomorrow; via: The Verge