For the majority of people who own non-Honeycomb powered Android tablets, the only thing on their minds is the eventual hope of possibly seeing an update to truly uncover the power of their tablets.

Although some Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab owners might be filled with anticipation today, especially if they happen to see a perky notification pop up about an update, they might be disappointed to figure out that it’s not for Honeycomb. Starting today, Verizon has started rolling out an over-the-air-process for the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s EC02 update, but it might take a few days for it to completely hit everyone. Some of the goodies included with this software update include:

• improved browser performance and speed
• searching for Wi-Fi hotspots no longer drains battery
• hyperlinks can now be accessed directly in emails
• Word 2000 and Word 2003 documents can now be attached to emails
• multiple name cards can now be sent using the Select All feature
• 5 MB video attachments can now be opened from email messages
• changes to font size in the email client don’t go away when replying to messages anymore
• time zone calendar settings have been fixed, calendar events are now accurate regardless of your time zone
• Adobe Flash has been updated

Sure it isn’t Android 3.0 Honeycomb, but we’re sure that there are some owners out there who will be more than jubilant to know that Samsung is still committed to the device.

source: Verizon via Unwired View

It’s definitely not a new trend, especially after seeing UK retailer Dixons dropping the price of its unreleased Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi, but now it’s Carphone Warehouse’s turn to follow suit with a similar reduction.

For some brief time now, the retailer has been selling the GSM version of the Motorola XOOM for £600 with no contracts required, but now they’ve managed to marginally drop its priced. Granted that the savings isn’t as staggering as some would hope for, but its new £579.99 price tag is nonetheless appreciated. Although we won’t fully be able to realize the justification for the new lower cost, it’ll hopefully spur some sales for the Honeycomb flavored Android tablet.

And if you want to pick one up with a 2-year contract, which requires you to side with a £25 per month plan, you’ll only need to scrounge up £200 to pick up the Motorola XOOM.

source: Carphone Warehouse via reghardware

In an era where hacking abilities are highly coveted, it’s not that surprising anymore to find particular handsets running totally different mobile platforms. Time after time, we’ve seen quite a few Windows based phones shedding its roots in favor of running Google’s open platform.

Although it might not surprise some people out there seeing an HTC HD7 running Android, but it’s definitely intriguing to find a device like that sporting the latest version of the Sense UI. Well, the video pretty much shows off how the usually ginormous Windows Phone 7 device is transformed to a powerhouse of an Android smartphone with HTC Sense 3.0 on board. As you can tell, everything pretty much runs as they should – which goes to show the kind of fine tuning that went into its completion.

All in all, it surely shows us all again that the impossible is indeed possible – with the aid of a dedicated and diligent hacker of course.

source: XDA.cn via Redmond Pie

When it comes to accessories that are packaged along with our gadgets, it’s very rare to find people getting excited over customary items – like a microUSB cable for example. Well, if you’re planning to pick up a T-Mobile G-Slate in the near future, you’ll be ecstatic to find a peculiar accessory included that’s not something you normally expect.

No, it’s not one of those fancy active 3D glasses that are used with some high-end 3D television, but rather, the T-Mobile G-Slate will include a pair of nifty (also retro) 3D glasses. However, they’re simply nothing more than the old school red and blue variant. Still, you’ll be able to chuck them on and check out images and videos taken with the tablet in 3D.

Currently, we know that the tablet will be selling for $529.99 with a contract, but we’re still clueless in regards to its no-contract pricing and official release date.

source: T-Mobile via TmoNews

Just about everyone under the sun has their own variant, even some of the prepaid carriers out there, but we have yet to see a version of the popular LG Optimus One make it to AT&T’s lineup.

You know there is something not right with the picture when the nation’s number one carrier isn’t on board with one of the most affordable Android smartphones around. Well, it seems that customers just might soon have the chance to finally experience what the talk is all about. In fact, there was a rendered image of an AT&T branded LG Optimus One device recently leaked, and based on its looks, it pretty much is your clear cut device.

In following with tradition, this handset will more than likely be called the LG Optimus A – the A of course representing AT&T naturally. As for specs, it mainly embodies all the aspects we’d expect – such as a 3.2” HVGA touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera, 600MHz processor, 3G, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headset jack, and microSD card support.

So far, there is no official word from the carrier, but at this point, people will probably expect it to be priced for free with a contract.

source: Pocketnow via Unwired View

Back in late February T-Mo decided to increase the prices of the T-Mobile G2 and the T-Mobile myTouch 4G to $250 – hardly the best news for the subscribers of the fourth-largest US carrier, especially if you take into account that you can buy handsets which are both brand new and more powerful for less bucks on other carriers – like, for example, the AT&T-branded HTC Inspire 4G.

Now, however, T-Mobile has decided to do the decent thing and reversed this decision, effectively meaning that you can buy the above-mentioned flagship models (for the carrier) for their original prices – $200 each.

Of course, when you are looking for a phone, it’s probably best to check the online retailers – just as an example we will point out that our quick visit to Amazon informed us that the T-Mobile G2 costs $99 there, while the T-Mobile myTouch 4G $79.

Thanks, Nick!

source: T-Mobile and Amazon & Amazon

It has become certain that Samsung is about to start officially rolling out Android 2.3 Gingerbread to its Galaxy S smartphones. Judging by the announcement made by a very reliable source, namely Samsung’s Finnish website, first to be treated to an update are most probably going to be the Finnish Galaxy S owners with a projected release date by the middle of April. British carrier Three also tweeted that Android 2.3 is not far away from its Galaxy S smartphones either. The carrier stated that it is planning to make the update available for download within a “couple of weeks.”

The fact that an early build of Gingerbread leaked on the web not long ago, meant that the update’s release may not be far off. It is not yet clear exactly when Gingerbread will start landing on Samsung Galaxy S smartphones and their incarnations across the pond, but be sure that we will let you know as soon as news breaks out.

source: Samsung (translated), ThreeUK (Twitter) via Engadget

Looks like yet another smartphone bargain from Radio Shack is right around the corner. This time it is the no-contract version of the LG Optimus T for T-Mobile and the Shack will be offering it with a $175 price tag. The smartphone runs Android 2.2 Froyo and seems to be the most potent device listed among the retailer’s contract-free deals to date.

At this time, it is not exactly clear what kind of wireless data plan will be recommended for the Optimus T, but we will find out in a few days when the smartphone shows up in Radio Shack retail stores. Nevertheless, it is great to know that no long term commitment with T-Mobile will be necessary.

The LG Optimus T is basically T-Mobile’s version of the LG Optimus One and it is aimed at first-time smartphone users or as an entry-level Android-powered handset. It features a modest 600 MHz processor, a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, and a 3-megapixel camera with auto focus.

source: Android Central

By the end of the year, Root Metrics aims to have collected enough data from its Android and iOS apps, so as it can have the most detailed and unbiased voice and data coverage map for 130 major markets in the US.

Right now there is already a lot of well-visualized data on its own website, but with the help of Android and iOS apps the company hopes to crowdsource data collection, and merge it with what the readings from its own hired guns, scouring the city streets with cell phones from the major carriers to measure coverage and signal strength.

“We track signal strength, dropped calls and data throughput speeds by capturing millions of real-world results directly from participating mobile users’ devices, like yours. Then, using our analytics engine, this data is brought to life through easy to understand maps and ratings that show the true picture of each carrier’s performance down to the most granular levels.“, says the app description.

The Root Metrics app currently doesn’t collect data in the background, but the company says users asked for this feature back, especially while traveling, so as they can set and forget the app, while it is doing its noble cause. The more people install and use the app, the merrier, says Root’s CEO. The map uses green color to visualize the best coverage of your carrier in given location, and black for the worst. Hopefully this picks up steam fast, and we have the true coverage map of the major US carriers by the end of the year, as intended.

source: RootMetrics via PCWorld

A few days have passed since we first got our hands on the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY , the first PlayStation-certified phone, and now it’s time to draw some conclusions. Is the Xperia PLAY really worth the hefty price tag? Does it really boost gaming? Or is the gamepad just a cheap trick? We took a dive in quite a few virtual worlds and here’s what we found:

PlayStation phone exclusive

First, we bravely dissected all… six Xperia PLAY exclusive titles only to find what you might have already expected – the gamepad really makes a huge difference here. While your selection of games is very limited, the whole experience comes close to that on an original PlayStation (save for the screen size) and is certainly worth admiration. The unobstructed screen combined with the convenience of having the time-proven PS controls might lead to a serious addiction. If more games come out, that is.

Other titles

Android is far from being as robust in terms of gaming titles as iOS, but it still offers some excellent games. You’ve – of course – heard of Angry Birds , Fruit Ninja and Doodle Jump, all of which rely on touchscreen actions or the accelerometer. If this kind of gaming is all you really care about, the gamepad would seem like hefty and unnecessary bulk added to the phone as it’s absolutely useless with those titles.

Some graphically taxing phone titles like Asphalt 6 (gaming demo here), though, make excellent use of the additional controls. You’ll feel a noticeable improvement in your driving from the get-go, while the 4 inches of screen estate seem all the more spacious when you have your fingers out of the way. But motion sensing controls do pretty much the same job. It’s titles like the Bruce Lee fighting game or Fifa 10 that truly prove the use of gamepad controls – pumping out combos on with the instant physical feedback giving you a precise idea of timing is just incomparable to anything else out there. The same goes for emulators – we gave Cadillacs and Dinosaurs a quick spin, which suddenly turned out in a full-fledged hourly gaming session. It’s that addictive.

For the rest, we were left with mixed feelings as the gamepad does make a difference for hardcore gaming, but if you only plan on spending a couple of minutes here and there to fill in the time with some Angry Birds action, you’ll find no good use for it.

Actually, it all comes down to the game genre – first person shooters, sports simulators and emulators are some that fit well the idea of having the slide-out controller; other genres, like racing games, are just as fun – if not more – with their motion-sensitive controls, while the rest of the classical Android gaming roster is not even optimized for the gamepad. Finally, the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY might not bring breath-taking silicon, nor the long list of exclusive premium titles we all expected, but what it does is put the focus on cell phone gaming and that’s what really intrigues us. It’s all that PlayStation stalwarts ever wanted in a phone, but for everyone else, the Xperia PLAY is mostly a promise. A rosy one, but still a promise rather than a full-baked platform.