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Sonos, the speaker and app combination that we raved about earlier this year, has been updated to add another streaming service and other improvements that will make this an even better home audio option.

Newly-added Android tablet support is the big ticket item in Sonos Controller. The app is now downloadable for Android tablets running 2.2 or higher, including most popular tablets ranging from the Kindle Fire to the Motorola Xoom. Sadly, Sonos didn’t do anything to the app other than make it scale to fit the larger screens. There’s still quite a bit of empty space and the buttons are incredibly small considering all that extra screen real estate going to waste. Still, it’s better than nothing as I’ve often wished I could control my Sonos system from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 instead of relying on my phone exclusively.

Version 3.6 also brings Slacker Radio for users in the United States and Canada. That opens up more streaming and on-demand options, including customized radio stations and ESPN or news. (Note, press the ‘i’ button in the lower right corner to get Artist/Song/Album info.) Streaming Spotify through Sonos also got better thanks to the ability to access Spotify inbox and listen to the New Releases or Top Tracks playlists. Still not enough?

Sonos now supports AAC+ and the following languages: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Swedish.

Note: If you already have Sonos working on your device, DO NOT update your ZonePlayers because they will break compatibility. Everything was working fine for me this morning and when I updated, things crapped-out. I expect Sonos to provide a fix for this soon, but ignore prompts to update your ZonePlayers for now.

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Syndicated from: Sonos Controller adds Android tablet support, Slacker, and better Spotify streaming

Since Google announced Ice Cream Sandwich in October, one of the most popular questions asked online is “When will Insert phone name here get Android 4.0?” That’s a difficult question to answer, but we have seen some companies like HTC, LG, and Sony Ericsson go on the record about some of the phones it pledges to support. What about the rest?

JR Raphael of ComputerWorld has compiled a list of devices promised to receive Ice Cream Sandwich and takes a guess at which devices are likely to get it. The list is not complete and has some glaring omissions, notably the HTC Thunderbolt, but it is one of the largest lists of on-the-record statements about which Android phones and tablets are expected to get Ice Cream Sandwich.

The list is viewable here and will “evolve quickly and frequently” according to Raphael, but it doesn’t answer a critical question – when? That’s what people always ask after “If” their device will be updated, and it’s a question that no one can answer right now. It’s easy to say that a phone or tablet can support Android 4.0 simply because it has the hardware to support it and number of users to make it worth the company’s money to upgrade. However, it takes a considerable amount of time to re-skin Android with Sense or Touchwiz, rebuild apps for ICS, and then go through the carrier testing process to make phones ready for updates.

It will be several months before ICS officially pops up on new phones, and some phones will take longer than others. Your best bet is to stay patient or be prepared to root your device and load a custom ROM.

[ComputerWorld] Thanks, Chris!

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Syndicated from: When is my Android device getting Ice Cream Sandwich? ComputerWorld takes a guess.

Time Warner Cable is the latest to join the Market with a launch of its free app for Android tablets, which allows subscribers to program their DVR’s and check TV listings. Unfortunately, the TWC TV app doesn’t provide access to live TV channels, a service that some programmers have apparently objected to. This started from the company’s iPad app, which included a live-streaming feature of Time Warner Cable’s TWCable TV. The feature prompted Viacom (who owns MTV, VH1, and BET) to sue Time Warner Cable, because they argued that the services were outside the scope of existing distribution deals. So it leaves this stripped down version of the app, bringing some decent options that includes access to the following features:

• Ability to program DVR
• Add favorite channels
• Use Android tablet as a remote control
• View a filtered guide showing favorite channels or HD channels only
• Search for programming by title or episode

The app is also available to all customers with set-top boxes or DVRs running the Time Warner Cable “Navigator” interactive program guide. I’m not sure how far this goes when it pertains to set-top-boxes, because I haven’t seen the channel app on my Roku 2 box as of yet. TWC TV will operate on all tabs running Honeycomb Android version 3.x, so whether you have the Motorola Xoom, Lenovo K1 Ideapad, or Samsung Galaxy Tab your good.

That said, I’m not sure if this app is any better than Direct TV or Comcast’s Xfinity app, but if you are customer of TWC you should give it a try by hitting our trusty button below. Tell us how you like the app? Is it any good?

Source: MCN

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Syndicated from: Time Warner Cable lands on Android tablets

Remember when I asked why aren’t there more fully-white Android phones released in the U.S.? AT&T and Samsung must have read it because they are releasing an all white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket.

Samsung just sent us word that the snow-white Galaxy S II Skyrocket will go on sale this Sunday, December 4. The price will be the same as the standard device, which is $249.99 on a two-year agreement. (FYI: Don’t forget to check AT&T online to see if a $100 price cut is available in your area.) This version will also share the specs of the original Skyrocket released in November: 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 4G LTE support, Android 2.3.5, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 8 Megapixel camera, and 16 GB on internal memory.

Both phones are the same on the inside, so why should anyone care that it’s a different color? Vanity, obviously! If it’s the same color, how will people know that I upgraded?

Seriously, it’s just about providing something different. As I mentioned before, practically every phone released in America is black with silver or red accents, or black with a white rear. It always seemed strange to me that few companies ever took the extra step and made an all-white phone, which is something they often do in Europe and Asia. Samsung will deliver that feature stateside this Sunday for anyone who cares.

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Researchers at North Carolina State University revealed some major findings regarding Android devices. Using a tool called “Woodpecker” that was developed the researchers, they found noteworthy vulnerabilities on HTC, Samsung and Motorola smartphones. The specific phones studied were the HTC Legend, EVO 4G, and Wildfire S; the Motorola Droid and Droid X; the Samsung Epic 4G; and the Google Nexus One and Nexus S. Woodpecker analyzed the pre-loaded pieces of software on each phone, probing for capacity leaks– sensitive application and operating system privileges left exposed to other applications in ways that would allow them to be accessed by a malicious app without requesting permission from the device user. The researchers were “surprised to find out these stock phone images [on the devices tested] do not properly enforce [Android's] permission-based security model”.

Basically the capacity leaks fell into two categories, explicit and implicit. Explicit leaks allows applications to exploit a public interface or service of another app without making a permission request. Implicit leaks allows other applications to inherit permissions from another application signed with the same digital certificate (this allows applications from the same developer to automatically interact with each other). They found that while implicit leaks were not as serious a problem, explicit leaks were. Sensitive information such as geo-location, address book, SMS messages, etc.– were leaked on the pre-installed apps. Moreover the researchers found “an untrusted app on these affected phones can manage to wipe out the user data on the phones, send out SMS messages (e.g., to premium numbers), record user conversation, or obtain user geo-locations—all without asking for any permission”. This study is definitely eye-opening, but not surprising as there are examples of some HTC phones and Motorola DROIDs being vulnerable.

So what do you as an Android owner take from this study? First pay close attention to the permissions that each and everyone of your applications of your smartphone or tablet may have. Remember gang, we have a nice little tip sheet for how to spot questionable applications and verify permissions in order to keep your Android protected. Second– Android manufacturers (and even Google) will need to take software security much more seriously. Hopefully the new generation of Android devices will alleviate our fears and concerns for these software holes found in the Android OS.

Syndicated from: North Carolina State University Uses “Woodpecker” To Peck Holes In Security Of Android Smartphones

Last week we got word that a white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket will be available in time for the holidays. No date was given at the time, but Samsung just contacted us, and we are happy to let you know that you will be able to pick one up at AT&T this Sunday, December 4. Not a bad looking phone in white.  More pics after the break.

Syndicated from: Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket in White will be available on December 4

Are you sick and tired of reading about the patent wars between Apple and Samsung yet? Well it appears that Samsung has won one legal battle against Apple in Australia. Samsung won its appeal lawsuit against Apple in the land down under, and overturned a ban on selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1. An appeals court said that the original judge in a lower court made a mistake that approved Apple’s request for an injunction against the tablet. The three-judge panel believed that the original court “erred in principle” and was quoted to say:

“We cannot see how Samsung’s conduct in refusing the offer of an early trial could properly be weighed.”

Nam Ki Yung, a spokesman for Samsung, also remarked:

 “The ruling clearly affirms that Apple’s legal claims lack merit.”

However, Apple isn’t backing down without a fight. They are still accusing Samsung of copying their products. Bloomberg received an email from an Apple spokesperson that wrote:

“This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas,”

So it appears that, as of right now, Samsung has won a victory in Australia, but things appear different on the German front. Even with Samsung’s modifications to their original Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, still appears too similar to the iPad for Apple’s liking. Too similar in fact, that Apple has requested yet another injunction to stop sales of the tablet in Germany. The hearing for said injunction is scheduled for December 22nd, according to Down Jones Newswires.

So the patent wars continue to well, continue. It does appear however, that even with Apple’s slew of preliminary victories, that Samsung is starting to win some cases of their own. As the Apple versus Samsung battle continues, things are surely to heat up.

Syndicated from: Patent Wars: Australian Court Overturns Samsung Tablet Ban, Apple Wants to Ban Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany

Samsung just keeps continuing to show some love to owners of its devices. First the DROID Charge got a major update, now it’s another phone set for an update. The Fascinate is finally set to taste some of that sweet, sweet Gingerbread 2.3 goodness. Verizon has just announced the i500.EH03 build which includes a host of updates and improvements in addition to Android 2.3. You’ll find improved widgets and updated calendar options among the noteworthy features of the new build. The hefty 95.7MB file should be available anytime now for those of you still rocking the Fascinate, so be sure to check out the full change log at the source below and download the update. Oh and do tell us how it works out for you in the Comments section.

Syndicated from: Verizon Releases Samsung Fascinate i500.EH03 Update, Includes Gingerbread Treat

Hey, remember those volume issues that European Galaxy Nexus users were complaining about? While a software fix may have already floated around the internet ether last week, Google has informed us that it’ll be officially distributing the retweak very soon. Or, in its words: “We’re currently rolling out a fix for the volume issue which will reach everyone in the coming week.”

Google: Galaxy Nexus volume fix to roll out next week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy Nexus OTA update quietly rolls out, addresses volume bug originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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