Tag Archives: enhancements

Aug 22

Toshiba Thrive 10 Inch Tablet Updated to Android ...

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Of the many tablets I’ve tested in 2011, I remember two of them as being particularly unimpressive and underwhelming. I’m talking about the Toshiba Thrive and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. now the former just got updated to Android 4.0.4 ICS ahead of quite a few models, I might add.

This bulky slab called Thrive offered a full size USB port and HDMI and a very thick shell, with good grip and the ability to remove the back cover and battery. the update gives the slate video improvements, enhancements to the camera and connectivity and the usual bug fixes and stability improvements. You just need to reach the “Service Station” app on the tablet, check for updates and it will all be done. Meanwhile, the 7 inch Thrive owners will have to wait a bit longer for the update.

Since the owners of Toshiba tablets are barely getting Ice Cream Sandwich, odds of seeing Jelly Bean on them are slim to none, but there’s always CyanogenMod 10, right?

Toshiba Thrive 10 Inch Tablet Updated to Android 4.0.4 ICS

Jul 26

AT&T finally releasing Android 4.0 for Galaxy ...

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It’s been a long time coming, but Android 4.0 is finally available for the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II Skyrocket on AT&T. ROMs for both phones leaked months ago, but AT&T has finally deemed it ready to roll out to consumers. As with some of Samsung’s other updates, you’ll need to visit Samsung’s website, download the Kies update program, and plug your phone in to your computer to update. we got a chance to take a tour through Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Note yesterday, and found some of the “Premium Suite” enhancements to be a mixed bag — but the whole package is still a major improvement over Gingerbread. As for the Skyrocket, it sounds like it’ll be receiving the same Android 4.0 plus Touchwiz experience that we saw back in March. AT&T says that it’ll be updating more phones to Android 4.0 as the summer rolls on, so if you’re using one of the other promised devices, stay tuned.

AT&T finally releasing Android 4.0 for Galaxy S II Skyrocket and Galaxy Note today

Jul 14

AT&T finally releasing Android 4.0 for Galaxy ...

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It’s been a long time coming, but Android 4.0 is finally available for the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II Skyrocket on AT&T. ROMs for both phones leaked months ago, but AT&T has finally deemed it ready to roll out to consumers. as with some of Samsung’s other updates, you’ll need to visit Samsung’s website, download the Kies update program, and plug your phone in to your computer to update. We got a chance to take a tour through Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Note yesterday, and found some of the “Premium Suite” enhancements to be a mixed bag — but the whole package is still a major improvement over Gingerbread. as for the Skyrocket, it sounds like it’ll be receiving the same Android 4.0 plus Touchwiz experience that we saw back in March. AT&T says that it’ll be updating more phones to Android 4.0 as the summer rolls on, so if you’re using one of the other promised devices, stay tuned.

AT&T finally releasing Android 4.0 for Galaxy S II Skyrocket and Galaxy Note today

Jun 10

Acer Iconia Tab A210 hands-on – SlashGear

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With the Acer Iconia Tab A110 out on the blocks with a big upgrade to Tegra 3 with Ice Cream Sandwich, we knew there’d be a bump for the next biggest bunch: the Acer Iconia Tab A210. this device takes the Iconia Tab A200 and turns it into a much more impressive beast, complete with NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 1.2GHz quad-core processor, a lovely 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel display, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. can it bust up the elder generation of Acer Android tablets with one blow?

Acer has brought some heat this time around complete with a microSD card slot, 3G capability, and a giant 3260mAh battery under the hood. this device has GPS and GLONASS inside as well as the same enhancements we saw on the previous generation of Acer Androids with the Acer Life Widget. this tablet works with many of the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich features we’d missed on some of the first tablets coming out with the software such as Android Face Unlock. It’s got Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and has Zinio, Kindle, Kobo, and Polaris Office right out of the box.

The Iconis Tab A210 takes what we loved about the A200 and bumps it up here – the USB 2.0 port is still intact, for example, with the biggest changes being the change of the soft plastic for hard plastic and the processor bump from dual to quad-core. this tablet comes in white with a black bordered front and may well have other color choices by the time it hits the market. We’ll know more soon!

Stick around for more Computex 2012 action and hit up the timeline below to see all things Acer!

Story Timeline

Acer Iconia Tab A210 hands-on – SlashGear

May 16

Motorola XOOM WiFi To Get New Update Soon

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Owners of the Motorola Xoom can look forward to a special treat soon. according to some reports, the Motorola XOOM WiFi Android tablet will be receiving an update very soon. it looks like some testers have started receiving emails about a new update that is coming.We have no idea what it is, so it is likely the usual, like fixing bugs and adding some enhancements to the operating system. probably nothing major. we should know soon enough. After testing, the should be pushed out to the public right after.

Does anyone care to guess what this update is all about? if you are part of the Motorola XOOM testing group, maybe you can let us know. Don’t keep us in suspense.

Source Ubergizmo

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Motorola XOOM WiFi To Get New Update Soon

May 04

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android 4.0 (ICS) Ice Cream ...

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Today we’ve learned that Acer Iconia Tab A500 is actually receiving the much anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) firmware update. The rumors we’ve heard earlier was that Acer Iconia Tab A100 would be the first of the Iconia line of phones to be receiving an ICS bump earlier than expected but its that A500 has joined in. Instead of the scheduled April 27th roll out as stated in Acer’s official support website, the update was actually pushed on April 25th. Owners were actually the first ones to report that the ICS update was already available and it seems like every Acer Iconia Tab A500 owner is taking time to update their devices.

The bump to Android 4.0 ICS of Acer Iconia line of phones is actually a major update for the 10-incher tablet as it brings a lot of improvements, enhancements and bug fixes. In fact, many have already been bugging Acer about this update because just a few weeks ago, there were no news as to when the company would start rolling out over-the-air (OTA) official upgrade. While not everyone could receive notification for the said software bump, owners should do their part and start checking for updates manually by going to Settings => About.

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android 4.0 ICS Update Features

While everybody knows there is a huge bump from the previous version of Android to ICS, Acer actually has some modifications for its devices. So, on top of the stock ICS ROM, the following have been considerably improved for Acer devices including Iconia Tab A500.

Improved User Interface. you will be receiving a whole new environment in your phone making things much more easier to navigate this time. ICS brings modifications including the virtual buttons that you can use to make it easier for you to access your device. Acer’s version of ICS is way better than the stock.

Resizable Widgets. you can now specify the width or the size of the widgets you are using. This will come in handy if you are adding more widgets on your screen.

Improved Web Browsing. This time around, Acer Iconia Tab A500 offers superb browsing experience to its owners who have already updated to ICS. Browsing was made a lot faster and easier for everyone and I think Acer has really done a great job in this.

Communication Is Better. The company didn’t forget to fix known issues as far as communication is concerned. This time you can enjoy a unified calendar and visual voicemail right on your Iconia Tab A500. Some network issues have also been addressed and it seems like the device has just been made perfect for everyone.

Unlike other official software updates, the one for Iconia Tab A500 hasn’t been leaked and so it really came as a surprise for everyone to experience a lot of things that Acer had in store for its loyal patrons. also, you don’t need to do the extra step just to be able to get your device update because you can always pull the update from the server anytime.

Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android 4.0 (ICS) Ice Cream Sandwich Software Update Now Available

Apr 29

Apple Announces Launch Date & Price Of New ...

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It’s been little over a month since Apple first announced its new iPad and now we have an official Indian launch date and price. the new iPad will be available in India from April 27, 2012 (less than 10 days to go) for a starting price of Rs 30,500.

According to the official Apple statement, the new iPad will arrive in South Korea and Malaysia besides a string of Latin American and East European countries this Friday April 20, 2012 and on Friday, April 27, the new iPad will be available in India, Colombia, Estonia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

We couldn’t find any specific logical reasoning for clubbing the launch dates of these markets but assume it has to do with logistics partners. Here’s a look at the prices of the different models of the Tablet.

The new iPad has a 9.7 inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina display and it has a pixel resolution of 2048×1536 at 264 pixels per inch (ppi). It runs on Apple’s iOS 5.1 and offers a number of new features and enhancements that include a redesigned camera and support for dictation, among others. It is powered by Apple’s new dual-core A5X chip with quad-core graphics.

The Tablet comes with a new 5 megapixel iSight autofocus rear camera with tap to focus and face detection in still images. It can also record full high definition videos (1080p) up to 30 frames per second (fps). a front facing FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 fps has also been provided in the device. also, Apple promises the same battery life of 10 hours on Wi-Fi and up to 9 hours on 4G for the Tablet.

To know about the detailed specifications of the Tablet and how it compares with the iPad 2, read here.

Competition

For Apple fanboys, the biggest competition for Apple is Apple itself. By that we mean its existing products. if you don’t already know, Apple has already slashed the prices of the iPad 2, which is now available for Rs 24,500 and Rs 32,900 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only and 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model respectively.

The new Tablet will compete with the likes of Samsung, ASUS, Acer and new entrant Sony, among others. Some of the Tablets that will directly compete with the new iPad include ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF201 (Rs 46,278); Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 730 (Rs 28,999), Galaxy Tab 750 (Rs 30,990) and Galaxy Tab 620 (Rs 25,900); Sony’s SGPT211IN/S (Rs 32,990) and SGPT113IN/S (Rs 29,990); Acer Iconia A500 (Rs 27,013); and Milagrow TabTop MGPT01 (Rs 27,490), etc.

In comparison to Apple’s dual-core A5X chip (with quad-core graphics), Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 750 and Sony’s SGPT113IN/S come with a 1GHz ARM dual-core processor, but the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF201 has a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core processor (the clear winners on paper at least). all three Tablets have 1GB of RAM and while Sony and Samsung are available in 16GB, ASUS is available in both 32 and 64GB. also, while Samsung and Sony sport a 3MP and a 5MP camera (in comparison to Apple’s 5MP camera), ASUS comes with an 8MP camera.

But the Tablet already has a couple of advantages over its competitors. first of all, it is the only Tablet that comes with 4G. And although 4G is not that prevalent in India as of now, Airtel has already launched it in Kolkata and is launching it in Bangalore soon; hence it is only a matter of time before other Telco’s follow suit.  Then the Tablet comes with Apple’s new dual-core A5X chip with quad-core graphics, which we reckon is probably a notch better than what any of its competitors is offering as of now (except ASUS’s Eee Pad Transformer that has a quad-core processor).

Also, the fact that Apple inc sold 3 million units of the new iPad within a week of its launch (setting a new record for the iPad) only confirms the excitement that the product builds among consumers. So it’s safe to say that the Tablet will give everyone a run for their money, at least till they come out with their own quad-core offerings.

But there is one thing that Apple could definitely have done, and that is giving a proper name to the new iPad (like iPad 3 or iPad 4G) because it’s really bugging to keep calling it the ‘new iPad’. What’s next, the ‘newer iPad’?

Apple Announces Launch Date & Price Of New iPad In India; Should Samsung, Others Worry

Jan 12

BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 impressions: Finally, ...

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We go hands on with the new 2.0 software release for the BlackBerry PlayBook. It may not be a new tablet, but with native email, calendar, and contacts apps as well as some Android app support, it certainly feels like a much better tablet.

RIM has been promising the PlayBook 2.0 upgrade since the summer of 2011, and today we finally got our first look at a PlayBook tablet with native email, a calendar app, and and a number of other upgrades. While it’s hard to say why it took so long and it may very well be too little, too late for the PlayBook, RIM isn’t ready to give up just yet.

PlayBook 2.0 enhancements we noticed

Email: When the PlayBook shipped in April 2011, it was missing one of the features that made BlackBerry phones famous in the first place: a great, fast native email app. The new email client in the PlayBook looks a lot like the email apps on BlackBerry smartphones (surprise), but the takes advantage of the PlayBook’s 7-inch screen size, displaying emails in multiple columns when in horizontal orientation. RIM has also included some advanced controls, allowing you to easily customize your text with bolding, italicizing, bullet points, different fonts, and a range of font sizes, among other things. A predictive text feature is also nice, allowing you to almost write sentences without any typing at all. Gmail and other Webmail accounts can be integrated.

Contacts: I didn’t toy around with this much, but this address book app lets you view your BlackBerry contacts as well as contacts from social networks like Facebook. 

Folders and Trays: The slide-up app screen now has a customizable tray for highly used apps. You can customize this. Much like Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) you can now make folders of icons as well, which is a nice addition. other subtle UI upgrades are also present, which make the OS look and feel a little smoother.

Calendar: The new calendar app also does everything you’d expect. It syncs with Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo as well as Microsoft Exchange and other business email types. Week, month, day, and agenda views are available and, like other features like BB contacts, your data can be synced to other BlackBerry devices and backs up to the cloud. The monthly view also increases the size of the days of the month that have more activities scheduled, allowing you to visually see what days are hectic without having to enter the agenda view.

Android apps: We can’t verify this because there wasn’t a demonstration of it available on any of the PlayBooks we saw, but limited Android support will also be present, allowing hardcore users to side load Android apps. RIM representatives said that the company is working with popular Android app makers to bring some top apps to the BlackBerry App World (RIM’s own app store), but no specifics were provided. Until we hear more about this feature, we can’t say if it will improve the PlayBook experience.

Other upgrades: A new Print to go app, new business features, a video store, and “enhanced” Web browsing are all present.

Overall, the new software really improves the PlayBook experience. If the tablet would have launched with this software back in April, it might have made more of an impact, but as it stands, the device hasn’t been selling well, and probably won’t sell well. If RIM truly wants to pursue the tablet market, it needs to make Android app support a priority (it’s app selection is meager) and release a new device that doesn’t carry the PlayBook name. Even that may not be enough, but for owners of the PlayBook, this upgrade will finally make your tablet a more worthwhile investment.  

BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 impressions: Finally, native email and a calendar!

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Sep 13

Citrix Sets New Standard for Desktop ...

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Press Release Source: Citrix Systems, inc. On Wednesday August 24, 2011, 8:00 am EDT

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Citrix Systems today announced a new version of its market-leading Citrix XenDesktop® product line that adds major enhancements in personalization, user experience and rich consumer device support. the new XenDesktop 5.5 adds the “Personal vDisk” technology acquired earlier this month from RingCube (see the announcement) to all editions of XenDesktop, making it far easier for customers to deploy highly personalized virtual desktops at a substantially lower cost. XenDesktop 5.5 also features the most significant enhancement in company history to its market-leading Citrix HDX™ user experience technology, enabling customers to deliver high-definition virtual desktops up to three times faster for both LAN and WAN users. using XenDesktop 5.5, customers can now build true “private desktop clouds” for the first time ever, delivering virtual desktops and apps with rich voice, video and multimedia support to more than one billion end user devices, even for the most challenging remote, branch and mobile users. (See announcement blog)

As the industry moves from the PC Era to the Cloud Era, virtual desktops are growing rapidly in popularity. IT organizations like the security, flexibility and cost-savings of delivering desktops as a centralized service, while end users like the ability to access corporate apps and desktops from any device, in any location. Addressing these market needs is one of the reasons Citrix was recently recognized as the only vendor in the Leaders category of the IDC MarketScape: Desktop Virtualization 2011 Vendor Analysis1.

Gartner expects mainstream adoption of hosted virtual desktops (HVDs) to take place in 2012 through 2014, with 70 million users by 20142. Driving broad mainstream adoption of desktop virtualization at this scale will require continued enhancements in personalization and user experience, along with continued reduction in deployment and operation costs. XenDesktop 5.5 raises the bar in all of these areas:

What’s New

Quotes

Bob Schultz, Group Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Desktops and Applications at Citrix

“With this new release of XenDesktop, we are making virtual desktops simple and affordable for IT by incorporating technology from our recent RingCube acquisition. in addition, XenDesktop 5.5 brings unprecedented levels of technology innovation with HDX so users will have high-performance, personal desktops and applications on any device, whether they are working at home, at work or at a branch office. Bringing together on-demand apps with XenApp, support for billions of devices with Citrix Receiver, XenDesktop enables enterprises to transform their distributed desktop computing into an on-demand service delivered from their own private clouds.”

Mark Bowker, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group

“Desktop virtualization will play a key role in centralized IT strategies and bringing remote and branch office employees on board as part of this strategy is critical. the unique challenges of this group of employees really underscore the need for optimized and accelerated delivery over the WAN. Citrix has been dealing with the central issues around WAN delivery for 20 years and it has leveraged this experience and intelligence in XenDesktop 5.5 to not only optimize virtual desktop delivery over the WAN but ensure that users in remote and branch offices are receiving the best user experience regardless of their location.”

Availability

XenDesktop 5.5, XenApp 6.5 and XenClient 2 are available for download today from the Citrix website. Suggested pricing for XenDesktop starts at $95 per user or device for the VDI-only edition. Comprehensive desktop and application virtualization is available in the Enterprise or Platinum editions, priced at $225 and $350. XenClient 2 is available standalone as a free download from the Citrix website and included along with the Synchronizer for XenClient with XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum.

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About Citrix

Citrix Systems, inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS – News) is a leading provider of virtual computing solutions that help people work and play from anywhere on any device. more than 230,000 enterprises rely on Citrix to create better ways for people, IT and business to work through virtual meetings, desktops and datacenters. Citrix virtualization, networking and cloud solutions deliver over 100 million corporate desktops and touch 75 percent of Internet users each day. Citrix partners with over 10,000 companies in 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2010 was $1.87 billion.

For Citrix Investors

this release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. the forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Those statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with the impact of the global economy and uncertainty in the IT spending environment, revenue growth and recognition of revenue, products and services, their development and distribution, product demand and pipeline, economic and competitive factors, the Company’s key strategic relationships, acquisition and related integration risks as well as other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Citrix assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

the development, release and timing of any features or functionality described for our products remains at our sole discretion and is subject to change without notice or consultation. the information provided is for informational purposes only and is not a commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions or incorporated into any contract.

Citrix®, XenDesktop®, Citrix Receiver™, HDX™, XenClient™ and XenApp™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. all other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

1 IDC MarketScape: Desktop Virtualization 2011 Vendor Analysis (Doc #228619), June 2011

2 Source: Garter, Forecast: Hosted Virtual Desktops, Worldwide, 2010-2014 (2010 Update)

Citrix Sets New Standard for Desktop Virtualization