Jelly Bean update

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update now released on Asus Transformer Pad Infinity!

ASUS Transformer customers are reporting that this week’s Jelly Bean update for the Asus Transformer Pad 300 has been spreading its wings a bit and is now landing on the US version of the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity as well bringing Android 4.1 goodness to the newest tablet.
On Monday we reported that users of the Transformer Pad 300 were receiving update to the latest Jelly Bean OS over the weekend with Asus putting out a few sneaky Facebook messages to alert customers of the update.
Last month Asus confirmed it will be bringing the update to its full lineup but but now with the update rolling out we can finally see it happening.
For those of us in the UK the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity has yet to even arrive on our shores but we would hope that the new Jelly Bean update will be available as an out of the box update or immediately on the device. The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity will arrive in the UK on the 31^st of August and it will cost £599.99.

Asus has cheekily announced and started OTA’ing the latest Android Jelly Bean 4.1 update to its successful Asus Transformer Pad 300 tablets over the past few days with the company putting out a small announcement on its Facebook page then just dropping the update on its customers.
The Asus Transformer pad TF300 was released earlier in the year to much love from users with its quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, integrated 12-core GeForce GPU, 32GB of internal memory and an 8MP camera all for under £400.
Asus took to Facebook and simply posting an image of the Jelly Bean mascot on its Facebook page with the message: “When Mr. JellyBean is in the office, it means something good is coming. LIKE me…”

Then within a few hours the Asus Transformer pad 300’s started to receive the updates!
Asus will have a better start point with the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS as they have recently provided the hardware for Google’s recent Flagship Android Tablet device the Google Asus Nexus 7 that was released last month with Jelly Bean intact.
Now that the older Tablets have got the update users will surely be expecting that the next Asus Transformer Pad Infinity  will also be launching with the latest 4.1 update when it come at the end of August.
However, customers with the original Asus Eee Pad Transformer or Eee Pad Slider have not been confirmed for the upgrade and users of the original Transformer are sure to be a bit annoyed, but Asus doesn’t say that the update won’t be coming, instead just stating “We are still investigating Jelly Bean updates for other devices”.

Android Is Winning:

The latest numbers are in: Android is on top, followed by iOS in a distant second.

This word comes from Gartner, a top research firm for these sorts of things. Overall, within the last quarter, Android outsold iOS devices nearly three to one while capturing 64% of the worldwide market share. Samsung was the top dog accounting for 90M handset sales.

There is no denying Android’s dominance anymore. There is no way even the most rabid Apple fanboy can deny that iOS is in second place now. Android is winning.

This report by Gartner looked at the second quarter smartphone sales. That pegs the date range from April to June, which admittedly was a high point for Android while iPhone sales were starting to cool down. The Samsung Galaxy S III launched in late May, likely accounting for a good chunk of Samsung’s haul. It was a great quarter for Android and Samsung.

Gartner’s Q1 report notes similar rankings with Samsung and Android on top, too. At that time, Samsung had just overtaken Nokia as the top worldwide seller of mobile devices. Android was hovering around in the mid fifty percent range in the market share pie, and Apple had its second best iPhone quarter ever with 33M units sold (Apple sold 37M in the previous quarter). But now we have a clearer image and Android is securely positioned at the top of the mobile mountain.

As the Gartner report shows, iPhone sales were a bit off during the second quarter. They are probably even worse right now. Apple CEO Tim Cook noted in the last financial report that iPhone sales are falling victim to the iPhone 5 rumor mill. Consumers are simply (and wisely) not buying iPhones as much right now when it’s clear a new one is right around the corner. In fact iOS’ market share only improved nominally year-over-year.

During Apple’s best iPhone quarter, Q1 of 2012, the company moved 33M iPhones — an impressive feat considering there are only three models. Now, during Android’s best quarter, there were 98M units sold. There is simply no comparison. There is no way to spin these numbers. The iPhone 5 will likely light up Apple’s holiday quarter, but Samsung, Motorola, LG, and HTC combined Android units numbers will account for more units. In fact, Samsung alone might move units than Apple.

This war is starting to heat up. It’s no longer just a playground fight between fanboys. Developers cannot ignore Android. The old mantra of releasing on iOS and then eventually hitting Android needs to be rethought. Google also needs to step up its game. Google Play is a mess and Android has a very big problem with piracy. Android the ecosystem still sucks, but Android the mobile platform is winning.

Nexus7

Use Your Nexus 7 To Make And Receive Voice Calls Through Google

XDA member bongostl has posted a step-by-step guide for modifying your Nexus 7, or any tablet for that matter, to enable outgoing and incoming calls through Google Voice. This requires the editing of system files, so your tablet needs to be rooted. What this method does is make the tablet think it’s voice capable, which allows dialer app voice+ to connect through Google Voice and place a call.

Incoming calls will be handled by any SIP app, such as CSipSimple, which requires you to also set up a call number and routing using other online services such as callcentric and ipkall. Couple all that with Google Voice, an edited and recompiled framework-res.apk file, and the flashing of an update.zip, and you’ve got yourself a really large tablet-phone in 16 quick and easy steps.

Or you can download GrooVe IP from the Play Store and skip all the rest.

Ok, that was snarky. To be fair, bongostl’s method has the advantage that you can still receive calls in your Gmail on your computer, whereas with GrooVe IP, it’s one or the other. But seriously, to me this all seems like way too much of a hassle with too many potential points of failure to really be worth it for most people.

Bottom line: Hackers and tweakers only. Everyone else just get GrooVe IP.

source: xda

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Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' hits 0.8 percent market share

Android updates are painfully slow, almost glacial, in making their way to user's devices. However, it seems that the latest Android 4.1 release, codenamed 'Jelly Bean,' is seeing quite rapid, albeit overall modest, adoption rates.

According to data collected by Google, based on devices accessing the Google Play store within a 14-day period up to August 1, the new Android version is already installed on 0.8 percent of devices.

Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' was officially unveiled at Google's I/O conference on June 27th, and was released as an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on July 11, and was preinstalled on the Nexus 7 tablet which has been making its way to enthusiastic consumers since mid-July.

While Google doesn't break down the data based on devices, it is likely that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone and the Nexus 7 tablet make up the bulk of these devices running 'Jelly Bean.'

Comparing this latest data to that collected in the 14 days up to June 1st we find that apart from 'Jelly Bean,' only Android 3.2 'Honeycomb' and Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich' have gained ground, up 0.2 and 9.1 percentage points respectively.

The most popular Android version continues to be Android 2.3 'Gingerbread' with a 60.3 percent market share on Google's app store. This version was first released December 2010 and last updated September 2011.

If you currently own an Android smartphone or tablet, then history shows that you're unlikely to see this latest update delivered to your device. Many of the major players appear to have little to no interest in delivering the update to their users.

Google is primarily interested in new handset activation and increased market share above all else, not in creating a unified ecosystem. The handset makers have sold you a phone and hope to never hear from you again until it's time to buy again. And, not to mention, the carriers already have you hooked up to a multi-year contract and don't care a jot about what operating system your smartphone or tablet runs.

The problem is that while Android updates have to go from Google to the phone manufacturers, then to the carriers before being sent to devices, iOS updates go from Apple directly to devices. Aftermarket firmware projects such as CyanogenMod work to bypass this lengthy and laborious chain and deliver updates for hardware direct.

This lack of Android updates not only denies users access to new features, but is also means that security vulnerabilities are not patched, leaving both devices and the data they contain open to hackers.

How to use your Android phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot?

Android Wi-Fi hotspot: The carrier-connected workaround

All right -- ready? Here's all you have to do:

1. Install a third-party power widget app. I like Extended Controls; Wi-Fi hotspot functionality aside, it's a cool utility with lots of useful features and customization potential. And it only costs 99 cents.

2. Add an Extended Controls widget to your home screen (look for the widget called "Extended Controls (1x1)"). When you add the widget, the app will automatically prompt you to configure it. In the setup, select "Add new toggle," then select "Hotspot Wi-Fi" and tap the "Apply" button at the bottom of the screen.

(If you want to customize the look of the widget, you can do so by tapping the "Theme" button before selecting "Apply." If you want to put additional toggles on the widget, meanwhile, start with one of the larger Extended Controls widget options -- 1x2, 1x3, or 1x4 -- and set it up as you wish.)

That's it! You can now activate a Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone anytime you want; just tap the new widget on your home screen to toggle the function on or off.

(Note: This setup may not work on all devices. If it doesn't do the trick on your phone, a free app called FoxFi is a good alternative to try. FoxFi doesn't function with Android 4.1, unfortunately, so it's a short-term solution -- and some carriers appear to be taking steps to hide it from users on their networks -- but if you're able to find and download it, it should have you covered for now.)

Android Wi-Fi hotspot: Some perspective and words of warning

How's this little workaround work, you might be wondering? In short, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality is a feature that's built natively into Android; some carriers, like Verizon, modify the software so that it prompts you to pay extra when you try to activate it via the phone's main settings menu. The hotspot functionality itself, however, is still present; this process just activates it directly, circumventing any menu-level modifications.

Speaking of which, you should know that some carriers may not love the idea of you using your phone as a hotspot without subscribing to their special plans. It may even be a violation of the fine print in some 70,000-word usage agreement. Your carrier may scream, cry, issue a nominal fee, or string you up by your toes if they discover you're doing it.

Just between you and me, as long as you don't suddenly start burning through copious amounts of data, the odds of anyone noticing are probably pretty low. People (erm, no one in particular, of course) have been doing this for a long time without any problems. Still, you should read through your carrier's usage agreement and make sure you understand its policies before deciding if you want to proceed. Like with all non-officially-endorsed procedures, this is an adventure you'll have to embark on at your own risk.

Finally, remember that data used with a Wi-Fi hotspot still counts as data used from your plan. In other words, if you havea limited data plan for your phone, keep track of how many bytes you're using; whether it's on your phone or via a hotspot, it all comes out of the same pot -- and you don't want to hit your monthly cap too soon.