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Refresh Roundup: week of June 25th, 2012

zachary lutz
Updated ·5 min read

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

  • HTC EVO 3D: Android 4.0 is now rolling out with its Sense 3.6 layer to all European users of this 3D-capable smartphone. Sadly, Sprint has yet to open the door to this update, but once it hits the Now Network, we'll be sure to spread the good news. [The Unwired]

  • Motorola Xoom: First came the WiFi model in the US, then the version built for Verizon Wireless, but now the european version of the Xoom has become the latest recipient of Ice Cream Sandwich. The latest OS is currently only available to select markets, though it's said to become more widespread in the coming weeks. [Talk Android]

  • Sony Xperia S: Android 4.0 was announced for the Xperia S just last week. Now as a bit of a follow-up, Three in the UK has made this very update available to its subscribers. [Android Central]

  • Samsung Galaxy S III: It never hurts to be more secure, and that's exactly the name of the game for Sprint, which released a minor security update this week for Samsung's flagship smartphone. Curiously, this marks the carrier's first update for the Galaxy S III. [Android Police, Sprint]

  • Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR Maxx: If you've yet to automatically receive notification of Android 4.0's availability, Verizon Wireless would like its customers to know that the latest OS update is now available to users of both these handsets via the manual routine. [Droid Life]

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: The LTE-equipped version of this tablet for Verizon Wireless will soon find a new update waiting in the wings. While the changelog is quite brief, the new software is said to enable IPv6 networking and correct an issue relating to video feeds. [Droid Life]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

  • Nexus 7: You've likely yet to even lay your hands on a Nexus 7, but when that time comes, just know that Google has your back. This week, the company released the Android 4.1 factory recovery image for those inevitable times when your explorations into the custom ROM universe turns sour. Similarly, root access is now available for those who feel the need, and so long as you're comfortable working with ADB, you'll have little trouble rooting your new tablet. [Thanks, Vincente] [Android Police, xda-developers]

  • Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE: This specialized variant of the Galaxy S II for Bell Mobility received a custom version of CyanogenMod 9 this week. The ROM is still in alpha status, however, and the front camera, HD video playback and MHL are currently non-functional. [Thanks, dsixda] [xda-developers]

  • Acer Iconia Tab A500: If you're not getting much actual use out of this tablet, then you might as well take it down the bumpy road paved with jelly beans. That's right, Android 4.1 has been cobbled together for this tablet from the SDK release. As of now, neither audio nor WiFi works, and the same can be said for the system storage. [Thanks, Kevin] [xda-developers]

  • CyanogenMod 9: Quite a milestone for the CyanogenMod crew this week -- CM9 entered release candidate phase, which is currently available for 37 devices. As promising as this is, we can only hope that a final version is just around the corner. [Android Police]

  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus: Among the first devices to receive an unofficial taste of Jelly Bean is the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon. If you're feeling adventurous, the latest version is even said to support LTE. [RootzWiki] http://rootzwiki.com/news/_/articles/download-jellybean-for-your-vzw-galaxy-nexus-now-with-working-lte-r929

  • HP TouchPad: The latest nightly build of CyanogenMod 9 for the TouchPad is said to enable microphone support. [webOS Nation]

Other platforms

  • Nokia N9: They're keeping it short and sweet in Espoo this week. Nokia took to Twitter to announce that the N9 would soon receive a "valuable update" to PR1.3. [Nokiapoweruser]

  • Windows Phone: The Tango update is now rolling out at a respectable pace. Among the devices known to receive the latest version of Windows Phone within the past week include the Lumia 900 on Rogers, the Lumia 800 and HTC Trophy on Vodafone Australia and the Dell Venue Pro in Germany. [WPCentral 1, 2, 3, WMPoweruser]

Refreshes we covered this week