iThinkDifferent » Google

HTC Reveals Schedule for Ice Cream Sandwich Upgrades for its Android Phones

Imran — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:25:00 +0000

HTC Reveals Schedule for Ice Cream Sandwich Upgrades for its Android Phones

It’s been a while since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was announced by Google – May 2011, to be exact. Google also announced efforts to ensure that OEMs push out Android updates quicker and support them on older devices but so far, none of the OEMs have delivered on this promise.

Samsung had announced its plans for the upgrades but we’ve yet to see any device receive an update. The timelines they provided were very vague and mentioned releases starting in 1st quarter of 2012.

Now, HTC has stepped up and announced their timelines for Ice Cream Sandwich update releases. Similar to Samsung, some of the devices have very vague update timelines.

“So, when will my HTC phone get Android 4.0?”

Soon. That’s what we can tell, specially if you bought it recently. Here are all the timelines they’ve provided:

End of March

HTC Sensation
HTC Sensation 4G
HTC Sensation XE
HTC Sensation XL

Later this Year

HTC Rezound
HTC Vivid
HTC Amaze 4G
HTC EVO 3D
HTC EVO Design 4G
HTC Incredible S
HTC Desire S
HTC Desire HD

More information on Ice Cream Sandwich releases will be available in the following weeks.

Why do these updates take so long ?

This is because each OEM has to make sure it works correctly with the set of customizations they provide whether its skin customization, software features or hardware features. HTC is famous for its Sense UI that it builds on top of Android. This UI not only provides a different look, it ships with many features that are not available by default in Android. While, in certain cases, people might find these as bloat, most people find them useful. Same is the case with other Android OEMs such as Samsung, Sony Ericsson and so on.

To make sure that you’re always using the latest version of Android, you can either buy a Google experience device such as Galaxy Nexus which ships with Android 4.0, or you can always try using Cyanogen Mod, which is a custom ROM and always manages to bring the latest Android version to phones before OEMs officially release it themselves. This comes at a cost of not having OEM specific customizations and skins, but some people are more than happy to have this tradeoff since it means having the default Android UI.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Download Google Chrome Offline Installer For Multiple User Accounts On A Computer

Imran — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:51:41 +0000

Download Google Chrome Offline Installer For Multiple User Accounts On A Computer

If you’re an avid Google Chrome user, you must have noticed that by default, the web installer for Google Chrome only installs it on the user account you’re logged in to your computer with. So when you any other user on the same computer has to use it, re-installation is required for that account again. Luckily, Google has provided a work around for this and that too in an offline format.

Having an offline installer means that you don’t have to be connected to the Internet to install the browser. Not only that, it also installs it across all the user accounts on your computer so you don’t have to set it up everywhere again. All you have to do is navigate to the link below and click on ‘accept and install’ to download the setup.

Download Google Chrome Offline Installer for Multiple Users ( You can bookmark this link to download updated installers in the future )

Just in case you want the single user setup which doesn’t install Google Chrome across other user accounts, follow the link below:

Download Google Chrome Offline Installer for Single User Account

Note: We don’t recommend this as Google Chrome is one of the most frequently updated pieces of software out there so it’s very likely that the offline installer you download would become outdated very quickly. Of course, Google Chrome would auto update as well after you install it form an older setup file.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

How To Install Ice Cream Sandwich (Cyanogen Mod 9) on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 [Guide]

Imran — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:38:51 +0000

How To Install Ice Cream Sandwich (Cyanogen Mod 9) on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 [Guide]

I’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 since sometime now. Thanks to the lag and issues, I was about to sell it off due to my disappointment with Honeycomb OS and unknown delivery timeline of the Ice Cream Sandwich update by Samsung when thanks to the Cyanogen Mod team, a preview of an Ice Cream Sandwich based ROM was made available which absolutely changed my mind.

Through the two days that I’ve used this ROM, also known as CM9 KANG build, I’ve been surprisingly pleased at how speedy it is – not only in terms of normal performance but the browser is as fast as Safari as iPad now. Even the built in apps such as Gmail, Google Talk, Gallery are improved.

The build is still not stable enough for use by the average Joe since camera, Bluetooth, HD video hardware acceleration don’t work well yet. Google Wallet keeps force closing as well as there are slight bugs here and there but nothing that is a show stopper and would make you want to go back to Honeycomb ( YUCK! ).

Here’s how you can also install Ice Cream Sandwich on your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Keep in mind, this is just an alpha build and has no support what so ever. Make sure you back up your data as well.

Note: iTD wont be responsible for any data loss or device malfunction. Although, if you follow the guide correctly, there shouldn’t be any issue.

You would need to make sure your Tab is rooted and has Clockwork mod recovery installed. If it isn’t, follow our guide here to do so.
Download the CM9 KANG Ice Cream Sandwich ROM from here. Download GAPPS 4.0.3 from here. Copy these two files to your Tab storage.
Reboot into boot loader and go into CWM.
Wipe data and cache.
Go to Install zip.. and chose the ICS ROM zip file.
Once done, do the same but this time chose the GAPPS zip file.
Reboot. (It will take some time for the first reboot )

Google Wallet FC Issue Fix

To fix the Google Wallet force closing issue, just go to Settings > Apps > Google Wallet and disable it from running. The OS will show you a message about it being a default app etc etc, ignore it.

Enjoy ICS on your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1! CM9 might be the best option we have to really enjoy Ice Cream Sandwich on our tablets because Samsung is sure to bloat it with their Touch Wiz UI when they officially release it.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

How To Root Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Honeycomb Android 3.1/3.2 [All models]

Imran — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:09:21 +0000

How To Root Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Honeycomb Android 3.1/3.2 [All models]

Despite all the features that Samsung Galaxy Tabs have such as screenshots and so on, apps like ROM manager, market enabler and so on still require that you have root access to your device. There are a few methods to root Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but we’ll be sharing the quickest and simplest methods to do so for whichever model you might have. This method works with both Android 3.1 and 3.2 but make sure you follow the guide and use the files for your appropriate tablet model.

Before proceeding, make sure that you’ve backed up your important data to avoid any loss during the process.

Note: iTD wont be responsible for any data loss or device malfunction. Although, if you follow the guide correctly, there shouldn’t be any issue.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi [GTP7510]

Download the following files from this link. This includes the USB drivers, ODIN to flash the root files as well as the files themselves. Copy the root.zip to the root of your Tab’s storage.
First of all, install the Samsung USB drivers ( in case, you haven’t installed KIES )
Connect your Samsung Tab 10.1 WiFi model to your computer and hold down the power + volume down button to go into boot loader. Using volume buttons select Downloading mode.
Launch Odin, and in PDA, browse to the file recovery.md5 from the files you downloaded and click start. The process will complete and the Tab will restart.
Go into boot loader again and select recovery. Select, install zip from SD card and point to root.zip. Install it and reboot your Tab. That’s all, your Tab is now rooted.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 3G [GTP7500]

Download the root.zip file from here.
Copy this root.zip file into the root of your Tab’s storage.
Shut down your Tab. Hold down power + volume down buttons to go into the boot loader. Navigate to recovery and select install zip from SD card.
Navigate to the root.zip you copied and install it.
Reboot your Tab.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G [GTP7500]

Download these files: Kernel and Recovery
Copy these files to the root of the storage of your Tab.
Reboot into the boot loader by shutting down your Tab and then holding power + volume down button to start. Go into recovery.
Go to Install zip from SD card, Navigate to Kernel.zip and install it. Once done, go again to Install zip from SD card again and navigate to Recovery.zip to install it.
Reboot!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them on our Facebook page.

Thanks XDA

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Find Your Gmail Usage Statistics Through This Simple Script [Guide]

Imran — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:40:01 +0000

Find Your Gmail Usage Statistics Through This Simple Script [Guide]

Being a power user of Gmail, it always used to interest me as to how I’m using Gmail – what are the statistics apart from the space usage that’s always shown in Gmail. Recently, I stumbled upon this cool script in Google Docs scripts gallery that shows you details on how many conversations you’ve had in am month, how many emails have been sent and received, trashed, marked important and starred. You can also find out how the top senders and recipients are for that email inbox and much more. Follow the instructions below to use it.

Open up Spreadsheets in Google Docs and go to Tools > Script Gallery

Type in Gmail in the search box to show Gmail Stats and click on Install

The script will now tell you that it requires authorization to some services in your Google account. Since you’ve reached this far, you would obviously want to provide it access so that it can do its magic. Either way, it’s your choice here, we take no responsibility.

Now that you’ve given access, the script can now be executed by going to Tools > Script Editor and clicking on the play button for the Gmail Stats script.

Depending on the number of emails you have in your inbox, the script will take some time to execute. Now go to Triggers > Current Script’s Triggers and add a trigger for 5 minutes. Match the drop down boxes to the following:

Once it’s done, it’ll send a report to your inbox which would look similar to the following:

Voila! Enjoy.

Make sure to drop down a thank you to the creator of this script Romain Vialard if you like it.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Is Google’s Android 4.0 Anything More Than Just Lipstick on A Pig?

Imran — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:24:13 +0000

Is Google’s Android 4.0 Anything More Than Just Lipstick on A Pig?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must be well aware by now that Google and Samsung unveiled the next generation Nexus phone called Galaxy Nexus. Although I’m not a fan of the name, I like the specifications that Samsung has been able to cram into the phone. Seems like they threw in everything that Apple rumor sites were saying that the iPhone 5 would have like the tear drop design and so on. I wont go through all the details here but you can just catch up with them on our friends’ coverage of Ice Cream Sandwich at Redmond Pie.

Alright, all joking aside, the phone is a beauty. It’s an engineering marvel that I can only expect from Samsung, after Apple, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. But, it’s got Android and as always, just like everyone else, I’ve had very high hopes from this new version of Android. It’s a complete new version that jumps from 3.x to 4.0 so you would expect that they’ve worked hard on fixing issues users have long been complaining about and what not. Sure, they fixed one of my major gripes with stock Android: the crappiest camera app ever. They finally added tap to focus, HD video recording and much more to the app. But at the launch event, there wasn’t really any mention of browser improvements or improved battery life. Oh, and the lag that all of us Android users are so accustomed to? It’s still there!

This is my next say the following in their hands-on coverage of the Galaxy Nexus phone:

As to overall performance, we saw a good deal of stutter in the Galaxy Nexus before us.

Oh boy..

Taps were not always recognized and there were occasional delays in performing an instruction, though in Google’s defense, it was a phone fully loaded with running tasks and the software is being continually improved and optimized (i.e. it’s not yet fully baked).

Why did Google and Samsung show us a half baked OS? Alright, it’s a work in progress but don’t we all use our Android phones fully loaded with running tasks? That’s no defense.

That having been said, it unfortunately remains the case that Android isn’t as swift and responsive as iOS or Windows Phone (or even MeeGo Harmattan on the N9). Or at least it wasn’t on the demo phone we got a look at. The subtle, pervasive lag that has characterized the Android UI since it inception is still there, which is not a heartening thing to hear when you’re talking about a super-powered dual-core device like the Galaxy Nexus.

This.

Google, why wont you just fix these issues? I don’t want lag in my Android phone or while swiping screens or while using the browser. I don’t want my phone to slow down after using it for a while and then resort to a task manager to gain some performance. I want a phone that just works for me and doesn’t make me work for it to use it well. I couldn’t care less about facial recognition and the people’s app or widgets that just eat the battery like chipmunks eating peanuts. We need the basics done right. Even Windows Phone 7 has got that covered.

When will Google listen? I just hope that what This is my next saw was a work in progress and the shipping version doesn’t have these issues.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

New Android Malware Discovered, Hiding as Google+ app, recording your phone calls and more!

David — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:56:24 +0000

New Android Malware Discovered, Hiding as Google+ app, recording your phone calls and more!

Attention Android Users! A new Malware has been discovered on the Android System that disguises itself as Google+ and has the ability of recording calls, and collecting data such as SMS messages and more. The app is listed in the list as Google++.

A quote from Trendlabs, which is the group that discovered the Malware, stated that:

ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C is capable of collecting data such as text messages, call logs, and GPS location from infected devices, which it then uploads to a certain URL through port 2018. Like other ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY variants, ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C also has the capability to record phone calls made from infected devices.

The malware not only records your phone calls, but it automatically answers your phone calls in the background. After it answers the call, it puts the phone into silent mode and then shows the home screen.

Like other ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY variants, ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C also has the capability to record phone calls made from infected devices. What makes this particular variant different is that it has the capability to automatically answer incoming calls.

This new malware hasn’t made it’s way into the Android Market yet, and instead is installed via a malicious website. Removal of this new malware is rather easy, all you need to do is check the applications that are installed on your phone. If you discover the Google++ app is installed, remove it immediately. This is the malware hiding in your system. Subscribe to our RSS Feed and keep following us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for all the latest news, updates and more [via techcrunch]

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Google To Acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion – Read All About It!

Imran — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:06:40 +0000

Google To Acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion – Read All About It!

Just when you thought that the patent wars couldn’t get any crazier, Google, out of nowhere, announces that it is acquiring Motorola Mobility ( Motorola’s mobile division only ) for a whooping $12.5 Billion! Before you can say that out completely, let us tell you the single reason behind this acquisition: Android. Or ‘supercharging Android’ as Google puts it.

Google has done what no one could have predicted through out all the patent hoopla that has been going on in the recent past, more importantly the much publicized spat between Google and Microsoft. Acquiring Motorola provides Google a totally of 17,000+ patents with 7,500 pending. That’s a huge number of patents as Motorola has been in the industry for a long time now.

Motorola has a history of over 80 years of innovation in communications technology and products, and in the development of intellectual property, which have helped drive the remarkable revolution in mobile computing we are all enjoying today. Its many industry milestones include the introduction of the world’s first portable cell phone nearly 30 years ago, and the StarTAC—the smallest and lightest phone on earth at time of launch. In 2007, Motorola was a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance that worked to make Android the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. I have loved my Motorola phones from the StarTAC era up to the current DROIDs.
In 2008, Motorola bet big on Android as the sole operating system across all of its smartphone devices. It was a smart bet and we’re thrilled at the success they’ve achieved so far. We believe that their mobile business is on an upward trajectory and poised for explosive growth.
Motorola is also a market leader in the home devices and video solutions business. With the transition to Internet Protocol, we are excited to work together with Motorola and the industry to support our partners and cooperate with them to accelerate innovation in this space.
Motorola’s total commitment to Android in mobile devices is one of many reasons that there is a natural fit between our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers everywhere.

Motorola has been one of the earlier Google partners for Android and have shipped quiet a few phones called Droids with some of them even having sequels. While Motorola’s Android handsets aren’t as well received in the public as HTC or Samsung’s, Motorola is a major player in the US cellular market. To prove this as true, the latest figures show that Motorola actually sold more feature phones than smart phones recently. To put this into perspective, we don’t even know about Motorola’s latest feature phones but we’re fully aware of their smart phone portfolio.

Despite the acquisition, Google doesn’t seem to be aiming at becoming a software+hardware manufacturer. Motorola will still be treated as a separate business and a licensee of Android while at the same time keeping Android ‘open’. Motorola had recently shown interest in producing Windows Phone 7 devices so we are not sure how this will affect that decision now.

This acquisition will not change our commitment to run Android as an open platform. Motorola will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences.

Google is using this acquisition to once again point fingers at Microsoft and Apple and their anti-competitive patent attacks at Android OEMs. Google is bent on believing that Microsoft and Apple should stand and watch while their intellectual property rights are blown away to bits and Google is allowed to use their innovations in Android and give it away for free. Microsoft and Apple have years and billions worth of research going into their patent portfolio and here at iTD, we believe in respecting that instead of stealing them in the name of ‘open’. Google had previously cried foul on the Nortel patents sale as well.

It is yet to see if this acquisition will be helpful to Google in fighting off Oracle’s lawsuit as well for patent and copyright infringement involving Java against Android. In the past, Apple had also sued HTC due to patent infringement – this was the first time Android came under attack for patent or lawsuit infringement. Microsoft followed up by suing HTC as well while Apple has sued Samsung and actually halted their sales in certain countries through court orders.

One thing is clear for now – whether this deal proves to be any improvement for Android ( let’s be honest – Motorola created MotoBlur and hasn’t updated a huge number of their smartphones to latest Android versions ), Google surely has a lot more arsenal under their belt to face Microsoft and Apple with in courts.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Google Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” Leaked [PHOTOS]

Haras — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:16:19 +0000

Google Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” Leaked [PHOTOS]

Google announced Android Ice Cream Sandwich this year at Google IO. We haven’t heard about the update ever since. Well, today, thanks to AndroidPolice and RootzWiki, we have several leaked images to show you of Google Android’s next major update.

Images show numerous small changes to the UI, that are not present in the current OS (Gingerbread). For instance, the orange and green highlights and icons have been changed to blue.

The leakster claims that the Gmail application has been redesigned to fit the new UI, and the camera application now allows panoramic images to be taken. While these aren’t huge features, definitely not the ones we were expecting, they’re nice additions to the core platform.

Aside from the UI, Gmail and Camera application changes, nothing else was mentioned. This leaves us to this that Google is still actively working on the update, and there will be more to this update that we have seen.

Google revealed Android Ice Cream Sandwich to the world during Google IO earlier this year. This update for smartphones is to eliminate the barrier between phone and tablet (like iOS). This update will unify the mobile and tablet operating system into one.

(via Neowin)

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.

Check your Google+ Stream right from your Mac’s Menubar!

David — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:22:38 +0000

Check your Google+ Stream right from your Mac’s Menubar!

Are you a Google+ addict yet? Checking the site constantly during the day? Then this new app is just for you. From the creators of Facetab, comes a new Menubar app just for Google+, named Tab for Google+.

In this new app, you can interact with your Google+ account, similar to how you would in a web browser. You can check your stream to see what your friends are up to. You can see the photos they have posted. You can view your Circles and your own profile. You can even view your recent Notifications. One thing missing is Growl support for notifications, which I am hoping them implement soon.

The app is currently ad supported, as it is not an official Google app. The ads are not noticeable, but some may not like the fact they see ads.

You can download Tab for Google+ from the Mac App Store here. I’ve been using it for a couple days now and enjoy the convenience of being able to quickly check the app.

Also, if you are a Facebook fanatic too, then you should also check out Facebox Pro, also a free download from the Mac App Store here. This app provides the same functionality with Facebook, allowing you to check your feed and notifications.

Subscribe to our RSS Feed and keep following us on Twitter, FacebookandYouTube for all the latest news, updates and more.

iThinkDifferent - All things different about Microsoft, Apple, Google and the Internet.