Starting today HTC and T-mobile have started rolling out the Android 4.0.3 update to the HTC Sensation 4G bringing it to software version 3.32.531.14710RD. This has been a long awaited update to the popular device and should prove to be a great improvement to the device.

HTC Sensation 4G 3.32.531.14710RD Update Features:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Sense 3.6
• System bar enhancements to easily view recent apps.
• Re-sizeable widgets
• Lock screen actions including pull down notifications and adjust volume while device is locked.
• Data usage controls.
• Face Unlock
• Home screen folders
• Improved battery life
• Note: HTC Sensation 4G will be required to add Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot feature in order to use the service after completing this update.
• Improved text input and spell checking
• Improved menu structure

If you haven’t already received the OTA (over the air) update you can manually install the update to your HTC Sensation 4G. To manually update go to “Settings -> About Phone -> HTC Software Updates -> Check Now”. Let us know how you like the update on your now new feeling HTC Sensation 4G.

We recently posted the leaked version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the HTC Amaze 4G but now it will finally be officially released May 21. While we expected the official release to have Sense 4 that has been seen on the HTC One its not there yet. The update brings the OS to Android 4.0 ICS and Sense to version 3.6. This also brings the HTC Amaze 4G to software version 2.14.531.3710RD.

HTC Amaze 4G 2.14.531.3710RD Update Featurs:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Sense 3.6
• System bar enhancements to easily view recent apps.
• Re-sizeable widgets
• Lock screen actions including pull down notifications and adjust volume while device is locked.
• Data usage controls.
• Face Unlock
• Home screen folders
• Improved battery life
• Improved text input and spell checking
• Improved menu structure

If you don’t get the OTA (over the air) update on May 21st you can manually install the update to your HTC Amaze 4G. To manually update go to “Settings -> About Phone -> HTC Software Updates -> Check Now“. The update is pretty big and will take about 20 minutes according to HTC over your data connection so you may want to connect to WiFi.

A new company named Xtex has developed an Android tablet called the “My Tablet” that runs Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. This is easily one of the most economic tablets available today especially running Ice Cream Sandwich. This tablet has a few notable features but for the most part is what you pay for.

Xtex “My Tablet” Features:

• Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 1.5gHz Processor clocked down to 1gHz for battery life
• 7-inch 800 x 480 Display
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB Internal Storage

The “My Tablet” comes in a few colors being black, white and pink. You can also choose a warranty when you purchase the device to increase it from the standard 1 year to up to an additional 2 years as well as getting a microSD card during checkout. The most important feature to us is the fact that the ?My Tablet” comes rooted out of the box. All you have to do is install SU and be on your way.

Meizu is jumping into the quad-core Android game with its new MX quad-core Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich phones. The device is said to come with a 32GB and 64GB version with their own version of Ice Cream Sandwich called “Flyme OS”. They haven’t mentioned the clock speed on the processor or amount of RAM on the device at launch although we do know they will be running a Cortex-A9 based 32nm HKMG quad-core Samsung Exynos processor. Engadget has hinted towards it being the Exynos 4412 clocking in at 1.5Ghz which will improve battery life greatly.

The MX quad-core phones look to be almost identical to the dual-core versions although the speed will show through. What will look familiar is the 4 inch 960×640 ASV display and 8 megapixel camera. As far as pricing goes they have stated that the 32GB version will come in at around $480 in China with the 64GB version priced at around $635.

Meizu has claimed that the MX is the first Android phone that will be using the quad-core Exynos chips but from what we have heard the Galaxy S III may use the same. If and when we get our hands on one we will let you know what we think but please do the same here.

CyanogenMod 9 is available for the Samsung Galaxy SII in the form of a CM9 nightly build. If you remember, there was recently a leaked version of the official Ice Cream Sandwich build available but if your interested in the CM9 version you can now get that as well.

CyanogenMod 9 is the fully custom Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM by CyanogenMod that is by far the most popular Android ROM development team there is. CM9 for the Samsung Galaxy S II is the complete Ice Cream Sandwich experience without TouchWiz getting in the way.

To download the CyanogenMod 9 Nightly build for the Samsung Galaxy S II follow the source link below. If you try it out let us know what you think and if you notice any issues.

Source: CyanogenMod

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and have been disappointed about not having an official Ice Cream Sandwich build on your device your wait is over. While the Android 4.0.3 update hasn’t been officially released it has been leaked and is fully functional. This update to your Galaxy S II Skyrocket is the official Samsung build and ready to be installed.

Install Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy S II Skyrocket:

1. Download the Ice Cream Sandwich Firmware (Download Link)
2. Run the file you just downloaded to Odin with the firmware
3. Plug your USB into your PC but not your phone
4. Turn off your Galaxy S II Skyrocket
5. Turn your phone on while holding volume up and down and plug in the USB to phone
6. You should now be in download mode (if not repeat the last step)
7. Once in download mode let go of the volume buttons
8. You should now see “Added” within Odin on the PC (if not check your drivers)
9. Click start in Odin to flash UCALC4 on your Galaxy S II Skyrocket
10. Wait for flashing to complete and your phone to reboot
11. You should now have a message that says PASS with a green background.
12. Disconnect your phone from the PC and your done
13. Congrats your Samsung Galaxy SII Skyrocket is now running ICS

If for whatever reason Odin gets stuck or you get a FAIL message just disconnect from the PC, remove and put the battery back in, and repeat the process over again. As always we are in no way responsible for the use of these instructions although they have been tested and work very well. If you have any issues or questions please ask in the comments below.

Samsung has promised a first quarter update to Android 4.0.3 to their innovative Samsung Galaxy Note and it seems it will be pushed. Now Samsung has announced that the ics update will be coming in Q2 of this year with a new “premium suite upgrade” We could have gathered the update wasen’t going to be here this quarter as its wrapping up within a week.

According to Samsung, with the update in Q2 to Ice Cream Sandwich the devices will also be getting extra multimedia features and new apps designed for the S-Pen stylus. One of the new features that Samsung mentioned was the S Note feature that will further integrate written content with digital data.

S Note also includes the innovative Shape Match and Formula Match applications that help correct and digitize geometric shapes and even solve numeric formulas hand-drawn with S Pen, increasing your on-the-go efficiency and productivity. You can draw tables and grids which are instantly digitized, saving time and effort. Moreover, by using the S Note’s integrated knowledge search engines, users can quickly search, and obtain information.

We don’t currently have any information on the exact date of the updates release not even to the month. Although we are confident that it will be before the end of Q2 as Samsung usually follows through with their word and pushing once is enough.

Archos only recently updated their G9 Andoid tablets to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and have already started fixing some bugs from the update. Archos has been in the Android tablet game for a while and seem to be on top of updating their devices regularly. The update to the G9 tablets are supposed to solve the Wifi and HDMI issues that have plagued the devices until today.

Don’t get confused by the naming convention as Android 4.0.3 runs on the device although the G9 firmware version is also version 4.0.3. The Android version will remain 4.0.3 after todays update although the firmware version will move forward to software version 4.0.5.

While the update to firmware version 4.0.5 will be pushed to devices OTA (over the air) you can always go to Archos.com and manually perform the update. If you have HDMI of Wifi issues go ahead and update your Archos G9 and let us know if everything is working ok for you.

AT&T’s HTC Vivid is now receiving the Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich update. This update will bring the HTC Vivid to Software version 3.26.502.56.71ORD and HTC Sense 3.6. We were hoping for Sense 4.0 but it looks like this isn’t the case yet but may be included in a future update.

If you haven’t had the update pushed to your device yet you can dial out *#*#682#*#* and manually force the update from your Vivid. You should go ahead and get it now while you can since we have seen a few updates get pulled for one reason or another. Let us know how you like your HTC Vivid on Android 4.0.3 via comments below.

Toshiba confirmed their Excite 10 LE previously known as the Toshiba X10 will release today to stores throughout the US. This tablet is being released as a Wi-Fi only version with 16GB of internal storage for around $529. There is however a larger 32GB model that will be on sale as well for around $599.

Toshiba Excite 10 LE Features:

• Android 3.2, Honeycomb (upgradeable to Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 10.1-inch diagonal LED Backlit widescreen Corning Gorilla Glass display with IPS technology and 10-finger multi-touch support
• 1280 x 800 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio
• Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 multicore processor; 1.2GHz with 1GB LPDDR2 RAM
• 16GB and 32GB configurations6
• 2 megapixel front-facing camera
• 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
• Micro USB, Micro HDMI ports
• Micro SD card slot
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Gyroscope, Accelerometer, GPS, eCompass and Ambient Light Sensor
• Stereo speakers with sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS Labs
• Built-in 25 watt-hour rechargeable lithium ion battery
• 10.1” (W) x 6.9” (D) x 0.3” (H)
• 1.18 pounds (535g)

We aren’t sure with all of the Android tablets available today that the price points of $529 and $599 will be enticing to Android users although it is a very high end tablet for sure. We will try to get our hands on one (without purchasing it) to demo all of its features in the coming days.

We want to thank the CyanogenMod team and Jokersax for all the work they have done to get a fully functional CM9 Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich build ported to the Motorola Photon 4G. The CM9 build for the Motorola Photon 4G does have a few bugs but nothing that will effect its everyday use.  To Install ICS on the Photon follow the instructions below.

PLEASE WAIT FOR AN UPDATE TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE ATTEMPTING.  IT SEEMS THERE ARE SOME KEY ITEMS THAT ARE MISSING.

Prerequisites to install CM9 on the Photon 4G:

• Rooted Motorola Photon 4G (How to root the Photon 4G)
• ClockworkMod Recovery installed from the Android Market
• Unlocked Bootloader (How to Unlock the Photon 4G Bootloader)

How to Install CM9 on the Photon 4G:

1. Download CM9 and move the zip file to your SDcard (Download Link)
2. Reboot your Photon 4G into Recovery from ROM Manager
3. When in Recovery select Wipe Data/Factory Reset
4. Wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache
5. Navigate to install downloaded zip from SDcard
6. Choose zip from SDcard and select the ROM
7. Reboot your Photon 4G
8. Congrats your Photon is on CM9 Ice Cream Sandwich!

If you have any issues installing CM9 on your Photon let us know here and we will try to help you out. As always we are not responsible for the use of these instructions and you flash your device at your own risk.

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