Zhesty.NET - Gadgets and Technology

Look, games like Fruit Ninja can be addicting and all, but we've many times pondered what playing a proper title -- the kind intended for the latest consoles and PCs -- would be like on a tablet or smartphone. Of course, we've seen some fantastic results from Tegra 3 and been notably impressed by Infinity Blade 2 on iOS, but starting today, OnLive is set to one-up the limitations of locally run mobile games with its new app. Whether you're using an Android, iOS device or even a Kindle Fire, you'll now be able to play games from the OnLive ecosystem while you're on the move over 3G, LTE or WiFi, rather than merely spectating in OnLive Viewer. Better yet, the OnLive app itself is completely free and any games purchased can be used across devices, and currently, 25 titles have been optimized for touch-based controls, including a tweaked version of L.A. Noire. HOwever, if you're more inclined to use tactile controls you'll be pleased to know that the company also has a soon to be released, revised version of its wireless controller.

Outwardly, the updated controller is looks identical to the outgoing MicroConsole pack-in model, but this one connects to Macs, PCs and just about any mobile device thanks to new "adaptive wireless" technology. Those seeking extra low latency can use its bundled USB dongle to link up to four of the controllers and a single Bluetooth headset for voice chat with one PC. The gamepad's media controls can also navigate iTunes in addition to playback of Brag Clips within OnLive. When it debuts, you can expect to pick one up for about $50 (£39.99 in the UK). OnLive CEO Steve Perlman was kind enough to walk us through using this new bit of kit, so head on past the break for our full impressions and to see the controller in action.

Just as we were geeking out to the Jaguar 7's Ice Cream Sandwich demo and anxiously awaiting the Transformer Prime, Ingenic and MIPS completely took us by surprise by announcing the Ainol-branded NOVO7, the very first commercially available tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich officially loaded. To be specific, the device isn't brand new -- it's been previously available as a Honeycomb tablet and is now shipping with ICS pre-loaded. It's packing an Ingenic JZ4770 mobile applications processor and 1GHz MIPS-based XBurst CPU, which means this Android 4.0 slab isn't going to be the toughest workhorse in the market. What more would you expect from a $99 tablet?

The Novo7 also comes with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, a Vivante GC860 GPU clocked at 444MHz, 1080p video decoding, rear 2MP camera with VGA front-facing cam, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3, microSD slot and an endorsement from Andy Rubin himself. If temptation is just too much to overcome, you can head over to the More Coverage link to order one. However, if you'd rather wait a while to save a few bucks in shipping -- it's over half the cost of the tablet itself -- MIPS informed us that it'll be coming to the States and other parts of the world over "the next several months," and 8- and 9-inch versions of the NOVO are in the works as well. Head below for a video and press release. Oh, and existing NOVO7 customers may be wondering why their tablet hasn't received ICS yet; MIPS assured us that there's an upgrade path for those customers as well, though no announcements have been made.

You see that? It's a screenshot from a 32GB 3G + WiFi model of HTC's 7-inch Flyer that's suddenly updated to Honeycomb 3.2 without so much as a note from its mother. A tipster to the French site HTC Hub has revealed that the update (version 3.55.405.1) weighs in at 210MB and updated over the air, but so far no-one with a cheaper 16GB WiFi-only edition has been able to replicate the experience. Either the company is staggering the roll out of Google's tablet-optimized software, or it's only interested in looking after the high-rollers.
HTC just confirmed over on Facebook that the GSM 3G version of the Flyer gets the Honeycomb update today, the update for WiFi-only users is "coming soon."

It's been few months since ZiiLabs introduced more hardware designs for its Jaguar line of OEM-oriented reference tablets, and now, the company has released a brief demo video of its seven-inch variant tasting Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Up until this point, we'd only seen the devices rocking Honeycomb atop Zii's ZMS-20 dual-core processor, but it appears to handle Google's latest frozen treat -- specifically Android OS version 4.0.1 -- with relative ease. The clip highlights quick transitions through a few menu interfaces, followed by a showcase of the slate's OpenGL graphics and StemCell media acceleration with decidedly smooth looking multitouch interactions. Curious to see for yourself? You'll find the whole 57 seconds of video goodness.

The next version of each smartphone's operating system is always the best. We impatiently wait for the latest and greatest firmware to come around, expecting it to liberate us from the shackles of last year's code and features that haven't shown up yet. This happens incessantly with Google's Android OS, and version 4.0 -- unveiled at this year's I/O conference in May -- is no different. Known as Ice Cream Sandwich (referred to henceforth as ICS), the last word in the title indicates the merging of Gingerbread, the most recent phone platform, and Honeycomb, the version optimized for use on tablets. We knew this much, but were otherwise left with conjecture as to how the company planned to accomplish such a feat -- and what else the new iteration had in store.

But now the time of reckoning is upon us, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- Android 4.0's mother ship -- is slowly spreading across the globe, its users being treated to this year's smartphone dessert. ICS is one of the largest and most important upgrades we've witnessed from Android since its humble beginnings, making a huge change in user experience as well as a massive number of bullet points on the list of features. Now that we've had the opportunity to take it for a spin, where does it stand in the ranks of mobile operating systems? Follow us beneath as we dig into the layers of this sweet sandwich.

Isn't it nice when different generations get together without bickering? Google's x86 version of Ice Cream Sandwich is finally ready for developers and it promises to do exactly that, by playing happily with Intel and AMD's 33-year-old architecture rather than just those young upstarts from ARM. The union isn't entirely harmonious just yet: Ethernet and camera support won't function, while Wi-Fi, sound and hardware acceleration are currently AMD-only. Devs who remain unfazed by such trifles, however, can download the source code via the links below.

We've gotta hand it to Verzo. It's not every day that a manufacturer lowers the price of its flagship smartphone in explicit response to consumer feedback, yet that's exactly what the Americano Czech company has done today, with a new pricing and packaging scheme for its Kinzo Android handset. Previously marketed as a single, accessory-laden package for $459, the 4.3-inch device is now available in two bundles: the Verzo Kinzo Plus GPS, and the standard Verzo Kinzo pack. The former, priced at $384, includes offline navigation capabilities and a carholder, while the latter ($349) does not. According to the company, the prices are in effect as of now, and "will stay that way." Best of all, anyone who bought the Kinzo at its original price will now be able to recoup the difference, courtesy of Verzo. But don't take our word for it -- check out the video to hear it straight from the source.

The promised volume bug fix for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is now rolling out over-the-air, with multiple Nexus owners reporting that updated software has arrived on their handsets. The OTA package weighs a little under 1MB, and updates the Nexus from build ITL41D to ITL41F, while the Android version remains at 4.0.1. So far it seems that the update contains only the volume bug fix, and that there are no other goodies hiding inside.

If you've noticed the bug on your device, you'll want to head straight to Settings > About phone > System updates to grab the new software. At the time of writing, not all Nexuses have received the patch, so if you don't get it straight away then be sure to check back in the hours and days ahead. Unlike previous Nexus devices, there's no easy way to directly apply apply the OTA package without unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone or other such hackery. If you're comfortable messing around with Android's software internals, though, we've figured out a way for you to apply the OTA update manually, without waiting. Check it out.

Futuremark, father of 3DMark and PCMark, has begun work on an Android edition of its benchmarking software. Wittily titled 3DMark for Android, it'll bring the industry-standard testing tools to all the phones in Google's yard. When finished, users will be able to measure performance by pushing the phone's CPU, rendering, openGL and physics engines to the limits. Results will be comparable against the company's newest software, including the forthcoming Windows 8 build. It's inviting handset makers to join a benchmark development program, an exclusive club that already has AMD, NVIDIA, Intel, Imagination Technologies, Dell and HP on the guest list.

How much cloud storage space do you need? 2GB? 5GB? Pah! Box.net scoffs at your puny storage needs, and plan to offer a substantial 50GB of free storage (again) for anyone packing a Sony Ericsson Android phone. While the plans have leaked ahead of schedule, the fine details haven't been hammered out just yet; the official blog tells us that the company's "working to provide this offer very soon to all Xperia customers." When the offer does go live, logging in to (or creating) a Box.net account on any Xperia handset will open the floodgates to 50 gigs of intangible internet storage fo' life. If this keeps up, it shouldn't be long till we're looking at gratis terabytes and are freed of our not-exactly-crippling USB stick addiction, right?