4.0

A pair of images surfaced over the Labor Day weekend that could prove to be the first glimpse of HTC's rumored 5-inch Android smartphone. The Chinese forum on which these shots made their debut has since removed the pics, but not before The Verge caught wind. … Read more

Well, this is a new one for AT&T and Pantech. The two have teamed up to offer the Pantech Flex, a budget Android phone designed to ease first-time smartphone users into the Android experience.

The Flex has an "easy experience" mode that limits Android 4.0 to a single home screen imbued with large text and buttons, and a simplified menu to ease up on the navigation and scrolling needed to operate the full-fledged Android experience. Think of it as Ice Cream Sandwich with training wheels.

Just because the Flex comes with a starter mode doesn'… Read more

Angry Birds Seasons Free stays true to its name: it is a theme-oriented tweak of the original ABS game, with those themes being seasons. First-time players will be greeted by a well-designed user interface introducing them to the world of Angry Birds, which has found its way into the hearts of millions of people all around the world.

When you launch the app, you'll need to select a season, which includes not only specific seasons like winter, but also holidays like Halloween and Valentine's Day. You'll then receive some quick visual help to give you the basics … Read more

Initially launched on Sprint, the Kyocera Rise is now available on prepaid network Virgin Mobile starting today.

The Rise is an entry-level keyboard handset running on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.

It's equipped with a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1GHz Qualcomm processor.

When I reviewed the handset, I was impressed with its attractively designed keyboard, call quality, and updated Android OS. However, a slow processor and hefty design hold it back from really shining.

The Rise is going for $99.99 online and will be offered in retail stores beginning … Read more

In addition to its Lenovo IdeaTab S2110, Lenovo unveiled two more Android 4.0 tablets today during IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

The first is the Wi-Fi-only Lenovo IdeaTab A2109, which has a 9-inch LED touch screen with a 1,280x800-pixel resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio.… Read more

iVideo Converter and Downloader is a program for downloading your favorite videos and audio, and converting it to supported formats.

This converter/downloader is an interesting program to have on hand. It has a lot of features including Watch TV, Radio, Games, and Chat tabs. Its main feature, Music and Video, work well and fast. The time per file will vary, depending on the length of the video or file size, but it usually takes somewhere within the time length of the actual video to finish downloading and/or converting. There are a number of format options like MP3, M4A, … Read more

MetroPCS may hand the major carriers some competition, with its new 4G LTE plan for budget-conscious consumers.

Available as a promotion, the carrier's new 4G LTE plan provides unlimited talk, texting, and 4G LTE data for $55 a month for a single line. Families can join in by paying $50 a month for second, third, and fourth lines. Though the deal is being offered as a promotion, the expiration date is open-ended.

MetroPCS President Thomas Keys told CNET that the end of the promotion will depend on the adoption rate by consumers. "We didn't want to set … Read more

If you're in the market for a capable antivirus, firewall, and Internet security solution for Windows, would you consider one that consistently ranks at or near the top in tests against the big names in antivirus protection? A lightweight app that's frugal with system resources? One that offers timely, automatic updates, an effective firewall that integrates with Windows, and user-friendly operation that's mostly in the background? Suppose we added the fact that it's free and that you might even have it already, and if not, it's a few clicks away? Sounds great! What is it? … Read more

Sony today confirmed that the Xperia P is the latest Android smartphone to receive its 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. A post on the company blog advises that consumers will receive a notification when their respective update is ready to download.

As is the case with all other 4.0 releases, the handset will benefit from an enhanced lock screen, improved handling of data consumption, and scalable widgets. Sony has also taken steps to ensure a more rounded media experience for the Xperia P, introducing Walkman, Album, and Movies apps. … Read more