During a recent interview with TechCrunch, Android’s head honcho Andy Rubin let slip that the name of the next release of the mobile platform will be Ice Cream Sandwich. Once rumored as Ice Cream, Ice Cream Sandwich will follow OS 3.0, or Honeycomb, which landed on its first device, the Motorola Xoom, last week at …

After taking a few days to decompress and wrap my head around the Android news from CES 2011, I started to notice a couple of trends with the new devices. Not only are these phones getting substantially faster with bigger screens, but they are growing thinner and lighter at the same time. As expected, the next Android phones are going …

When Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg take the stage January 6 for a CES keynote, it’s expected that he’ll show off a broad range of LTE products and services. Both the dual-core LG smarpthone and the Motorola Honeycomb tablet should make an appearance, and we also look for the 4G LTE-ready HTC Thunderbolt. Previously known by other code names (Mecha and …

A handful of new PlayStation phone rumors surfaced this week, adding to a long list of unconfirmed reports surrounding the device. The latest gossip concerns the smartphone’s eventual name. According to information uncovered by Pocket-Now, Sony Ericsson has registered for trademarks on Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Duo, and Xperia Arc. It’s possible that the Xperia Play could refer to …

Google used its Android Developers blog yesterday to deny a correlation between rooting a handset and perceived poor security measures on the operating system. In the blog, Android engineer Nick Kralevich pointed to comments on an Engadget post that characterized the Nexus S’ security as “crap.” Not suprisingly, Kralevich disagreed. “Legitimately gaining root access to your device is a far …

What does Verizon plan to show us in Las Vegas next month? Verizon Verizon Wireless confirmed via its Twitter account today that it will launch new Android devices with support for its growing 4G LTE network at CES 2011. We don’t know exactly which devices the carrier will showcase at its January 6 press event, but potential handsets include the …

A new Android-based handset from LG leaked to the blogosphere yesterday, introducing the world to the LG “B.” We know very little about the device at this point, save for the fact that it is gunning for the world’s thinnest smartphone, even slimmer than Apple’s iPhone 4. First found on Phandroid yesterday afternoon, the phone was later confirmed by the …

Timed to coincide with today’s release of the Nexus S, Google made good on its promise to launch an update to its Google Maps app. Now available in the Android Market, Maps 5.0 offers a few major improvements over its predecessors. First up is the 3D capability, which lets users see a simulated skyline for more than 100 cities around …

The official Facebook application for Android took a major step forward yesterday with the integration of two key features. The latest release (v1.5) now offers chat and push notifications, making the native app considerably more appealing to users. These features come on the heels of last month’s addition of Places and Groups and should do well to keep the masses …

Though we’ve heard rumblings of a revised Android Market for a few weeks, it wasn’t until this weekend that we got to see exactly what the changes entailed. A posting from the official Android developers blog provides details and a pair of images that show a completely overhauled market application. Upon opening the application, users will notice a new app …