Test build of Android 2.3.4 leaks for ThunderBolt

Anyone with their RSS reader pointed toward Taiwan should know by now that today an Android 2.3.4 test

HTC Lead headed to AT&T, system dump leaked

We’re still taking in all of the leaks that have popped up in the past day or two but one that stands out currently is the system dump for the upcoming HTC Lead. According to the information that can be stripped out of the dump, this device is starting to sound similar to the HTC Inspire 4G with some more horsepower:

Gingerbread Test Build for ThunderBolt Leaked

A buggy test build of Android 2.3 Gingerbread appears to have been leaked from our favorite source for all things HTC oddity: 911HTC! They’ve got a big fat build by the name of Mecha GINGERBREAD S Verizon WWE 2.01.605.0_ Radio_0.01.69.0501r_ _NV_8K_1.41_ 9K_1.64_test_190987.zip – all that make sense to you? It doesn’t have to! All you need to know is that Gingerbread is more than likely on its way to Verizon’s HTC ThunderBolt, and by the looks of it, it’s coming soon!

Before we continue I’ve of course got to warn you that ROMs in test stages such as this are often beyond buggy to the point where should you use them you really ought to prepare yourself for something rather broken. Be sure to back up your current build if you plan on working with this one,

Samsung Exhibit 4G hits T-Mobile June 8

We first heard about the Samsung Exhibit 4G a few weeks ago and it looks like we’ll be seeing the mid-range offering hitting T-Mobile shelves on June 8. Dealer price is set at $325, but you’ll be paying less (and note the $50 rebate).

The Exhibit 4G features a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 3MP rear camera, VGA front-facing camera and is also HSPA+ capable; it will be able to reach speeds exceeding 21mbps.

Will the AT&T Attain, Verizon Function, and Sprint Within be the US versions of the Galaxy S II?

When the original Samsung Galaxy S phone came to the U.S., it was branded as the Verizon Fascinate, AT&T Captivate, T-Mobile Vibrant, U.S. Cellular Mesmerize and the Cellular South Showcase. Is it any surprise that the same thing is going to happen all over again for the new Galaxy S II. For some reason the Fascinate 2 or Captivate 2 is just not good enough.

An online web store has a listing for a silicon gel case that’s compatible with the generic Samsung Galaxy S II, but also lists Attain (AT&T), Function (Verizon), and Within (Sprint).

Get ready for the bloatware and other tweaks from the U.S. carriers. It  will also be interesting to see if NFC makes it over on any of the U.S. versions.

Apple iPhone 4S to feature separate camera flash?

9to5Mac is reporting that the next iPhone, the iPhone 4S as it’s being referred to, will feature the LED flash for the camera on the opposite side of the case. There have been reports from a small group of individuals experiencing camera problems due to the iPhone’s built-in flash, and this looks like a way to solve the issue. Take a look for

Xperia PLAY game sales have been unimpressive

According to a report by CVG, Android Market downloads of games specifically designed to run on Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY handset have been extremely low. As evidence in its case, the report hones in on five Play titles that all have under 1,000 total Market downloads: Cool Boarders 2, 100–500; Destruction Derby, 500–1,000; Jumping Flash, 50–100; MediEvil, 100–500; and Syphon Filter, 100–500. Despite this, the handset’s creator is undeterred. “There’s no concerns, it’s a revolutionary device, it’s shaking up the market, we’re very pleased with it,” said Dominic Heil-

HTC Merge available from third-party retailers, not Verizon Wireless

A Verizon Wireless spokesperson has shed some light on the fate of the HTC Merge — an Android 2.2 handset first discovered last September. The device, which was officially announced by HTC in February, has fallen in and out of obscurity for months. Now, according to the latest report, users may finally get a chance to purchase the handset.

DROID3 packs qHD display and TI dual-core tip benchmarks

Details of Motorola’s upcoming DROID3 smartphone have been leaked, courtesy of some premature benchmarking of what’s assumed to be a prototype device. According to the stats at Nenamark, spotted by Blog of Mobile, the Verizon Android smartphone will have a qHD 960 x 540 display, just like the Motorola ATRIX, as well as use Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR SGX 540 GPU.

That clears up one lingering question about the DROID3, namely which chipset it would use. Unlike the ATRIX, which is based on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2, it seems Motorola has used the 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP4430, an alternative dual-core processor.

OS is Gingerbread, at least at time of testing, and the phone scored 45.7 (though, since we’re guessing the firmware isn’t final at this stage, that should probably be taken with a pinch of salt). Other expected specs include a 4-inch display and a front-facing camera for video calls; still unclear is when, exactly, Motorola and Verizon will announce the new QWERTY slider.

[via DROID-Life; via Android Community]

Microsoft Offers App Migration Tool For iPhone to Windows Phone 7

In a bid to win over more developers, Microsoft is offering up a new app migration tool to make it easier to port over iOS apps to the Windows Phone 7 platform. The new API Mapping Tool lets iOS coders take programming calls and translate them to the equivalent classes, methods, and notification events in Windows Phone 7.

The API Mapping Tool is available with plenty of documentation, videos, and other resources to help guide along developers. The API works more like a dictionary that allows developers to pick out bits of code to be translated. Microsoft notes that there’s “no magic wand that will do the work for you,” but that the new API will make things less painstaking.