Notion Ink, makers of the Adam tablet have just release an Alpha build of Ice Cream Sandwich for the tablet. It’s still early in the development process and a few things are broken like 3G, camera, USB mass storage and others. But looking at the demo video, it seems fairly usable, just not ready for a daily driver build.

In addition to the ICS release, the Notion Ink team also hinted at a new device announcement coming soon. They didn’t have any announcements at CES this past week, but mentioned they will be sharing an announcement next week in relation to the next generation of hardware. The Notion Ink Adam tablet may not have been the success they hoped for, since there were many delays and issues, but it was very innovative for Android tablets at the time. We’re really looking forward to see what they have in store as far as new hardware.

[Notion Ink Blog]

Sony Ericsson has just done something that most other phone manufacturers would never consider doing. They have released an alpha version of Ice Cream Sandwich for unlocked Xperia phones. The ROM is Android 4.0.1 and is currently available for the Arc S, Neo V and Ray. It’s meant for developers only for testing purposes and not everyday use. Functions such as calling, WiFi, bluetooth and Google apps like Gmail have been disabled in the ROM, but it’s a way for those knowledgeable with flashing ROMs to get a taste of what’s to come when Sony Ericsson releases Ice Cream Sandwich officially on their devices.

For full instructions and downloads, head over for the Sony Ericsson Developers Blog for all the details. And if you’re not interested in flashing your phone, you can just check out the demo video below:

A new whole version number increase usually means big changes, and with Google Maps 6.0 there’s an all new feature, indoor mapping. As you may have heard, Google has been experimenting with indoor maps in places such as shopping malls, airports, and even retail stores. The latest version of Google Maps for Android brings us our first taste of indoor maps.

The locations for indoor maps are currently limited to only a handful of the largest malls, retailers and airports, but more will be added in time. To use the indoor maps, simply zoom in on an area, and if the location has indoor maps available, it will automatically appear. If a location has more than one level, you can select a map for different floors. Gone are the days of looking at the mall directory, getting lost in the airport or wandering around aimlessly. Here’s my favorite demo, because who hasn’t felt extremely lost inside an IKEA:

In addition to indoor maps, the new Google Maps also makes it easier to switch between different features such as Navigation, Latitude and more. The Places feature has also been redesigned to make it easier to find restaurants, stores and other locations by showing popular searches. Google Maps 6.0 is now available in the Android Market for devices running Android 2.1 or higher.

[Google Mobile Blog]
[Android Market]

Although the video is kinda short, we see how smoothly Ice Cream Sandwich runs on four cores, smooth transitions, full screen video playback and hardware-accelerated gaming. It’s also worth mentioning that Asus got their hands on the ICS source code the same time as the rest of the world and had it up and running on the Transformer Prime in only a few days. Pretty impressive.

If you’re sold on the Transformer Prime, it’s already available for pre-order from Amazon.

Thanks to a developer, the ICS keyboard has been pulled from the last version of Android and made available in the Android Market. It’s said to work on devices running Android 2.2 or higher, but may not be compatible with all devices. Once installed, go to Settings>Language & Keyboard, then check the box next to Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard. To select it as your default keyboard you can long-press in any text field, choose Input Method, and select ICS keyboard.

[Android Market]

There’s a new update out for Google Maps available in the Android Market. On the surface it seems like everything normal, just a bug fix update. The changelog says “Reduced app storage size with downloads for different screen resolutions”. That’s all and great, but in the permissions screen, there’s a new permission, Near Field Communication aka NFC.

So what new features does NFC bring? Well, nothing right now. But remember the demo during the ICS announcement where they touched the two Galaxy Nexus phones together and shared the map? That’s obviously part of it. There may also be other features we don’t know about yet, perhaps integrating it with Latitude or Check-ins.

If you haven’t already, be sure to grab the latest update from the Android Market.

As the story goes, one unsuspecting phone buyer bought a Google Nexus S from Ebay and got a strange surprise upon receiving the phone. It’s said to be loaded with the next version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. So far we only know scant details about the next version heard from tiny leaks and whispers, along with some early screen shots.

The video here is a quick walkthrough of the phone from it’s lucky owner, showing off the OS, is labeled Build IRK48 and sports a newer kernel 3.0.1. Yes, we do realize it may just be a themed ROM and an elaborate hoax, but it’s certainly a lot of trouble to go through. Judge for yourself:

[via Engadget]

The video doesn’t show much, but we can see CM7 booting on the TouchPad. The build is currently based on Android 2.3.5, and they’re working on tweaks specific for tablet usage. In the accompanying letter, the team shares that much progress has been made, but it’s not even close to being finished. And according to the number one rule of CyanogenMod, don’t ask for ETAs, it will be released when it’s done. They also are calling for tablet donations, as many developers are still working on the project without hardware.
 

Hey Internet/RootzWiki–
Here is some (older) touchpad progress from Friday. The Cyanogenmod team wanted to share it with the public as a blatant publicity stunt to bring attention to our need for a few more touchpads (for developers currently working without them).
As you can see from this quick demo, we’ve been working hard and have made progress. Since this video was created last week, the build has been more “tabletized” (tablet tweaks added, etc.), lvm support has been added, and 2d hardware acceleration should appear very soon.
The touchscreen driver issue is now the focus of our attention.
Our ultimate vision is to create a *multiboot* solution where the end user will be able to boot into WebOS, Cyanogenmod, and/or other OSes. This appears to be very possible, and we have discussed several potential implementations with our new friends in the WebOS development community to make it easy for an end-user to set up.
For the moment though, we need about 4 tablets, as we have talented and experienced developers who cannot contribute effectively due to a lack of hardware. If you have an extra touchpad and are willing to help the cause, please let us know in the comments below.
A BIG CAVEAT– PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR ETAS. For the uninitiated, this is the #1 rule for Cyanogenmod. It will certainly be a long while before our goals become reality. Our goals incidentally are not connected with any bounty– we are motivated to do it right, not do it fast.
And now the obligatory shout outs– Thanks to rootzwiki and all the devs and everyone else who are collaborating and contributing to this project. You know who you are, you.
The CM team
www.cyanogenmod.com
PS- Yes, this is gingerbread (Android 2.3.5). Everything you see, except for bootie the bootloader (a great kid’s show btw), was compiled from source.

 
[via RootzWiki]

With InvisiBright you can access the app from either your notification drop-down or by long-pressing the search key. Once activated, you can adjust the brightness by swiping or tilting your device. There are many adjustable preferences and it doesn’t run as a background service so it saves battery. An ad-free pro version with extra features and a widget is also available for $1.50 in the Android market.  But the developer is currently offering the pro version to XDA Developers members in exchange for some constructive feedback. It should also be noted Android 2.2 or higher is required to use the application. Check out the application thread here, or watch the video demo below:

The aim is not only to help customers find new apps and quality apps, but also to benefit developers. The application details pages have been redone, and the checkout process for paid apps has been streamlined. Users will also be able to see other apps by the same developer at checkout.

For a better overview of how the new Market will work, have a look at the demo video below. Everyone running Android 2.2 or higher should see the update soon. All users worldwide should have it within a couple of weeks.

[via Android Developers Blog]