AT&T confirms that all 2011 Android devices will receive Gingerbread

By Mike Dunn July 26, 2011

Android’s Gingerbread has been on the market since the launch of the Nexus S in December 2010, but it still hasn’t made it to most Android handsets. AT&T is doing its part to change that, announcing yesterday that every Android phone released for AT&T in 2011 will have Gingerbread by the end of the year. It did state that not all updates will be possible over the air, and that some updates would either have to happen over Wi-Fi or require the phone being plugged into a computer.

There are only six phones on the upgrade list, but they are some of the most popular Android phones on AT&T. The list includes the HTC Inspire 4G, Motorola Atrix 4G, and Samsung Captivate. Even though the Captivate was released in 2010, AT&T has included it on the upgrade list. A full list of all the phones being updated is included below. The Motorola Atrix4G is on the list, but was upgraded last week, and the recently announced Nexus S comes pre-loaded with Gingerbread so it is not on the list.

Earlier this month we pointed out that Gingerbread (2.3) is catching up to Froyo (2.2) in market share, but at 59.4 percent, Froyo still has a lot of ground to give up. We have compiled a list of Gingerbread features, and some tips and tricks straight from Google.

Seeing as all of the devices on the list below have a customized user interface, most of the enhancements of Gingerbread will actually go unnoticed, or unusable. One feature that several phones won’t be able to take advantage of is built-in video chat, since most of the phones don’t have a front-facing camera. The feature most people will take advantage of will be the improved battery life via a more efficient multitasking system.

The AT&T smartphones planned for a Gingerbread update are:

HTC Inspire 4G

LG Phoenix

Motorola ATRIX 4G

Pantech Crossover

Samsung Captivate

Samsung Infuse 4G

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mike graduated from University of Arizona with a degree in poetry, and made his big break by writing love sonnets to the…

Mobile

Apple Watch Series 9 is even cheaper than it was on Black Friday

A person checking the fitness data on an Apple Watch Series 9.

One of the best Apple deals at the moment is over at Best Buy with a huge $100 off the Apple Watch Series 9. That means instead of costing $399, it’s down to $299 for a limited time which is fantastic value for an equally fantastic smartwatch. If you’ve been waiting for great Apple Watch deals, now is your chance. Take a look below if you need more reminders as to why the Apple Watch Series 9 is perfect for so many people.

Why you should buy the Apple Watch Series 9
The Apple Watch Series 9 is one of the best smartwatches around and the ideal addition for any iPhone owning fitness enthusiast. That’s thanks to it doing a fantastic job of tracking everything you’re doing. At a basic level, it has sensors which mean it can monitor your heart rate giving you a heads up if it detects an irregular heart rhythm or an unusually high or low amount of beats.

Mobile

Best Amazon Fire tablet deals: Save on Fire HD 8, Fire Max 11 and more

The Amazon Kindle Fire Max 11's Home screen.

Tablets have become household tech at this point, and because of that there are a lot of quality options to turn to if you’re looking for one of the best tablets but don’t want to break the bank. One of the better lineups to shop for both quality and affordability is Amazon’s Fire tablet lineup, which always seems to have something among the best tablet deals. We’re seeing some good Amazon Fire tablet deals out there, and we’ve rounded up all of the best Amazon Fire tablet deals below. While much of what’s currently out there are deals on refurbished models, reading onward you’ll find savings on the Fire HD 8, the Fire Max 11, and other great tablets in the Amazon Fire lineup.
Amazon Fire HD 8 (refurbished) -- $55, was $85

If you just need a basic tablet for simple functions such as browsing the internet, doing online shopping, and watching streaming shows, the incredibly affordable Amazon Fire HD 8 may be enough. It's not going to wow you with its performance, as it's only equipped with 2GB of RAM with limited storage of 32GB, but it's got an 8-inch touchscreen with HD resolution and built-in support for Amazon's Alexa, so if that's all you need, go for the Amazon Fire HD 8.

Mobile

Stop! Don’t buy this iPad at Best Buy today

The iPad 10.2 is great for reading.

For those who want to buy one of Apple's iPads but within a tight budget, the highly recommended option is the ninth-generation Apple iPad. The Wi-Fi, 64GB model is pretty cheap for its , which is how much it's going for on Best Buy, but you'll enjoy savings of $80 if you purchase the tablet from Walmart, where it's available for just $249. You're going to have to be quick in completing the transaction though -- with more than 500 units sold over the past 24 hours, we're not sure how much time is remaining before stocks run out.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad 9th Gen
The ninth-generation Apple iPad was released in 2021, but it's still in our roundup of the best iPads as the best iPad on a budget. While it's not as powerful as the latest models of Apple's tablets, it still provides decent performance for most daily tasks with its A13 Bionic chip, which is the same processor that's found in the iPhone 11 series. The tablet ships with iPadOS 15, but you can upgrade it to the latest iPadOS 17 right after unboxing it to be able to access the operating system's latest features.