Android Tablet Update

It’s been said many times before that Nexus series devices are the bee’s knees, thanks to just how fast they receive updates and the latest features directly from Google. But for some buyers, they could care less what software updates Google provides for their device; it’s all about the Android community. Nexus phones are notoriously easy to hack. The Galaxy Nexus is no exception. And now, thanks to Google, the Galaxy Nexus will also be incredibly easy to restore.

Announced today on the Android Building Google Groups page, a complete factory image for the Galaxy Nexus has been released that includes the bootloader, baseband and the rest of the system. You can unarchive the package once downloaded and get a look at everything included individually, but there’s really no need. A handy “flash-all” script has been added that, when used, flashes everything you need to get your phone back to its factory state.

With all the ROMs being released and the experimenting being done, today’s factory image release will certainly be helpful. Jean-Baptiste M. “JBQ” Queru, Software Engineer for the Android Open-Source Project, said “hopefully this’ll be useful to people flashing custom AOSP builds, as it provides a clean supported way to return to factory state.” Indeed it will.

To download the factory image, and for details on the release, visit the Android Building Google Groups page.

The days when hackers and developers beat manufacturers to the punch with software updates are back again. Earlier this week, the source code for Ice Cream Sandwich was released, starting the countdown to custom ROMs on devices everywhere. It’s only been four days since that release, and there are some popular phones already being treated to their first helping of Android 4.0′s cold, creamy goodness.

The Samsung Galaxy S II, currently one of the most popular smartphones in existence, is one of first devices to receive an almost fully functioning AOSP Ice Cream Sandwich port. WiFi and Bluetooth still haven’t been figured out on the Galaxy S II, but fixes should be along very shortly. My guess is that before the end of the year, Galaxy S II owners will have several different Ice Cream Sandwich based ROMs to choose from.

Along with the GSII, the LG Optimus 3D has also been treated with an ICS port. Not much is known on the status of the Optimus 3D ROM, but judging by the performance in the video below, things are well on their way to being fully functional.

Of course the Galaxy S II and Optimus 3D are just two devices out of many that have semi-functioning Android 4.0 ports already. If you’re into hacking and modding, and your device already has an ICS ROM to call its own, be sure to share it in the comments below.