Tuesday, September 27, 2011

So what is the Honeycomb 3.2 Update for the Acer Iconia a500 good for?

3 comments
So, as mentioned in a previous post; I received the Honeycomb 3.2 OTA Update last night on my stock Acer Iconia a500.  It weighed in a little over 350MB's, and took four attempts to download before completing successfully.

One of the big questions with every Honeycomb Update is: 'What does it do/change/fix?'

Apparently, there isn't too much significant included in the update.  It improves SD and USB notifications when attaching these devices, smoother scrolling, and proper stretching/zooming for apps designed for smaller screens (the a500 sports a 10.1 inch screen).  So far, that seems to be about it.

I have one recommendation for Google or Acer concerning Honeycomb Updates: How about including a change notice with the Update Dialog when the device gets prompted for the new OTA Updates?  Theoretically, it should be fairly easy, it could be handled the same way permissions are displayed prior to installing a new app or .apk file.  Right now we just get to see the name of the update and what the download size is.  A little more info would be nice, just a thought.

For those who root or run ROM'd versions of the Acer Iconia a500; you better hold off on updating (as of this writing) since there currently isn't a way to root Honeycomb 3.2 on the Iconia yet.  And you will loose your custom ROM should you apply the OTA 3.2 upgrade.

And it appears that Netflix still isn't supported on the Iconia a500 (as we guessed).

3 comments:

  • September 28, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    Spencer,
    I haven't tried the GPS/Nav out yet. I may get a chance this afternoon. If so, I'll respond here.

    And as far as Netflix, it still doesn't work. At least on my stock Iconia a500. If a method for rooting 3.2 on the Iconia is worked out that still seems to be the only way to get Netflix streaming to working according to the guys over at the XDA Forums.

  • September 28, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    No problem! I will post my results about the Nav features probably tomorrow. If you can find the no root Netflix option feel free to post a link and I'll check it out and post up my experience with it.

    I believe you're probably right about Netflix waiting on Ice Cream Sandwhich. But sooner would be better. lol

  • September 29, 2011 at 9:55 PM

    Spencer, I tried out the GPS feature of the a500 today and didn't have any luck whatsoever. Be sure to check my post about it.