CyanogenMod Alpha 0.05.1 on NOOK Tablet

 
It is not a week after Barnes & Noble rolled out the latest software version 1.4.3 for the NOOK Tablet and you can say that the developers who worked on an unofficial port of CyanogenMod 9 for the NOOK tablet have wasted no time at all, having updated their version of the software, too. Known as CyanogenMod Alpha 0.05.1, you can tell by the version number alone that this is still a potential diamond in the rough. Forget about enjoying official support for Netflix, YouTube HD, as well as other tasks that have need for hardware video acceleration. In addition, you will find that the microphone in the NOOK Tablet is pretty much useless in CyanogenMod Alpha 0.05.1, so no point speaking to it.

What makes CyanogenMod 9 Alpha is the fact that it delivers Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a silver platter to the NOOK Tablet, not to mention the ability for you to access the Google Play Store – and subsequently, opening up the door to hundreds of thousands of apps, is worth having a closer look at.

Samsung loses appeal to lift Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales ban

A judge with the United States District Court for Northern California has rejected Samsung's appeal to a lift a sales ban of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, Reuters reported. The rulings is the third and latest legal setback to hit the South Korean manufacturer over the past week. “Samsung is disappointed with the court's decision that denied our motion to stay,” the company said in a statement. “We believe today's ruling will ultimately reduce the availability of superior technological features to consumers in the United States.” U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh on Friday also banned sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone; the move reportedly enraged Google, which then rushed to its partner's aid.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet hits the iFixit teardown labs

We can always count on iFixit to get down and dirty with its spudger and the latest tablet tech, and we're not going home empty handed today. The latest victim happens to be Google's recently announced Nexus 7, which has achieved a “repairability score” of 7 out of 10 (the Kindle Fire squeaked one notch past with an 8), with many accessible components including a replaceable battery and standard Phillips screws. While the site's ultimate goal is to illustrate the delicate process of opening our gadgets while leaving them unharmed, the good folks at iFixit never fail to entertain us in the process, with two dozen high-res photos of the Nexus 7′s innards littering the 21-step repair guide. The most disappointing discovery appears to be the display, which is permanently affixed to its Corning glass covering, but given the tablet's $200 price tag, replacing such a component is not likely to be a cost-effective proposition. There's plenty more to gawk over, but you'll need to head to iFixit to, well, get your fix.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 GT-P6800 getting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now?

As reported not long ago, Samsung plans to upgrade many of its Galaxy tablets to Android 4.0 ICS starting this month. It looks like the first to get the update is the Galaxy Tab 7.7 GT-P6800.

According to SamMobile, owners of the Tab 7.7 GT-P6800 are getting ICS (via Samsung Kies) as of yesterday, July 3. This, however, seems to happen only in Austria for now.

In case you don't know yet, the GT-P6800 is the 3G version of the Galaxy Tab 7.7. There's also a Wi-Fi-only version (GT-P6810), and an LTE one (i815 - sold in the US by Verizon). These will probably taste ICS pretty soon, too.

Acer's Iconia Tab A210 Android tablet hits the FCC

Acer wasn't divulging much about availability when we first caught sight of its Iconia Tab A210 at Computex last month (beyond a general "Q3"), but the 10-inch Android tablet has now at least cleared one hurdle on its way to a release. The device has just passed through the FCC, which could indicate that it's headed for stores sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, there's not much else to be found beyond the tablet's label and a few test reports, so you'll have to wait for a future filing if you were hoping for a peek inside the device - feel free to revisit our hands-on in the meantime.