Perhaps better know for construction heavy equipment, Caterpillar has announced a new Android smartphone, the CAT B15. This new model will be a successor to last year’s CAT B10, with better specs and the latest version of Android. And of course, it will have the ruggedness to live up to the demand of the construction industry.

Actually manufactured by Bullitt Mobile, the CAT B15 features a 4-inch WVGA screen, dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor, 512MB of RAM and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with 720p video recording and comes out of the box running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Although those specs might not tickle the average reader of this site, the main draw of the B15 is the IP67 rating it carries. Meaning it is waterproof, dust proof, can survive a drop on concrete from 1.8 meters and can operate down to -20C.

If you value toughness over high end specs, you’ll want to note that the CAT B15 will be available in March 2013 for £299 or €329 (about $430 USD).

[Via Pocket Lint]

Everyone’s favorite zombie shooting game is about to get a new update. As teased on Madfinger’s Facebook and Twitter pages, the update will be Halloween themed. From the teaser picture above, we can probably expect some pumpkin-headed zombies and hopefully new maps and weapons.

Of course there’s no official date given, just “coming soon”. But with Halloween but a week away, we expect it to drop in the Play Store very soon.

[Madfinger Facebook]

T-Mobile announced the mid-range LG Optimus L9 earlier this month, and now they’ve confirmed the exact date and pricing details. Available in stores and online starting October 31st, the Optimus L9 will run you just $80 after a $50 mail-in-rebate, of course that’s with a two year contract. Overall not a bad price for what you get including a 4.5″ qHD display with Gorilla Glass 2, 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage, 5MP camera with 100p vidoe, 2,150mAh battery and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box.

You can already make phone calls over WiFi on the Nexus 7 tablet using an app such as Groove IP, but how about making phone calls? That’s now possible with a little bit of modification that looks more complex than it really is. Forum user bongostl has posted this how-to guide over at XDA Developers and says it takes only about 15 minutes and results in better voice quality than Groove IP. This method should work on pretty much any configuration or ROM, the full guide is below:

Step one: configure incoming:
1) set up a free app account (i use callcentric)
2) setup a free incoming phone number (i use ipkall.com). (note:server is in.callcentric.com) to connect to your sip account
3) setup a sip app on your tablet (i like csipsimple…. Free in the play store) and connect it to your callcentric, account (user name is your callcentric number… Should start with 1777)
4) go to Google voice on your computer, go to settings, and add a new number. Add the number you registered with ipkall. It will call and confirm you. It should ring through to your tablet! You now will receive incoming calls to your tablet!

Now, let’s get you set up for outgoing calls.
1) download voice+ from the play store and connect it to your Google voice account.
2) download exdialer from the play store (dialer one doesn’t work… I don’t know why)

Now what you need to do is modify your framework-res.apk to make the tablet think that it is voice capable so that voice+ will be triggered when you make a call.

so, here is what you need to do:\
1) download the framework-res editor that is attached here and unzip it
2) copy your framework-res.apk from your ROM (found in the /system/framework folder) and put it in the ‘place-framework-res-here’ folder
3) double click on ‘run me’ and recompile your framework-res
4) in the ‘files-to-edit’ folder, click on framework-res.apk>res>values>bools (edit the bools.xml file)
5) find the line false and change ‘false’ to ‘true’. save and close the file
6) in the framework Flasher that you opened in step 3, choose ’2′ and compile a new apk
7) choose option ’3′ and sign the apk.
8) choose option 4 and create an update.zip
9)flash the update.zip that you made

Congrats, your Nexus 7 tablet is now a fully capable as a phone. Just don’t try to hold it up to your head or you might look a bit foolish.

[via XDA Developers]

There’s apparently an issue with some Nexus 7 tablets where the bezel is uneven with the screen. Now the average user will send it back to Google as a warranty issue, but some people don’t want to be without their tablet that long. YouTube user baddspella has posted a how-to video showing exactly how easily it can be fixed, all you need is a plastic opening tool (such as a guitar pick) and the right sized jewelers screw driver. Check the video below for the full walk-through. And as always with attempting repairs like these, make sure you know what you’re doing, because if you screw it up, you’re on your own.

[via Hack-a-Day]

When Telus first told customers that the Desire HD would not be getting Ice Cream Sandwich due to “poor performance” during testing, HTC was quick to jump in and say that the update to Android 4.0 was still still on track for the device. Now it seems HTC has backtracked on their statement and amended their list of devices due for the upgrade saying the following:

After extensive testing, we’ve determined that the current version of HTC Sense with Android provides customers with the best experience on the HTC Desire HD. When we consider new versions of software, we weigh a number of factors, but ultimately the customer experience on the product is the deciding factor. We apologize for any confusion this change may have caused our customers.

It appears this may be the final word as far as an official update to Android 4.0 or beyond for the Desire HD. However as is the case most of the time, owners that just won’t take no for an answer can turn to the developer community for upgrades, where Jelly Bean ROMs are already in development.

Any Desire HD owners out there? Are you upset at the lack of an official update? Have you already or will you turn to a third party custom ROM?

[HTC via The Verge]

For as long as I could remember, you could always view all your purchased apps, even if they weren’t installed. Then over the course of various updates and the move from Market to Play Store, the functionality was removed. You still owned the apps, there just wasn’t an easy way to see them all.

Now thanks to Paul over at Modaco, there’s a fix for that. From the same man that freed the camera functionality on the Nexus 7, we have the Legacy Play Store. He’s pulled the function to see all your purchased apps from a previous version of the Play Store and hacked it to work alongside the current version. Now you can view My Apps and see all your purchases that aren’t currently installed.

One thing to note, you’re probably gonna need to be rooted for it to work. You can try to sideload the APK, but it’s recommended you push it to /system/app and chmod it to 644. If you don’t know what that means, then it’s probably time to learn how to use ADB. Download the Legacy Play Store at the source link below.

[Modaco]

There’s no denying it, when Samsung moves phones, they love to brag about the numbers. Today Samsung executive Shin Jong-kyun shared with reporters in South Korea that the company has sold over 10 million Galaxy S III units. They haven’t confirmed exact numbers, but 10 million is impressive nonetheless. Although it doesn’t come as a surprise given the nearly simultaneous launch worldwide, as well as the availability from all the major carriers here in the US. Samsung expects to ship no fewer than 20 million units by fall 2012, showing once again the Galaxy S flagship phone remains a hit.

[MobileBurn via BriefMobile]

It seems Google and Asus have underestimated demand for the 16GB version of the Nexus 7 tablet. Aside from shortages we’ve been hearing about at brick-and-mortar retailers, the larger of the two storage options is completely sold out at the Google Play Store. If you haven’t already ordered or gotten your hands on one, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Prospective buyers can enter their email to be notified when it will be available. The 8GB version is still available with a shipping time of 3-5 days.

If you’re really hungry for a 16GB Nexus 7, you can always look around on Craigslist or Ebay, but expect to pay a slight premium over the $249 retail price to get one now. Another thing to note, if you’re shopping on Ebay, be aware that some sellers are merely selling a pre-order, pocketing the profit, and won’t actually ship till Google is shipping.

Anyone out there still wanting to purchase a 16GB Nexus 7? Will you settle for the 8GB version or are you willing to wait?

Sprint announced today the first expansion of their LTE network that now includes 15 cities in the US surrounding the initial launch areas of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Kansas City. The 15 cities are: Atlanta, Athens (Georgia), Calhoun (Georgia), Carrollton (Georgia), Newnan (Georgia), Rome (Georgia), Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth (Texas), Granbury-Hood County (Texas), Huntsville (Texas), Waco (Texas), Kansas City, and St. Joseph (Missouri).

Sprint also expects to launch LTE coverage in more cities before the end of the year, with areas to be announced later in 2012. Currently Sprint only has 4 LTE-capable phones including the Samsung Galaxy Nexus ($99.99 on contract), LG Viper ($0 on contract), HTC Evo 4G LTE ($199.99 on contract), and Samsung Galaxy S III ($199.99 or $249.99 on contract).

Are you one of the lucky customers with an LTE device and live in an area with coverage? What kind of average speeds are you seeing? Be sure to drop us a line in the comments.

[Sprint Press Release]