The Gingerbread (Android 2.3.4) update for the HTC Thunderbolt is now available for everyone to pull.  All you have to do is go into Settings>Software update and “Check new.”  Go get it everyone!

Full changelog here.

*Note – If you receive the OTA, please let us know if Google Talk with Video is working.  On the leak, it looks like it should work, but it cannot connect to actual video calls.

Cheers Chris, Raymar, and Owen!

Today in other Android news…

• Sprint could launch their own LTE network as early as 2012.
• HTC is holding a Beats-inspired event in the UK October 6 – probably for the Bass.
• Speaking of Beats by Dre, the EVO 3D has a ROM with Beats software included.
• Nexus S has a new update to Android 2.3.6 that we are hoping fixes tethering issues.
• Product pages for the T-Mo Galaxy SII and HTC Amaze 4G are up with lots of goodies.

To stay up-to-date on the latest non-Verizon Android news, be sure to subscribe to Android Life.

It’s not often that we get to toss up a picture of a luxury car, but will jump at the chance as it relates to the latest rumored Motorola device.  According to members of Howard Forums, the next slideout keyboarded device from Moto will be the DROID4 or 4G and is known internally as the “Maserati.”  Sound familiar?  I’m going to assume that this is the same device our Panda friend mentioned a few weeks back during his Nexus poem.  Many of you caught his comment on it and starting looking for answers immediately.

It’s reported as having a 4″ or so screen, no d-pad, a removable battery and 4G LTE capabilities, something that should have been included in the DROID3.  No other details at this time.  Feel free to take it as a rumor, but this HoFo member claims to have held the Spyder as well, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Keyboard lovers, did this news just make your day?

Via:  Howard Forums

Cheers @mrcarner!

Famed supply channel watcher DigiTimes, is reporting that two new Motorola XOOMs will ship in November and December of this year.  While we have seen both 10.1″ and 8.2″ models, their sources claim that a 7″ version is on the way – we will go ahead and assume that they are wrong on that.  Both tablets have been revamped to be much slimmer and potentially with higher quality HD screens.  Opinions on whether the new look is the hotness or not are all over the board, we are just hoping the price isn’t.

This time frame makes sense, especially since we have heard Moto CEO Sanjay Jha claim that they will have new tablets by the end of the year, time and time again.  He also has mentioned a number of times that they will have more “aggressive form factors” going forward.  I’d say we could easily see two new tablets for the holidays.  Again, let’s hope the price is right.

Via:  DigiTimes

Chinese manufacturer ZTE showed off their latest 7-inch tablet, the ZTE T98 at the CES (China International Exhibition Center) expo in Beijing. The T98 features Android 3.2 Honeycomb and the new NVIDIA Tegra 3 (Quad-core) chipset clocked at 1.5GHz, being the first tablet to do so. The tablet also sports 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a front (2MP) and rear camera (5MP) that can shoot 1080p HD video and with an extremely small 4000mAh battery.

Oddly enough, the T98 comes with 3G GSM radios and does not include 4G of any sort, nor does it contain an NFC chip. The benchmarks are also extremely lackluster when you consider the specs, lets just assume that it is because the software has not yet been optimized for quad-core devices. At this time there is no information regarding availability or pricing. 

The “soak test” for this first DROID3 update is happening right now, but if you want to go ahead and update early, we have the instructions for you below.  The update includes Google Talk with Video along with a variety of bug fixes that should improve battery life.  Here is the full list.  

We have been expecting the release of Gameloft’s anticipated 9mm for quite some time. Yesterday, it finally made its way to the Android Market for a hefty $6.99. The GTA-esque game is sure to deliver a gruesome drug-filled story line and a matching online multi-player experience.