Refresh Roundup: week of May 20th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

• Sony Xperia ZL: An OTA update is now available for the unlocked Xperia ZL (C6506) that brings improved battery life, better performance and an enhanced user experience. Sounds nice, right? [Android Central]
• HTC One: Bell, Rogers, Telus and Virgin Mobile have each released an OTA update for the One that's said to bring "system enhancements and bug fixes." Reports from users suggest that sensitivity issues with the capacitive buttons have been resolved with this update. Meanwhile, a similar update is now rolling out to the Developer Edition and unlocked versions of the smartphone. [MobileSyrup, Droid Life]
• Sony Xperia S: The first signs of Jelly Bean are beginning to emerge for the Xperia S, as Sony has announced the rollout of Android 4.1.2 within France. [Xperia Blog]
• Samsung Galaxy Music: If you've never heard of this smartphone, don't worry, because it's not much of a looker. Nonetheless, Samsung has released an update to Android 4.1.2 for the single-SIM version (S6010) of the handset, which is available for OTA installation and through Samsung Kies within the UK. [Unwired View]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• Sony Xperia Tablet Z: A release candidate and nightly builds of CyanogenMod 10.1 are now available for this very slim slate. [Android Police]
• Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL: Nightly builds of AOKP are now available to this pair of 5-inch smartphones. [RootzWiki]
• Samsung Galaxy S 4: Dan Rosenberg has released a set of tools known as Loki, which allow developers to bypass the locked bootloader of the Galaxy S 4 for AT&T and Verizon and flash custom kernels and recovery images. [xda-developers, drjbliss (GitHub)]

Other platforms

• Nokia Lumia 920: Rogers has released a firmware update for the Lumia 920 that's been available from other carriers for a while now. After installation, Lumia owners can expect stability improvements, enhancements for automatic brightness level adjustments and better touchscreen operation while on a phone call. [MobileSyrup]
• Nokia Lumia 521: T-Mobile released an update that brings WiFi Calling to its budget Windows Phone handset. [WMPoweruser]
• BlackBerry Q10: Bell, Rogers and Telus have each released an update that brings software version 10.1.0.273 to the Q10. [CrackBerry]
• BlackBerry Z10: BlackBerry OS version 10.1.0.1916 has leaked for the STL 100-2 and STL 100-3 variants of the Z10, while version 10.1.0.2009 was leaked for the STL 100-4 model. [N4BB, CrackBerry]

How would you change HP's Envy Sleekbook 6z?

Intel's Kirk Skaugen was relaxed about "me too" thin-and-light devices trailing behind Ultrabooks like Remoras. Perhaps it's because of our lukewarm reception of devices like HP's Envy Sleekbook 6z, which we found to be a little lumpen. While we liked its understated design, the sluggish AMD internals and flaky trackpad meant we weren't feeling particularly fondly on this piece of hardware. This is where you come in. Why not dream up a budget laptop that could hit the same price point but without the flaws -- the more imaginative, the better.

EV outfit Better Place calls it quits, set to undergo liquidation

Better Place's plan for electric cars with swappable batteries is coming to an end. Despite a change in leadership and a streamlining effort over the past six months, the Israeli EV maker has filed a court motion for liquidation, citing insufficient cash to continue operations and a failure to raise the necessary funds. According to Israel Corporation, the firm's controlling shareholder, other investors willing to pitch in the vast amount of money needed couldn't be found. With approximately $812 million lost in operations and deploying battery exchange stations since 2007, and $454 million of that within 2012 alone, it's estimated that just recouping those loses would take $500 million and four years.
"Unfortunately, after a year's commercial operation, it was clear to us that despite many satisfied customers, the wider public take up would not be sufficient and that the support from the car producers was not forthcoming," said Better Place CEO Dan Cohen. Sure, it might be curtains for the company, but the existing battery network looks like it might live on, as the liquidator is being asked to "maintain the functioning of the network."
[Thanks, Michael]

Samsung opens US-based patent beachhead focused on display tech

Smartphone patent disputes may get all the glory, but display battles can be no less pitched. To that end, Samsung launched a US IP company in March sans fanfare called Intellectual Keystone Technology (IKP) to "trade and develop" OLED and LCD patents, according to The Korea Times. A spokesman said the company opened the office as a way to smooth innovation, but also warned that it intends to use it "to protect our intellectual property by strengthening our patent-related business." So far, it's already shored up Samsung's portfolio by purchasing display tech from Seiko Epson -- after all, it never hurts to have as many cards up your sleeve as you can when things get ugly.