Google's future now: LG Nexus 4, Samsung Nexus 10, and Android 4.2
Even though the storm canceled Google's formal event, the company pressed on with a bevy of new announcements to its flagship Nexus line. From the LG Nexus 4 (aka "the worst-kept secret in tech") and 3G-equipped Nexus 7 (aka "the other worst-kept secret") to Samsung's Nexus 10 and its high-resolution display. This is next wave of Android, buoyed by Android 4.2 and advancements with Google Now.
Nexus 4 wireless charging orb finally selling through Google Play for $59.99
The elusive Nexus 4 wireless charging orb — one of the most striking features of Google's Android flagship — is finally on sale through Google Play, a few months after the phone's launch. It's currently selling for $59.99 in the US, with shipping times quoted as around a week; we're not yet sure of overall international availability. The Nexus 4 itself has only recently come back in stock on the Play Store, after Google apparently massively underestimated initial demand, so this is fairly...
Android 4.2 for Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 available to download now (update)
Today's the day the Nexus 4 goes on sale, but if you're a Galaxy Nexus owner not quite ready to upgrade to Google's latest flagship phone, don't worry — there's still something to look forward to. We're seeing evidence and tips of an over-the-air rollout of Android 4.2 for the Galaxy Nexus, although it appears to be limited to certain users of a certain variant: the unlocked HSPA+ model that was made available through the Google Play Store earlier this year.
However, Phandroid points out...
Free scan and match coming to Google Music November 13th in Europe, 'soon after' for US (update)
Offering a viable music locker in the cloud is tough when you require users to manually upload every file in their library, but thankfully that won't be the case for Google Music much longer. As part of its Google Play announcements today, the company revealed that it will finally bring scan and match functionality — already available from both Apple and Amazon — to its service starting November 13th. Matching will debut alongside Google Music in Europe for those in the U.K, France,...
Slow lane: why Google's new Nexus 4 doesn't have LTE
By Dieter Bohn and Nilay Patel
The Nexus 4 is an impressive smartphone that ticks off every modern spec checkbox you could ask for, save one: LTE. Instead, the Nexus 4 will only come unlocked with HSPA+ radios. It is a disappointing omission, driven by both Google's complex philosophical desire to build open devices as well as the fairly simple economics of building a halo product for a small niche of early adopters.
For Google, Nexus is a flagship brand that represents the best of Android,...
Inside Android's next wave: Building the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, and Android 4.2
Google's campus in Mountain View is a weird place — a sprawling, flat expanse dotted with angular, gray buildings. And lots of colorful bikes. It feels like an island, a place with its own set of rules, and it's easy to feel out of joint if you don't know the handshake. In some ways it's like a corporate realization of Hakim Bey's Temporary Autonomous Zones... save for, you know, the corporation. It's the kind of place where the uniquely Silicon Valley meshing of childish whimsy and a...
Android 4.2 adds gesture typing, wireless TV display, multiple user support on tablets, and more
The new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 aren't just new Android devices — they're showcases for a new version of Android. Google's calling Android 4.2 "a new flavor of Jelly Bean" to reflect its essential similarity to Android 4.1, but there are some major new features in the mix.
The highlight is support for Miracast, an industry-standard Wi-Fi display sharing protocol that allows new devices like the Nexus 4 to stream audio and video to TVs. (Think AirPlay with broad industry support.) Miracast...
Google's Wireless Charging Orb for Nexus 4 takes inspiration from Palm's Touchstone
One of the big features of the new Google Nexus 4 smartphone is support for wireless charging, and so alongside the phone Google is releasing the aptly-named Wireless Charging Orb. Shaped like a sphere sliced crosswise, it bears more than a passing resemblance to Palm's Touchstone. The face of the dock is set at an angle so you can easily see the phone, and it's finished with a soft-touch plastic that should ensure that it won't mar the glass back of the Nexus 4. Google tells us that it's...
Google Now: behind the predictive future of search
For decades, visions of the future have played with the magical possibilities of computers: they'll know where you are, what you want, and can access all the world's information with a simple voice prompt. That vision hasn't come to pass, yet, but features like Apple's Siri and Google Now offer a keyhole peek into a near future reality where your phone is more "Personal Assistant" than "Bar bet settler." The difference is that the former actually understands what you need while the latter is...
Nexus 10 available November 13th starting at $399; hands-on photos and video
Google has officially unveiled the new Nexus 10 tablet running Android 4.2. Built by Samsung but clearly designed by Google, the tablet features a very impressive 10-inch screen at 2560 x 1600 resolution, clocking in at 300ppi. Google calls it "True RGB Real Stripe PLS," and in our short time with the tablet we found it to be on par with the iPad's Retina display, with sharp text, excellent color fidelity, and great viewing angles.
It will come in 16GB or 32GB variants and will be Wi-Fi...
Google announces Nexus 7 (32GB + Mobile) tablet, available November 13th for $299 unlocked (update)
Alongside the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, Google has also announced a small update to the 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet. Called "Nexus 7 (32GB + Mobile)," it simply adds a pentaband HSPA+ radio and comes in a 32GB configuration for $299, a $50 premium over the 16GB model. It's available unlocked, but Google will be selling it with either a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM card pre-installed. It will be up to users to take the device to a carrier to get service — presumably using something like AT&T's Mobile Share...
The Nexus 4: Google's flagship phone lands November 13th for $299
Google has officially announced the Nexus 4, the latest phone in its Nexus line of flagship Android devices. Built by LG, the phone features a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 IPS display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor — which Google claims is the fastest on the market — an 8 megapixel camera and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and up to 16GB of storage. Oh, and the back is made of glass — etched, layered glass that sparkles with a strange, almost holographic depth.
The...
