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Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon LTE hands-on (video)
New Yorkers got a sneak peek at the Verizon LTE flavor of the Galaxy Nexus at the Samsung Experience in Columbus Circle today, and we dropped by to spend a few minutes with the Ice Cream Sandwich handset in the Manhattan showroom. Samsung had just four pre-production Nexus models on hand, which were running Android 4.0.1 -- not the final 4.1 version we're expecting to see shortly, with a baseband update in tow. None of the samples included SIM cards, so we were only able to test them using the built-in WiFi module. A security alarm sounded when we attempted to remove the back cover to install a SIM, though the battery was also superglued in place, further inhibiting our access.We did take the unit for a speed test spin using our Verizon LTE MiFi, and achieved download speeds ranging from 5000-7000kbps and upload speeds of 300-2000kbps when connected to LTE over WiFi. These results don't represent what you'll see with the built-in module, but considering there was no way to get these running on the Verizon network, connectivity was limited to the MiFi and in-house WiFi. Still, this is your best shot at getting your hands on a device ahead of Verizon's official launch, so if you happen to be anywhere near NYC, head on down to the Samsung Experience to get your Nexus fix. Or hop past the break for our hands-on video.%Gallery-140993%
Galaxy Nexus gets rooted, forums burst into applause
To root or not to root -- that's never really been a question for Nexus owners. Google's purebred Android phones are by nature developer-friendly and ship with a painless ability to unlock their bootloaders. So, it comes as no great surprise that well-known modder Modaco has achieved this very feat on the Galaxy Nexus, although it is nice to this Ice Cream Sandwich flagship upholding tradition. Whatever your personal computing OS choice, the superboot image file provided at the source will work for you, pushing the superuser APK to your handset and granting you administrator privileges. Retail versions of the phone will likely come locked, so be prepared to wipe your data if you choose to go down this route (pun definitely intended). As always, tinkering with high-end mobile toys comes with the usual associated risks, so proceed with caution. And remember the cardinal rule -- friends don't let friends root their phones.
Ultrathin LG U1 to be company's first Ice Cream Sandwich device?
Skinny? Check. Thin bezel? Present. Black and rectangular? Roger. This as-yet unconfirmed sliver of a phone is purportedly LG's first Android 4.0 device. Specifications remain even foggier than these pictures, but we can glean an eight-megapixel shooter with flash and a profile that looks like a possible second-generation Optimus Black, with design litigiously close to Samsung's Galaxy S II. As GSM Arena noted, the LG-owned phone network in Korea was renamed LG U+ last year, suggesting that U1 codename may translate to "domestic-only." Here's hoping otherwise, of course.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich: What will it look like on a tablet? (video)
Is there such a thing as too much Ice Cream Sandwich? We didn't think so either, and booted up Google's own Android Emulator to play around with version four-point-oh -- in tablet proportions. We don't know whether manufacturers will end up slathering their own interpretation of Ice Cream Sandwich on top of the vanilla original, but this is probably very close to what we'll be dealing with when it arrives on tablets sometime this quarter. Scrollable, resizeable widgets are here, as is a tabbed, synchronizing web browser. There are some minor niggles; we hope they'll make some adjustments to the comically over-sized native keyboard, but the main thing we took away from this stuttering simulation is that the UI is nigh-on identical to what we were using on the Galaxy Nexus. Android looks like it has any future convergence issues in order -- this version will feel at home on both your phone and tablet. Android Beam has never sounded better. If you can forgive the low-performance emulation, check out the video after the break for more Ice Cream Sandwich, king-size.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore
Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0, the update offers a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. Some of the highlights include an NFC-enabled feature called Android Beam, offline search in Gmail, new lock screen features and a fancy unlocking method called "Face Unlock," which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can't use your phone without permission. Ice Cream Sandwich also includes enhancements in almost every native app within Android itself. The SDK is already available for Android 4.0, and the update itself will make its first public appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, also unveiled tonight. After the break, we'll cover all of the nitty gritty details, along with some excellent screenshots below. So come along, why won't you? %Gallery-136926% %Gallery-136932%
App developers must play nice with Ice Cream Sandwich if they want a bite
Google's Android developer blog is warning creators of Honeycomb apps to rework their code for Ice Cream Sandwich or suffer unsightly consequences. The 'problem' with ICS is that it gets rid of the tablet/smartphone divide, such that HC apps designed specifically for tablets will suddenly be allowed to run on small-screen devices. Needless to say, in many cases that won't be pretty. Creators of HC apps must therefore either disable installation on smaller displays (at least temporarily) or make sure they are fully compatible. Either job will require some time and, by the looks of it, that commodity is quickly running out.
