GalaxyNexus
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Google Wallet unofficially finessed into Galaxy Nexus, complete with complimentary cash
Galaxy Nexus owners may start looking to their phone whenever that pesky bank account is dying for some hurt. Although Google's latest smartphone doesn't officially support its mobile payment scheme, a few clever developers have introduced a functional workaround. Early reports suggest that Citi MasterCards can't be added (yet), but thankfully, the gratis Hamilton courtesy of Mountain View comes without a hitch. To get started, you'll need to unlock your phone's bootloader and install MoDaCo's custom ROM. From there, a Google Wallet patch must be applied, and its permissions then changed. The process isn't exactly for the faint of heart, but we know our readers are more than capable -- you'll find instructions in the source. Best yet, the crew at BGR verified this newfound functionality by purchasing enough sugar to make our teeth hurt. And why not? After all, it was on Google's dime.
Galaxy Nexus volume bug fix gets early release, official testing continues
Google had promised it was incoming, and now the guys over at MoDaCo have been kind enough to offer up a software fix for the erratic volume antics seen on Europe-based Galaxy Nexii. Paul O'Brien notes that the ROMs he's uploaded -- while based on the official release -- are still in the midst of internal testing, and that flashing your device will wipe its contents -- so fair warning. For those brave, brave early adopters, you can grab both the files and instructions at the source below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Verizon's LTE-enabled Galaxy Nexus priced at $200?
We're still not sure when the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will arrive on Verizon, but a new flash ad may have just revealed its price. Spotted by Smart Keitai, the above ad has reportedly been making the rounds on sites like Android Police, Phandroid and Droid Forums, offering an LTE-enabled version of Sammy's new handset at a price of $200 on a two-year contract -- notably lower than previously rumored, and well below Verizon's price points for its other high-end devices. At the time of this writing, the page's "Learn More" link isn't activated, but its URL appears to include an inexplicable November 29th dateline, suggesting that the ad, if indeed legit, may have leaked earlier than intended. We'll obviously have to wait a bit longer before we know whether this rumored pricing holds up, but we'll be sure to keep you abreast of the latest. [Thanks, Eagon]
Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ review
Every now and then a device comes along that we really look forward to getting our hands on. Google's line of Nexus smartphones falls into this category, setting the new standard for Android each year.
Galaxy Nexus LTE casts slightly larger silhouette
Getting giddy of the thought of an LTE-powered Galaxy Nexus? Well, Google, has just unveiled a full 360-degree view of the Verizon-bound smartphone, and it's packing a bigger caboose. Around 0.6mm thicker than the HSPA+ version available now in the UK, the 4G-stuffed version loses, at least visually, some of its curved charm and the chin's become more prominent too. Fortunately, as the tech specs confirm, the slightly bigger body does cram in an extra 100mAh of battery juice, presumably to feed that LTE radio. Will it feel any different in the hand? It looks like we'll have to wait until Verizon decides to furnish us with one -- whenever that is.
Galaxy Nexus shipping now in America: unlocked for $750 through Expansys
Pre-order, pre-schmorder. Americans more anxious to blow $750 on the planet's first Ice Cream Sandwich handset than anything on Black Friday can do so right now, as Samsung's Galaxy Nexus is shipping from the warehouses at Expansys. We've received independent confirmation that orders placed today are shipping out, with the aforesaid tally nabbing you an unlocked 16GB GSM (HSPA+) build that plays nice with T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G bands. What it won't nab you, however, is a pack of nabs. Can't win 'em all, right? [Thanks, Dan]
Galaxy Nexus volume fix in the works, Google confirms
Google has heard your Galaxy Nexus complaints loud and clear, and it's already working on a fix. That's just about all the company had to say today, in response to widespread gripes over a strange volume bug on Samsung's new flagship handset. "We are aware of the volume issue and have developed a fix," Google said in a statement. "We will update devices as soon as possible." It appears, then, that the problem lies not in the phone's hardware, but in its software, meaning that a simple OTA update may just do the trick. No word yet on when we can expect to see the fix, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out.
Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB mass storage after all, Galaxy Nexus does not
When we gave our first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we were a bit taken aback by the fact that USB mass storage wasn't supported on the device, leading us to believe that it was a flaw in Android 4.0. Android engineer Dan Morrill took to the 'net to sort out the confusion, explaining that Ice Cream Sandwich does indeed support the feature, but only on devices that offer removable storage cards -- which explains why we weren't able to use it on the Nexus. Here's why, according to Dan: It isn't physically possible to support UMS on devices that don't have a dedicated partition for storage (like a removable SD card, or a separate partition like Nexus S.) This is because UMS is a block-level protocol that gives the host PC direct access to the physical blocks on the storage, so that Android cannot have it mounted at the same time. With the unified storage model we introduced in Honeycomb, we share your full 32GB (or 16GB or whatever) between app data and media data. That is, no more staring sadly at your 5GB free on Nexus S when your internal app data partition has filled up -- it's all one big happy volume. However the cost is that Android can no longer ever yield up the storage for the host PC to molest directly over USB. Instead we use MTP. On Windows (which the majority of users use), it has built-in MTP support in Explorer that makes it look exactly like a disk. On Linux and Mac it's sadly not as easy, but I have confidence that we'll see some work to make this better. Mystery solved. To check out the full transcript of his comments, you can head over to the More Coverage link, where Android Police has done a nifty job of putting it together into an easy-to-read format.
Galaxy Nexus coming to Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada December 8th, pre-orders begin today
Time to start whoopin' and hollerin', Canada -- not only do you have a date with the Galaxy Nexus on December 8th, you can begin pre-ordering it on Bell and Virgin Mobile today. Getting your phone ordered early ensures that you can have the $160 handset (after a three-year commitment, of course) shipped out "as soon as it's available," but it doesn't necessarily guarantee your brand new treasure will show up on launch day. Bell's got a promo going on that we don't recall having seen before: a Twitter line-up. The idea is to sign up on the site on December 1st between 10am and 11am (EST), claim a spot in the virtual line and you'll be given a message to send on Twitter. Then, return to the site once an hour until 10pm and tweet out the latest message. If you remain in the top 100 when all is said and done, your Galaxy Nexus will be guaranteed to arrive on the 8th. 'Course, given the amount of interest circulating around the phone, it's probably best if you're on the site ready to get your Tweet at 9:59am. Check out the press release for the deets.
European Galaxy Nexus owners complain of erratic volume issue (video)
Samsung's new flagship smartphone isn't having the smoothest of beginnings. The strange ROM that cropped up a few days ago turned out to be an isolated incident, but now the forums are abuzz with an audio issue that looks a lot more serious. Essentially, the handset's volume control appears to have a mind of its own, flitting randomly between mute, full blast and everything in between. The problem has so far only been observed on European phones using the GSM 900MHz band, and it's exacerbated by the cellular modem either boosting itself in a low reception area or switching between 2G and 3G connections. A user poll over at the XDA Developers forum suggests around 60 percent of owners have experienced the fault. There's a video after the break, complete with a disappointed kid in the background bugging his dad for answers.
Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ first impressions (video)
Wow... The Galaxy Nexus. It's finally here, in our eager little hands, and it's delicious -- just like Ice Cream Sandwich, in fact. Our review unit is the same unlocked HSPA+ version we briefly played with in Hong Kong and is running Android 4.0.1. We've only spent about a day with Google's newest superphone and we're already hard at work on a full review, but we wanted to share some raw, immediate, first impressions -- after the break. %Gallery-139724%
Google confirms Verizon's LTE Galaxy Nexus dimensions and specifications
Four zillion new Galaxy Nexus promo videos not enough to sate your appetite for superphones? We hear ya. Google's specifications portal just went live for Verizon's looming LTE version of the world's first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, and as expected, it's a wee bit bigger than the HSPA+ version. We heard back in Hong Kong that the LTE model would be slightly beefier -- presumably to house a larger battery to counter that energy-sucking LTE module -- and it seems that said scenario is indeed proving true. The HSPA+ build checks in at 135.5mm (h) x 67.94mm (w) x 8.94mm (d) thick, while the LTE model measures 135.5mm (h) x 67.94mm (w) x 9.47mm (d). That's right around half a millimeter thicker for those needing specifics, and it's likely due to the 1,850mAh battery within; if you'll recall, the HSPA+ variant has a 1,750mAh battery. Finally, the LTE model is gaining 15 grams of weight, tipping the scales at 150g (LTE model) instead of 135g (HSPA+ model). Everything else looks to be identical, but you can hit the source link to satisfy any lingering curiosity.[Thanks, Matt]
Verizon-branded, LTE-enabled Galaxy Nexus confirmed in official Google video
Say, what's this? A 4G LTE-enabled Galaxy Nexus with a Verizon Wireless logo on the back? Certainly is, and it's being discovered this morning in a series of overview / getting started videos hosted up on Google's own YouTube channel. There's still no word on when this guy's hitting store shelves, but at least the whole "maybe it's vaporware!" thing is now firmly in the past. As if it were ever in the present. Head on past the break to get yourself worked into an even zanier lather.Update: In case these promo videos weren't enough, the official specifications list for the LTE Galaxy Nexus has been published![Thanks, Matt]
First happy Galaxy Nexus customer isn't so happy, wants to exchange it (update: replacement works fine)
Well, this is awkward. Samsung's PR team tweeted the above picture of Alex Ioannou as he officially became the first person to pick up a Galaxy Nexus in the UK. But Alex just got in touch to tell us that he's less than satisfied. We only have his word to go on at this point (and for all we know he could be secretly working for LG), but he insists he's having trouble syncing with Gmail because the usual account setup options are missing. Instead, his phone was apparently preloaded with a bunch of weird dev stuff -- including the handy option to "Report a WTF condition." We're desperately hoping that he was given a developer model by mistake and this will all be resolved when he exchanges. He's back in the store right now and says that apologetic reps are feeding him with ice cream sandwiches while he waits. Check out the 'After' photo and screenshots just beyond the break. Update: Alex has confirmed that he's taken ownership of a new Galaxy Nexus which works perfectly. All is well. Mat Smith and Richard Lai contributed to this report
Google's Android 'These Go To Eleven' liveblog from Los Angeles!
This is it! You've arrived! But it's a little early. Fret not, though, as you can bookmark this very page and return at the time shown below in order to join in on the liveblogging mayhem. We'll be bringing you every last point as it's unveiled in Los Angeles this evening (or afternoon, whatever), with Google Music firmly in our heart and T-Mobile looming over everything. It's going to be loony. %Gallery-139636% November 16, 2011 5:00:00 PM EST
Samsung Galaxy Nexus nabs FCC approval complete with Verizon LTE
We've been waiting with bated breath for Verizon to make an announcement concerning its planned launch of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The wait continues, but one more step in the regulatory process leading up to said launch is now complete -- the Samsung I515 just popped up in the hallowed pages of the FCC website. It offers the usual suspects of LTE band 13 (Verizon's particular flavor of 700MHz spectrum) and EVDO / CDMA, as well as the expected inclusion of NFC. Not included? US GSM frequencies, as far as we can tell. We'll continue to dig for more clues here, but at least we know it's one step closer to finally making it to your local store.
Ice Cream Sandwich source code released, sync pending go-ahead from AOSP
If you're champing at the bit waiting to get your hands on a nice cool piece of Android 4.0, your wait may soon be over. Pending a final go-ahead from the Android Open Source Project, you'll be able to sync the now available Ice Cream Sandwich source code. Due to the "large push" (presumably because of all the changes), the roll out is going to take some time to complete -- project members will give the final word when things are good to go. If you try to sync prematurely, be forewarned that you'll get an incomplete copy that will be useless. The available flavor is 4.0.1 which will be the version to ship on the Galaxy Nexus, the first ICS device. This release also includes "the full history of the Android Code," signaling the first time Honeycomb source has seen daylight. Can't wait for a taste? The extremely impatient can hit that coverage link below, but we prefer our frozen treats to be properly chilled before consumption. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
T-Mo invites us to 'Experience the World of T-Mobile & Google' with Busta Rhymes as our guide
We're still having fun coming up with reasons why Google decided to have its next "special event" in Los Angeles -- popular choices include "easy access to geothermal power" and "trying to help LA fall into the sea, already" -- but now things are looking a little more clear. A star-studded event happening later that night has been announced, hosted by T-Mobile and featuring Drake, Maroon 5, Busta Rhymes, Dirty South and R3hab. That's nice, but we're more curious about what kind of hardware we'll be seeing. Could this be why Verizon backed down from its "exclusive" stance on the Galaxy Nexus? Does the big boombox up on the billboard mean Google Music will be getting a proper launch, or just that Busta will be rocking it old school? We'll see on Wednesday night.
Galaxy Nexus headed to Bell and Virgin Mobile in Canada, Three in the UK (update: Rogers too)
We expect there will be more to come, but you can now officially add at least three more carriers to the list confirmed to be offering the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Those include Bell and Virgin Mobile in Canada, and Three in the UK, which joins O2 as a confirmed carrier for the flagship Ice Cream Sandwich phone across the pond. The two Canadian carriers aren't offering a firm release date or pricing details just yet -- though they're happy to take your email address and keep you posted -- but Three lists an off-contract price of £499.99 (or just under $800) and is promising "earliest delivery" by November 18th. Update: You can now add one more to that list -- Rogers has confirmed on Twitter that it will be offering the Galaxy Nexus in January. Reservations start tomorrow. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Refresh Roundup: week of October 31, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. 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 from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout attips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates LG's got plenty of Gingerbread coming to its premier Optimus devices, beginning with unbranded models in Europe. This week, the Optimus 2X began rolling out. The week of November 21st will be the timeframe for owners of the Optimus 3D, and the Optimus Black is expected to get its dose of Android 2.3 beginning the week of November 28th. [Facebook] A Motorola Droid Bionic bug fix update is expected within one to two months, according to a post on the Motorola Owners Forums. [Phandroid] The original Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Tab (y'know, the first seven-incher) should now be bestowing gifts of Gingerbread -- Android 2.3.5 -- upon its users. It aims to improve the front-facing camera, power management and device security. [Droid-Life] Extra security is to be had on Rogers' HTC EVO 3D, as version 1.20.631.3 is ready to download. This is the security fix which HTC has been working on for the past month. Additionally, it increases performance and fixes a force close issue. [MobileSyrup] Gingerbread has arrived on the Samsung Galaxy S... on Cellcom of Wisconsin. Yep, the regional carrier's offering up improved battery life, miscellaneous performance enhancements and download management. [AndroidCentral] The ASUS Transformer's nabbing a maintenance release known as 8.6.5.18. Along with the usual list of bug fixes, it also adds app backup support. [Droid-Life] Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery HTC made kernel source available for the Rhyme, myTouch 4G, Jetstream, Sensation XE and XL, EVO 4G+ and the Thunderbolt. [AndroidCentral] Samsung Galaxy Nexus boot, recovery and system dumps are now available. [AndroidCentral] Also, the Motorola Droid RAZR's been rooted. [Droid-Life] The LG Optimus 3D's much-awaited Gingerbread update (Android 2.3.5) is expected to roll out on November 21st, but it's already been leaked via XDA. As a disclaimer, the build -- as it currently stands -- has been reported to be rather unstable. Once it does officially arrive in stable form, it promises HSPA+ support for speeds up to 21Mbps as well as a few other video enhancements. [AndroidCentral] An XDA forum member has compiled a manual root method for the Motorola Atrix 2. [AndroidCentral] Other platforms The HTC Freestyle, an AT&T-branded BrewMP device, has a ROM update up for grabs. It doesn't specify what exactly has been enhanced, but make sure to back up all of your data before updating. [HTC] Along with the latest beta of iOS 5.0.1 comes its obligatory Redsn0w jailbreak, version 0.9.9b8. [Redmond Pie] Refreshes we covered this week Which devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich? Apple seeds iOS 5.0.1 beta 2 to developers Apple confirms iOS5 bugs causing battery drain, promises fix in a few weeks webOS 3.0.5 clues point to integrated Twitter, better TouchPad performance Sony Ericsson brings gesture input to Xperia line
