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Google will sell its own Daydream VR headset
When Google developed its popular line of Nexus phones and tablets, it didn't just give the reference designs to third parties and hope for the best: It built and sold its own hardware to showcase just what those designs could achieve. The company announced on Thursday that it will take the same tack with its newly unveiled Daydream VR hardware. That's right, Google is going to build its own line of Daydream headsets and controllers to show third-party developers how it's done.
The extended Nexus family: Google's golden Android standard
Google's Nexus line has long stood as the company's ideal vision of its widely adopted, open-source Android operating system. The devices, be they smartphones, tablets or even one-off media streamers, are built in conjunction with select hardware partners and represent an ideal marriage of tech specs with an unadulterated version of Android. It's Google's way of dealing with fragmentation (read: skinned versions) in the mobile OS market it created; a reference mark for manufacturers to aspire to, so to speak. On the tail of the original Android handset's sixth anniversary and in the run-up to whatever new Nexuses come next, we take a look back at the hardware path that's been Google's gold standard for Android.
EA bringing 13 new games to Google Nexus devices
Alongside the announcement of Google's new Nexus 10 tablet and its Nexus 4 smartphone, EA has revealed plans to release several new games compatible with the Nexus line (including the Nexus 7). 13 games are planned, though EA has only announced Need for Speed: Most Wanted, The Sims FreePlay, World Series of Poker and Theme Park and Tetris Free so far. The new games should be available in time for the Nexus 10 and Nexus 4 launches on November 13.Obviously, it's nice to know there will be some more entertainment options for new Nexus owners. Not that they'll need it once they have immediate, portable access to all the funny cat videos they could ever want.
Google's Nexus 10: 2,560 x 1,600, 300 ppi display and Android 4.2, shipping November 13th $399
Weather? What weather? Google has announced the Nexus 10, a Samsung-made 10.05-inch tablet that appears to share a lot of DNA with the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. Android chief Andy Rubin revealed that the device will be packing a 2,560 x 1,600 display, promising a pixel density of 300 ppi. Google has also indicated that the Nexus 10 will crank out nine hours of continuous video playback and 500 hours of standby on its 9,000mAh lithium polymer battery. Of course, no new tablet would be complete without a new operating system, and while we'll still be calling it Jelly Bean, it's now been bumped all the way up to Android 4.2. The official specifications match those that were leaked late last week, and inside the device is a dual-core, Cortex A15-based 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos 5250 CPU. In addition, there's a Mali T604 GPU, stereo speakers, 2GB of RAM, NFC, 802.11 b/g/n (MIMO + HT40) WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, with front-and rear NFC (Android beam) radios. 'Round back you'll find a 5-megapixel main camera and a 1.9-megapixel forward-facing shooter. Weighing 603 grams, it's 8.9mm thick and offers microUSB, Pogo Pin, microHDMI and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. It'll be available from November 13th on Google Play in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan -- with the 16GB edition costing $399 (£319 in the UK) and the 32GB version setting you back $499 (£389). %Gallery-169541%
LG E960 support manuals confirm Nexus 4 name, 8GB and 16GB configurations
The information leaks ahead Google's Android event next week continue to flow, with the latest thanks to support manuals on LG's Australian and UK websites. While we're already familiar with the phone's hardware thanks to a detailed Belarusian review, the manuals confirm it is going to be called the Nexus 4, and that along with the 8GB version we've seen there will definitely be a 16GB edition available. As you can see above, it also includes an induction coil for wireless charging and excludes any microSD slots for additional storage. This all comes after two separate Nexus 10 leaks earlier today, as well as a report by Wired of a lost Nexus 4 recovered in a San Francisco bar (sound familiar?) last month. Hit the source link below to check out the LG E960 PDF for yourself (you may need to select the "show all" radio button), although there's only a few diagrams and support info waiting within. [Thanks, Tim aka Zurginator]
32GB Nexus 7 surfaces on Staples' business portal, roughly matches 16GB model's price
What appears to be a 32GB Nexus 7 has already been spotted in Japan, and now a screenshot reveals that the slate has been listed on Staples' business-centric storefront. Staples Advantage pegs the tablet at $248.37, placing it on par with the current 16GB model. If a Nexus 7 with beefed-up storage and a price tag similar to the one above does materialize, Google could put one of the current models on the chopping block to maintain its two SKU offering. The retailer also lists an October 18th availability date, but we're not holding our breath for such a quick reveal.
Alleged LG Nexus 4 reviewed by Belarusian tech site
Well, the Belarusian tech site Onliner.by made waves yesterday by publishing the clearest photos yet of the alleged LG Nexus, the E960. Now the site has published a quick and dirty review of the unannounced phone, which may go down as one of the worst kept secrets in smartphone history. An editor at the site claims to have scored a prototype version of the handset, and as such, any judgements made should be taken with a grain of salt. There were plenty of bugs, including serious issues with Android Beam, which in our experience has never really worked as well as advertised anyway. This model also only comes packing 8GB of storage, which will most certainly change before launch given its lack of a microSD slot. The site found that both the screen and the 8-megapixel camera were a vast improvement over the Galaxy Nexus, however benchmarks showed that while it's quad-core Snapdragon outpaced last-year's Nexus, it didn't put up the staggering numbers many were expecting. For the complete review hit up the source. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC and NASA to send Nexus One into space in 2013 as part of PhoneSat program
Okay, this definitely won't be the first time HTC's own Nexus handset will be experiencing a trip that most of us won't ever have the chance to replicate. But in 2013 the Nexus One will travel deeper into the void than it's ever been before. As it was in 2010, the upcoming Nexus One launch plan is also part of NASA's nano-satellite-building program (aka PhoneSat) and, according to HTC, this will mark the culmination of years of intensive testing -- which consisted of putting the former Android flagship through thermal-vacuum chambers, extreme vibration tests and high-altitude balloon flights. The Taiwanese phone maker didn't specify when exactly the Nexus One's out-of-this-world adventure will take place, but we do know the newfangled One X+ is already being touted as a potential candidate to climb aboard a Jupiter-bound spaceship in the coming future.
New Android Jelly Bean factory images now available for Nexus S models
It's been nearly two months since Google quietly posted that initial batch of Jelly Bean images for its ever-growing family of Nexus handsets. And while today a few members of the pack are being left out, those with a Nexus S (save for the Korean version) or its 4G flavor can now grab the refreshed Android 4.1.1 images (JRO03L, JRO03R) straight from Mountain View's developer site. You'll find all the necessary download links at the source below, and you can be sure we'll let you know as soon as the rest become available.
iFixit tears down the Nexus Q: made in the USA, and possibly somewhere else
Is it possible to manufacture a sophisticated wireless-capable device entirely in the United States? That's vaguely the suggestion of Google's jet-black orb, launched last week at the search (and now hardware) giant's I/O event in San Francisco. Now, the Nexus Q is just dying to get undressed, and that's exactly what our iFixit friends have done, revealing each component's country of origin. Perhaps one of the most notable items, the Samsung 16GB moviNAND Flash Memory module, may have been made stateside (Austin, TX), but could also have been produced in Hwaseong, South Korea. Some parts, such as the Ethernet port (China) or optical-out connector (Japan) could only have been imported, as iFixit points out, though others are certainly domestic (a photomicrosensor made in California or Illinois). Ready to dive in yourself to verify those findings? You're not going to want to open this thing up on your own -- there's a bevy of capacitors inside, including one with output in the 400-volt range (a warning label alerts would-be trespassers). You can, however, poke around a bit more at our source link below.
Google's Nexus 7 tablet hits the iFixit teardown labs
We can always count on iFixit to get down and dirty with its spudger and the latest tablet tech, and we're not going home empty handed today. The latest victim happens to be Google's recently announced Nexus 7, which has achieved a "repairability score" of 7 out of 10 (the Kindle Fire squeaked one notch past with an 8), with many accessible components including a replaceable battery and standard Phillips screws. While the site's ultimate goal is to illustrate the delicate process of opening our gadgets while leaving them unharmed, the good folks at iFixit never fail to entertain us in the process, with two dozen high-res photos of the Nexus 7's innards littering the 21-step repair guide. The most disappointing discovery appears to be the display, which is permanently affixed to its Corning glass covering, but given the tablet's $200 price tag, replacing such a component is not likely to be a cost-effective proposition. There's plenty more to gawk over, but you'll need to head to iFixit to, well, get your fix. Click on through at our source link below.
MMObility: Google's Nexus tablet and Dark Legends' update
Some weeks, mobile news just comes right up to my doorstep and invites itself in. This was one of those weeks. The mobile MMO market is still only a fraction the size of the standard one, but thanks in large part to browser-based games and smart studios like Spacetime Studios and Gameloft, we mobile fans still have a lot to choose from. In my opinion, mobile MMO gaming will slowly rise to the popularity of the standard mobile game market, especially given new tech like the new Google Nexus 7 tablet that we're going to talk about today. Still, mobile MMO fans have got to be diligent and need to know what to look for. They also need to be a bit flexible in their game choices, sometimes playing around with different styles of MMO like MUDs, browser-based strategy games, and games that are a bit more primitive in the graphics department. Luckily, Spacetime's Dark Legends just released a pretty game-changing patch, so I'll give you the skinny on that as well.
Google Nexus tablet appears in benchmarks, appears to run on quad-core Tegra 3
ASUS's seven-inch MeMo tablet has just ducked under the FCC's gates, but some benchmark results for a purported Google and ASUS team-up could tally with the same device. According to the listing, the Google Asus Nexus 7 will arrive with NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, clocked at 1.3 GHz, while that (presumably) 7-inch screen packs a 768 x 1280 resolution. The hardware specs end there, but thanks to some investigation by Android Police and Rightware, it appears that this mystery tablet is running Android 4.1 -- possibly the version number for Android's next iteration, Jelly Bean. There are several more hints adding credence to these benchmark results, including the fish-based "grouper" codename, which follows the Stingray moniker that was handed to the Motorola Xoom ahead of its reveal. We're just itching to know whether it'll still manage a sub-$300 price-tag.
Nexus One denied Ice Cream Sandwich, becomes official relic of Android's yesteryears
If you're still clinging fast to Google's first ever Nexus device, now might be the time to start eyeing an upgrade. While the search giant's solidly confirmed an Ice Cream Sandwich destiny for owners of its penultimate Android flagship, the Nexus S, the same cannot be said for its HTC-made progenitor. It's not as though Mountain View's lost any love for its game-changing dev phone, rather that handset's 2010 guts just aren't up to snuff for the 4.0 polish. Besides, there are plenty of other more attractive and able-bodied smartphones to help you through the mourning process.
Google Wallet goes to the Garden State, NJ Transit riders get 'tap and pay' privileges
The perks of Google's Nexus S used to lie solely in its unadorned OS. Now, owners of its penultimate Android flagship are about to get some additional mileage out of their Gingerbread-bearing handsets, courtesy of that underused NFC chip. The recently awakened near field communication feature's already been put to public task by Google Wallet and participating merchants, and will now add NJ Transit to its list of contactless payment partners. Select locations throughout the Garden State's transportation network, including Penn Station and Newark Airport's AirTrain, will let owners of Sprint's Nexus S 4G tap-to-pay for tickets at windows and vending machines. Unfortunately, the mobile payment system won't replace your need for an actual physical ticket or monthly pass just yet, and requires you opt-in with either Citi Mastercard or Visa. Still, it's a definite boon for rushed commuters who'll no longer have to juggle their bags, bagels, coffee and phones in an effort to buy a ticket and make it to work on time. Not yet enabled via NFC? Tap-to-erase-spray tans, but that's coming in the Galaxy Nexus, right?
A week with Google Wallet (video)
Contactless payments have been something of a curiosity in the credit card industry. MasterCard's PayPass has been around for the better part of a decade, but merchants and banks alike seem hesitant to adopt the technology required to make the system work, and inconsistent implementation adds to the confusion -- particularly for customers. Google's new mobile phone-based Wallet service has the potential to transform the technology from its current status as a transaction turkey, to a future as a checkout champion. But will it work? We spent a week with a Wallet-enabled Nexus S 4G, using the device to pay whenever we encountered a MasterCard PayPass terminal. Unfortunately, that wasn't often enough, limiting us to just a handful of transactions in the first week. Still, with Google just beginning to roll out the service and only a limited selection of launch partners ready to go, it's impossible to deliver a complete verdict just yet. Jump past the break for an inside look at Google Wallet, including a video of the service in action, and a brief look at what the world of contactless payments may look like in the future.%Gallery-130759%
Nexus S mini-game adds whimsy to list of must-have specs
In an effort to help force your ambivalent hand at the checkout, Google's taken a decidedly whimsical approach to Nexus S marketing. The end result: an interactive, YouTube-hosted mini-game that lets you bounce and blow four Google app-labeled balls through a funnel to the Nexus S. Sound fun? It kind of is, but before you wonder where the last half-hour went, keep in mind there's no free handset at the end of this Android rainbow -- just pure fun. It's a cute distraction that probably won't have you forgetting about dual core processors anytime soon, but could still sway your credit card if you're the silly type. Check the source below to get your Google-gaming on.
