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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 9th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we've seen clues to suggest the Galaxy Nexus will arrive at Sprint in a matter of days, and leaked materials suggest Rogers will have the HTC One X in stock by April 20th. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 9th, 2012.
GSM Galaxy Nexus seeing signal issues after Android 4.0.4 update?
Sometimes, updates aren't as sweet as they initially sound. Such is the case with Android 4.0.4, which recently rolled out to owners of the GSM Galaxy Nexus. According to an increasingly vocal swath of members at xda-developers (and confirmed by a listing on Google's own Support page), there are mysterious signal issues now troubling the device. For many users, there's an inexplicable loss of signal -- a complete inability to make or receive calls and text messages -- after applying the v4.0.4 update, though it's beginning to look like Sleep is the issue. For some, preventing the phone from going to into a deep sleep mode has solved the dilemma, but it has also created a life where a nearby AC outlet is more of a necessity than usual. Hit up the source link to submit a bug report if you're experiencing precisely this, and let us know of any potential fixes down in comments below.
Sprint begins employee training for Galaxy Nexus, launch looks imminent
First it appeared in a slipped ad, and then on The Engadget Show during CES. More recently, Sprint's variant of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was spotted coasting through the FCC, and now it's practically a lock to launch between three and six weeks from now. We've received word that Sprint has initiated employee training specifically for the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0, which will enlighten staff on the benefits of the handset, ICS and Google Wallet. Those involved with the training have to wrap things up within the next fortnight, leading us to believe that it'll make its way into retail outlets in late April or early May. In related news, the coursework also makes mention of enabling LTE on a heretofore unannounced "LG Fury" -- presumably not to be confused with the similarly titled handset from ZTE. Unfortunately, details beyond the name on that guy are nowhere to be found, but we'll be digging for more in the days ahead. Update: We've since stumbled upon a full slide deck of the training guide, and while there's nothing too surprising here, we are seeing that early units will ship with LTE turned off by default, though the company will change that at an undetermined time in the future. Call us crazy, but it sounds like Sprint may start hawking these prior to its LTE network being fully active.
Samsung throws in free extended battery with VZW Galaxy Nexus, applies to new purchases only
Samsung must be keenly aware that the Galaxy Nexus' battery life takes a hit on Verizon's LTE network: for a limited time, the outfit's throwing in a free 2,100mAh extended battery for first-time buyers (sorry, current Nexus owners are out of luck). To take advantage of the promotion, you'll have to purchase it through Samsung Direct (link below), which means you'll be paying $300 for the device and agreeing to a two-year contract. As Android and Me notes, though, you'd save quite a bit of money picking up the VZW Nexus and accompanying battery pack at Amazon for a combined $134. Suffice to say, then, this isn't a stellar deal, but those of you who disagree can avail yourselves through May 10, or while supplies last.
Sprint Galaxy Nexus gets approved by FCC, one step closer to daylight
The Samsung SPH-L700. It may sound like a silly combination of letters and numbers, but it just so happens to be the model number for Sprint's version of the Galaxy Nexus -- and it's officially made it through the prying eye of the FCC, still on track for a launch in the first half of 2012. It sports LTE band 25, which is the 1900MHz flavor Sprint has chosen to use when it launches its take on the next-gen network in the near future. The latest variant of the Nexus also keeps in line with the measurements on its Verizon counterpart and offers support for 850 / 1900 CDMA, Bluetooth and NFC. It doesn't offer up many more secrets, but how often do FCC docs slip up and spill all the beans? With the government's approval in the rear view mirror, we're hoping this means we'll be seeing the real deal quite soon.
Refresh Roundup: week of February 13th, 2012
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!
32GB GSM Galaxy Nexus canceled, Google hopes you really like streaming
This probably won't matter too much to our American readers, but the 32GB version of the GSM Galaxy Nexus has been canceled according to Expansys and Negri Electronics. Initially the latest Nexus device was supposed to be sold in both 32 and 16 gigabyte varieties. But, for whatever reason, the larger capacity model never made it to market. Now, word is that it may never happen. A couple of importers are saying they've been notified by Samsung that handset has been discontinued, which is particularly bad news since the Gnex (as the cool kids are calling it) doesn't have a microSD slot. We hope you like streaming all your media.
White Galaxy Nexus hands-on: a taste of vanilla-flavored Ice Cream Sandwich (video)
When it rains it pours. Hot on the heels of last week's fabulous white Nokia N9, we just received Samsung's freshly minted "chic white" Galaxy Nexus thanks to our friends at Negri Electronics. This handsome phone -- which is spec-wise identical to the HSPA+ version we reviewed last year -- sheds the default gunmetal gray skin for a lovely satin white finish. Further differences include a chrome camera pod (instead of black) and a much smaller dot-pattern on the textured battery cover. The handset, which is running Android 4.0.2, goes by the name "yakjuxw", meaning that unlike its official "yakju" cousin, it won't be getting software updates directly from Google. Still, the bootloader is unlocked, making it relatively painless to switch ROMs. What's most intriguing about this particular unit, however, is that it shipped with a North American charger instead of the expected UK adapter. Is this an unannounced US / Canadian market device? Go ahead and ponder that while you savor a taste of vanilla-flavored Ice Cream Sandwich in our gallery below, then watch our unboxing video after the break.
Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of MHL!
We're well aware that you may be suffering from contest withdrawls, with our Holiday Blues-Buster far in our rear-view mirror. Fortunately we're bringing the opportunity to you in a big way, as the Engadget Giveaway is now becoming a regular series! Each and every Monday we'll be offering something new, and all you have to do is enter by leaving a comment. To get us started, the MHL Consortium (that's Mobile High-definition Link, not the Mississauga Hockey League) is happy to throw the honorary first pitch by offering a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, along with an MHL adapter and cable (all valued at $700). If you haven't heard of it before, MHL technology is an audio and video interface standard that allows you to connect your mobile device to an HDTV or other type of home entertainment while doubling as a charger at the same time.Take a moment to review the rules under the break, and leave a comment to enter!
Samsung confirms Galaxy Nexus White arriving in UK mid-February, misses the snow
Well, we thought it would already be here, but it looks like Samsung had other ideas. It's confirmed that the HSPA+ version of its premier Android 4.0 phone will be available across UK retailers from February 13th -- that's next week. The suitably snowy smartphone packs all the specifications of the original and, well, it just suits that Ice Cream Sandwich OS a little bit better, doesn't it?
Sprint Galaxy Nexus registration page gets served up by Google
Good news is here for folks on Sprint who've been anxiously waiting for a first taste of LTE connectivity and Ice Cream Sandwich. Google's official Galaxy Nexus website has quietly gone live with a registration section for anyone on the Now Network who wants to be notified when the device goes up for sale. If you'll recall, the pre-release version of Sprint's GNex that we spent time with at CES notably retained access to Google Wallet, and was apparently free of any crapware (unlike Verizon's variant). Aside from that -- and a Sprint logo -- it's essentially the same 32GB device you've come to know in the US. There's still no word on pricing just yet, but if you've got to be among the first to know, hit up the source link below.
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 23, 2012
This week may not have been incredibly packed with news in the mobile world, but it was still easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of January 23, 2012:
Amazon prices Verizon Galaxy Nexus at $99, tests your self control
Looking for an excuse to buy a LTE-enabled superphone? Look no further. Online retail giant Amazon has priced Verizon's iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus at a paltry $99 for customers opening a new line of service. For those keeping score at home, that's a full $200 less than the on-contract price ($299) currently being peddled by Big Red. Why are you still reading this? Hit the source link, hammer in your Amazon credentials and get yourself one of these lean, mean, Ice Cream Sandwich running machines.
Refresh Roundup: week of January 9, 2012
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 at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus with LTE hands-on (video)
We were giddy with excitement when Sprint's VP of Product David Owens came onto our stage at CES 2012 and gave us the very first peek at its version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, one of the Now Network's inaugural entries into the world of LTE sometime in the first half of 2012. It's certainly a fair way to get the next-gen lineup started, we'd say. As was expected, the exterior of both phones are nearly twins, with differences only found in the branding and the inclusion of Google Wallet -- not to mention the exclusion of pre-loaded bloatware -- on Sprint's version. We got some extra hands-on time with the Nexus, but sadly weren't able to get too comfortable with it, as the phone is far from being a final product and still had early software builds. But we were able to get plenty of images and a video to show off below the break.Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Sprint confirms its Galaxy Nexus will be of the 32GB variety
If you were worried after getting your first glimpse of the Sprint Galaxy Nexus yesterday that the official specs listed is as packing only 16GB of storage, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Sprint has confirmed to Mobile Burn that its handset will be 32GB, just like the Verizon model. The landing page hasn't been updated yet, but we'd expect it to be very soon.
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 2, 2012
This week may not have been incredibly packed with news in the mobile world, but it was still easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of January 2, 2012:
White Galaxy Nexus to strut its stuff in UK on February 6th
If you're thinking about picking up an unlocked GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus, you now have a choice of pigments. UK retailer Clove Technology is accepting pre-orders for Google's latest superphone, complete with 16GB of storage and smothered in a milky-white finish. Interested parties living across the pond can part with £498 ($770, VAT included) on February 6th to acquire this vanilla Ice-Cream-Sandwich-running machine. If you're stateside, the retailer also offers shipping to the US -- you can import yourself a bleached Nexus for around £431, or $666. So, will any of you Galaxy Nexus hold-outs be pushed over the purchasing precipice by this new hue?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
CyanogenMod 9 may feature a 4G LTE toggle switch for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus
We were slightly disappointed when we discovered the Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus didn't come with an easily-accessible LTE toggle switch, but we had a feeling it wouldn't be long before the development community came in with an acceptable solution. Thanks to Gregory Sarrica, we may be seeing a fast toggle button for the next-gen internet connectivity included in a future build of CyanogenMod 9. According to Gregory, it's getting tested right now and still needs to be reviewed before it gets accepted into the build, but he hopes it'll show up in builds as early as next week. There's no guarantees yet, of course, but he's provided us with video evidence of the new functionality to whet our appetites for now.[Thanks, @gsarrica]
GTA III goes on sale for the holidays, brings violence and cheer to Galaxy Nexus owners
A classic title like Grand Theft Auto III isn't exactly at hard sell at $5 on your smartphone or tablet -- at $3 you're almost a fool not to snatch it up. Perhaps more importantly though, Rockstar has expanded support for the crime adventure to a trio of Android handsets -- the Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II and, the phone of the moment, the Galaxy Nexus. While the white list only gains three new devices right now, there's potential to add more handsets down the line. The game is finally optimized for use with PowerVR GPUs, which are found in any phone running an OMAP or Exynos processor. So, what are you waiting for? Hit up the market now to get your dose of violence, mayhem and hall of fame gaming.
