Hasta La Gadget!

After acquiring the company known as SkyPhrase earlier this year, it would appear that Yahoo is ready to roll with an early iteration of its own personal assistant app. The … Continue reading

Google’s Nexus smartphones are susceptible to a messaging glitch that can force them to reboot or disconnect, security researchers have discovered, with handsets running recent versions of Android falling victim to special SMS messages. When around 30 so-called Flash SMS messages – which are displayed on-screen but not stored – are sent to a Nexus […]

Last week Google finally revealed that the Android 4.4 KitKat update is going to be rolled out in the near future. It has already released the Nexus 5, which is the first smartphone to run KitKat out of the box. Several existing Nexus devices will no doubt be the first ones to receive the update in the coming weeks, unfortunately, Galaxy Nexus has been left out. Google has confirmed that the Galaxy Nexus isn’t going to receive an official Android 4.4 update, a decision which has irked many Galaxy Nexus users. An online petition has been started to urge Google to reconsider, and it has gained a lot of traction.

As of this writing, the petition started by Max Duckwitz from Germany has amassed more than 14,900 signatures. Google’s justification to drop support for Galaxy Nexus is that the smartphone is over its 18 month support time, but many Galaxy Nexus owners believe otherwise. They believe that the smartphone should be supported regardless of the fact that its nearly two years old. Duckwitz says that all of the signatures and comments will be printed and sent to Android chief Sundar Pichai along with a short letter and the text of the petition. It can not be said for sure if Google will reconsider, but those who want a taste of KitKat have a couple of alternatives available. Several developers have already created custom Android 4.4 ROMs for the Galaxy Nexus, which seem to be working fine, barring a few bugs.

Petition Urges Google To Reconsider Android 4.4 For Galaxy Nexus original content from Ubergizmo.

The Galaxy Nexus was the third-generation in Google’s series of Nexus handsets and unfortunately for Galaxy Nexus users, if you were looking forward to Android 4.4 KitKat, you’d be out of luck as Android 4.3 Jelly Bean will be the latest version of Android that will ever be offered to your devices. This was confirmed by Google in a Galaxy Nexus FAQ in which it reads, “No, Galaxy Nexus phones won’t be receiving the update for Android 4.4 (KitKat).” Google goes on to explain the reason behind this move, claiming that the “Galaxy Nexus, which first launched two years ago, falls outside of the 18-month update window when Google and others traditionally update devices.”

This is probably pretty bad news for Galaxy Nexus owners who were planning on keeping their devices around a little long, but would have preferred if Google had allowed it to update to Android 4.4 KitKat instead. However this isn’t all bad news given Android’s pretty dedicated developer community where you might be able to find an Android 4.4 custom ROM, or at least a ROM that will bring some Android 4.4 KitKat features to your phone. What do Galaxy Nexus owners think? Is the 18-month window a valid reason? Or could it be hardware limitations that does not allow Google to update the device to Android 4.4?

Galaxy Nexus Will Not Receive Android 4.4 KitKat Update original content from Ubergizmo.

Just one day after it started rolling out Android 4.3 for Galaxy S4, Sprint today rolled out Galaxy Nexus Android 4.3 update build GJ04. Earlier this week a document was leaked online which listed release dates for the update on the four major carriers, so far the release of Android 4.3 for various Samsung devices has taken place according to that timetable. Galaxy Nexus Android 4.3 update from Sprint comes on the day when Android 4.4 has been announced, and it has been confirmed that this particular smartphone is not going to be compatible with it.

This isn’t a major update, barring the fact that it bumps up the core OS version to Android 4.3, which brings features such as TRIM support, improved typing, auto-complete in phone dialer, opt-in always-on Wi-Fi location scanning and several other minute improvements. Sprint will be rolling out the update over-the-air, so you should receive a notification on your device if you haven’t already. Since the roll out happens in stages, don’t worry if a notification isn’t immediately sent over to your device. The roll out usually takes a few days to be complete. The impatient lot can manually check for updates through the Settings app, by going to the About phone menu followed by System updates.

Sprint Galaxy Nexus Android 4.3 Update Build GJ04 Released original content from Ubergizmo.