Hasta La Gadget!

In case you were still wondering, yes, the Galaxy Nexus is Verizon bound. We certainly didn’t need to see another signup page to tell us that, but if you find your way to Verizon’s mailing list form through the outfit’s own search bar, you might find an interesting banner: “Exclusively from Verizon,” it reads, “Galaxy Nexus.” Well, that certainly flies in the face of a certain FCC filing we’ve seen, not to mention Samsung’s own Galaxy Nexus signup page and all of our hopes and dreams. With any luck, the handset will still launch on multiple carriers, perhaps only landing on Verizon’s grid first. If old rumors hold true, however, Verizon customers won’t be the only folks seeing red on November 10th.

[Thanks, John]

Verizon throws Galaxy Nexus signup page live, claims exclusivity originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why wait to get an official bite of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich when you can load it on your Nexus S right now? After a quick tease a few days ago, an early preview is available to all thanks to a few hard working developers, although beezy’s post on Android Central warns you may have to live without WiFi and Bluetooth for the time being. His build is only tested on the Sprint Nexus S 4G, although concurrent work posted at XDA-Developers should give 3G Nexus S owners a shot at the port as well. As usual with these early tester ROMs YMMV, but those who enjoy life on the bleeding edge can hit the source links for more info.

[Thanks, Dan]

Nexus S port of Ice Cream Sandwich is available, if you can stand some rough edges originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Nexus One, grandaddy of Android’s latest pure-bred wonder, appears to have some fight left in it. Developer drl33tmd has managed to coax the old man into running an early port of Ice Cream Sandwich, although it’s not perfect. The somewhat unstable build is a bit sluggish, and suffers from media playback issues and a distinct lack of WiFi. Check out the demo after the break to see the original Google smartphone struggle up some increasingly steep software stairs.

Continue reading Nexus One takes a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwich, chews slowly

Nexus One takes a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwich, chews slowly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

At AsiaD this week, Google’s Andy Rubin noted that there were at least six million Android tablets in use. That number included only those running Google services. One could question whether the briskly selling Nook Color — which is not open to Android apps at large — is relevant to that tally, at least from a developer perspective. It will certainly be the case, though, that the Kindle Fire — also expected to be a hot seller — will be an important addition to the number moving forward.

Still, Rubin conceded, it was a tally far behind that of the 30 million cumulative units of the iPad, which broke open the modern-day tablet category, extended its lead with the iPad 2, and will likely see another revision this coming spring. When Apple introduced its tablet device, it set a precedent for third-party developers by rewriting core applications to take advantage of the iPad’s larger display with “HD” versions. And while there are still far fewer native iPad apps than iPhone apps, Apple is far ahead in the race for native tablet software.

But not everyone wants to join that race.

Continue reading Switched On: Android’s tablet traversal

Switched On: Android’s tablet traversal originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, the crew talks shop about Google’s recent Android updates, a new Nokia phone and, of course, the obligatory week in Apple news and rumors.

First up, staff writer Mike Isaac and product reviews editor Michael Calore kick off the show with tasty news about Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of the Android mobile platform. We recently played with the new Android OS running on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone, and can tell you it’s the best Android version yet.

Next, the two Mikes discuss another smartphone, the obscure yet playfully adorned Nokia’s N9. While the N9 itself is easy on the eyes, its Meego operating system is just this close to obsolescence.

Finally, staff writer Christina Bonnington stops by to chat about Apple. The company has announced an unlikely fourth U.S. carrier for the iPhone, and it’s not T-Mobile, but rather C-Spire Wireless, which provides coverage to a number of Southern states. Perhaps Apple is trying to hone in on territories that aren’t covered well by AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Or maybe Apple just likes the South.

Christina finishes the show off by debunking rumors of an imminent smaller, 7-inch iPad. A mini iPad is unlikely for a number of reasons, she says, including complete disinterest on the part of Steve Jobs himself.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes. Or, if you don’t want to be distracted by the sight of our on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can also subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to the audio below:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #129

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0129.mp3