Hasta La Gadget!

Make no mistake — landing a deal for streaming with Warner Music Group is no easy chore. Search for ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’ on programs like MOG, and you’ll probably be sorely disappointed in what results are returned. Tucked within Google’s Nexus blowout this morning was this nugget: the search giant has finally nailed down a deal with Warner, who will be “adding its full music catalog with new songs coming each day.” In other words, this completes the puzzle necessary for Google to confess that it’s “working with all of the major record labels globally,” with this particular deal paving the way for acts like Green Day, Madonna, Neil Young and RHCP to appear soon in the Play Store. Specifics on which artists are coming when remain elusive, but feel free to refresh like mad if you’re so inclined.

Filed under: Cellphones, Google

Google officially lands deal with Warner Music Group originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google announced a host of new hardware today, including a new Nexus reference device for its Android mobile OS, the LG-manufactured Nexus 4. Reading through the Nexus 4′s spec list is like checking boxes on a list of what’s required for a smartphone to be competitive. Until you hit its wireless connectivity standards and find that LTE is missing, with only HSPA+ speeds supported. What’s going on? Google has a few answers, but none really grant the decision a pass.

In an extensive piece at The Verge, Google provides a number of reasons why it couldn’t ship the Nexus 4 with LTE. First, Google says it can’t create a device that’s carrier-independent with LTE built-in. As a reference device, the Nexus line is supposed to be network agnostic; in order to build in LTE, it would have to make various custom phones on its own without financial aid from carriers.

That’s a fair point, but remember that the Galaxy Nexus eventually got an LTE version, so why not launch at least one LTE variant of the Nexus 4? In the past, Google has seemed willing to work with limited carrier access in order to provide some customers with true 4G connectivity, but this time around, at least at launch, it hasn’t. It’s an inconsistency that makes that reasoning seem at least a little confusing.

Second reason provided by Google: power draw. LTE uses a lot more power and battery life, and Google’s Andy Rubin cites poor user experience on the LTE Galaxy Nexus as a reason to leave LTE out of the Nexus 4. Of course, that hasn’t stopped other hardware manufacturers from working around this issue, including LG, which includes LTE radios in its Optimus G smartphone, upon which the Nexus 4 design is based. Invoking the spectre of users worried about battery life is a clever enough way to make a fault seem like a feature, but it ends up looking like lazy engineering, given how many others in the same field have addressed that issue sometime over the past couple of years.

Finally (and getting back to why it didn’t offer a Verizon LTE version as it did with the Galaxy Nexus) Google says that politics surrounding LTE network control is a big problem. It would prevent Google from issuing timely updates to devices on Verizon’s CDMA LTE network, while the cost of developing different devices for GSM/HSPA LTE networks would be the big hindrance there. Again, these excuses have some merit; Google wants Nexus customers to be able to update as soon as possible, and it isn’t looking to spend crazily on Nexus hardware since hardware isn’t its business. But still, these feel thin. For one, Verizon users would likely enjoy having the option to receive slightly delayed updates than no LTE at all. At least offer the choice. Provide an LTE version at launch next to the HSPA+ options. Saying “user experience suffers” seems like a justification of the removal of consumer options. Plus, Apple can issue updates to its devices in a timely manner regardless of carrier or network type, so that excuse again rings hollow.

And while it’s true that building on any one network standard would offer only a subset of customers access to LTE, they’re not statistically insignificant markets.

“AT&T currently has LTE in just 77 markets covering 135 million people, and Everything Everywhere in the UK has a goal of covering only 20 million people by year’s end,” reads The Verge’s post. Canada also has 25.8 million subscribers on the same frequency LTE as AT&T’s network. To characterize that potential pool as “small,” especially given that it covers subscribers with the highest average revenue per subscriber and mobile broadband usage in the world, is absolutely ridiculous.

The Nexus 4 is very affordable at $299 off contract, and that should win it some fans, but by leaving LTE out of it, it feels at least two years behind the times. For a phone that is looked to as the definitive Android handset in the media and by users, that’s not something you can explain away, regardless of the reasons you choose to use.

Edit: The final paragraph used to say $299 on contract. Straightforward typo, as is evident from the rest of the sentence.

Android 4.2 is teeming with new features and system improvements, but you can bet that Photo Sphere will be the one that’s talked about most amongst consumers. While Android phones on the whole have had panoramic modes for years, Apple’s iOS 6 update added even more fuel to that fire. Now, Google’s taking things to an entirely new level. With Android 4.2, users can snap pictures in every direction, and the system does the stitching. What you’re left with are photos that can be navigated, taking viewers “inside of the scene.” Photo Spheres are stored as JPEG files, and all of the information required to view them is embedded as open XML metadata in the image itself. You’ll be able to peek ’em on your phone or share them easily through Google+, and perhaps best of all, publish them to Google Maps for the world to see. Head on past the break to see what you’ve got to look forward to.

Continue reading Android 4.2’s Photo Sphere camera takes on iPhone’s panorama mode

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Google

Android 4.2’s Photo Sphere camera takes on iPhone’s panorama mode originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone who followed the smartphone scene would know that the LG Nexus 4 has been in the pipeline for quite some time already, and even Hurricane Sandy is unable to make a dent despite the botched Google event in New York City. Natural disasters or not, Google and LG have teamed up to announce the existence of the LG Nexus 4 in an official capacity today, touting a new smartphone that merges best-in-class hardware alongside the best of what Google offers.

Being part of the newest member of the Nexus family, the LG Nexus 4 will be available from next month onward in select markets. This also marks the first time that Google has worked with LG to build a Nexus device, having first partnered with HTC for their first Nexus, followed by the good people over at Samsung.

The LG Nexus 4 is no pushover in terms of hardware specifications for sure, where it will carry a high performance 8-megapixel camera which is capable of capturing stunning Photo Sphere images that lets you shoot photos in every direction which will come together later on. Not only that, you will be able to upload the photos using Instant Upload to the cloud, ensuring that you never need to suffer from the indignation of losing a captured image ever again.

In terms of its display, the Nexus 4 sports a vibrant 4.7” True HD IPS Plus display at 1280 x 768 pixels resolution that is supported by Zerogap Touch technology. There will be gently curved glass edges that enables your finger to slide smoothly on and off the 320ppi screen that incidentally is protected by scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

Other than that, the LG Nexus 4 will also run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, accompanied by 2GB RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box, in addition to the latest Google apps such as the newest version of Google Now which is built-in. There is no word on pricing, but it should reside on the high end side of things for sure.

Press Release
[ LG Nexus 4 officially announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Google finally introduced its latest Nexus Android reference phone to the world (meaning the device that gets major OS updates first, and the one that’s guaranteed to receive all of them first, untouched by individual OEM bloatware). LG takes its turn at a Nexus device this time around, delivering the Nexus 4, an Android 4.2-powered handset with a 4.7-inch 1280×768 display, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, an 8MP rear-facing camera and 8 or 16GB of internal storage.

It has 2 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, NFC and Bluetooth built in. But it’s an HSPA+ phone, not LTE, which could be a major disappointment. Specs-wise at least, the Nexus 4 is on par with many Android OEM flagship devices released recently. That said, the primary appeal of any Nexus device is always the fact that it carries vanilla Android (and 4.2 offers multiple user accounts  improved camera features, Miracast TV mirroring, and more), unmarred by third-party modifications or applications, and that it’s much more likely to be updated to the next version of Android than other, non-Nexus smartphones, so despite any spec sheet shortcomings, it’ll likely have its fair share of fans choosing it over competing hardware.

LG looks to have used the Optimus G as the basis for the Nexus 4, but significant differences to the physical design, including rounded edges and a screen with slightly curved class, the hallmark of the Nexus line of handsets. One key advantage to the Nexus 4′s physical design is the inclusion of wireless induction charging, which was leaked earlier but is still a fairly exciting inclusion as a default hardware feature, and something that definitely helps the Nexus 4 stand apart from the Optimus G.

The LG Nexus 4 will hit store shelves November 13, launching unlocked for $299 and $349 for 8GB and 16GB respectively. There’s also a 16GB T-Mobile version at launch on contract for $199 with a 2-year term. It’s definitely not a surprise, given the number of leaks that preceded this announcement, but is this the new Nexus phone you were hoping for?