Hasta La Gadget!

The Nexus 4 drought continues and it seems that both Google and LG are spreading the blame around… in the friendliest way possible. The back and forth started in December with Dan Cobley, managing director for the internet giant in the UK and Ireland, saying that, “supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed.” While the phrasing is pretty diplomatic, the bulk of the problem was squarely laid at LG’s feet. Now LG Mobile’s France director Cathy Robin is offering some clarification, saying that Mountain View’s low estimates are partially to blame. Sales forecasts were based on the performance of the Galaxy Nexus, which resulted in the company building too few handsets and shipping them to the wrong regions. Despite these kinks, Robin told the French site Challenges.fr that the relationship between Google and LG was quite healthy. For more of the interview with Cathy Robin check out the source.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG

Comments

Via: Android Central

Source: Challenges.fr 1, 2 (translated)

It’s almost a truism to say that the Nexus 4 is near impossible to buy, at least for those who don’t want to pay a carrier premium. G33k3r, Rohan32 and others at XDA-Developers may just save us from camping at the Google Play storefront through a new software hack. Their work converts an LG Optimus G‘s firmware to that of an 8GB Nexus 4 by swapping every LG-customized software element with a Nexus 4 parallel. The nearly identical hardware makes for a very close rendition, at least if you discount the unavoidable design differences. If anything, the work is almost too faithful: the current hack turns off LTE, caps the internal storage at 8GB and even requires using Nexus 4 firmware for future upgrades. It’s possible to revert to LG’s code if there’s jitters, but it goes without saying that the overall procedure carries more than the usual share of risk when even familiar ROM flashers are warned to be careful. Anyone who throws caution (and the price of an Optimus G) to the wind can find their stock Android experience at the source.

[Thanks, Greg]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG

Comments

Source: XDA-Developers

Google has a tendency to post minor Android updates on devices and timetables we wouldn’t entirely expect. We might just be witnessing a repeat: both Brazil’s Adrenaline and Malaysia’s Lowyat.net claim to have seen newly shipping Nexus 4s with an as yet unannounced Android 4.2.2. What’s new in the extra 0.0.1’s worth of code isn’t immediately evident, although the update (if real) isn’t known to be rolling out as a separate upgrade for existing devices. We’ve reached out to Google for comment; let us know if you see any 4.2.2-based surprises in the interim.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG

Comments

Source: Adrenaline (translated), Lowyat.net

Who cares whether you’ve been naughty or nice this year? Not UK phone and accessory retailer MobileFun.co.uk, that’s for sure. Because the team there has been kind enough to pass along one shiny new Nexus 4 for us to give away (indiscriminately) to one lucky UK reader. MobileFun sells the latest in mobile tech all year round, but if Santa didn’t give you everything you wanted, there’s a good chance it’s on sale over there, so do go check it out. Not until you’ve entered the competition by leaving a comment of course. Good luck!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. Duplicate entries will be filtered out and discarded, so adding additional comments won’t increase your likelihood of winning.
• This contest is open to all UK residents — aged 18 years or over! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One winner will receive one (1) new Nexus 4. Service does not come included with the prize.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Mobilefun.co.uk and Engadget / AOL UK are not held liable to honor warranties or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until 30th of December, 2012 at 23:59 GMT. Good luck!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Who’d have thought that pricing a high-end smartphone like the Nexus 4 at $350 or less would lead to strong sales? Google and LG certainly appear to have been caught off-guard. LG’s UK mobile lead Andy Coughlin tells CNET that the pair estimated Nexus 4 shipments in the way you’d expect for any phone, but have been rocked by “huge demand” — in short, they didn’t realize that offering such a giant bargain would lead to sellouts within minutes. While we don’t have tangible shipping numbers, that the spending sprees happen over and over again suggests that LG is producing more than a handful of Nexus 4s as it tries to keep up. We suspect that many of you reading this just want to know when sales resume; sadly, Coughlin’s not telling.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG

Comments

Via: TmoNews

Source: CNET UK