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!
A slightly less than simple to install version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is now available from Google for you Verizon Galaxy Nexus users – straight from the source. If you’ve never heard of “AOSP” before, you may want to avoid this situation – but if you’re perfectly willing to break your warrantee and unlock your bootloader, you’re welcome to make it work. Here with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus you’ll finally be able to do all that awesome Google Now and voice command and search action you’ve heard so much about – and the notifications pull-down menu is updated to the max as well!
This version of the software goes by the name of JRO03O and is what’s known as an incremental update. You’ll find that this version has not yet been approved by Verizon – if it were, this would be easier – and that you’ll be flashing zip files straight from Google to make it all happen. This build isn’t a whole lot different from what we’ve seen thus far from developers in the wild making AOKP work for this device, and it’s certainly nothing like CyanogenMod 10, that’s for certain.
If you’ve hacked your device before, released it from its software bonds in so many ways, you’ll have a relatively simple time changing over to this new version of Android. ClockworkMod Recovery will make the process so simple your ears will be burning. Custom build users already working with odd software should of course wipe out all data and install the IMM76Q package you should be more than familiar about before doing anything else. Flashing this new JRO03O build on top of that will hopefully do the trick.
And if it’s not been clear enough up until now, the process you’ll be going through here includes “safety not guaranteed” as all software modifications do. You can access both the IMM76Q package and the JRO03O update from Google now – and be cautious! SlashGear assumes no responsibility for your actions with the software linked here! You can also get a rooted version of this software over at Droid Life with instructions on how to use it.
Have a peek at the Jelly Bean timeline below to get more information on how Android 4.1 will be working with your Galaxy Nexus – and enjoy!
More timid users might want to sit this one out, but for everyone else, you’ll be glad to know that a pre-release build of Android 4.1 is now available for installation on the Galaxy Nexus from Verizon. Many of you are likely aware that custom Android builds such as AOKP and CyanogenMod have provided an early taste of Jelly Bean for a while now, but this time around, the flashable zip files are available directly from Google — that’s right, this is pure AOSP. Specifically, users will be treated to build JRO03O, which is an incremental update over the previously released binaries. The caveat here is that the software has yet to receive certification from Verizon, and you’ll need to unlock your bootloader to join in the fun.
For experienced users who’ve already installed a custom recovery utility such as ClockworkMod Recovery, the process couldn’t be easier. Naturally, if you’re already on a custom build, you should perform a data wipe within the recovery utility, then install the IMM76Q package and then flash the JRO03O build on top of that. Regardless of your experience level, anyone with the proper motivation should be able to pull this one off. Those starting at square one will find a complete list of instructions at the source link below.
This afternoon we’ve seen a specifications sheet for the device that’s otherwise code-named Galaxy Nexus Superior, a half-step up likely being released along the lines of the iPhone 4S. While the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was originally released with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in tow, it was essentially re-released at Google I/O 2012 with the next generation Google mobile OS Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. With hardware on the whole evolving past the point where the Galaxy Nexus would be considered top of the line, Samsung and Google may very well be creating this Galaxy Nexus Superior to stay up to date.
When the iPhone 4S was revealed, everyone and their mothers thought that Apple was getting prepared to bring on what was going to be called the iPhone 5. Instead what they got was the most superior iPhone to date, but not so much a full step forward to a new generation as was expected. With the Galaxy Nexus Superior, just a few important specifications will be improved – if it proves to be real, that is.
The sheet we’ve seen today has the device working with the same display, with a device that’s like the same size overall. The front camera has been boosted to a 1.9 megapixel that lines up with the same camera on the Galaxy S III. The back-facing camera also has been boosted from a 5 megapixel shooter to 8 megapixels. The processor has also seen a bump up to 1.5Ghz, likely either a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor or the new OMAP from Texas Instruments we saw at Mobile World Congress 2012.
The camera quality has always been a point of argument on the Galaxy Nexus, and the focus of this new device will very much be on the pieces of the hardware that make the most difference to the end user – the camera being a big one. Software too will be Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box, and the device will likely be released on several carriers at once – or none at all.
Stay tuned for more Galaxy Nexus news and make your guesses as to what this Superior rumor really means!
It appears that there’s a brand new Google Nexus smartphone headed out via Samsung with slightly upgraded specifications over the next-newest device, the Galaxy Nexus. This next-generation Nexus device has been tipped by SamMobile where they’ve got the Galaxy Nexus to the left of the device and the Galaxy S III to the right. Unfortunately we don’t have any actual hardware to confirm the reality of this smartphone, but the specifications certainly seem to be possible.
The current line of Nexus devices includes the Google Nexus 7, a tablet, and the Galaxy Nexus, a smartphone manufactured by Samsung. The device we’re seeing here is code-named Nexus and has specifications that improve upon what the Galaxy Nexus has in several areas. The first place – and perhaps the most suspicious – is in the screen, incorrectly stating that the Galaxy Nexus has “Super AMOLED” display when in fact it has an “HD Super AMOLED” display. This display is compared to this new Nexus which is then said to have a “Super AMOLED HD” display, this set of words written in the wrong order.
HD Super AMOLED is defined by Samsung (and branded by Samsung) as resolution with Super AMOLED that’s above 1280 x 720 pixels. With such a resolution across the same size display, we’re looking at essentially the same setup as the Galaxy Nexus up front. The processor under the hood of this next device is said to be 1.5 GHz dual-core A9, this being a bit of an upgrade from the Galaxy Nexus (which uses Texas Instruments OMAP line) and the Galaxy S III (which here refers to the USA version of the device with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4).
This device is also set to take on the Galaxy S III’s cameras, both front and back, and will be coming in one iteration – 16GB internal storage. This smartphone will have a microSD card slot as well for memory expansion. Sound alright to you? If this device is indeed released by Samsung, it’ll be as a Galaxy Nexus Plus, or some sort of half-step upgrade such as that. This sort of situation has never before occurred with the Nexus line of devices, but it might be starting soon!
If you’re part of the ever-growing developer and hacker culture that exists in the Android universe, you may well have heard of the most popular software build made by a 3rd party group: CyanogenMod. This group of developers creates a ROM that you run on your smartphone or tablet, it completely replacing what you’d had before with their own vision for a superior bit of mobile computing. Today the group has announced that the first “Stable” release for their newest version, CyanogenMod 9, is available for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
You’ll be working with a modified version of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich here, which, if you’ve already got Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you might want to skip. The reason you would want to pick this build of Android is that the developers behind the magic have added a relatively large amount of fun tweaks and optimizations, here making the Galaxy Nexus faster and – depending on your taste for such things – more beautiful.
Inside CyanogenMod 9 you’ll get all of the great add-ons that came with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the first place like a modified notifications pull-down and easy access to your recently used apps. You’ll also get Cyanogen-added features such as a DSP equalizer and their own music player app “Apollo.” This release, it should be noted, is made for the “maguro” version, GSM that is, of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. If you don’t know what that means, you probably shouldn’t be working with CyanogenMod.
If you’re looking for an optimized Jelly Bean experience, you can also get into the development process with the team by downloading nightly test builds. There will certainly be bugs and you’ll want to report all messy bits back to the team for faster pushes to the final product. You can grab CyanogenMod 10 (early builds) as well as CyanogenMod 9 (stable build) right now if you wish – and let us know how it goes!
Welcome toEngadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re tapping away on our brand-new smartphones — and you can head to theback to school hubto see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of August we’ll begiving awaya ton of the gear featured in our guides — you can hit up the hub pageright here!
It’s a good time to be a student. Last year, there were some solid picks, but it was still very clear that those willing to scrimp and save a little longer had a much better experience. This year, it’s a people’s revolution. Thanks to cutthroat competition, there are some exceptional phones out there, even for those of you hoping to avoid eating ramen noodles for a month. Software has taken a leap forward too, with many phones now offering a vital way to remember when that term paper is due… or to procrastinate at the pub. We have nine choices of phones in our shortlist, spread out across three categories to serve everyone from the I-just-need-a-phone freshman to the overloaded doctoral candidate. While you’re eying the selection, don’t forget to enter our giveaway and potentially ease the burden — who knows, you may get a phone you want rather than the one dictated by your student loan.
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, the Galaxy Nexus for Sprint and Verizon Wireless each became available for free, while in the MVNO world, Simple Mobile dropped the price of its high-speed unlimited smartphone plan to $50. 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 July 30th, 2012.
We’ve had our fair share of experience with Google Wallet since it launched several months ago, and now that it’s been updated to include all major credit and debit cards, it’s time to once again address the most important question of all: is it safe? As it turns out, Google Wallet is really, really safe. You’ve got several ways to lock down your account, and starting today, you’ve also got a remote shutdown option too. Additionally, just as it is with any other use of a credit card, each use of Google Wallet at “more than 200,000 retail locations” across the USA require that you show a picture ID to make it work.
Are my cards secure?
With Google Wallet you’re able (starting this week) to add your whole collection of credit and debit cards. Once your cards are in your account, you’ll be working with NFC to wirelessly charge money essentially the same as a credit card does. To enter a card into your Google Wallet account, you need to enter the number on the card into your mobile app, your online wallet, or into your Google Play account (which uses your same Google login) when making a purchase. Though you do not need to make a purchase to enter a card, it does make the whole process seem like less of a chore.
Once you’ve got your card or cards entered in to your account, your locked-down mobile app version of Google Wallet will have that card – or all your cards – on record and ready to use whenever you need them. Each time you use a card, you’ll see a transaction record on your phone or tablet instantly with the merchant name and the dollar amount listed clearly. This information is also emailed to you instantly if you wish, and all of your account history can be found in your online wallet.
All of your cards are stored on “highly secure” Google servers, as they make sure to make clear on all documents for the system. This is opposed to keeping all the cards on your phone locally where they can be hacked – because they’re in the cloud, they’re actually a bit more secure, in this case. The only way a person can gain access to your cards is with your wallet ID. Your wallet ID is a pin number you create yourself – this number is stored in the “secure storage” area of your phone or tablet.
Our original hands-on with Google Wallet can be seen here:
What if I lose my phone and someone had my pin number AND ID card?
If someone has your phone or tablet, your pin number, and looks similar enough to you that they’re able to pass off your driver’s license as you, you might be in trouble. If that extremely rare and near-impossible situation should arise, Google has another solution for you. Remote Disabling is a new feature of Google Wallet with the update that’s just been dropped this week. With it, you’re able to visit the Devices section of your online wallet, select the device you wish to disable, and poof! It will no longer be able to be used by the villain.
What this service actually does is to remotely reset your mobile wallet, this then making it impossible for the person whose stolen your device to use the wallet unless they go back and enter in all your account information manually once again. At that point it would be easier to kidnap you and steal your real wallet. But you don’t have a real wallet anymore – you’ve got Google Wallet!
So all is well and safe and secure – and you’re ready to go!
You can get Google Wallet on a select number of devices right this minute, including two of our favorites, the Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Nexus. You can check out our hands-on with Google Wallet from back when it was first released and you can check our our full review of the Galaxy Nexus as well as our full review of the Nexus 7 too – grab em!
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