Samsung Galaxy Nexus Archive

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Galaxy Nexus Possibly Launching on Rogers and Fido January 10th

By
Kevin Krause
– January 3, 2012Posted in: Handsets, Rumors, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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With Bell snagging the exclusive for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in Canada, those preferring the network’s of other carriers had to settle for the promise that the device would reach new providers in 2012. Rogers subscribers won’t have to wait long into the new year, as a newly leaked document points to a January 10th launch. The Galaxy Nexus will also be available from Fido on the same day. TELUS also has the world’s first Android 4.0 handset in the pipeline, but it is unclear when it will hit their network. Pricing details are unknown, but expect them to stay pretty close to the $159.99 on a three-year contract pricing established by Bell.

[via MobileSyrup]

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Verizon States No LTE Performance Issue with the Galaxy Nexus, Will Adjust Status Bar to Better Match Other Devices

By
Kevin Krause
– December 21, 2011Posted in: Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Verizon

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Verizon has made a statement regarding a planned update to handle Galaxy Nexus 4G issues, and it doesn’t involve tweaking the phone’s radio firmware. As was reported yesterday after independent testing, the Galaxy Nexus is privy to the same signal strength as other 4G devices on Verizon’s network, the difference is the way it reports its status. To adjust for this, Verizon will be updating the phone’s software to translate signal strength to status bars in a similar way to other currently available LTE devices. The fix seems counter-intuitive by merely masking a potentially weak 4G signal with an exaggerated representation of service strength, but it will be enough to please more than a few customers worried that they aren’t getting the most out of Verizon’s network. Here is the full statement:

There is no issue with the performance of the device. There is a difference in the way the signal is translated into bars on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus compared to other smart phones. A future software update will adjust the signal strength indicator to more closely match other Verizon Wireless devices.

[via The Verge]

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Galaxy Nexus LTE Bug Is a Figment of Your Imagination

By
Kevin Krause
– December 20, 2011Posted in: Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Verizon

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Since the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, many a user has noticed fewer 4G LTE status bars than they are used to, leading to the idea that the phone must be suffering from some sort of radio bug. The one or two bars of service were accompanied by reports of dropped calls and low signal strength when measured at the dBm level. The reality, as per an investigation by AnandTech, is that the Galaxy Nexus may actually be reporting LTE signal strength more accurately than its Verizon predecessors.

Compared head-to-head with the LTE Droid Charge, nearly identical dBm readings resulted in two drastically different sets of status bars. For the Droid Charge, four bars. For the Galaxy Nexus, a mere one bar. It is important to note that the Charge and Galaxy Nexus use identical LTE radio chips, so the difference in signal strength opinion must operate at the software level. Ice Cream Sandwich seems to be reporting signal strength more precisely than previous versions of Android. The Galaxy Nexus theoretically should be receiving the same quality of signal as any other 4G LTE device operating on Verizon’s network within the same vicinity, regardless of a discrepancy in status bars. The strength of signal will likely grow as Verizon continues to improve their LTE network, and when it gets firing on all cylinders it will be a hard beast to slow down.

[via DroidLife]

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Happy Holidroid Contest: Monday Trivia Challenge – First To Answer Correctly, Wins!

By
Chris Chavez
– December 20, 2011Posted in: NewsFeed

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If you’re unsure what this whole "Holidroid Contest" thing is all about, be prepared to get excited. From November 24th through December 25th, Phandroid is giving away a Kindle Fire every single day along with other great prizes like the Galaxy Nexus Galaxy Tabs, JAMBOX, SmarTouch Gloves, Android Phones, Android T-Shirts, Seidio Vouchers and more. Read our announcement post for details.


Yesterday’s Winner

Yesterday’s winner a lucky reader Ashley Bair who was picked randomly after being asked which Android phone they would want to be “stuck with” for their rest of their life. Congratulations, Ashley! For the rest of you, don’t worry because we have yet another contest today. Let’s see what’s up for grabs this time around:

Amazon Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire could be this holiday’s hottest product: at only $199 it’s not only one of the most  affordable Android tablets, it’s also one of the best. That’s a killer combination. With a beautiful UI, great battery life, carefully curated apps/games, and an amazing array of media options thanks to Amazon’s Digital Content Ecosystem... the Kindle Fire is a sure win. Good luck winning one in our contest, but at only $199 it’s probably worth buying one just in case!

Isotoner SmarTouch Gloves

Every single holiday season these SmarTouch smartphone gloves are consistently one of my favorite gift giving items. They eloquently solve one of the most fundamental problems a tech lover faces: using your device in cold weather. Wearing gloves usually prevents your touchscreen from working: take your phone out, take your glove off, use your phone, hand gets gold, shove phone in pocket, rush to get glove on. NO MORE! Isotoner’s SmarTouch gloves, designed in my colors and sizes for both men and women, has technology that passes the electrons your body gives off, through the gloves, onto the capacitive screen and allowing it to work. VOILA! Seriously. It works. Trust me. Try it... and you’ll love them forever.

Seidio $30 Voucher

With so much smartphone use comes battery drain. Thankfully, Seidio makes some awesome extended batteries that fit many smartphones, allowing you to get longer battery life with the same device. No more toting around a charger everywhere you go: just snag a Seidio and call it a day! Seidio also makes cases, holsters, and other great accessories for your smartphones.Check them all out here.

 

Andy Robot T-Shirt

True Android enthusiasts and tech lovers enjoy expressing their Android attitude and there is no better way to do so then with an Android Robot T-Shirt from the brilliant folks at iSteamAndy. They’ve created a series of artistic, creative Android Robot themed T-shirts with fun, rich imagery. They sell like hotcakes and have limited production runs so get each design while you still can. Some of their top designs (and ones we’re giving away) include: Dark Night Andy, iSteam Andy,Flying Andy, Exploded Andy, Andy Verus, and Unstoppable Andy. Check out

ZeeMote Bluetooth Game Controller

The Zeemote Bluetooth Game Controller compacts things into one comfortable, ergonomically sound gaming package. You use one hand and the controller has an analog stick with four action buttons on it. It’s a bit reminiscent of a Nintendo Wiimote – makes you wonder where the name was inspired from. There are many games in the Android Market already compatible with the Zeemote, including the popular title R-Type, and you may even be able to use it with some of your emulators. It goes perfectly with many Android devices, from 3.2 inch phones to 10.1 inch tablets. And if you want the ultimate gaming experience, Zeemote + Phone/Tablet + TV + HDMI-out = awesome.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Who wouldn’t want the Samsung Galaxy Nexus? It’s the world’s first smartphone to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and features the specs to match, including a 4.65-inch 720p HD display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and plenty of on-board storage. HUGE props to Nikolay Ananiev, the developer of an app called Tiny Flashlight + LED, who donated the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for giveaway. His app has OVER 10 MILLION downloads and Nikolay contacted us asking for ways he could give back to the community as a way to say “thanks”.

Today’s Contest Rules/Regulations:

Trivia: When the Phandroid team went to San Francisco earlier this year for Google I/O 2011, how many points did I — Chris Chavez — score when playing the huge Android ADK powered labyrinth game in our video? Hint: It may or may not have been the world’s highest score. First to answer correctly in the thread on Android Forums gets all of today’s goodies! Happy Holidroid!

Looking for a great gift? Don’t forget about our Holiday Gift Guide!


Tomorrow’s Contest:

We’ll be giving away a Kindle Fire, SmarTouch Gloves, $30 Seidio Voucher, Andy tee and a Sony Tablet S! You never know when we will be posting our challenge so check back early and often!

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Galaxy Nexus Experiencing Signal Problems? Verizon Looking into a Fix

By
Kevin Krause
– December 19, 2011Posted in: Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Verizon

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We’ve received more than a few tips that users are experiencing signal issues with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I can’t personally verify the claims — I have yet to take my Nexus outside of a 4G zone  – but based on a recent tweet from Verizon’s support account it does appear that something isn’t quite right. Users are reporting familiar sounding 4G issues, such as poor handling of the switch between 3G and 4G mode (toggling airplane mode tends to fix this) and lower-than-expected reception strength. Verizon says it is investigating the problem and developing a software update to address the problems, but a release timeframe is unknown. Our best guess is to expect any signal-enhancing tweaks to come bundled as part of the Android 4.0.3 update planned to arrive on Nexus handsets in the coming weeks.

[via DroidLife]

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New Google Wallet APK Installable on the Galaxy Nexus without Root

By
Kevin Krause
– December 19, 2011Posted in: Applications, Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Verizon

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Hesitant about rooting your shiny new Samsung Galaxy Nexus but still reeling from a lack of Google Wallet? No problem. A new APK that brings Wallet to rooted and non-rooted phones alike is making the rounds through the Android developer community. If you do happen to have a rooted Galaxy Nexus running some other form of the NFC payment system, the handset will likely have to be restored to a pre-Wallet state before the new APK can be installed.

Verizon asked Google to withhold Google Wallet from their LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus, citing security concerns that arise from the new technology. This hasn’t stopped many from speculating that Verizon made the move so as not to compete with Isis, a mobile payments system back by the carrier and several others including AT&T. Leave Big Red to fuss over those details. We’re having our cake and eating it, too.

[via XDA | Thanks to those who sent this in!]

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Android 4.0.2 Update Rolling Out to GSM Galaxy Nexus

By
Kevin Krause
– December 16, 2011Posted in: Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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A day after the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus received its Android 4.0.2 update its GSM brethren is following suit. Users are reporting a 8.7MB update that brings the phones firmware build to ICL53F, which brings along “important bug fixes” that should hold serve with the tweaks delivered to the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Google has already announced Android 4.0.3, which is said to be headed to handsets in the coming weeks and will take over as the “base” version of Ice Cream Sandwich for all phones moving forward.

[via AndroidCentral]

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Android 4.0.3 Announced as ‘Base Version of Ice Cream Sandwich’ Moving Forward

By
Kevin Krause
– December 16, 2011Posted in: Android OS

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Those that purchased the Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Verizon were greeted with an update to the phone’s retooled Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, bringing the system to Android 4.0.2. A day later, and that version is soon to outdated. The team at Google has announced  Android 4.0.3, what is being pegged as an incremental update to the Ice Cream Sandwich framework.

Aside from optimizations and bug fixes for both tablets and smartphones, 4.0.3 brings the platforms API level to 15. Perhaps the biggest addition is the social stream API in Contacts, which will allow apps like Twitter and Facebook to sync information such as updates, check-ins, and photos with address book entries, a feature noticeably lacking from initial Ice Cream Sandwich builds. Other API improvements and tweaks give apps enhanced camera functionalities and allow for greater editing of and access to Calendar entries.

The update, which also offers “incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more,” will be pushed to manufacturers as the base version of ICS moving forward.

[via Android Developers]

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Verizon Posts Details on First Galaxy Nexus OTA Update

By
Kevin Krause
– December 15, 2011Posted in: Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Verizon

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For those of us heading out to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Nexus through Verizon today, an update can be expected to arrive within hours of first booting up the new Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone. We posted news of the Android 4.0.2 build ICL53F yesterday, and now Verizon has updated their support page accordingly. As expected, most of the changes will not be immediately noticeable to the user, including optimized 3G/4G data and Mobile Hotspot over VPN. Other more noticeable alterations include improvements to the visual effects feature associated with the phone’s front-facing camera and “visual improvements” to the handset’s lock screen. The update file is a mere 10.7MB, a quick download for the new 4G LTE handset.

[via DroidLife]

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Yes, People Are Lining Up for the Galaxy Nexus

By
Kevin Krause
– December 15, 2011Posted in: Handsets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Verizon

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Hey Verizon, when was the last time people lined up outside your store waiting for the release of a phone? Was it the Motorola Droid RAZR? The HTC Rezound? We’d have to go all the way back to the launch of the iPhone to probably find our answer. But lo and behold, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is drawing a crowd, and not just a little one, might I add. The above picture is the queue forming outside a Boston VZW store, all in line for the first Android 4.0 handset.

We can’t say exactly why the phone was delayed, and perhaps rumors that Verizon hasn’t put much stock in this phone — deciding to dump it off hastily a week before Christmas — aren’t true, but Big Red should take note. Or maybe this was their plan all along. Maybe it was all a clever viral marketing campaign that fooled us all.

[via AndroidForums]

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