Android Tablet Update

The Nexus name has come under some serious fire lately; and I can’t deny playing my part in that. Thanks to botched updates, carrier control and an absolutely horrendous initial rollout, Google’s Nexus line just ain’t what it used to be. So why then, did I just recently purchase a Galaxy Nexus as my next personal device? In a nutshell: everyone deserves a second chance.

When the Galaxy Nexus was announced, before the device was actually released, was when the problems first started. We knew the device would launch on Verizon here in the US, but it ended up taking much longer than initially expected. As for those of us not on Verizon, despite a GSM version of the device, compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile HSPA, being detailed alongside the Verizon LTE version, there was no news of that version of the Galaxy Nexus coming to the US at all. In fact, even a Sprint version of the Nexus was detailed before a US GSM variant was.

After that, between the release of the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon in December and this April, a lot of crazy stuff went on. The CDMA version of the Nexus was labeled “fake” since Verizon practically has complete control of it, different versions of the international GSM Nexus were facing update problems as it was discovered carriers and Samsung also had control of those devices. And that’s just the Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus S is still facing update issues, and the Nexus One has been left for dead. But there was still hope for the Nexus name, and it came in the form of the Google Play store.

When Google first announced they’d be selling the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus direct to consumers out of the Google Play store, I was ecstatic. The “Pure Google. No Contract. No Commitment.” slogan on the banner for the Nexus’ sale page had me excited. The software information page for the Play version of the Galaxy Nexus is what had me sold.

“A Galaxy Nexus purchased on Google Play is a Pure Google device and is among the first to receive the latest software updates from Google. We are pushing out updates to Nexus devices as quickly as possible and we will continue to provide the latest updates to these devices going forward. For devices purchased on Google Play, you can expect software updates to come directly from Google, rather than your mobile service provider.”

Could this finally be it? The Nexus I’ve been waiting for? It certainly seems like it. I know Google has messed up in the past, and I know it still has a huge PenTile display (which is what originally deterred me from wanting the Galaxy Nexus). But if Google were to, say, announce and release Jelly Bean at I/O this year, this would have to be the device to get it first. Seeing a new version of Android being released and not being able to use it right away is some strange from of torture I wouldn’t wish on even the most obnoxious of Android enthusiasts.

And to top it all off, a totally unlocked PentaBand device that is guaranteed to get updates directly from Google surely must cost at least $600. Right? The fact that Google is able to get the Galaxy Nexus directly to consumers for just $400 is nothing short of a miracle. Even with tax and shipping, I only paid $435. That is incredibly cheap in terms of brand new unlocked phones. Plus I was able to pass my Nexus S down to a budding Android enthusiast at a steep discount to knock some money off that $435 as well.

Looking past the price and updates, more than anything, I want the Nexus name to succeed. Not in the way that analysts and carrier CEOs do. In the way the developers and die-hard fans do. I know I’ve badmouthed the Nexus name recently, but it’s only because I felt personally betrayed. Not many companies can do that to me, which really says something about the place Google holds in my life.

So I ordered a Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play store. And I’m really hoping for the best. Google, please don’t let me down again.

Google has allowed carrier billing as a payment option for Android apps since 2009, but this week they expanded this service to include all types of digital content on the Google Play Store. Select customers can now purchase apps, music, movies, and books, by charging them directly to their monthly carrier bill.

T-Mobile appears to be the first US carrier to fully support all types of digital content, but we should expect to see similar options on Sprint (and hopefully AT&T). Google also specifically mentions that DoCoMo, KDDI and Softbank customers can now purchase all types of content.

Google Play currently provides direct carrier billing options in the countries listed below:

• Germany: T-Mobile International, Vodafone
• Italy: Vodafone
• Japan: DoCoMo, KDDI, Softbank
• Korea: KT, SKT, LGU+
• Spain: Vodafone
• UK: T-Mobile International, Vodafone
• US: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile

It’s nice to see more payment options available, but we are still waiting on Google to support gift cards. I buy apps and other types of content all the time, and I’d spend a lot more if I could buy digital goods and share them with my friends and family.

There were rumors that Google would re-open their online device store, and today that new strategy is being revealed. We just spotted the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus on the Google Play Store for $399.

Android chief Andy Rubin just posted a blog to announce that Google would begin selling the unlocked Galaxy Nexus to customers in the United States starting today. Mr. Rubin wrote, “We’ve come a long way since the first Android devices started hitting shelves three and a half years ago and since the launch of the first Nexus device.”

Google attempted to sell the HTC Nexus One phone to consumers back in 2010 (I bought one), but that didn’t go so well as the top 3 carriers rejected it and Google was forced to shut the store down later that year. When the store closed, Andy Rubin said, “The global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters.”

One of the main complaints with Google’s online store two years ago was the lack of customer support. People who purchased the Nexus One back in 2010 did not know if they should contact Google, HTC, or T-Mobile when they had problems with the device.

This time around, things should be different. Rubin said, ”We’ve implemented new customer support services to improve the purchasing experience on Google Play. We’ve taken all of this into consideration in designing Devices on Google Play.”

Google is only selling the device in the US today, but it will be expanding to additional markets. “We hope to bring it to more countries soon.”

Since the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus ships unlocked, without a carrier commitment or contract, that means users can use it on the GSM carrier of your choice. The device supports both AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s HSPA+ networks, with speeds up to 21 Mbps.

A lot of customers who purchased the fake Nexus from Verizon were disappointed with the lack of software updates, but that shouldn’t be a problem with Google’s version. They will control all of the software upgrades and won’t need the carrier’s approval before pushing out new updates.

I’ve been a little critical of the Galaxy Nexus, but it remains one of my favorite Android phones. There were definitely some bugs at launch, but many of them have been resolved with the recent Android 4.0.4 upgrade. At a price of only $399, this is the best deal that US consumers can find on an unlocked Android phone.

Developing…

We post several hundred Android related blog posts every month, but the reality is that only a few stories generate the majority of the buzz. It is easy to pick out the trends each week to see what things people are searching for and which stories are getting the most engagement, so I figured we would start recapping the hottest topics every Wednesday. This week we explore the latest on Google’s new content store, HTC’s flagship device, and Samsung’s rumored next-gen tablet.

Google Play Store

It was only announced one week ago, so it’s no surprise that the Google Play Store is one of the most searched terms on our site. The average Android user does not read the blogs on a daily basis, so a large amount of people were confused when Android Market started to disappear from devices and the Google Play Store took over.

Verizon must have received a lot of customer service calls about the issue, since they were forced to send out a text alert to their subscribers this week. The short message read, “Android Market is now Google Play” and provided users with a link to learn more.

In other Google Play Store news, it was revealed that Eric Chu was stepping away from overseeing Android’s app store to explore other options inside Google. Kim-mai Cutler of TechCrunch reports that the app store had been a “secondary priority” because Andy Rubin had been measuring the success of Android through total device activations and mobile search revenue.

Now Jamie Rosenberg will get increased oversight for apps and games inside the Google Play Store. He previously was the face of the Google Music launch and also worked with Andy Rubin at Danger Inc. as Vice President, Premium Services.

A surprising majority of developers I talk with are still unsatisfied with the speed of innovation with Google’s store, so hopefully all these changes will help improve that.

HTC One X release date

As the most popular phone of Mobile World Congress, everyone wants to know when the HTC One X will be released on their carrier. HTC already said the phone was coming to a record number of carriers around the globe sometime in Q2, but specific release dates have not been announced.

The One X appears to be coming to a number of European countries next month, according to expected ship dates of online pre-orders. Amazon UK and Handtec say the phone will ship April 5th, while MarcoPolo Shop says it could ship by April 2nd in Italy.

In the United States, only AT&T has announced they will carry the One X. HTC is said to be holding some kind of media event next month in New York, so we could learn the release date of the AT&T version soon.

The HTC One X is also rumored to be coming to Sprint and T-Mobile, but we likely won’t hear anything new until the CTIA Wireless show in May.

If you want the latest info on the HTC One X release date, HTC suggested signing up for HTC news on their official blog.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6

A mockup of the Galaxy Tab 11.6 from Tabtech.

At this point the Galaxy Tab 11.6 is nothing more than a rumor that goes back to last year. Jonathan Geller of BGR first reported on the device in December, then I saw a working prototype that matched a similar description with my own eyes at CES in January.

Based on what I saw behind closed doors at CES, I predicted the tablet would launch at Mobile World Congress, but I was wrong. Samsung has now publicly said their new strategy is to unveil devices “closer to commercial availability of the product,” so we could be waiting several more months.

Rumored specs of the Galaxy Tab 11.6 include:

• 11.6 inch display with 2560 x 1600 WXQGA resolution
• 2 GHz Exynos 5250 (2x ARM Cortex-A15 CPUs, quad-core ARM Mali-T604 GPU)
• Android 4.x

Most recently Samsung said they had an “exciting special announcement” at SXSW which started up the Galaxy Tab 11.6 rumors again, but it turned out that Samsung just demoed Angry Birds Space on the Galaxy Note.

At this point, we have no idea when Samsung’s next-generation tablet will hit stores. The 2 GHz Exynos 5250 chip that is expected to power the Galaxy Tab 11.6 goes into mass production during Q2, so we might not see the rumored tablet until the second half of the year.

Google is slowly but surely trying to build up a full content ecosystem to compete with the likes of Apple’s iTunes and Amazon’s store. The search giant has added books, movies, and music to its content repertoire, and according to a rumor posted on the unofficial Google news site Google Operating System, Google may soon add audiobooks, magazines, and newspapers to the mix. TechCrunch adds that Google might add TV shows to its video service, citing Google’s recent snatching up of domains related to Google Play, which included GooglePlayTV.com

These features are already available on both iTunes and Amazon, and adding this content to the Google Play store will help Google better compete in the content world. With approximately 50% of smartphone users owning devices that run Google’s Android operating system, there is certainly a wealth of potential customers to draw from. Since these individuals are already tied into Google’s ecosystem, Google has a strong advantage in wooing customers into its service.

Expanding the ecosystem makes a lot of sense for Google, as the company is rumored to be working on a Google Play tablet made by ASUS. Google hopes to build on the successes enjoyed by the Kindle Fire tablet, which in just three months became the best selling Android tablet out there. The Google Play tablet will bring all of Google’s Play services into one media-consumption device, and could be Android’s best bet to steal customers away from the iPad.

I’m excited for more content to come to Google Play, and already read a ton of magazines on my Transformer Prime via the Kindle Store. What else do you guys want to see in Google Play? Sound off in the comments.

Yesterday Google started rolling out their new Google Play Store to replace the Android Market, and many of our readers reported that they started receiving it in the afternoon. However, quite a few people have said they still do not see the new Google Play Store yet.

If your device is running Android 2.2 or greater, you should be able to easily force the new Google Play Store update. Nothing really changes besides the cool new icon, but follow the steps below if you want to check it out.

To force Google Play Store onto your Android device:

• Install the new Play Books, Play Movies, or Play Music
• Go to Settings > Apps > Market and hit the Clear data button
• Open Play Books, Play Movies, or Play Music and hit the new Play Store icon
• Accept the new terms of service
• Enjoy

If it doesn’t work on the first try, wait a minute and then repeat the steps. I automatically received the Google Play Store on my Google TV, but I used this trick to get it on my smartphone and tablet. Let us know if you got the new Google Play Store and what you think about it in the comments below.