Android Tablet Update

You probably remember the ASUS MeMO 370T from CES as we freaked out a bit when NVIDIA pulled it out during their press conference and reeled off a laundry list of fantastic specs and then dropped the bomb on us that it would retail for $250. The basic response to that was “give it now!” But of course as with many products that we see at CES, we had to wait.

In the last couple months we have had a few indications that this one might be worth the wait as the ASUS MeMO 370T may now be doing duty as the first Nexus tablet, which our sources have confirmed will most likely come to market as the Nexus 7 (Yes, that is one better than those pesky Nexus-6 units in Blade Runner).

As yesterday’s rumor indicated, the Nexus tablet could bring with it the first taste of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) and may indeed bear the Tegra 3 processor, which was previously rumored to be dropped to bring the price of the tablet down to the insanely low price of $149-199 that we have reported previously.

Today the ASUS MeMO 370T has passed through the FCC with just WiFi radios on board, which is certainly encouraging as even if it would come to pass that this is not the Nexus tablet it would still hopefully deliver a powerful tablet in a compelling form factor and at a price significantly lower than most of the competition. Another possibility is that there could be two versions of the device with slightly differing specs for the Nexus 7 versus the ASUS MeMO 370T.

While FCC approval hardly provides a definitive timeline for a device to release it does typically come weeks and not months prior to launch so if this thing is going to make an appearance at Google I/O next month (perhaps in the hands of all attendees) and then become widely available in July, this timing would make perfect sense.

That’s right, despite rumors of delays, the Samsung Galaxy S III is now available in 28 different countries scattered across the globe. The handset is now available in the United Kingdom, France, UAE, Saudi Arabia and a handful of countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa – but things will heat up in July when the Galaxy S III will be available in 145 countries around the world and will be found at 296 service providers.

The U.S. debut of the Samsung Galaxy S III has yet to be announced, but Samsung is rumored to be working with all major carriers to bring its new flagship device to as many customers as possible. If you’re not willing to wait, you can order the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III, but be prepared to pay a hefty price.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S III in your future or will you wait to see if Google officially announces its new Nexus strategy at I/O next month?

The latest rumor circling the fabled 7-inch Nexus tablet claims that ASUS will soon be ramping up production of the tablet and will ship roughly 600,000 units of the device in June in time for a July release. According to the report, the Nexus tablet is expected to sell between two and two and a half million units between July and the end of the year.

Originally, the Google Nexus tablet was expected to launch in May, but the tablet launch was postponed to make changes to the design and find way to reduce hardware costs even further.

While there have been plenty of Nexus tablet leaks over the past months, Google has never officially acknowledged that they are working with ASUS on developing a tablet. Our assumption is that Google will keep things under wraps as best they can before officially unveiling the device during Google I/O in late June.

Originally, the Nexus tablet was rumored to be based off of the $249 ASUS MeMo 370T which was shown off at CES, but more recent reports indicate that Google may want to reduce the price even further by not including a quad-core processor, though we now expect that the Nexus tablet will likely ship with NVIDIA’s quad-core Kai platform.

We may not know exactly what Google has planned for its budget friendly Nexus tablet, but we’re sure that it will force Samsung, Sony, Asus, Acer, Motorla and other OEMs to produce basic tablets which will directly compete with the likes of the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet.

How many of you already own an Android powered tablet? How much would you be willing to pay for a decently spec’d 7-inch Nexus tablet?

A report out of the Wall Street Journal has us thinking differently about the Nexus program. According to the report, Google may be going all-in on their new Nexus strategy, partnering with not one, but multiple OEMs on Nexus devices that Google would sell directly to customers similar to its recent Galaxy Nexus offering. Google hopes to have a full portfolio of devices available by Thanksgiving, and is working on giving multiple OEM partners early access to the next version of Android, currently codenamed Jelly Bean.

This marks a stark change from Google’s previous strategy, where Google exclusively partnered with one key manufacturer to provide the flagship device for its latest OS. Sources for The Wall Street Journal believe this strategy is being taken to provide Google with greater control over the operating system and apps that run on it, thus reducing the impacts wireless carriers have over devices. We assume this will be because the Nexus devices will launch with stock Android, as opposed to the custom skins manufacturers are keen on putting on their devices.

Many are speculating that the move is a response to appease manufacturers concerned with Google’s acquisition of Motorola and what that means for the rest of the Android industry. Taking the potential for Google to play favorites off the table will likely persuade these manufacturers to keep producing and innovating with Android devices.

This story is obviously developing, and Google was unavailable for comment at the time the WSJ story went live. We’ve reached out to Google as well, and will update you as we learn more of the expanded Nexus line rumored for later this year.

Now that Google has re-opened their online devices store, it appears the Nexus brand is here to stay. Google typically releases a new Nexus device every year, so speculation has already begun about who will produce the 4th generation Nexus phone.

According to Digitimes sources, Samsung has won the contract for Google’s next phone. They report, ”Since Samsung has become the top vendor of Android smartphones, Google will continue to have Samsung develop its next-generation Nexus models, leveraging Samsung’s innovation ability with regard to the Android platform, and its ability to control the supply of key components.”

We anticipate that Google wants to launch their 4th gen Nexus in Q4 2012, so look for the device to be a spin-off of the Galaxy S III. Samsung is scheduled to unveil the next Galaxy on May 3rd, so we don’t have much longer to wait.

As always, I’m curious what you think about Google’s pick. Which handset maker would you choose to produce the next Nexus?

Manufacturers are always catching heat for not staying up to date with Android software. They can release three phones in a quarter, each with better hardware than the one before it, but not a single one runs on the latest version of Android. Why is that? We know third-party UIs and carrier customizations hold up the update process. That’s not all though. A Motorola executive has spoken out on the hardships of updates, and it looks like the Big M holds Google’s Nexus hardware choices responsible for much of the delays.

When Google first releases a new version of Android, only the company lucky enough to be chosen as the manufacturer of the next Nexus has access to it. When that new version of Android is released with the next Nexus, it’s optimized to run on Nexus hardware. According to Christy Wyatt, senior vice president and general manager of Motorola’s Enterprise Business Unit, that’s where the problems begin.

When Google does a release of the software ... they do a version of the software for whatever phone they just shipped. The rest of the ecosystem doesn't see it until you see it. Hardware is by far the long pole in the tent, with multiple chipsets and multiple radio bands for multiple countries. It's a big machine to churn.Christy WyattMotorola

Clearly, manufacturers are faced with several hurdles leading to a consumer update. Some are uncontrollable, while some could be worked on.

Carrier control isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. Companies like Motorola don’t see any advantages in limiting what a carrier can do to their device. Some devices make it to market with only a handful of custom apps, while others, like Moto’s Droid devices, are as carrier branded as Android gets. In return for giving Verizon this sort of control, Motorola gets to be the face of Verizon for many ad campaigns to come.

Limiting the hardware a manufacturer releases would also help alleviate some of the stress behind updates. This could be a growing trend in 2012. It was certainly well voiced in 2011.

As far as Android being optimized for specific hardware, forcing manufacturers to work overtime to optimize for their hardware, there’s not a whole lot that can be said. However, companies with less hardware available, who make less changes to stock Android, generally get their updates out faster than anyone else.

Hardware optimization and custom software aside, one can’t help but wonder how much of the drawn out update process is tied to sheer laziness or a “who cares” attitude. Take Motorola’s unfulfilled promise to unlock bootloaders: instead of making good and releasing the necessary tools, they’ve announced yet another version of the RAZR with an unlockable bootloader and “Developer Edition” in the name.

Is that because Verizon told them unlocking the original RAZR would be a bad idea? Are they too busy working on new phones, ignoring the old ones? Do they really even care? If Motorola is spending all their time trying to optimize new versions of Android Google released with a Nexus in mind, would they be opposed to some hardware limitations imposed by Google? Or probably most ideally for Motorola, should consumers just get over it, and be happy that they can still run (most of) the latest apps from the Market?

Whatever the case, one thing is for sure. Don’t expect the manufacturers to suddenly start updating their handsets faster any time soon. They have plenty of excuses reasons lined up to explain the wait.

It was four days ago now, December 16th, when Google first announced they’d be rolling out an update to Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Nexus S. Due to various errors and problems being reported by users from all over the web, the update is being put on hold for some.

Problems associated with the update to Ice Cream Sandwich include everything from high spikes in CPU usage, to major battery drain. Because of this, even if you receive a notification to download the update to your device, doesn’t mean you will be able to apply it. In areas where Google is monitoring feedback, they have paused the update process. Once the update is cleared for those regions being monitored, a new notification to update will appear.

If you received an update notification a little while ago but the update isn’t currently available for your phone, this is likely the result of Google pausing the update in your area while we monitor feedback. The Android 4.0 update is continuing to roll out around the world so your phone will receive another update notification when it’s available again in your region.Paul WilcoxCommunity Manager, Google

Personally, I have seen great battery life on Ice Cream Sandwich, and no spikes in CPU usage. However, I am having my own set of problems with the camera app. At first, it would only force close after a minute or two of doing nothing. Then, I started seeing an error message saying that my phone can’t connect to the camera. That same error message also popped up when I tried using CameraFX. Now, the camera will load sometimes, but nothing works. The viewfinder area stays black. As you can imagine, this is seriously frustrating.

It’s incredibly disappointing to see the update play out this poorly, but I wouldn’t wish battery, CPU or camera problems (especially ones this bad) on my worst enemy. Hopefully, Google will have the update figured out before too long.

Now that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is in full effect, news on the device is dropping faster than RIM’s profits (ba-dum tsss!). If we were to cover every individual nugget of Nexus news that hits the web, your Twitter and RSS feeds would look like a green, red, yellow and blue bomb went off. And while that might not necessarily be a bad thing, doesn’t everyone else deserve a little face time too? That’s where today’s Nexus news roundup comes in. Here’s a list of all things Nexus that popped up online today, gathered in one neat place for your reading pleasure.

Limited edition Galaxy Nexi being handed out to employees

They did it with the Nexus One and Nexus S, and now they’re doing it with the Galaxy Nexus. Google just loves to make limited edition versions of their Nexus handsets and give them to employees to spread holiday cheer. If you just can’t live without a battery cover plastered in various Android icons, then you might wanna hop on eBay or get a job at Google. That’s the only way you’re gonna get one of these bad boys. ^[1]

Verizon Galaxy Nexus car dock: three-pin connection not included

There’s not a whole lot to this story, but it’s good to know nonetheless. The Verizon Nexus car dock that attaches to your windshield via suction cup does not have a three-pin dock connection built in. Instead, you have to use the device’s micro-USB connection. The GSM Nexus car dock supports the pins, so why the Verizon version doesn’t is a mystery. ^[2]

Verizon Nexus extended battery on sale now

Don’t be sad that your Verizon car dock doesn’t utilize the latest in dock connecting technology, be happy that an extended battery for your device is half off at VerizonWireless.com. Normally $50, the 2100mAh extended battery can be yours for a low, low $24.99. The original $50 price tag shows up on the product info page here, but the discount will be reflected at the checkout. Better hurry. Who knows how long this will last? ^[3]

Google Wallet available for unrooted Galaxy Nexi

Rooted Galaxy Nexus users have been enjoying Google Wallet since the device has come out, while unrooted users have had to sit back and wait for an NFC system of their own. Not anymore. A region-based (it only works in the US) Google Wallet .apk has been made available for unrooted Galaxy Nexus devices. The only requirement? Allow the installation of non-Market apps. You can find more info here. ^[4]

Tips on fixing the Galaxy Nexus’ low-res contact images

Complaints from Galaxy Nexus users on the low image quality of contact pictures is nothing new. For some odd reason, the contact images Google syncs look incredibly poor wherever they’re placed throughout the UI. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to fix that. DroidLife has some tips on how to get high-res images to stick, but they’re a far cry from an official solution. ^[5]

An in-depth look at the data connection problems surrounding Verizon LTE

Verizon’s LTE network is incredibly fast. There’s no denying that. But there’s also no denying the connection problems that have come with it. David Ruccock over at Android Police has taken the time to go in-depth with the issue, and offers his insights on why the issues still exist today. ^[6]

That’s all we have for now, but don’t surprised if a couple more stories happen to make the list.

One of the biggest draws of owning a Nexus device is getting updates directly from Google. In fact, it’s one of the few things that make a Nexus a Nexus. We’ve talked about this on Android and Me many times and more, but today it bears repeating. Because apparently, not all Nexus devices are created equal.

Now before anyone gets up in arms, your newly purchased Verizon Galaxy Nexus will be updated directly by Google. It’s the GSM Nexus that’s under fire today.

You see, over on XDA some GSM Nexus owners have been having problems manually flashing the recently rolled out update to 4.0.1. Unfortunately, there’s no problem with the update file. It has to do with custom Samsung installed firmwares.

Some GSM Nexus devices are shipping with region specific Samsung firmwares. There’s a fingerprint in the build.prop file for all Android phones. The direct-from-Google Nexus has the hardware code maguro and the software code yakju. Once Nexus owners started having signature problems when trying to manually update to 4.0.1, they started checking their build.prop file to see if there was something wrong. And sure enough, there’s several different Nexus configurations that come with Samsung controlled firmware.

All GSM Galaxy Nexus devices still have a hardware code of maguro, but different software configurations include yakjuxw, yajusc, yakjukr and yakjuux. As far as anyone knows so far, any Nexus with one of those software codes won’t be updated directly by Google. But there’s still some confusion surrounding the subject.

yakjusc and yakjuxw are indeed the two Samsung-prepared builds I'm aware of at the moment, but I'm discovering them as they get released. I only have some visibility over the builds that are prepared by ?Google, i.e. yakju. Everything else comes from Samsung, and I don't ?know what their schedules and release plans are.JBQGoogle

At this point, you may be wondering if there’s anything you can do to receive your updates directly from Google if you ended up with an xw, sc, kr or ux device. While it’s not being endorsed by Google, some users have flashed yakju software to their Nexus without problem. Allowing their device to receive the 4.0.1 OTA, and presumably, any other updates Google sends out in the future.

It’s nice to see that, yet again, the Android community has come up with a solution to a problem with their device. But that doesn’t change the fact that quite a few Nexus devices out there are missing something that is, for most people, a major selling point.

Is this the death of the Nexus as we know it? This same question came up when it was revealed that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus would come with third-party apps pre-installed. The fact that it would still be updated by Google, not Verizon and Samsung, made up for that. The same can’t be said in this situation. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story and providing you with any information we can get our hands on. For more details on the unique builds, visit XDA.

Though at this point we can’t say we’re necessarily surprised, it appears the Verizon branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone will see yet another launch date. Earlier this week, it looked as though December 9th was the day, as both Verizon and Best Buy stores were starting to receive shipments of the flagship Android 4.0 Google phone.

Droid-Life received a slew of emails this morning which indicate that the Galaxy Nexus is no longer launching on Friday, but has been postponed to a yet to be determined date. Corroborating these emails were snapshots of Verizon’s internal Equipment Guide system. Just a few days ago, the Equipment Guide system was showing the Galaxy Nexus with a launch date of 12/9, but today’s update has changed that page to state a less-optimistic “coming soon.”

With the rumored launch just two days away, and still no official announcement to be had from Verizon, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that this phone will not be launching on Friday. Though the fact that stores are starting to receive their inventories is hopeful, with all the delays that have hit the LTE version, we’re starting to doubt that Verizon will actually see this phone in 2011.

Update: Add December 13th to the never ending list of rumored launch dates.