nexus

Google Nexus 4 already sold out at U.S. Google Play store

Well, that was fast.

Just minutes after going on sale in the United States, the new Nexus 4 smartphone from Google and LG was already sold out. Visitors to the Google Play store are greeted with a "coming soon" notice for both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the device.

The phones previously sold out in the United Kingdom in less than an hour. Some customers reported having trouble accessing the store or checking out successfully. Meanwhile, Dutch blog AndroidWorld reported that a planned Netherlands launch was scrapped amid high demand elsewhere.

It's unclear how many units … Read more

Android 4.2 rolling out for Nexus 7 tablet

Android 4.2 is finally here for Google's Nexus 7 tablet.

Anxious owners can install it manually right away or simply wait a bit for the over-the-air update. A post on Google+ today confirmed that Android 4.2 has begun rolling out for the Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Nexus as an OTA update.

As described by blog site Android Police, users can download the 4.2 manual installation package as a zip file from Google. Once you've downloaded the file, you can follow the steps offered by Android Police to update your tablet.

But most users may … Read more

Nexus 4 sells out in U.K. on Google Play as site suffers

Google's latest smartphone, the Nexus 4, is sold out in the U.K., less than an hour after it went on sale.

The 4.7-inch Android device went on sale in the U.K. on Tuesday, alongside Google's two latest tablets, the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 -- and it looks like the devices are proving popular. According to reports on Twitter, some customers found that stocks of lowest priced Nexus 4, the 8GB version, had been snapped up within a mere 15 minutes of going on sale.

Reportedly the Nexus 4 is out, a day earlier than … Read more

T-Mobile corrects reports on Wi-Fi calling for Nexus 4

Editor's note: T-Mobile has confirmed that the Nexus 4 will not support Wi-Fi calling. The carrier has corrected the support documents, which a spokesman said were originally posted with incorrect information.

It appears that the T-Mobile version of the Nexus 4 will support Wi-Fi calling after all. Provided online support documents for the handset prove to be accurate, the new LG smartphone will allow T-Mobile customers the option to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi connections.

The feature, which lets users take advantage of their own network instead of relying on T-Mobile's towers, can often provide a stronger … Read more

Nexus 7 explodes in China, Asus runs to rescue

The Nexus 7 has been one of the smokin' hot tablets of 2012, and unfortunately for one user in China, that was literally the case.

The user posted the photo above to a forum on Baidu (China's home-grown answer to Google), claiming that the device began smoking while plugged in and charging on its original factory charger. In the process, the guts of the tablet seem to have been totally torched.… Read more

Reconciling the iPad Mini with Apple's Retina obsession

The iPad Mini is an exception to Apple's Retina obsession. Will that change?

David Hsieh, an analyst at DisplaySearch, tried to answer that question in a research note today, saying that Apple has become a victim of its own marketing success.

By creating a class of super-high-resolution Retina products -- including the iPad, iPod, iPhone, and MacBook Pro -- Apple has sparked an industry-wide scramble to match or exceed the resolution of its displays.

Apple created the term "Retina display" not just as a marketing phrase, but to educate end users about high resolution. Apple has been … Read more

As Nexus 10 hits the marketplace, new life is seen for Android tablet apps

The recent release of new 7- and 10-inch Nexus devices earned some of the strongest reviews yet for Android tablets. And yet along with praise for the high-resolution displays and snappy processors came a familiar complaint: there aren't enough apps.

As my colleague Roger Cheng put it: "Unfortunately, it's software, and not hardware, that continues to be the key problem for Google. Android tablets have struggled to make a real impression with consumers because there is a dearth of apps built specifically for tablets on Android. While the hardware and specs are great for the gadget enthusiasts … Read more

LG Nexus 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3: Does LTE really matter?

When choosing a smartphone or a wireless carrier, it's important to know what your deal-breakers are.

There are so many choices today when it comes to picking out a new smartphone or even choosing a service provider. Devices come in different sizes, with different software and even different network support. And wireless carriers, which all have different strengths when it comes to network coverage, offer different packages with different prices for their services. When it comes to choosing a device or a carrier, which of these things is most important to you?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I … Read more

Battery life battle royale: Nexus vs. iPad

With all the hoopla about the relative graphics performance of the fourth-generation iPad and the Nexus 10, it's easy to forget another important performance metric: battery life.

Battery life dictates how long you can actually use the unit before it requires a recharge, so I'd say it's pretty darn important. So important in fact that it gets its own blog post. Here I pit the last two generations of iPad, the iPad Mini, the Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10 against each other in a take-no-prisoners battery blood bath! Or acid bath I guess.

The results The results speak for themselves, but if you need further explanation, continue reading after the chart. … Read more