Android 4.3 Jelly Bean official: shipping with new Nexus 7, available OTA for select devices today

A healthy stream of leaks in the last several months indicated that the latest version of Jelly Bean was right around the corner, and at its press event today Google pulled back the curtain on Android 4.3. Unsurprisingly, the latest software will debut on the new Nexus 7, which was also announced on stage. In addition to shipping with that tablet, the software will be available as an over-the-air update for the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, Galaxy Nexus and first-gen Nexus 7 today. No word on when the larger world of Android devices will receive the latest version, though.

The new software adds a restricted profile feature, which lets parents control what content children can view. According to Hugo Barra, who demoed the OS on stage, apps act differently depending on a given user's restriction settings, and the new feature also blocks in-app purchasing (we know how disastrous that can be for unwitting toddlers). Beyond that, the newest version of Jelly Bean adds Bluetooth Smart technology, and there's support for OpenGL ES 3.0, enabling improved details in graphics. A Unity game demo showed us how 3D objects can cast shadows on themselves, along with the ability add lens flare.

Perhaps the sweetest feature of all, though, is Netflix streaming in 1080p -- that in and of itself could leave non-Nexus owners more than a little jealous. This goody comes thanks to a new set of DRM APIs to take advantage of HD content on the Nexus. Also on board are Bluetooth AVRCP, dialpad autocomplete, and easier text input. Click through to the source for more info from the Android dev blog, and make sure to follow along with our liveblog.

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Source: Android Developers Blog

Nexus 4 priced at £390 by purported Carphone Warehouse in-store display placard

Purported Nexus 4 instore display placards list price at 390 euros Carphone Warephone leak, l

Oh, Carphone Warehouse -- it just can't seem to keep what it knows about the LG / Google Nexus 4 under lock and key. Just days after briefly listing the phone on its website, purported in-store displays for the yet unannounced device have leaked out to Android Authority. While essentially of the details are the same as what we saw last (1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 SoC, 8MP cam, 12-hour talk time rating, etc.), the listing reveals that the "sim-free" phone itself will sell for £390 (about $504) -- previously we'd only seen the per-month pricing at £31, which is also found here. There's no mention of that October 30th sale date this time, and it would seem unlikely now given that Google's had to indefinitely postpone its NYC-based Android event for the 29th due to hurricane Sandy. For now, you can get more details from the source link below.

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Nexus 4 priced at £390 by purported Carphone Warehouse in-store display placard originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus 4 priced at £390 by purported Carphone Warehouse in-store display placard

Purported Nexus 4 instore display placards list price at 390 euros Carphone Warephone leak, l

Oh, Carphone Warehouse -- it just can't seem to keep what it knows about the LG / Google Nexus 4 under lock and key. Just days after briefly listing the phone on its website, purported in-store displays for the yet unannounced device have leaked out to Android Authority. While essentially of the details are the same as what we saw last (1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 SoC, 8MP cam, 12-hour talk time rating, etc.), the listing reveals that the "sim-free" phone itself will sell for £390 (about $504) -- previously we'd only seen the per-month pricing at 31 euros, which is also found here. There's no mention of that October 30th sale date this time, and it would seem unlikely now given that Google's had to indefinitely postpone its NYC-based Android event for the 29th due to hurricane Sandy. For now, you can get more details from the source link below.

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Nexus 4 priced at £390 by purported Carphone Warehouse in-store display placard originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus 4 appears early at Carphone Warehouse, October 30th release date

Nexus 4 appears early at Carphone Warehouse, October 30th release date

Whoa there! The next Nexus just got an early reveal over at UK retailer Carphone Warehouse. Delivery is currently pegged for October 30th and apparently it's got brand new Android 4.2 (or Android 4.1.2 -- the listing mixes in both). The preorder screen confirms plenty of details we've already heard, including that 4.7-inch 1,280 x 768 display, Snapdragon S4 processor and 8-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, at least according to the phone seller, there's only 8GB of storage and no microSD card slot. Other curious parts include a "360-degree camera", whatever that is, and an on-screen render that's been previously been identified as a custom ROM. Diving into the supposed feature list, we're intrigued to see whether "gesture typing" will form a part of Google's new Android build -- the Carphone Warehouse compares it to Swype's finger-dragging input method.

Price-wise, it looks like you could get the handset for free on contracts over £31 per month, with both O2 and Vodafone named as prospective networks for the device in the UK -- but no news here on whether the 4G-capable EE will offer an LTE iteration. Excited? Good, because we're going to hear plenty more on this next week.

Update: And the page has been pulled. Hopefully, to iron out some of those suspect features...

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Nexus 4 appears early at Carphone Warehouse, October 30th release date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Jelly Bean update now rolling out to ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

Android Jelly Bean update now rolling out to ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

ASUS had said it would be coming soon, and it appears owners of that long-named Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 are now on the receiving end of the promised Jelly Bean goodness. According to a kind tipster and other folks from the Xda-Developers forums, an Android 4.1.1 update can currently be found in the usual spot within settings, though there are others reporting to have checked and not being greeted with the same luck -- this, however, is likely due to the rollout being a gradual one. Either way, those who wish to snag the Jelly Bean treats can try and do so now via the familiar "check for update" in your myriad ASUS tablet. And, of course, do let us know how it's working out for you in the comments below.

Update: Unsurprisingly, the very same update is being pushed to ASUS' other Transformer Pad / Prime devices as well.

[Thanks, Anthony]

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Android Jelly Bean update now rolling out to ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend

PSA $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend

Those who have been keeping a close eye on Google's 7-inch, Jelly Bean-loaded Nexus 7 would know that the company kindly includes 25 bucks worth of Play credit with any purchase of said tablet. Unfortunately, as the famed cliché would tell us, all good things must come to an end -- and, well, such is the case with this neat promotion, which will expire on Sunday, September 30th. Here's the good news, however: there's still a relatively good amount of time for folks interested to get it on the Google Play deal, so now would be the perfect moment to snag what some are calling the best $200 tablet -- and who knows, this might even lead to a post-order Gangnam Style celebration of your own.

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PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II for Sprint hands-on

Samsung Galaxy Note II for Sprint hands-on

All we know so far is that it's possibly coming to US shores at some point in November, but the good news is that Sprint brought along one of the world's most famous phablets to a press event in New York City and, better yet, we got to play with it for a little while. Yes, we're talking about the Galaxy Note II. Looks-wise, the Now Network's flavor of that 5.5-inch behemoth hasn't exactly changed much from the unit(s) we landed our hands on when it was first unveiled to the world, meaning there's no "Sprint" branding anywhere to be found on the plastic shell -- at least for now, and, frankly, we kind of hope it stays this way. With that being out of the picture, the oversized handset looked as shiny as ever in its Marble White attire, which is the only color Sprint was happily showing off for the night. And while this particular Jelly Bean-loaded Note II was capable of running on the carrier's new LTE network, we weren't able to test out out data speeds due to matters out of our reach.

On the software side of things, we didn't notice any major hiccups worth pointing out, with the experience being rather similar to the one during our first encounter with Sammy's second-gen Note -- or, in other words, it felt very, very snappy and overall great. That said, the carrier, as it did with the Galaxy S III, looks to be pre-loading the device with some of its own applications, including ones such as Sprint Zone and other third-party apps like Polaris Office 4. Naturally, we popped the obvious question to Sprint of when we could expect the device to legitimately become part of its lineup, to which the carrier told us that it'd be sometime "this holiday season." For now, it looks like the hands-on gallery below will have to suffice, but you can be sure we'll let you know as soon as we find out the official release date.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II for Sprint hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Android Jelly Bean factory images now available for Nexus S models

New Android Jelly Bean factory images now available for Nexus S models

It's been nearly two months since Google quietly posted that initial batch of Jelly Bean images for its ever-growing family of Nexus handsets. And while today a few members of the pack are being left out, those with a Nexus S (save for the Korean version) or its 4G flavor can now grab the refreshed Android 4.1.1 images (JRO03L, JRO03R) straight from Mountain View's developer site. You'll find all the necessary download links at the source below, and you can be sure we'll let you know as soon as the rest become available.

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New Android Jelly Bean factory images now available for Nexus S models originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colors! Samsung’s Galaxy Camera pops at Photokina with vibrant orange and magenta paint jobs

Colors! Samsung's Galaxy Camera pops at Photokina with vibrant orange and magenta paint jobs

Another Photokina star is Samsung's Galaxy Camera, which launched to much fanfare several weeks ago at IFA, but dominates the company's photo-themed booth at the biennial photography show in Cologne, Germany. There's not much more to report on the hardware side, apart from confirmation that certain versions of the Android snapper will pack LTE, but there are indeed some very shiny new finishes to gawk at. First up is a bright orange flavor -- if you feared that the Galaxy point-and-shoot's rather large footprint wouldn't attract enough attention on its own in the field, you shouldn't have any such concerns with an orange model. Also of the neon persuasion is a flashy pink version, which like the aforementioned color, should draw many an eye. We were quite pleased with the black and white models we saw at IFA, and while Samsung clearly has a few colorful prototypes in circulation, the company says they're only being considered at this point, with your feedback determining the final options. So, what do you think? Would you buy an orange or pink Galaxy Camera? Let us know in the comments after the break.

Continue reading Colors! Samsung's Galaxy Camera pops at Photokina with vibrant orange and magenta paint jobs

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Colors! Samsung's Galaxy Camera pops at Photokina with vibrant orange and magenta paint jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 07:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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