Android 4.2 core apps and Google Wallet APKs released for pimping your Galaxy Nexus

Android 4.2 core apps and Google Wallet APKs released for pimping your Galaxy Nexus

If you just can't wait for the official Jelly Bean 4.2 update to land on your Galaxy Nexus, you can at least do a pretty good job of faking it. Last week saw the camera and gallery apps from the latest iteration of Google's OS ported to the Nexus, and this week, Twitter user @KillDroidHack has done the honors of releasing another cluster. All Android 4.2 core apps -- such as Gmail, Maps, Calendar and the like -- are now available in APK form, as well as the newest version of Google Wallet. So, if you want the fresh set on your Nexus and have the loading know-how, head over to the Dev-Host links below to find the files you need.

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Android 4.2 core apps and Google Wallet APKs released for pimping your Galaxy Nexus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ITC rules that Samsung violates four Apple patents covering design, touch

ITC rules that Samsung violates four Apple design, touch patents

The back and forth continues. US International Trade Commission Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender has made an initial ruling that some Samsung's devices violate four Apple patents, including one iPhone design patent (the one you see above) and three software patents. Apple didn't manage a clean sweep, as Samsung was cleared of treading on two more patents, but the verdict still carries the all-too-familiar potential for a trade ban if the ITC maintains the findings in its final review. It's bleak news for the Korean company, which faced an initial loss to Apple at the ITC just last month -- even though large swaths of the mostly Android-based Galaxy phones and tablets in the dispute have long since left the market, an upheld verdict gives Samsung one less bargaining chip in a protracted legal war.

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ITC rules that Samsung violates four Apple patents covering design, touch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of October 15th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of October 15th, 2012

If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, we received further evidence of an imminent replacement for the Galaxy Nexus and the Optimus 4X HD found a new home in Canada. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of October 15th, 2012.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of October 15th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition

Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide fall 2012 edition

Shopping for a smartphone can be an exciting and arduous experience. Along with the promise of something new and fantastic, it brings the fear of commitment, and even worse, the prospect of saddling yourself to a lousy device for two years. Fortunately for you, Engadget spends tons of time playing with the latest gear and we're constantly on the lookout for what's coming next. If you're wanting to take the pain out of shopping for a smartphone, you've come to the right place. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: your one-stop resource to finding the best and most exciting handsets on the market today.

Before you dive in, however, we've introduced a few changes to the buyer's guide, so take a minute to prepare yourself for what's in store. First and foremost, you'll now find alternate selections to supplement our top picks. This should already be familiar to many of you, which is the same format we use for our seasonal gift guides. The next one is a biggie: we've dropped the QWERTY selection. By and large, manufacturers and carriers alike have shifted their focus away from keyboard-equipped smartphones, and you'll rarely find more than one option on any given carrier. That said, if you still insist on the tactile experience, you'll always find everything you need to know in our reviews. Finally, whenever possible, you'll now find prices from Amazon Wireless, which allows us to provide you with more compelling budget selections and highlight the substantial savings that you can score by circumventing the carriers. It's not like they need your charity, anyway.

If you're curious to see how it all unfolded -- and we know you are -- join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2012 edition

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Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S start receiving Android 4.1.2 over the air

Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S start receiving Android 412 over the air

When Android 4.1.2 hit the airwaves for upgrades, it was limited to a very exclusive club of Nexus 7 owners. Google has widened the gates considerably as of today: we're receiving multiple reports of GSM-based Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S owners getting the new Jelly Bean build through official, over-the-air channels. Upgrades here aren't as noticeable as they are on the reference Android tablet; besides fixes, we've mostly heard that it's now possible to expand a notification with a single finger. Those with CDMA-based phones are left out so far, but if you discover any surprise extras before 4.1.2 hits our own devices, be sure to leave us a tip.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S start receiving Android 4.1.2 over the air originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 4.2 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one

Android 42 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one

Reports have been circulating that devices running Android 4.2, rumored to be code-named Key Lime Pie (though it's seeming more likely that it will retain the Jelly Bean moniker), have been popping up in server logs and benchmarks across the web. Well, after doing some digging through our own records, we're seeing quite a few instances of hardware running the unannounced Google platform visiting Engadget. Now, we do feel it necessary to add the caveat that there are some strange reports in our logs as well, coming from hardware allegedly running Android 5.0 and 6.0, but we're not convinced of their authenticity. We are, however, fairly certain that the numerous Galaxy Nexii hitting our site sporting Android 4.2, build JOO90B, are legit. We're also seeing a number of occams, potentially an obtuse reference to the RAZR (a Moto Nexus perhaps?) pinging our servers running the same build. Like others, we're seeing reports of the Arc S running 4.2 as well, but upon further investigation it seems more likely that this is a beta of Jelly Bean 4.1 currently being tested by Sony. Obviously, none of this is official, but it only makes the impending release of a new Nexus or Nexii seem all the more likely.

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Android 4.2 shows up in our server logs, shocks no one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 4.1.2 goes live, gives Nexus 7 owners landscape home screen

Android 412 goes live, gives Nexus 7 owners landscape mode

We've been seeing a mysterious Android 4.1.2 update mentioned in conjunction with a few unreleased devices in the past few hours, so it's only fitting that we're seeing the official release today. Google's Android Open Source Project lead Jean-Baptiste Queru has posted word that the 4.1.2 release should be available on Tuesday for at least those relying on pure AOSP builds of the mobile OS. While we haven't seen the update reach our own devices yet, some Nexus 7 owners already report getting 4.1.2 on their tablets with a pleasant surprise in store: in addition to the expected bug fixes and performance boosts, the software lets the home screen rotate to landscape mode on the smaller Jelly Bean slate. We're keeping an eye out for when other hardware gets the patch, although it's expected that the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom will follow quickly enough.

[Image credit: EETimes]

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Android 4.1.2 goes live, gives Nexus 7 owners landscape home screen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012

Refresh Roundup week of September 24th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 24th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012

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Refresh Roundup: week of September 10th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jelly Bean pre-release for Verizon Galaxy Nexus now available from Google

Jelly Bean prerelease for Verizon Galaxy Nexus now available from Google

More timid users might want to sit this one out, but for everyone else, you'll be glad to know that a pre-release build of Android 4.1 is now available for installation on the Galaxy Nexus from Verizon. Many of you are likely aware that custom Android builds such as AOKP and CyanogenMod have provided an early taste of Jelly Bean for a while now, but this time around, the flashable zip files are available directly from Google -- that's right, this is pure AOSP. Specifically, users will be treated to build JRO03O, which is an incremental update over the previously released binaries. The caveat here is that the software has yet to receive certification from Verizon, and you'll need to unlock your bootloader to join in the fun.

For experienced users who've already installed a custom recovery utility such as ClockworkMod Recovery, the process couldn't be easier. Naturally, if you're already on a custom build, you should perform a data wipe within the recovery utility, then install the IMM76Q package and then flash the JRO03O build on top of that. Regardless of your experience level, anyone with the proper motivation should be able to pull this one off. Those starting at square one will find a complete list of instructions at the source link below.

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Jelly Bean pre-release for Verizon Galaxy Nexus now available from Google originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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