It seems with any smartphone announced these days, users are yearning for a white version of the device, and two prime examples are the iPhone and Galaxy S II. Of course, it is not any different when it comes to the newest flagship Ice Cream Sandwich handset out of Google and Samsung, the Galaxy Nexus. Italian publication HD Blog had the chance to photograph the white version of the Galaxy Nexus. As you can see in the gallery below, the back and sides are completely white, while the front keeps the black look. The previous flagship, the Nexus S, follows the same formula.
Specifications for the white version of the Galaxy Nexus will remain the same and still ship in both a 16GB and 32GB version, HD Blog said. The white version will land in Europe (GSM) sometime in the coming weeks. It is not clear if there will also be a white version on Verizon Wireless, but there is always a way to get it in the United States through other channels. Looks good, eh?
Android 4.0.2 began to roll out to the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus last night in an over-the-air update. For those with the GSM version, you can head into Software Update to receive it. The update weighs in at 8.8MB, and has “important bug fixes.” The Verizon Galaxy Nexus has version 4.0.3, leaving the GSM version with a little catching up to do. Let us know how it goes in the comments below.
Google announced that it added VMware’s Cofounder and former CEO Diane Greene to its board of directors, which becomes effective today. Google’s Executive Chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt said, “Diane is a special person who combines a sharp business acumen with a brilliant technical mind. We know she will be a great contributor and we are grateful to have her insight.” Greene will also serve on Google’s Audit Committee.
After founding the company, Greene was the CEO of VMware from 1998 to 2008 until she was fired from the job and replaced on VMware’s board of directors. Greene knows her way around Silicon Valley, having taken part in many companies in the area.
You can read Google’s full statement after the break:
After being introduced in August, Google just announced improvements to its Gmail offline Chrome app. The first improvement, which the Chrome team called their favorite, is the ability to choose whether you want to synchronize 7, 14 or 31 days worth of mail. The second improvement includes attachment support, keyboard shortcuts, and enhancements when it comes to performance. You can download the Gmail offline Chrome application in the Chrome Web Store.
Google introduced a new feature called “Search plus Your World” yesterday that includes both public results with privately shared posts and profiles from your Google+ account meshed within Google search results. Obviously, this has raised some concern among users, but also clutters search results. Luckily, Lifehacker posted a nice guide on how to turn off personalized search results, and it only takes two steps.
Select “Search settings” on Google.com.
Navigate to the “Personal results” section and select the option “Do not use personal results.”
As Lifehacker pointed out, this setting does not actually disable personal results, but rather makes it the default to have them not be displayed. If there is ever a brief second you want to go back, you can quickly toggle the setting within your search result.
Google is continuing to push Google+, whether you like it or not.
Google announced in a blog post on its Mobile Blog an update to the Google Search app for pre-Android 4.0 devices. The update brings faster performance, grouped suggestions as you search, the ability to delete search history by long pressing, and country specific search suggestions. Ice Cream Sandwich users are already experiencing these features, but for those of you who do not fall under that category can download the updated application from the Android Market. Google shares a few other tips:
Tap the arrow to the right of a search suggestion or history item to add it to your search term before searching.
Get suggestions from other apps on your phone – check out searchable items in Search settings.
Long press on home screen to add the Google Search widget, if you don’t have it already, to access search faster.
T-Mobile announced a new Android phone to its lineup: The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G. The Samsung Galaxy S 4G has a nice list of specifications with a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor and a Super AMOLED screen. The Blaze also has a HSPA+ 42 built-in that makes this device blazing fast on T-mobile’s network. T-Mobile has an event this evening, and we will update you when we hear more.
The full press release is available after the break:
A busy “Press Day” on the show floor of CES 2012 just wrapped up. Today was busy with announcements from AT&T, Intel, Samsung, Nokia, Panasonic, NVIDIA, Sony, and more. While we only covered the Google-oriented side of things, there was also a lot of news around HDTVs. Samsung unveiled it’s’ rocking 77-inch TV that just looks plain amazing, and Microsoft wrapped up its very last CES keynote ever. However, we are here for the Google news.
We will be on the floor tomorrow, showing you cool gadgets and a few hands-ons of the products announced today. CES is just kicking off so do not go anywhere! Without further ado, here is a round up of today…
The tablet will be priced at $249 and will have a quad-core Tegra 3 chip inside powering the Kindle Fire competitor. The 7-inch (1280×800) Transformer Prime tablet will also ship with Ice Cream Sandwich.
Samsung just announced the Galaxy Tab 7.7 with Verizon 4G LTE at its 2012 Consumer Electronics Show event. The device’s specifications include a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 3-megapixel rear-camera, 2-megapixel front-camera, 16GB of internal storage, and Android 3.2 with TouchWiz. Information on pricing or availability was not made public yet.
As expected, Motorola just announced the 4G Motorola Droid 4, in addition to a purple Droid Razr and the new Droid Razr Maxx. There is not much news when it comes to the Droid 4′s specifications: 4-inch qHD display, 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a five-row QWERTY keyboard. The device will run Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with an ICS update coming soon, and it includes 16GB onboard memory expandable to 32GB via microSD. The device will be available “in the coming weeks”.
The new Sony Ericsson Xperia ion —the handset maker’s first 4G LTE smartphone seen above— is an AT&T network-exclusive boasting a 12-megapixel camera and a large 4.6-inch display. The 5.3-inch Galaxy Note largely resembles its European counterpart, sans the added support for 4G LTE radio technology.
The Arrows prototype, photographed above, packs NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, an LTE chip, 13.1-megapixel camera with an ISO of 25600, 4.6-inch HD display, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Boy, is she pretty!
Engadget got a nice session with Fujitsu’s rumored Arrows smartphone before the company officially announced it. The Arrows prototype, photographed above, packs NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor, an LTE chip, 13.1-megapixel camera with an ISO of 25600, 4.6-inch HD display, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Boy, is she pretty!
What is also impressive about this prototype are the abilities to stream the device to an HDTV and control it with a Logitech game controller. There is no word if this will see any play in the United States, but it should land in Europe. Expect to hear more about the final version at Mobile World Conference 2012. Nice spotEngadget!
Sony announced its new Walkman Z1000 personal media player at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (via The Verge). The Walkman Z1000 is set to be an iPod and Galaxy Player competitor, with its Tegra 2 processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display, 16-or-32GB of storage, and Android 2.3 with Market access. The Z1000 is set to launch this spring, priced at $280 for the 16GB version and $330 for the 32GB.
The full press release is available after the break:
Sony just announced two new Google TV set-top boxes at CES 2012 (via TechCrunch). The first set-top box, dubbed the NSZ-GS7 Network Media Player, is without Blu-Ray onboard and is simply just for streaming media from Sony’s pre-loaded apps Media RemoteTM, TrackID and apps from the Google TV marketplace. The second set-top box, dubbed the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray Disc Player, is the same as the first but features Blu-Ray onboard. A backlit QWERTY keyboard will control both. Sony said both boxes will land this summer, but no pricing information has been given.
The full press release is available after the break:
Nvidia and ASUS just announced a 7-inch Transformer Prime tablet at Nvidia’s press event at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. The tablet will be priced at $249 and will have a quad-core Tegra 3 chip inside powering the Kindle Fire competitor. The 7-inch (1280×800) Transformer Prime tablet will also ship with Ice Cream Sandwich. Information on availability was not made public, but we will keep you updated. Look out for a hands-on some time tomorrow. (via TechCrunch)
It was just announced at Nvidia’s 2012 Consumer Electronics Show press conference that the ASUS EeePad Transformer Prime would receive its Ice Cream Sandwich update today. The update was originally slated for later this week, but ASUS is ready to give it out a little earlier. This is the first Android tablet to be graced with ICS, so make sure to check for the update.
Sony just announced the latest edition to its smartphone lineup at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show called the “Xperia S.” The Xperia S is a beautiful smartphone and has a very solid list of specifications. First off, the device rocks a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 12-megapixel camera, 4.3-inch 720p display, and NFC. Secondly, Sony dubs it “Playstation Certified”. This certification means it will have some type of gaming experience like the rest of the Xperia line. Sony also announced a similar phone today, called the “Xperia Ion.” The Xperia S lacks 4G, because it will most likely go big in Europe.
The Xperia S will launch with Android 2.3, and it will see an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade sometime in 2012’s second quarter, Sony said. The Xperia S will land in select markets, in both black and white, by the end of the first quarter. We will have a hands-on of the device tomorrow. Stay tuned! (via The Verge)
Samsung just announced the Galaxy Tab 7.7 with Verizon 4G LTE at its 2012 Consumer Electronics Show event. The device’s specifications include a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 3-megapixel rear-camera, 2-megapixel front-camera, 16GB of internal storage, and Android 3.2 with TouchWiz. Information on pricing or availability was not made public yet.
Samsung also announced it sold 300 million smartphones in the year of 2011 —breaking company records.
Samsung announced its new inTouch, a peripheral powered by Android 2.3 that brings web-like features to your HDTV. Priced at $199, the camera can be mounted on top of your television to bring applications like Skype, YouTube, and a web browser to the big screen. The fancy QWERTY keyboard seen above conveniently powers the whole ensemble. The inTouch will land sometime this coming March.
It sounds better than spending a couple grand on a new TV, eh?
Samsung announced in December that the company shipped 1 million Galaxy Note units — without the device even hitting United States shores. Luckily for us however, it looks like the Galaxy Note’s time to shine in the U.S. has finally arrived. Engadget spotted the poster above before the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show doors opened, and it confirmed the device would be hitting AT&T. The U.S. version —unlike Europe’s— will sport four capacitive buttons at the bottom of the device. Expect to hear more about this 5.3-inch beast as the week rolls on.
China-based Lenovo announced its new S2 Android smartphone before the company’s event tomorrow at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. The S2 Android smartphone is nothing spectacular, but it does have a solid set of specifications that include a 3.8-inch display, 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel rear-camera, .3-megapixel front-camera, 1500 mAh battery, Android 2.3 with custom Lenovo skin, and 8GB or 16 GB of storage. Lenovo has not released information on pricing or availability, but we will keep you updated.
China-based Lenovo announced its new dual-core IdeaTab S2 tablet before the company’s event tomorrow at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. The IdeaTab S2 is an interesting tablet, because it is a tablet-keyboard combo similar to the Acer Transformer Prime. When hooked up to its keyboard dock, the IdeaTab S2 gets a total of 18 hours of battery life. Specifications for the IdeaTab S2 include a 10-inch display, dual-core processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 3G, Wi-Fi, 1GB of RAM, and up to 64GB of SSD space. We will make sure to get a hands-on when we are on the show floor this week, so stay tuned. (via Engadget)
Lenovo announced the world’s first Ice Cream Sandwich television, dubbed the K91. The K91 has a 55-inch IPS 3D display, 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, HDMI, USB, and an SD card slot. It is worth noting that this TV is not considered a Google TV, rather it simply runs the Android 4.0 ICS operating system.
Also packed in the TV is a 5-megapixel webcam that will let customers’ use Kinect-like commands to switch channels, play videos, and more. The television will ship with 100 pre-loaded applications, and customers will have access to Lenovo’s app marketplace and cloud services. Lenovo did not announce pricing or availability, but we will let you know when we learn more. (via Engadget)
The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show is underway in Las Vegas, and Acer wrapped up the first press event of the week. Acer showed off its new Acer Aspire S5 laptop at the event, and —better yet— the Taiwan-based company teased its new Android tablet – the Iconia Tab A700. The new Acer tablet is a complete beast with its Tegra 3 quad-core processor, Android 4.0, and 1080p display. As of now, there is no more information besides those two specifications, but we will work on finding out the rest as the week rolls on.
Did you think Google TV was only going to be in-style for 2011? That is not the case. Google outlined some of its plans for this year’s CES, where it will show off the next Google TVs to come out this year. Most notably, Google announced that LG would be added as a hardware partner. In LG’s press release (available after the break), the company said it would use the new Cinema 3D FPR technology, along with the new Magic Remote QWERTY in its Google TV lineup.
LG Google TV’s most attractive feature is its ease of use, thanks to the combination of its Android-based user interface and the Magic Remote Qwerty designed by LG. LG Google TV’s user interface and main screen have been designed for convenient browsing and content selection. Multi-tasking is also possible, as the search, social networking and TV functions can be run simultaneously. The user interface can be accessed using the Magic Remote Qwerty which combines the user-friendly benefits of LG’s Magic Remote with a QWERTY keyboard.
Equipped with LG’s own CINEMA 3D technology, LG Google TV provides a home entertainment experience that is immersive, comfortable and convenient. Based on LG’s own Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology, CINEMA 3D glasses are battery-free and lightweight.
Google also said that along with LG, both Sony and Vizio would demonstrate new hardware at CES. We are looking forward to next week, where we will be live on the show floor. Stay tuned! (via Engadget)
An advertisement for the Galaxy Nexus popped up on Cnet(via Engadget) showing off the Galaxy Nexus, which was rumored to launch on Sprint for months. The ad shows off the Galaxy Nexus as having LTE, which Sprint debuted today. The ad also revealed that the Sprint version would boast a 1.5 GHz processor, rather than the 1.2 GHz processor that the HSPA+ version currently sports. Sprint will be holding a press event at CES Monday, Jan. 9.
A listing for the Sprint Galaxy Nexus appeared on Ebay yesterday. We posted it, but quickly retracted it —thinking that it was most likely a mistake. With today’s developments, however, that listing could have certainly held some truth.
We will probably hear more official news from Sprint next week.
After waiting for months, Sprint customers were finally graced with the white Galaxy S II. Samsung announced the news in a press release today (available after the break), and said the device will be available online and in-stores Jan. 8. The white variant will be priced the same as the black for $199 on a two-year contract. Man, she is gorgeous…
