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Poll: Would you want a Nexus Prime with keyboard?

Edgar Cervantes — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:43:43 +0000

Nexus/Droid Prime rumors have been popping up left and right for months now. Some may even think they’re getting out of hand. It’s sometimes uncertain how accurate these leaks are, but some good speculation never hurt anybody. And we’ve got a bit more for you today.

A twitter “poet” has been leaking details about the first device with Ice Cream Sandwich in verse form. The twitter handle is @tfleming223, and he’s been releasing the poem in correlation with the amount of followers he has. Yes, the more followers he gets, the more he discloses. Here’s what we have so far:

While things that go bump in the night, surely give you a fright,
It’s all in good fun as I share treats and panda fun.

So Instead of filling your belly with candies, jellies and other hollows eve fare,
Perhaps your palate will cast a ballot, for an ice cream sandwich instead.

With an internal date now set and LTE a sure bet,
Those that get Tim Cook’s new pet will be filled with green eyed regret.

But wait you cry for what date can you buy?
This the panda did shall share…

Fore on the date Bruce Wayne’s true father did die;
you shall in fact be able to buy in stores of red and black.

But those who pay other masters don’t fret,
over exclusive deals and bets

For in many other favors you will get your treat
be they GSM or wimax radios inside, the nexus brand will ride world wide@tfleming223Twitter

Once again these are unofficial rumors, so take them with a grain of salt. @tfleming223 has just published another verse of poetic leaks, and this time he hints that one of the Nexus variants will have a physical keyboard.

But as he lays in the corner with a Beer and a boner the Panda said with a sigh…
Be it a Droid or Nexus branded new toy, with dual cores hd screens, fancy new widgets and more….
The one with the keyboard is what I enjoy@tfleming223Twitter

This may seem odd; there’s never been a Nexus device with a keyboard before. While we believe this piece of information to be a bit sketchy, it’s also never good to completely ignore such an idea.

Having choices is always good, and some people love physical keyboards. A high-end device like the Nexus Prime with a keyboard may just be part of your dreams.

We wanted to reach out to our readers and ask what they think of this possibility. Please do take part in the poll and feel free to expand on your thoughts in the comments section. Do you guys think we’ll be seeing a Nexus Prime variant with a physical keyboard? Would you guys like that? Would you prefer the black slab form-factor?

Take Our Poll

Rumor: Nexus Prime looks like a taller Nexus S, coming to Verizon first

Alberto Vildosola — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:35:21 +0000

New day, new Nexus Prime rumors. Today’s spoonful of he said/she said is brought to you by the guys over at TheDroidGuy. As always, everything I say from this point on is based on rumors and shouldn’t be taken as fact. With that out of the way, let’s dig in.

The lucky chaps over at TheDroidGuy have somehow managed to get their hands on a demo unit of the Nexus Prime. Apparently, this happened at Verizon’s developer conference in Las Vegas, where Kyle from TDG spotted a Samsung device he had never seen before. As any true Android fan would do, Kyle proceeded to inquire about this mysterious new phone. The person agreed to show him the phone and took him to an office, checked him for cameras and, of course, deprived him of any electronic devices and/or hats.

After having played around with the device, Kyle confirmed the phone will have the following specs:

TI dual-core OMAP processor (most likely OMAP 4460)
8 MP rear-facing camera
2 MP front-facing camera
NFC support
MHL support
HDMI support

Additionally, the phone is supposedly a little bit thicker and taller than the Nexus S. Also, the device has no hardware buttons except for the Power, Home and Volume buttons. If you were hoping that Google would not kill the Menu and Back buttons, it looks like you’ll be disappointed. Finally, the phone will arrive in late October or early November, says TDG. Verizon should get it first, followed by other carriers.

What do you guys think about these rumors? Do they hold any water? If so, will you miss the Back and Menu buttons? Let us know in the comments.

Matias Duarte hints at Nexus 3, an Android phone people will love

Alberto Vildosola — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 01:31:55 +0000

Earlier today, we told you how Matias Duarte defended Android’s user interface during a panel at Mobile First CrunchUp. Well, it seems Android’s Director of User Interface was far from done. At the end of the talk, Duarte gave us yet another goodie to report on.

During the Q & A session, American rapper Chamillionaire took a moment to express his discontent with current smartphones, saying, “I’ve used all these different devices—they suck.” He then asked for Duarte’s recommendation as to which phone he should buy. Duarte responded, “I’m hoping that pretty soon we’re going to have an Android phone you’re going to love.”

The key word here is “we.” Duarte could very well be talking about “we” as in “we, the Android community,” in which case he was just talking about upcoming Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S. On the other hand, he could be referring to “we” as in “Google,” which would suggest he was talking about the Nexus 3.

In that interpretation, the Nexus 3 is coming soon and Duarte hopes people like Chamillionaire will love it. But what could Duarte and Google possibly do to make the Nexus 3 appealing to Chamillionaire? Or the average person for that matter? Four words come to mind: simplicity, reliability, elegance and responsiveness. I know I’m going to get a lot of hateful comments for this, but here it goes. The Nexus 3 needs to be easy to use, easy to look at, reliable and very responsive. That is, if Google wants people like Chamillionaire to love it. And according to Duarte’s response, that’s something they’re clearly focused on.

AT&T to get Samsung Nexus S July 24th

Edgar Cervantes — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:54:11 +0000

A Nexus device is everything an Android fan could ask for. The pure Google experience without any manufacturer modifications. The Samsung Nexus S is currently available to T-Mobile and Sprint users, but we certainly wish it would be on all carriers. We have been expecting to see the device on AT&T (that AT&T-friendly White Nexus S has shown up in other parts of the world). Turns out it was only a matter of time before AT&T got the Nexus S; Google just announced the phone will be available on the carrier starting July 24th (this Sunday).

Like the T-Mobile version, the AT&T Nexus S will be available via Best Buy. Some of us simply can’t wait, though. Want to make sure you’re getting one of these as soon as possible? Pre-sales start today, so head over to your local Best Buy and take care of business. Just in case some of you AT&T customers haven’t gone over them lately, here are the specs for the Nexus S:

Samsung Nexus S Specifications

Android 2.3 Gingerbread (Nexus devices always get updates first)
1 Ghz Hummingbird single-core processor
512 MB of RAM
4-inch WVGA (480×800) Super AMOLED display
5 MP rear-facing camera / VGA front-facing camera (640×480)
NFC Chip, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi n/b/g, A-GPS

You probably already know the device. So, AT&T customers, if you want a Nexus S you now can have it. No more EDGE speeds for you! According to Google Mobile, you can pre-order this device at Best Buy stores or their site. (Please note: I was not able to find the device on the site). Who’s getting one of these? And what’s going on, Verizon? You’re the only one left out!

EXCLUSIVE speculation! Nexus Prime to be made by HTC… or LG… or… Motorola or Samsung or Sony Ericsson

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:00:51 +0000

At this year’s Google IO I had the opportunity to ask Andy Rubin about anything, and I chose to pop the question about a possible Nexus device to coincide with the release Ice Cream Sandwich. To my surprise he answered that there will always be new ones [Nexus devices] coming out and we could expect an announcement around the holidays.

Since that day rumors and supposed leaks have been at a fever pitch, but I wouldn’t put much faith in any of the reports. We likely won’t know final details until October. That’s around the time of the year when we reported the first Nexus S details, and we expect it’s when Google will have devices ready for testers if they want to release their next superphone by Christmas.

From what I’ve gathered, Google has a stable of prototype devices they’re currently evaluating, and it will be several more months before they select the winner. HTC made the Nexus One and Samsung produced the Nexus S, but almost any handset maker could hit the next Nexus jackpot.

The Handset Makers

Here are my top 5 picks to produce the next Nexus (in no particular order):

HTC: These guys made the first Android phone (T-Mobile G1), they scored the Nexus One and are the largest Android developer after Google. If the hardcore Android fans got to decide who made the next Nexus, I’d wager they’d pick HTC by a landslide.
LG: A reliable source from LG told me they were working on a quad-core phone, so I speculated it could become the Nexus 3. Their Optimus One was a stellar entry-level Android phone, but LG has stumbled so far in the high-end market with their buggy G2x. LG has never had a flagship Android device and they’re desperate to turn around their smartphone division, so I’d think they’d be willing to bend over backwards to make a deal with Google.
Motorola: You always have to consider Motorola when thinking about the next hero Android device. Google chose Motorola to debut Android 2.0 with the original Droid, and they also were the first with Android 3.0 on the Xoom. We wouldn’t be surprised if they fell into the first device with Android 4.0.
Samsung: The Galaxy S was one of the best selling series of Android phones, and I think Google made a wise decision to choose it as the platform for the Nexus S. Samsung has the best displays around, and I think the Galaxy S II could easily become the Nexus S II.
Sony Ericsson: This hasn’t been widely reported, but several sources told me Sony Ericsson was actually in line to produce the Nexus 2 before they somehow screwed up their opportunity and Google went with Samsung. The US market hasn’t seen many high-end Android phones from Sony Ericsson, but I was really impressed with their latest models when I got some hands-on time back during Mobile World Congress.

Prediction: In order to keep everyone happy, I think Google will allow a new partner to shine and go with either LG or Sony Ericsson. If I had to choose I’d go with Sony Ericsson. I believe they can offer a better overall experience with their new Bravia displays and Exmor R-powered cameras.

The Processor

Again, it’s really a toss up when trying to predict which semiconductor company Google will choose for Ice Cream Sandwich. NVIDIA appears to be in the lead since Google used a Tegra-powered XOOM to demo Ice Cream Sandwich at Google IO. We also reported that NVIDIA’s CEO said they were working very closely with Google on Ice Cream Sandwich.

NVIDIA said they would have their quad-core Kal-El processor in tablets by August and smartphones by Christmas, but there are signs those dates might be changing. Recent rumors suggest the first quad-core tablets might not appear till September or October, so we’ll have to wait and see if the smartphone version of Kal-El is ready in time for the holidays.

Other rumors and industry insiders have hinted that TI’s OMAP4 might be the lead platform for Ice Cream Sandwich, but I’ve seen no hard facts to back that up yet.

I also speculated that Qualcomm’s 28nm, Krait Snapdragons might be ready by Q4, but it turns out that’s when they should be available for OEMs. We likely won’t see them in devices until 1H 2012.

My top processor picks include:

Texas Instruments 1.5 GHz OMAP4460
Samsung 1.2 GHz Exynos 4210
Qualcomm 1.2 GHz Snapdragon MSM8x60
NVIDIA Kal-El (Tegra 3)

Prediction: All the handset makers have access to pick and choose pretty much any processor they want (with the exception of HTC being loyal to Qualcomm). If Google partners with LG to make their next Nexus, the most likely choices for the CPU are NVIDIA and TI. If we see a Sony Ericsson made Nexus, the top choices for CPU would be NVIDIA or Qualcomm.

Seeing that Google played it safe last year and went with the 1 GHz Hummingbird platform, I think they’ll go with Qualcomm and use their dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon (MSM8x60).

The Carriers

Every carrier was supposed to support the Nexus One, but they all backed out except T-Mobile. Google made some improvements with the Nexus S by getting it on T-Mobile and in Sprint stores. Google desperately wants to get their Nexus lineup on AT&T and Verizon, so I believe they’ll make some backroom deals and figure out a way to make it happen.

Prediction: Look for the next Nexus to appear on every carrier with several versions to support all the different “4G” networks.

The Product Name

This could be the least important detail, but what will the next Nexus be called? Several reliable sources have been telling me it would be called the Nexus Prime, but others have informed me this was just a nickname Googlers gave the phone (based on LG’s Optimus series of phones).

Possible names for the next Nexus include:

Nexus Two: This might be confusing to consumers, but if Google goes with HTC again, you might consider this the true Nexus Two.
Nexus 3: It just makes sense.
Nexus S II: If Samsung makes the next Nexus they might twist Google’s arm and force them to adopt the “S” branding again.
Nexus Prime: Anything is possible, right?

Prediction: My money says Google keeps it simple and goes with Nexus 3. However, if the quad-core Kal-El processor finds its way into the phone we might end up with a Nexus 4X.

When Can I Pre-Order?

At the end of the day, most people who will purchase the next Nexus don’t really care who makes it. These hardcore users crave a pure Google experience phone with the latest version of Android and the ability to easily unlock the bootloader. I don’t expect the next Nexus will have bleeding-edge specs, but I’ve learned the hard way that the overall software experience almost always trumps pure hardware power.

So which Nexus combination are you rooting for? A T-Mobile LG Nexus Prime with Tegra 3? A Verizon Motorola Nexus 3 with OMAP4? An AT&T Sony Ericsson Nexus 3 with Snapdragon? A Sprint Samsung Nexus S II with Exynos?

Whatever configuration Google goes with, I’ll be standing in line on day one to hand over my money.

p.s. We will try not to write anymore Nexus stories until some hard facts surface. This post was voted on by our Facebook fans. Like us on Facebook to help decide what Taylor writes about next.

Six reasons why you might want to wait for the Nexus 3 [Part 1]

Alberto Vildosola — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:50:06 +0000

With so many amazing Android devices coming out, it’s hard not to give in to temptation and just buy one. You can’t blame us; we just can’t resist it. Like a kid at a candy store, we go crazy over things like 4G speeds, qHD resolution, dual-core processors and 1GB RAM. By the time we get to “3D display,” we already have our credit cards out.

Of course, like everything in life, you have to take the good with the bad. There’s a price to pay for those mouth-watering features. And it usually includes a couple Benjamins and two years of your life. In case I lost some of you, I’m talking about the $200 price and two-year contract these phones frequently have.

Two years is a long time, especially in the Android world. Two years ago we only had a handful of Android phones to choose from, and the Motorola Droid didn’t even exist yet. Knowing how fast the Android platform changes, it’s in your best interest to buy the most future-proof Android phone possible.

Well, I’m here to tell you that phone is the Nexus 3. Sadly, the Nexus 3 won’t be released for a few more months. But if you’re a person with patience, the phone could be well worth the wait. Here are the first three reasons why:

NVIDIA Tegra 3

It’s a known fact that NVIDIA is releasing its next-gen mobile processor, Tegra 3, in the second half of this year. This new chip is ahead of everything that’s currently available in the market, and NVIDIA isn’t afraid to tell you all about it. The company is already demoing devices powered by this monster of a chip, and the reaction from most people can be summed up in one word: Wow.

Aside from being able to pump out more eye candy than a Michael Bay movie, Tegra 3 also packs the following features:

World’s first mobile quad-core CPU
New 12-Core NVIDIA GPU with support for 3D stereo
Support for Extreme HD at a 2560 x 1600 resolution
5x faster than the Tegra 2
40 nm by TSMC
Ultra Low Power GPU mode
1080p H.264 High Profile video decode

Why am I telling you this? Because we have it on good authority that the Nexus 3 will powered by Tegra 3. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Just look at some of the clues laying around. Like how NVIDIA’s road map fits perfectly with the usual release time of the “Google Phone.” Or how the company already confirmed it’s working closely with Google on the next version of Android. It doesn’t get any more unofficially-confirmed than that, folks.

It’s easy to see why it would be a bad idea to buy a Tegra 2-powered device right before it’s going to be blown away by something five times better. Are you ready for console-quality gaming on your Android phone? I certainly am.

Ice Cream Sandwich

As we heard at Google I/O, the next version of Android–code named Ice Cream Sandwich–is coming out later this year. Starting with Eclair and the Motorola Droid, Google has always released a new version of Android accompanied by an Android phone–except with Froyo. And we expect Ice Cream Sandwich to be no different.

According to Google, Ice Cream Sandwich will be the company’s most ambitious Android version yet. In other words: If you thought Honeycomb was amazing, just wait ’til you see Ice Cream Sandwich. The Android team will mainly focus on making Android a unified OS that runs everywhere. Basically, Ice Cream Sandwich will blend Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Google TV into one delicious dessert.

As a result of this OS mix, Ice Cream Sandwich will bring Honeycomb’s holographic UI to Android phones. With a new launcher, a new multitasking UI and richer widgets in tow. But that’s not all. Google also gave us a sneak preview of some ground-breaking features Ice Cream Sandwich will have. Like head tracking, where the camera tracks your face and zooms in on it when you’re talking. Or how it uses your head’s movement to move an object on the screen. You can watch the Android team talk about Ice Cream Sandwich on the video below, starting at around 14:00.

With Ice Cream Sandwich, Google will also take NFC to the next level. The company will introduce a new feature called 0-click sharing that uses the NFC chip to share information between devices. Users will be able to share apps by tapping their phones together. Or send a YouTube video to their tablet by tapping it with their phone. All in all, pretty amazing stuff. Of course, Google will make this functionality available to developers via an API. Speaking of NFC …

NFC support

It’s no coincidence that the Nexus S was the first Android phone to support NFC. Google has big plans for the technology, and you can expect every Nexus device to support NFC from now on. With new apps and features designed completely around NFC, the technology is fast becoming something you really need to have, if you want to enjoy everything Android has to offer.

Having said that, there aren’t that many Android phones with NFC support out there. In fact, Google’s very own Nexus S is currently the only one that has the chip. But that’s about to change. According to Google, the Android world is about to be flooded with NFC-packing Android devices–including the Nexus 3. If you plan to use any of the countless NFC apps and features Google will release in coming months, buying an Android phone right now could be a very bad idea.

If these three very good reasons aren’t enough to convince you to wait for the Nexus 3, make sure you read part 2 of this article ~~by following us on Twitter~~ (if you’re following us on Twitter, that’s the easiest and quickest way to know when you can read it). In part 2, we’ll talk about the other three equally important reasons you might be better off saying ‘no’ to the Sensation–I mean temptation–and just waiting for the Nexus 3.

NVIDIA CEO hints at Tegra 3-powered Nexus 3

Alberto Vildosola — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:22:28 +0000

We already know the Nexus 3 is coming out towards the end of the year, probably around the time Google releases Ice Cream Sandwich. However, we still have no idea what CPU will power the device. We’ve been trying to figure out which chip will get the honors, and so far NVIDIA’s Quad-core Tegra 3 seems to be the most likely candidate.

Well, we just got one more reason to believe that Tegra 3 will be the chosen platform for the Nexus 3. At NVIDIA’s earnings call yesterday, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang hinted at a possible partnership with Google for the release of Ice Cream Sandwich, saying:

... we're working very closely with Google on Ice Cream Sandwich, and it's a very important new generation of operating system based on starting from the Honeycomb base and I'm expecting it to be really terrific. And so we're working very closely with the Google team, and Tegra will be surely be wonderful for Ice Cream when it comes.Jen-Hsun HuangCEO of NVIDIA

In another instance, Jen-Hsun Huang implied that we could see devices powered by Tegra 3 and Ice Cream Sandwich released later this year:

We're really excited about the work that they're doing on Ice Cream. And I can't comment too much more other than that, but we're working very closely with their teams on the Ice Cream Sandwich. And as all of these products -- they will come to the market when they're great, and I'm certainly expecting them to be great on this year.Jen-Hsun HuangCEO of NVIDIA

The pieces are starting to fall together, folks, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the outcome might be. In case you’re wondering why we’re making such a big fuss about Tegra 3, allow me to briefly remind you the reasons why that is:

World’s first mobile quad-core CPU
New 12-Core NVIDIA GPU with support for 3D stereo
Support for Extreme HD at a 2560 x 1600 resolution
5x faster than the Tegra 2

As an Android enthusiast, if that’s not enough to get you heart going I don’t know what could. What do you guys think? Do you want the Nexus 3 to be powered by Tegra 3? Or would you rather have Qualcomm or TI get the honors? Let us know in the comments.

White Nexus S peeks its head on Samsung’s website

Edgar Cervantes — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:27:33 +0000

Rumors about an AT&T version of the Nexus S have been spreading around since last January, before we even knew it was going to be white. Now that Sprint’s Nexus S 4G has been released, though, we have really been hoping for Google’s current flagship phone to come to more carriers soon. Though we do not know if this device will be carried directly by AT&T, the white Nexus S made a brief appearance on Samsung’s website, and this time showing much more details. This can only mean that this gadget should be close to its release.

The Nexus S with AT&T radio frequencies has been through a bit of a bumpy road since its first appearances. We saw the GT-I9020A show up at the FCC (as well as Samsung’s website), followed by its brief appearance at Negri Electronics. It was not long before sites started getting a hold of the white Nexus S devices, including our friends at Droid Life, who posted a very good hands-on article and video (Check it out after the break).

Though Samsung’s details on the white Nexus S were quickly pulled from their site, at least we now know that the manufacturer is getting things ready. This should be a good sign of a coming announcement (Maybe Samsung’s New York event on the 24th? Who knows!). What do you guys say? Liking it? Are you interested in the AT&T-compatible Nexus S?

Nexus 3 to be designed by Google? Danger co-founders join the company

Alberto Vildosola — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:43:30 +0000

What do Andy Rubin, Joe Britt, and Matt Hershenson have in common? They all used to work for Apple, they co-founded Danger, and now the three of them work at Google on the Android team.

The trio founded Danger back in 2000, the company that built the ground-breaking T-Mobile Sidekick or Danger Hiptop in 2002. A year later, Andy Rubin left Danger to found something called Android. The startup was later acquired by Google in 2005, and the rest is history. Joe Britt and Matt Hershenson however, stayed with Danger even after the company was acquired by Microsoft in 2008.

At Microsoft, the two of them worked on what would later be known as the Kin phone. Due to an internal clash with the Windows Phone team, the Kin was reduced to just a shadow of its original design. Unsurprisingly, the Kin was a complete failure. A few months after launch, Microsoft pulled the plug on the whole product. That same day, Joe Britt and Matt Hershenson left Microsoft to join their old friend at Google.

The two engineers join an ever-growing list of ex-Danger employees that now work on Android. As you might remember, Google hired Matias Duarte last year to work on Android’s user experience. Before working for Palm, he was the Director of Design at Danger. You can start to see a pattern forming here.

Interestingly, you can track some of Android’s characteristics all the way back to the original Sidekick. For example, the Sidekick featured the Back and Menu button similar to the ones we can see on Android today. Plus, have you seen the Sidekick’s keyboard? Doesn’t it look familiar? It should, ’cause it looks very much like the T-Mobile G1′s keyboard.

What will Joe and Matt be working on at Google? You already know if you watched the Google I/O Android keynote. They’re now part of the Android Hardware Engineering team. Matt is working on bringing more accessories to the Android platform. While Joe is working on the Android@Home initiative we caught a glimpse of at the keynote. Although they don’t plan to launch any Google-branded accessories in the near future, Joe did say that that’s something they want to do “in the long term.”

If you want to get an idea of how some of these Google-branded accessories might look like, I suggest you watch the part of the keynote where Joe demos their alien-looking Project Tungsten media hub.

With Google now entering the hardware business, the obvious question to ask is: Will the next Google Nexus phone be designed or built by Google? It’s very possible. At the very least, the device could be completely designed by the company but built by an OEM.

Will the fact that Google designs the Nexus 3 make it less or more attractive to you? Keep in mind that it’s possible that the Nexus 3 could feature Ice Cream Sandwich and a Tegra 3 CPU.

Nexus S 4G finally available from Sprint at $199.99 on-contract

Edgar Cervantes — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:34:07 +0000

Last month, we were treated with the announcement that Sprint’s Nexus S 4G would be releasing on May 8 (today), and surely, the Sprint version of Google’s phone is now available for purchase. As expected, the device is going for $199.99 on a two-year contract, or $549.99 without. This is $100 more than T-Mobile’s Nexus S, but Sprint’s Google phone does have 4G. Best Buy is actually offering it for $149.99 on a two-year contract, taking it a bit easier on your wallet.

Whether 4G radios are worth $100 (or $50) to you or not, it does not take away from the fact that it is nice to have a Nexus device available for more carriers. Though the GSM Nexus S is unlocked, 3G speeds were only possible through T-Mobile, which meant that AT&T customers were stuck on edge. Just the fact that the Nexus S made the jump to CDMA is a big step, and it is always good to have options, even though some may seem unfair.

There you go, Sprint users, the Nexus S 4G is finally here. Who is going for the “pure Google experience”?