Browser Face-Off: iPhone 4S, Galaxy Nexus, Rezound, Razr and Galaxy S II Compared [Videos]

As a long time Android user since the G1 days, I have to say having a choppy browser has been one of the areas that has really irked me about Android devices. Watching all those smug iPhone users with their super fluid browser, scrolling up and down, in and out, I have to admit — I was jealous. Now, with this new generation of dual-core superphones, you would expect all the browsers, across all devices to be nice, smooth and silky, right? Wrong.
If you’re sitting on an upgrade, on the fence about which new device to get, maybe this collection of videos from our very own Android Forums member, Medion, will help push you over the edge. Who comes out on top? Who’s cuisine reigns supreme? As a reference, we’re including the iPhone 4S because… c’mon — it’s damn smooth.
Apple iPhone 4S


Galaxy Nexus


Samsung Galaxy S II


Motorola Droid RAZR


HTC Rezound

After watching these videos, have they possibly changed your mind at all on a future purchase? Granted, there are other factors that influence value like camera and manufacturer UI’s. But when it comes to browsers, I can tell you I’m seeing things in a whole new light. I’m talking to you, Rezound. Get your choppiness together.
[Via AndroidForums]

Read more »

Motorola XOOM graced with Android 4.0.3 build

We just saw Android 4.0.2 officially roll out to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus today, and even confirmed what would be in the Android 4.0.3 update to come. Well it seems the latest AOSP build has been pushed and supports the Nexus S and Motorola XOOM [WiFi]. Even better, the guys at XDA Developers have a bootable version of the ROM up and running for the XOOM.

Many features such as the camera are still broken, and there are a load of bugs that will need to be fixed – but that’s normal when taking an AOSP source. This is more of an extremely early Beta (or more appropriately an Alpha) of ICS for the Motorola XOOM, but their developmental community is strong, and this push should offer a great start. Of course, Motorola will eventually update the XOOM themselves; even if development starts to slow down.




From the clip you can see the obvious glitches when transitioning from screen to screen, but it’s extremely smooth. Even debatably smoother than the XOOM’s initial Honeycomb release. It’s great not having one universal OS to rule them all, and I have a feeling the developers are going to love it.
[via The Verge]

Read more »

Verizon Galaxy Nexus: Significant signal issues arise

Many of us, including myself, have been waiting months for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to finally hit the US. And now that it finally has on Verizon Wireless, my experience has been less than perfect. The signal has continued to drop since purchase, and my previous 4G phone on Big Red had great signal strength.

When the signal doesn’t drop – it just hangs in 3G and an “Airplane Mode” toggle is required to get 4G back up and running. But here’s the catch, the signal was excellent for the 4 hours I used it before installing the 4.0.2 update. I thought it may have just been my device or even area, but many others are experiencing these issues over in a thread at XDA Developers.
Now one user, mastibeta, spent time on the phone with Verizon tech support and they seemed to not only fix the 4G lock on his device, but also double his data speeds. Lets hope it’s a software issue and not hardware; the Nexus S 4G had its share of signal issues and hopefully the Galaxy Nexus doesn’t follow suit. All of us here at Android Community using Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus are having similar signal problems – so we know there is an issue at hand.
Are any of you having signal issues? If so, please let us know in the comments below.

Read more »

Samsung Nexus S Android 4.0 update officially rolling out today

We heard a rumor about this last week that never went very far but today it’s officially official. Google has started the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Google Samsung Nexus S. We are assuming this will be Android 4.0.3 that was detailed earlier today — This was confirmed by Google over on Twitter this afternoon.

A few weeks ago a couple Google employee’s received the OTA update and were commenting on Google+ but those were all quickly removed. It looks like the testing phase has been completed as Google themselves have confirmed to be started today and rolling out over the next few weeks.

Google has also put together a neat set of tips for those moving from Gingerbread to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The update should start hitting both the T-Mobile and the non GSM versions of the Nexus S soon. I’m sure it will be plastered on XDA any minute now so be sure and start checking your favorite developer forums. I’d be hitting menu > settings > about phone > check for updates right about now. Enjoy that Ice Cream Sandwich and feel free to look over our ICS hands-on and more below from the Timeline.

Read more »

Android 4.0.3 Update: Better social integration, camera capabilities, and tons of fixes

Whoa that sure was fast. Google isn’t wasting any time and have already announced the next incremental update for the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform. We just received 4.0.2 on our Verizon Galaxy Nexus phones yesterday and it looks like 4.0.3 will be here very shortly. That is the wonderful part of owning a Nexus — it gets all the updates right away. All the details are after the break on the new update.

Soon we’ll be saying hello to Android 4.0.3 as it should rollout in the coming weeks. Along with the changes are plenty of API updates and tweaks for developers to take advantage of. Some of those include access to social integration like how Google+ and Gtalk have now and more. Here is the list right from the Android Developer Blog.
— Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user’s contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each. This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying, in addition to their photos and contact information.
— Calendar provider enhancements. Apps can now add color to events, for easier tracking, and new attendee types and states are now available.
— New camera capabilities. Apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed.
— Accessibility refinements. Improved content access for screen readers and new status and error reporting for text-to-speech engines.
— Incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more.
It looks like the API changes will give developers and applications more access to the camera and calendar, improve tons of access for screen readers and text-to-speech engines and more. Then at the end it mentions improvements to graphics and even spell-checking — I’m excited to see what more they bring to that area as it’s already quite excellent.
Bring on the Ice Cream Sandwiches Google, we’ll take them all.
[via Android Developer Blog]

Read more »

Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx appears in Verizon System

We’ve heard the name Maxx before and now it appears that the RAZR Maxx is indeed real and coming, we just don’t know when. The RAZR Maxx name was first spotted earlier this month and could be one of the many different variants of the RAZR we’ve seen online. Today it has appeared again giving it even more mystery.

According to some new screenshots from Verizon we now have even more confirmation that the device does exist and Verizon is getting prepped. The image below is the name clearly being added into the Verizon system at some point yesterday. If we see another RAZR before the end of the year I wouldn’t be surprised. If it’s better than the DROID RAZR I have a feeling there will be some angry people with buyers remorse.

For now we mostly just have rumored specs but being MAXX it would need to be better than the original you’d think. We’ve heard a few reports of a larger display with a 1280 x 720p HD display and that huge 13MP camera like China’s model of the RAZR. For now the RAZR Maxx has been bumped up above the “rumor” category but that is as far as we’ll take it until we get further details.
[via Droid-Life]

Read more »

Here’s what the Verizon Galaxy Nexus looks like on the inside

These days it’s a rite of passage for every new and high-profile gadget: the moment when its tender casing is torn from its frame and all its silicon guts are spilled for the world to see. That time has already come for the HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus, and ZD Net has given Verizon’s LTE version the teardown treatment as well. If you’re wondering what the inside of the very first Ice Cream Sandwich phone looks like, well, here it is.

There are no real surprises in the teardown. The micro SIM card (as opposed to a mini SIM card) is still slightly novel, but hardly unique. Samsung phones are pretty slim, but hardly impossible to crack as smartphones go; the DROID RAZR, with its armored construction and teeny tiny seams, is a lot harder. A couple of non-standard screwdrivers is all it takes to separate pretty much every bit of plastic, metal and circuit board.

Read more »

What Mods Have You Applied to Your Verizon Galaxy Nexus

So with the device being out in the United States for just over 24 hours now, we’re wondering what you new and even existing Galaxy Nexus owners have been doing to your phones? Personally, I’ve already unlocked the bootloader, applied Paul’s superboot script for one-click root, installed a custom recovery and even installed a custom ROM (though I did roll back to my stock rooted build after a few hours).

More than ROMs, there are a few little things you can apply to your device to make your experience that much better. We’ve got the search button embedded into the navigation bar, constant menu buttons in the navigation bar, a mod that lets you get rid of the constant Google Search bar on the homescreen, custom kernels and a whole lot more. Let’s hear what you’ve done in the comments section below!

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T Said to be On Its Way With LTE, Without Exynos

Rumor has it that AT&T’s gearing up to offer the Samsung Galaxy Note early next year and, as you might expect, 4G LTE will be in tow. One thing we didn’t imagine, however, is the lack of Samsung’s dual-core Exynos processor. 1Instead there’ll apparently be a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside. Apparently Exynos might not support LTE radios yet. It’s not unlike the reason why T-Mobile’s Galaxy S II didn’t get Exynos – it didn’t support HSPA+ 42. In any case, a CES announcement is expected so be sure to check back in about a month’s time. [PocketNow]

Read more »