nexus

LG Nexus 4 (sort of) has 4G LTE

In the best example of things being taken, then given, only to be then taken away again, it was recently discovered that the massively popular LG Nexus 4 houses an LTE modem that works... sort of.

The revelation began over at iFixit, which posted a teardown of the Nexus 4 last week. Front images of the motherboard showed a Qualcomm WTR1605L Seven-Band 4G LTE chip. That's right, a 4G LTE chip.

When asked about this, LG crushed all fantastical dreams of a firmware-enabled LTE upgrade to the ground and told TechRadar that despite the given chipset, the device isn'… Read more

Disable lock screen widgets, camera access on Android 4.2

At first glance, the lock screen widgets in Android 4.2 may seem like a convenient feature. But you may soon realize having all of your personal information plastered on what was once a secure screen, isn't ideal. Removing the widgets is simple, but you're still left with the box outlines every time you wake your device, which can get annoying. And there's no way to disable widgets, or camera access for that matter, on the lock screen built into Android 4.2.

Thankfully, an Android developer has released a free app titled Lockscreen Policy, enabling you … Read more

Get your hands on Camera Launcher for Nexus 7

Camera Launcher for Nexus 7 does something simple and necessary: it adds a launcher icon for the Nexus 7's camera.

As the Nexus 7 tablet does have a small built-in camera but doesn't have a native camera app, we found this app very convenient. There's practically no interface, and the app doesn't require any specific permissions to run. It has no other functions and can't be used on other devices, but for the Nexus 7 we absolutely recommend it.

How to unlock Android 4.2's hidden Daydream 'BeanFlinger'

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean includes a new feature called Daydream. Daydream is nothing more than a different name for a screensaver, but for your Android device. You can choose from one of the five default Daydreams to start playing when your device is docked, charging, or both.

It turns out one of the available Daydreams is hidden by default. It requires the device owner to perform a task in order to unlock the dream. Had it not been for this post on Android Central, I would have thought it was visible by default.

One of the first things I … Read more

Tablet display shipments jump, top laptops in October

Only days after a report anticipating a surge in tablet shipments, it's official: Tablet display shipments topped laptops in October, said NPD DisplaySearch today.

"In a milestone for the global industry, in October tablet PC panel shipments exceeded those of notebook PC panels," NPD DisplaySearch said today in a research note.

Because display panel shipments are always the leading indicator for device shipments, "it can be seen that tablet PCs are threatening to overtake notebooks," DisplaySearch said.

So, is this a snapshot of the laptop in decline or just a fluke?

Here's how DisplaySearch … Read more

Tablet shipments to top laptops: Thank Nexus 7, iPad Mini

Tablet shipments will eclipse laptops for the first time in North America, driven by price and variety, says NPD DisplaySearch.

Popular $199 models and a wider variety of sizes will propel fourth-quarter tablet shipments to 21.5 million units, "far exceeding" the 14.6 million laptops that are expected to ship in the same period, according to a forecast today by DisplaySearch's Richard Shim.

And starting in 2013 in North America, tablet shipments are expected to exceed notebook shipments on an annual basis for the first time; 80 million tablets versus 63.8 million notebooks, he said. … Read more

Episode 21: Unboxing Google's Nexus 4 phone and Nexus 10 tablet

We're back, and just in time for the holiday shopping season! Welcome to the pre-Black Friday episode of Always On: the unboxing extravaganza.

This episode alone features Google's two new pure-Android Nexus devices -- the LG Nexus 4 and the Nexus 10 tablet. I so wanted to love the Nexus 4, since I'm definitely in the market for a pure-Android device, but I'm skeptical (as is our CNET reviewer, Lynn La) about the lack of 4G LTE in the unlocked model. Then again, I don't have to sit around worrying about it since the phone … Read more

Apple's rise to test Intel's next CEO

The success of the iPad and iPhone is a problem for Intel's next CEO.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini seems to be exiting in the nick of time. His successor will face an increasingly hostile world of customers like Apple fashioning chips for their own purposes.

Apple is a big Intel customer. Macs are all Intel-based. Problem is, most of Apple's growth is happening in tablets and phones.

This is not a trivial issue for Intel. As Apple ships more iPhones and iPads, more R&D and money flow to Apple's internal chip development -- in the … Read more

Google Play exec says big media can't ignore service (Q&A)

Look at Google go.

Not only are the new Android-powered Nexus devices here but Google has loaded the gadgets with more movies and music. For the first time, Google Play, the new name given to the old Android Market, can boast licensing deals with all the major music labels and film studios. That must have taken some doing.

Big entertainment companies have long complained about what they perceived as Google's reluctance to help protect copyrighted works from online pirates. But Android devices are everywhere and the popularity of the operating system makes it difficult for music and film companies … Read more

Google Nexus 7 on AT&T network sold out

The newest version of the Nexus 7 tablet is already sold out on Google's online store, Google Play.

The AT&T HSPA+ model, which went on sale Tuesday, marks the first time a Google tablet is being sold with 3G capability (or 4G, depending on how you define AT&T's HSPA+).

The $299 tablet comes with 32GB of storage, 1GB of memory, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a 7-inch 1,280x800 display.

In the latest month of sales, the Nexus 7 sold at a clip of about 1 million per month, according to Asus, which … Read more