LG & Google Release Product Movie Highlighting Nexus 4 Features

I mean sure we’ve seen some unprecedented success and some minor criticism regarding the Nexus 4′s initial popularity, but we hadn’t seen an actual advertisement highlighting the device’s capabilities… until now. LG recently came out and released a product movie which demonstrates the device’s full potential. In addition to seeing the features like the quad-core processor and 2 gigs of RAM in action, LG & Google also puts the gorgeous IPS+ display, panorama camera function, navigation function, WiFi display and Android Beam on full display.

All in all– the product teaser video highlights all of the features that we’ve all come to know and enjoy, except now the rest of the mainstream world can finally see what all the fuss is about. I’m sure you’re all itching to see the video, so hit the break to see the Nexus 4 really strut its stuff.

Google Blames Nexus 4 Shortage On LG

Google has a real winner on its hands with the Nexus 4. It’s arguably the world’s most cost-effective Android superphone. At an unlocked price of just $299 for the 8GB version and $349 for the 16GB version, the Nexus 4 has been winning the hearts, minds, and wallets of users all over the world.

But there are two major flaws with the Nexus 4. The first flaw is that the Nexus 4 doesn’t include 4G LTE coverage. That’s Google’s fault, as they didn’t feel 4G LTE functionality was worth it. But the second flaw is the fault of the manufacturer – LG.

That second fault is the fact that the Nexus 4 is virtually impossible to buy. The phone is primarily sold through the Google Play Store. But every time a new shipment arrives, the phones sell out within hours and leave customers with 12 week or longer waiting times.

Google has taken a lot of heat for this issue. But apparently, it’s not their fault. Google is laying the blame for the device shortage on LG, which is its manufacturing partner. Google says that:

“Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed…I can offer an unreserved apology for our service and communication failures in this process.”

In other words, LG hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand. But on the other hand, Google didn’t anticipate high demand for the Nexus 4 in the first place or else it would have initially manufactured a lot more.

So while it’s easy to look at the Nexus 4 like a cruel joke (an awesome phone that nobody can buy), you probably shouldn’t blame Google for your inability to get your hands on it.

How To Make Your Android Run Like It’s A Stock Device

For those who don’t already know, there are two broad groups of Android devices. There are stock Android devices which run the ‘vanilla’ Android operating system, and then there are third-party Androids which run a modified version of that operating system.

Any device with ‘Nexus’ in its name – like the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, or Samsung Galaxy Nexus – is considered a stock Android device with the basic Android OS installed. Meanwhile, popular Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 come with a version of Android that was modified by Samsung to include Samsung apps and dozens of UI changes.

Stock Android is pure Android. Stock Androids tend to be faster and contain less bloatware. The UI is cleaner and more reliant on default Google apps.

It’s easy to appreciate stock Android. And if you want to experience the magic of stock Android on your non-stock Android device, then there are three ways you can do that:

METHOD 1) ROOT YOUR ANDROID USING ONE CLICK ROOT

Rooting strips away all of the ‘improvements’ that have been made to the Android OS on your device. When you use a program like One Click Root, rooting only takes a few minutes to complete. And once you have root access to your Android, it will run a vanilla version of Android.

Rooting also gives you access to a number of other unique apps and cool rooting benefits.

METHOD 2) BUY A STOCK ANDROID DEVICE

There are plenty of Stock Androids available for sale today. Many of them are made by Google. Unfortunately, Google’s smartphones and tablets are notoriously difficult to buy because – for whatever reason – Google never makes enough to keep up with demand.

If you want to buy into the stock Android experience, you can check out the following devices:

-Nexus 4

-Nexus 7

-Nexus 10

-Samsung Galaxy Nexus

METHOD 3) INSTALLING APPS THAT LOOK LIKE STOCK ANDROID

If you don’t want to pay for a new Android and don’t want to root it yourself, then you can easily download some apps that make your device look like it’s running stock Android. Here are some of our favorite stock Android-looking apps that will improve the appearance of your smartphone or tablet:

Lockscreen: Your lockscreen is the first thing you notice when you turn on your Android. It’s a central part of the vanilla Android experience. You can create a nice-looking vanilla lockscreen thanks to a free app called Holo Locker.

Launcher: Once you’ve unlocked your phone, you’ll want to use a vanilla Android launcher to access your apps in the most authentic way possible. Download the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean launcher from the Google Play Store in order to setup your homescreens like they look on any stock Android device.

Camera: Third-party Androids come with their own camera app installed. You can download the stock Android camera experience for Jelly Bean here or for Ice Cream Sandwich here

Photo gallery: I don’t know about you, but I spent a lot of time browsing through my lovely Android gallery of photos. It’s one of the most-used apps on my phone, and the minimalistic interface of the stock Android gallery app makes browsing through photos a breeze. Download the Ice Cream Sandwich gallery for free from here.

Other Android apps to download if you want to access the stock Android experience (or at least make your phone look like it’s accessing the stock Android experience):

-Calculator

-Clock

-Jelly Bean 4.2 Keyboard

-Jelly Bean Messaging apps

-Calendar

-Ice Cream Sandwich browser

CONCLUSION – SHOULD YOU USE STOCK ANDROID?

If you don’t want to spend a few minutes rooting your Android, then you can make your Android look and perform like it’s a stock system by downloading the apps we’ve linked to above.

When you use stock Android, you’re using Android the way Google intended you to use it. When you use an Android that’s been modified by third-parties like Samsung, HTC, or LG, you’ve diluted that experience and added pointless apps that you may never use.

Samsung Announce The Galaxy Premier; Finally

The Galaxy Premier

As with quite a lot of other devices, we’ve heard a lot about them before release and it seems like we all know what’s coming. This seems no more true than with the Galaxy Premier as we’ve had leaked benchmarks all the way to press images. Granted, it wasn’t as good as the leaks surrounding LG’s Nexus 4 but, we got more than enough. We’ve been hearing things surrounding the Galaxy Premier from as early as this past summer, rumors circled around the model number at first, being i9260 makes the device very close to the i9250 model number of the Galaxy Nexus, setting sparks alight of this being a successor to the Galaxy Nexus for a set of 5 phones. We didn’t see 5 phones and we didn’t see anything too similar to the Galaxy Nexus. It seems that Samsung has some stock left over from the Galaxy Nexus and can do something with it.

The Galaxy Premier is finally official and we can now confirm that it’s essentially a Galaxy Nexus dressed up as a Galaxy S III. Other than that, the device is confirmed to be packing the following specs:

• 4.65-inch screen, 720 x 1,280 Super AMOLED panel,
• Dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor
• 8MP rear-facing camera with a 1.9MP front-facing camera
• 1GB of RAM
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, WiFi,
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 2100 mAh Battery

Okay so, maybe this is a little more than a Galaxy Nexus in fancy dress but, the concept is essentially the same, this is parts from the Galaxy Nexus put together with some new parts to make this strange device in the Galaxy S III line-up. It’s going to be available in the Ukraine soon, for roughly $680 but, that’s a straight conversion so don’t take out word for it. When it comes to it, I wonder what Samsung is doing with this device and what sort of market they’re selling it to, it’s essentially a smaller Galaxy S III but as small as the Mini, making it some strange device that is closer to the S III than the S III Mini. Samsung, I realize that you have a lot of screen stock floating around but, that doesn’t mean you have to sell devices that don’t immediately show a purpose.

Source: Engadget

Android 4.1.2 update makes way to Samsung and Motorola devices

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