White Nexus 4 announced, no LG Nexus 5

The LG Nexus 4, Android’s flagship phone, is going to get a white paint job this week, starting with Hong Kong on the 29th. The new color option will slowly roll out in select markets worldwide, and the price is expected to be the same.

Too bad, the refresh that we were expecting is no where in sight — the 4G LTE and 32GB variants.

Nexus 4

On the other side of things, LG closes the idea of having to make future Nexuses, stating that ‘it added no value to them’. That basically says that there will be no LG Nexus 5 or whatsoever.

With LG crossed out of the list, the candidate for the next Nexus manufacturer is still blurry. We have a discussion here on who should make the next Google Nexus if you want to check it out.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus to retail for $649 on June 26

Google is re-introduing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and will package it as Nexus-like variant running on vanilla Android OS. That means there is no TouchWiz, just plain stock Android UI. This confirms our earlier report of the Galaxy S4 Google Edition.

On the short side of things, that also means less features (or gimmicks, depending on how you view it). No gestures, eye-tracking, camera add-ons and all of Samsung’s wiz.

SGS4Nexus

However, if you’re not into S-Health & all of Samsung’s extra software, you should definitely consider it. After all, on the plus side, you will get fast version updates and more memory since there is no extra Samsung software.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Nexus Edition specs:
4.99-inch display full HD Super AMOLED @ 1920x1080p, 441ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.9GHz quad-core
Adreno 320 Graphics
2GB LP-DDR3 RAM
16, 32GB, 64GB
Up to 64GB microSD
HSPA+, LTE 100Mbps (6 bands)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, dual-band WiFi Direct
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ aGPS support
NFC
IR Blaster
13MP autofocus, rear camera with LED flash
1080p video recording @ 30fps
2MP front-facing camera
1080p video recording @ 30fps
7.9mm
Li-Ion Battery 2600mAh
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean (upgradable to future versions)

This Google Edition Galaxy S4 will have LTE and uses Qualcomm’s quad-core chip. It will be available in the US starting June 26 for a price of $649 plus tax (more or less Php29k) in the Google Play Store.

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Who should make the next Google Nexus smartphone?

Google IO is coming in a week, and while we’re expecting Google Glass, few unconfirmed Motorola rumors, and the next iteration of Android OS, there’s also the Nexus line.

Let’s have a brief recap; a Nexus is a smartphone made by Google which runs on the latest version of Android, and partly sets the bar higher for Android hardware. They give the opportunities to manufacturers who offer the best hardware as of the moment of creation, and on the software side of things, it will be the first to get the updates for up to 2 more years or so.

nexus +

HTC did the first with the Nexus One, Samsung followed it up with the Nexus S & the Galaxy Nexus, and LG topped it with the Nexus 4. Asus manufactured the first Nexus tablet, the 7-inch Nexus 7, while Samsung made the 10-inch Nexus 10.

Rumors have been very sharp and hard to argue with. There are recent reports that LG has been tapped by Google once again to manufacture the next Nexus phone – hoping that they can meet the demand this time. The current Nexus 4 is said to be facing a refresh this Google IO, with 4G LTE in tow with 32GB of storage. Also, it could possibly reel in the white version that we never heard of again ever since.

NEXUS 4

But if we put the decision on you guys, the consumer, who would you pick for the next Nexus? Do you think the current lineup will be succeeded with a Nexus 5, Nexus 8 & Nexus 11?

We have to say that it is entirely possible since phones are now in the 5-inch trend, the iPad Mini is on the 8-inch side looking for competition and there are also reports stating that Samsung is indeed working on a Nexus 11.

THIS IS NEXUS

If you’d ask me, I’d opt for HTC/Sony or Nokia - since I’m a Nexus 4 owner, I became a fan of high quality builds and great software – only extra thing I’m craving for is a great camera.

What about you? Which manufacturer would satisfy your needs for a Nexus phone or tablet?

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Android 4.3: What We Want To See & What To Expect

Several reports are circulating that the next version of Android will actually be Version 4.3 and will still be called Jellybean. So, what happened to Key Lime Pie? Indulge us for a bit, and join in the discussion. Here are the things we want to see and the stuff that you can possibly expect in Android 4.3.

Jellybean vs Key Lime Pie

Through server logs, Android Police has been able to identify that the next version will be indeed 4.3 Jellybean. This has been confirmed by more reports such as the leak of an LTE Nexus 4 running Android 4.3.0.

LTE

But where’s Key Lime Pie? We don’t know. But something tells us Google IO will be more evolutionary than revolutionary, since we’re not even expecting to see a new Nexus phone – only a refresh and possible tablets. Key Lime Pie might arrive in the holiday season or so, but for the meantime, it looks like Google is busy trying to name and update all devices to Jellybean. They might not be of the same version number, but the effect of having majority of Android devices on Jellybean is bigger than you think.

Enhanced Gaming

Google just hired a Chief Game Designer, Noah Falstein, in which we don’t really hear much about Google when we’re talking about games. However, another report hints that the next version of Android will have Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Open GL ES 3.0 – which is a graphics specification which will allow better shades and all.

Google’s Unified Messaging App

We’ve talked about this before in our article  Google I/O 2013: What To Expect. However, new speculation states that it will only be called “Hangout” – and that remains yet to be confirmed.

It’s probably going to be competing with iMessage and the like, and you can only imagine the users it will get especially with all the Android users out there. Communication will be a lot easier.

Here’s what we want to see:

So basically, that’s it. Those are the only clues that we have on the next version of Android. To make the list longer and a little more interesting, here’s what we want to see in Android 4.3 Jellybean.

  • A Better App Drawer - The app drawer is pretty much tinkered with in every Android skin. Also, it’s gone a little stale in stock versions of Android. We’d like to see better customization here, such as to hide unwanted apps, make folders and etc.
  • Full Android Backup - When switching Android devices, you have to customize it all over again – widgets here, shortcuts there. Yes, you can go to the Play Store or root for that matter, but we’d like something easier and built-in to the system.
  • Battery Percentage - This one is a small want as well, since you can go to the Play Store to solve this, but it would be nice if the option to display the battery percentage on the notification bar was native.
  • A “close all” button at the task switcher - When opening the task switcher, it’s a little hassle to swipe all of the apps away – so, Google, why not add a small “close all” button somewhere; manufacturers are doing it with their skin, so why not stuff it in?
  • Task & File Manager - As a stock Android user, I didn’t see any native apps that worked like a task manager or a file manager. I still had to download AndroZip and all. I know Google can make better designed software than those who make third-party apps, so… yeah. I’d like that.

Don’t worry guys, if you didn’t like the list or the expected features, you can wait for Windows Phone 9 or iOS 7 – which is said to be packing a major overhaul as well. So, are you buying into Android with all of that said? What features would you like to see in Android’s next? Leave a comment in the section down below.

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