Android KitKat and the Nexus 5: everything you need to know – The Verge

Android 4.4.1 update with Nexus 5 camera improvements now available

2013-12-05T16:35:36-05:00

Android 4.0 update (STOCK)

Google has released the Android 4.4.1 update that brings dramatic improvements to its Nexus 5 camera. The company says the new software "improves the camera with faster focusing, especially in low light, faster white balancing, for truer colors, the ability to pinch-zoom the viewfinder in HDR+ mode and less shutter lag." We had some time to test out the update to see just how true those claims are, and came away rather impressed with the results. If you rely on the Nexus 5 to snap your photos every day, you'll want to install Android 4.4.1 as soon as possible. Google says the update will be "rolling out today" to customers, but if you're not …

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Nexus 5 vs. LG G2: see the difference

2013-11-01T12:39:17-04:00

Gallery Photo:

As if weeks of extravagantly detailed leaks hadn't told you already, Google's new Nexus 5 handset is based on LG's excellent G2. A few of the specs have been trimmed down in the transition to a lower price point - most notably the smaller 2300mAh battery and lower-resolution 8-megapixel camera - but much of what makes the G2 such a compelling device has been retained. The display remains crisp, sharp, and wonderfully accurate, with awesomely deep blacks that are shown off by the Nexus bootup animation. The processor is still the top-notch Snapdragon 800, and you still get LTE connectivity as with LG's original.

The biggest change, other tha …

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Nexus 5 coming to Sprint November 8th starting at $149 on contract, T-Mobile in ‘coming weeks’

2013-10-31T14:29:06-04:00

Nexus 5

Sprint will begin selling Google's Nexus 5 starting November 8th. But whereas Google likes to highlight the device's relatively low $349 unsubsidized cost, Sprint is predictably sticking with its typical two-year contract pricing. The Nexus 5 will be $149.99 with a new agreement - and that's after a $50 mail-in rebate. So essentially, you'll be paying $199.99 out the door. Sprint says the Nexus 5 comes out to $18.75 per month with its monthly Sprint One Up financing plan, but buying the device directly from Google Play seems to be the way to go right now. We've reached out to Sprint for information on how much the Nexus 5 will cost at full r …

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Google releases pricy new ‘bumper’ cases and QuickCover for Nexus 5

2013-10-31T14:23:47-04:00

Gallery Photo: Nexus 5 hands-on photos

To go along with the just-introduced Nexus 5, Google and LG are offering up a few new cases for the flagship device. Rather than go with another bumper-style case like it did for the Nexus 4, Google is offering a full-protection case in black, red, grey, and yellow for $34.99. Confusingly, the company still calls it a bumper case, though it covers the back as well as the sides. Google says its made of a hard exterior and a soft rubber lining - we'll have to see how it works in practice, but there's no doubt its an expensive accessory.

Even more expensive is LG's $49.99 QuickCover case - it's similar to the new bumper case but includes a fro …

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Google’s Nexus 5 with KitKat available today, starting at $349: hands-on impressions

2013-10-31T14:01:39-04:00

Gallery Photo: Nexus 5 hands-on photos

Google's Nexus program has a simple goal: make the best, purest, most perfect Android phone. And, beginning with last year's Nexus 4, Google did all that at a remarkable price, charging with no strings attached what most carriers and manufacturers would charge with a two-year contract. The Nexus 4 had a few issues - its missing LTE support chief among them - but overall it was an excellent phone, a refined and usable example of Android's prowess and possibilities.

That's why Google's new device, the Nexus 5, has been so remarkably hyped. It's been leaking for months, speculated about for much longer - and today Google's finally pulling the …

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Google Now and speech recognition get big updates in Android 4.4 KitKat

2013-10-31T14:01:36-04:00

Nexus 5 Google Now KitKat PRESS

Over the past year and a half Google's steadily added new features and cards to its predictive search assistant, Google Now. With Android 4.4 KitKat and the new Nexus 5, the company's taking the opportunity to upgrade Google Now and search on mobile with the goal of "bringing apps and the web together," as Android and Chrome OS chief Sundar Pichai said in a meeting with press today.

Search has always been closely tied with Google Now, and it's receiving some much-appreciated attention today. Search results no longer ignore the apps on your phone. Google is now crawling through mobile apps to find their content and bring features directly to …

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Google’s Nexus 5 won’t come to Verizon, but ‘a set of projects for 2014’ will

2013-10-31T14:01:03-04:00

Verizon 4G LTE (verge stock)

Google and Verizon haven't had the closest relationship in recent years - the Verizon-specific Galaxy Nexus was held back by the carrier's long software review process, making it feel like a second-class citizen in the Nexus family. And, of course, the Nexus 4 didn't support LTE and only worked on GSM-based networks, leaving Verizon customers out in the cold. Unfortunately, that's still the case with Google's newest flagship: senior VP of Android Sundar Pichai told us that "the Nexus 5 will not be on Verizon." Somewhat surprisingly, the Nexus 5 will run on Sprint's network - the carrier is listed as one of Google's official retail partners, …

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Android 4.4 KitKat: Google’s simpler, integrated operating system designed for every phone

2013-10-31T14:01:03-04:00

Gallery Photo: Nexus 5 hands-on photos

At its event in San Francisco, in the midst of flashing some new hardware, Google also unveiled version 4.4 of Android, the long-awaited KitKat. It's much more than a marketing gimmick, or an excuse to make limited-edition candy bars in Paris - it brings some real change to Android, and some much-awaited integration among Google services.

Most immediately obvious are a handful of design tweaks to the OS, which make Android cleaner and simpler than ever before. The status and notification bar are now translucent, and they disappear completely when you're in a fullscreen app; there's less chrome across the entire OS, and more space on the Nex …

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Android 4.4 KitKat comes with smarter, more connected phone dialer

2013-10-31T14:01:03-04:00

Android 4.4 dialer

When you step back and look at just how powerful smartphones have become, there's one important tool that's been criminally neglected: the phone dialer. At least that's what Google thinks. "Smartphones have been getting smarter and smarter, and yet the dialer seems to be stuck in a feature phone world for some reason," said Google engineer Dave Burke, who moments later unveiled a new dialer that's debuting with Android 4.4. According to Burke, KitKat brings with it a modernization of the dialer - a utility that's obviously essential to voice calls, but one that's rarely gotten much attention throughout Android's evolution. That's all changin …

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Android KitKat could focus on cheaper phones and wearables

2013-10-30T23:37:13-04:00

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Android 4.4 KitKat isn't just an advertising coup. According to former Wall Street Journal reporter Amir Efrati, it will also be Google's latest attempt to make cheaper Android devices attainable, and prep the mobile OS for wearable computing.

Will KitKat take on Android fragmentation?

According to Efrati, who says he's had covert access to the Android 4.4 feature list, the key improvement will be better memory management to allow "entry-level devices" to run with just 512MB of RAM. Presently, less than half of Android devices are running the latest version of the operating system, which can be an issue for app developers who can't rely on t …

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