Google’s next generation: Nexus 5, Android 4.4 KitKat, and more – The Verge

Dear Google: don’t screw up Android

2014-06-13T10:30:04-04:00

The history of Android has always been about more. From its inception with the T-Mobile G1 in 2008, Google's mobile operating system has sought to compete by having more features, higher specs, and bigger devices than everyone else. Improving relentlessly with each new release, Android's rise has produced excellent new phones but also many disappointed users who were either left on an old version of the software or bought a device that was never good enough in the first place. Late last year, Google sought to correct that by putting the brakes on and introducing Android 4.4 KitKat, an OS update that was about less.

The leaner KitKat opened t …

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Moto E review: the people’s smartphone

2014-05-22T09:10:09-04:00

The first cellphone I ever owned was the cute and compact Nokia 6510. My heart was actually set on the more expensive and slider-protected 8850, but a teenager's budget could only stretch so far. The funny thing is that over the course of its lifetime, the handset I got served me exactly as well as my dream phone might have done. I made calls, sent and received texts, and played Snake II a lot. Those were the uncomplicated days of feature parity (mostly because phones just didn't have all that many features to begin with). The premium handsets distinguished themselves with design, materials, and style, not with specs and performance.

I've w …

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Nexus 5 coming to T-Mobile November 14th for $449

2013-11-08T15:47:23-05:00

Nexus 5 1024px

T-Mobile will launch sales of Google's Nexus 5 starting November 14th for $449.99. That's for web orders only, as in-store availability won't come until November 20th - almost a week later. For reference, Sprint began offering the Nexus 5 today both in store and online at the same price. Both carriers are selling the 16GB model, which lists for $349 on Google Play.

Clearly Google's carrier partners aren't willing to sell the Android 4.4 handset quite that low. More than likely that's because their profit margin would be too low, or even nonexistent. It's widely believed that Google sells the Nexus 5 at or below cost, a strategy retailers ob …

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The Nexus 5 isn’t pure Android, it’s pure Google

2013-11-05T14:09:44-05:00

Nexus 5 1024px

In this, the fifth year of Android's existence, we also have seen the release of the fifth Nexus phone - appropriately enough called the Nexus 5. Meanwhile, it's been two years since we saw the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich - and since then we've only seen "point" updates, up to and including the latest, Android 4.4 KitKat.

So for a long time now, we've found ourselves asking the two questions again and again: what exactly is Google trying to accomplish with the Nexus program and what's the strategy with these Android updates? We sat down with three of the four main leaders of the Android team to ask those questions yet again. " …

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Google highlights the Nexus 5’s camera in first commercial

2013-11-01T12:59:47-04:00

nexus 5 commercial

Google has released its first ad for the Nexus 5, and like many of its recent commercials, the spot is heavy on emotion and light on product. The ad begins with a woman activating Google Now by saying "Ok, Google," and then requesting it display her wedding photos. The minute-long spot spends the majority of its remaining time flipping through boisterous parties across the globe, every so often cutting in to show a Nexus 5 being used take photos or look through albums. The story may not be the strongest, but it's clear that Google is confident in the Nexus 5's camera - a sore spot for previous Nexus devices. Google has been trying to show a …

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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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Android 4.4 KitKat and Google’s quest to take over the world

2013-11-01T09:22:29-04:00

Nexus 5 Google Now KitKat PRESS

"As we get on our journey to reach the next billion people, we want to do it on the latest version of Android." - Sundar Pichai

At its root, Google's Android platform has always been about growing the audience for the company's services and thus expanding its core business of selling advertising space. Even if the Nexus 5 is a flagship, what matters more to Google in the long run is the size of the fleet behind it. You can see that motivation driving the development of Chrome OS and the Chrome browser itself, though nothing exemplifies it quite so well as the newly released Android 4.4 KitKat.

Android "for everyone" means including cheaper …

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Every HTC One in North America will have Android KitKat within 90 days

2013-10-31T17:28:07-04:00

HTC One with Android 4.3

Google says that Android 4.4 will come to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play Edition devices "in the coming weeks," but what if you bought your device from a cellular carrier instead? If you own an HTC One in North America, you should see an update within the next 90 days. In an interview with Engadget, HTC America president Jason Mackenzie committed to deliver the update to every HTC One device within that time period.

Specifically, the Google Play editions should see the updates within 15 days, unlocked and developer handsets within 30 days, and the remaining carrier-locked devices will see KitKat in 90 days or less. In fact, M …

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Google says the Galaxy Nexus will not be upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKat

2013-10-31T15:26:52-04:00

Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean

Google just announced Android 4.4 KitKat today, and along with a laundry list of new features, the new software is said to be more efficient than ever and able to run on a variety of older or lower end hardware. But that doesn't mean that Google will be bringing it to its older Nexus devices: the company confirmed today that the Galaxy Nexus will not be getting upgraded to Android 4.4.

The Galaxy Nexus was released in the fall of 2011, making it just about two years old. Google's reasoning for not updating it is that it's just too old; the company is only committed to updating Nexus devices for 18 months after their release. Compare that to …

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Family feud: is Google’s Nexus 5 the best pure Android phone?

2013-10-31T14:55:13-04:00

NExus 5 lens

When it was released last year, the Nexus 4 was one of the best Android smartphones around, aside from one glaring issue: it didn't include LTE. Google has finally righted that wrong this year with the Nexus 5, and it's overhauling the phone in a number of other big ways as well. But in a year where Google has already released stock versions of the most powerful Android phones around, and Google-owned Motorola has learned to stand out from the crowd, is a new Nexus able to hold its own in Google's all-star lineup?

Google's new Nexus is one capable device

While the Nexus 5 is only $349 off contract, it's far from being a "cheap" device. The f …

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