With a couple months for users to get accustomed to their new Samsung Galaxy Nexus (one month if you own the CDMA version), most issues with the device have been acknowledged or addressed. One problem that more and more users are reporting an issue that has the handset randomly rebooting during normal use, whether the device is being used to check email or sitting idle. The GSM version of the Nexus seems to be most affected by the bug, but there are some reports of the CDMA variant seeing similar snags. Google is aware of the plight of its users and is currently working out a fix, though when it will be delivered is unknown. We are guessing the update to Android 4.0.3 will bring about corrections to many of the early problems uncovered by new Nexus users. Anyone out there experiencing reboots at all the wrong times?
The Galaxy Nexus has direct-to-camera screen unlock and zero shutter delay. The Sony Xperia Ion (and the Xperia S, too) has “fast capture” which let’s you hold down the camera button while the phone is sleeping, instantly enabling the camera and automatically capturing. But which has the quicker camera? We put them head-to-head to find out:
As you can see, the Xperia Ion is the clear winner. Both phones are incredibly quick compared to the competition and 5-seconds or so could mean the difference between capturing a great picture or having it destined for your distant memory. The zero shutter delay is a feature of Android 4.0, so I’m hoping the Xperia Ion will get an update and add this asset to its arsenal. But even without Android 4.0, the Xperia Ion’s 12MP camera has a dangerous combination of power and speed.
I love when companies think of, design, and implement features that have a real and immediate impact on the consumer’s enjoyment and usability of a phone. We spoke with the Product Manager who had a leading hand in the user experience, user interface, and development who said the concept of “dynamic simplicty” was at the heart of Sony’s vision for the Xperia Ion and Xperia S. It seems to be working out very well.
I’m extremely excited about Sony’s acquisition of Sony Ericsson and the Ion and S illustrate why: direct incorporation of top-of-the-line cameras could catapult Sony above several others in the Android crowd. The 12MP camera seen on these new Xperia devices is more than we’ve seen on any American Android to hit the market and while megapixels don’t tell the full story, we know Sony will be bringing their A-game when it comes to sensors and camera quality across the board.
While I’m on the topic, I’ve been wanting an Android Phone with Optical Zoom for a LONG time, and I’m thinking/hoping that Sony could be the manufacturer to make that dream come true. Digital cameras and mobile phones have been converging towards one device for several years, but for the most part, phone cameras haven’t been powerful enough to replace the point-and-shoot. For me, optical zoom is one element preventing that, but Sony looks to have a good start on everything else.
The beginners rooting solution for the Galaxy Nexus is here! Chainfire has has just released the first CF-Root kernel for the Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.0.2 (ICL53F) which is perfect for users wanting to root their device with no hassle at all and want to keep the phone as close to stock as possible. Contrary to previous versions of CF-Root for various devices, CF-Root for the Galaxy Nexus does not contain the ClockworkMod recovery due to kernel and recovery being separate partitions on the device. This means you don’t need to flash a recovery with your kernel.
The kernel is fully stock and taken from the original firmware, with the following added:
Superuser v3.
Busybox v1.19.
Custom boot / init scripts.
Insecure.
The kernel is available for the GSM and LTE versions of the Galaxy Nexus.
Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. Androidedz will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.
To begin, download the kernel from the links above and extract the contents.
Run ODIN and make sure Re-Partition, Phone EFS Clear and Phone Booltoader Update are unchecked.
Hit the PDA button and select the .tar file you extracted earlier.
Now put your device into download mode and connect it to the PC via USB.
Once connected, hit the Start button to begin flashing the update.
Once the flashing is complete, the phone will auto reboot, so disconnect it from the PC now. For updates and queries, head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus S is one of the popular Smartphone and now you can convert it to Ice Cream Sandwich manually with OTA package by following the steps in ‘How to update Nexus S to Android 4.0 ICS’. Originally the source code for ICS was released officially into the AOSP in late 2011. The upgrade was a smashing hit. When for the first time ISC was launched in October 19th in Hongkong with 4.65 inch Samsung Galaxy Nexus which got popular by name- ‘Nexus Prime’, reveled many new features and one of them was face unlock. You might have thought of getting that feature in your phone and now get ready to make your unaccomplished dream into real. The Google Nexus S is a VGA camera but in Nexus it supports 1.3MP front camera which is also capable of shooting 720p video.
Face unlock feature of ice cream sandwich has hyped in past but few said it was just a way to lure customers to buy the Galaxy Nexus. Anyways the main thing is that you want to get the catchy feature in your Nexus S and let’s proceed to our steps below.
Prerequisites:
A rooted Nexus S with a GSM variant that has bootloader unlocked and with custom recovery installed on the device.
Check that your Nexus S must be running on ICS. All you need is to tap on Settings->About Phone->Firmware Version.
How to Install Face Unlock on Google Nexus S:
Techcular will not be responsible for any mishap. So follow the steps carefully.
Step 2: Using a USB cable connect your phone to your PC.
Step 3: Now copy the ZIP file in your phone’s SD card but remember not to keep deep inside the subfolders.
Step 4: Now reboot your device into recovery mode by pressing and holding down the Volume Upkey and then pressing the Power Button.
Step 5: In the recovery mode, select the option ‘install zip from sdcard’.
Step 6: Now select ‘choose zip from sd card’.
Step 7: After that select the downloaded file which you have saved in your SD card.
Step 8: Give few minutes to your device to finish the installation into it.
Step 9: Now cleanly reboot your phone after the installation process is finished.
Walla! Your Samsung Google Nexus S have successfully installed Face Unlock feature. Now you can show off to your friends your new ICS feature in your rooted Nexus S.
According to morning Twitter by Google Nexus team, is comfortably rolling out Android Ice cream sandwich to its very own Samsung Galaxy Nexus S a.k.a Samsung i9020 which was previously running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and promised Nexus S users to bring update and now it’s time to get update. This is good news for all GSM Nexus S owners and their device will taste ice cream sandwich. Now you will get all the privilege of ice cream sandwich goodies including wallpapers, widgets and recent apps launched in Android Market for Android 4.0.
Here are few goodies to enjoy and share with your friends too:
