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Android 4.0.4 update hits HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus and GSM Nexus S
People tend to get uneasy when updates roll out for different variants of the same device without all the devices getting the same treatment. We can choose to stew in that unease or simply tell you which devices the update will be rolling out for. For owners of the HSPA+ Samsung Galaxy Nexus (I9250) or a UMTS/GSM Nexus S (I9020) you have something to look forward to today as the device you hold in your hand will soon change (by how much, we don’t know yet).
Google alerted the world about the update via a post on its Google+ profile. This news will come as a godsend for all those who weren’t able to download ICS on their Nexus S before the update was removed. While we get jittery when any software update rolls out for any device out there, it is a bit of a disappointment that the device’s CDMA counterparts will not be seeing the update just yet.
But just like in the case of the Galaxy Note which saw its update delayed as Samsung wanted to work on refining and producing stock apps for the special features like the S-Pen maybe the same scenario has presented itself for the LTE Galaxy Nexus as well as the Sprint Nexus S 4G. On a personal note, I hope my feeble attempt at making you feel better, worked.
The Fairphone 2 was first unveiled in June earlier this year, where this particular handset carried a modular design while featuring majority of its components that have been sourced from conflict-free mines. It seems that this particular handset that you can purchase with a clear conscience has begun to ship to those who happen to live across Europe.
Fairphone announced in a blog post, “It’s been almost two years in the making, and some of the earliest buyers have been patiently waiting since July to receive their new phones. As community manager, I want to personally welcome the new batch of Fairphone owners to our community.” The initial 1,000 units are tipped to ship this month, before the other pre-orders follow in January 2016.
In terms of hardware specifications, the Fairphone 2 will run on a Snapdragon 801 chipset, has a 5″ 1080p screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, with Android 5.1 Lollipop in tow. It will be a dual SIM capable handset with a microSD memory card slot and plays nice with 4G LTE networks, retailing for approximately €525 a pop.
It looks like the upcoming flagship model from Xiaomi will feature NFC support, at least based on a document that was released by China UnionPay. Just in case you are scratching your head and wondering who China UnionPay is, they happen to be the only domestic payment gateway supplier and card organization, and hence, to see them offer detailed support concerning the newly released NFC-based payment system points to the very real possibility of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 featuring NFC capability.
After all, the Xiaomi Mi 3 was also mentioned on the list, which so happens to feature NFC, and there is no mention of the Xiaomi Mi 4 which does not come with NFC. Still, such a new payment system would be the ideal tool to see the reintroduction of NFC to the flagship model.
OnePlus did make an announcement in the previous month that the Ceramic variant of the OnePlus X will be released on November 24. True to their word, they did exactly that – although only a pitiful number of units were made available, and not only that, this was through a charity auction. Thankfully for the rest of the masses who are on the lookout for this device, it has gone on sale officially already.
Needless to say, this particular variant is available only by an invitation, although do bear in mind that standard OnePlus X invites are not good here – you will still need to snag yourself a specific Ceramic variant invite before you make a purchase. OnePlus is also on the lookout to offer additional methods of picking up this smartphone, although no further details were revealed.
The OnePlus X Ceramic will be available only in select markets, where among them include Europe, India, and Hong Kong. To date, we do know that OnePlus had made only 10,000 units of the handset available. A case of the early bird getting the proverbial worm here?