Nexus 7 (2012) Wi-Fi: Android 5.0.2 update now available to download

When it rains, it pours, and such is the collection of confectionery confetti that is flowing down from the Mountain View candy land. Released in October, Android 5.0 landed with the Nexus 9, yet just a few weeks later 5.0.1 was already on its way, a small update to address bugs, but which also included fast and slow-motion video recording.

LRX22G has just been released by Google, which brings the hard candy’s teeth-talking tally to 5.0.2. The update is currently only available for the Nexus 7 (2012) Wi-Fi version. Google has since pulled the device’s 5.0.1 patch.

According to XDA Developers, the 5.0.2 update addresses “issues with MountService which should now start before performBootDexOpt [and] changes related to NAND have also been pushed. Fstrim, introduced in Android 4.3, caused some serious issues on Lollipop… devices with slow NAND should now have a noticeable performance boost.”

Lollipop is definitely shaping up to be the most unusual of all Android releases so far. Google released an unprecedented Developer Preview (Android L) earlier this year, and has now pushed out two patches within a very short span of time. Additionally many users have reported major problems with their older hardware upon updating, especially when it comes to poor power management.

The existence of yet another update will also mean that OEMs desperately scrambling to get their Lollipop builds in order have yet another new version to test when conceivably the original 5.0 still hasn’t been given the green light to push OTA.

If any of our readers feel compelled to manually update, please feel free to share your comments below and let us know if there is any noticeable improvement in the software experience.

The factory image can be found here, and is officially signed by Google. Please note that the Android SDK is required to install it, as is a more advanced understanding of sideloading.

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Google Nexus 8 with Android 4.5 Lollypop Tipped for July Launch

umors are once again spreading that Google has the likes of the LG G Pad and the iPad Mini in its crosshairs – will the Nexus 8 rise to the challenge?

Reports from all corners are once again signaling the possible arrival of a newcomer to Google’s hardware family – the unannounced Nexus 8 tablet. It has been suggested that the somewhat mid-sized slate could launch as a replacement for the Nexus 10 2, but it’s now being mused that it will in fact take the place of the third-generation Nexus 7.

The theory is based upon simple competition in the 7-inch tablet PC marketplace, which has already become overcrowded with thousands of devices from hundreds of global and smaller national brands. What’s more, 7-inch tablets are by some being seen as little different from the gigantic 5.5-inch and 6-inch Phablet Smartphones on the market today – stepping up to 8-inches would help draw a better line between the two.In terms of hardware, chances are we’ll be looking at precisely what was expected to make it into the Nexus 7 3’s makeup, only in this case with an 8-inch or 8.1-inch touchscreen. In specific, think a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 CPU, 3GB of RAM, 1080p visuals and a 10-megapixel camera and you’re at least half-way there.

As far as competition goes, the Nexus 8 would be squaring off against the likes of the 8.3-inch LG G Pad, the 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and of course, the iPad Mini.As for its ace in the hole, they don’t come much bigger than exclusive rights to a brand new operating system – the Nexus 8 is tipped to launch with Android 4.5 Lollypop right out of the box.Price-wise it’s anyone’s guess right now, but we’re expecting to see the release of the thing fall shortly after Google’s I/O event, so most likely before the end of July.

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Google Now Launcher officially arrives for Nexus, Play Edition devices running Android 4.4 KitKat

Always wanted a Google Now-flavoured Android experience? Google has now released its Google Now Launcher on the Play Store. The catch, however, is that the launcher will work only on a Nexus or Google Play edition phone or tablet running Android 4.4 KitKat. You can get the launcher from the Google Play Store.The launcher released officially by Google will give you quick access to Google Now, right on the home screen. You will only need to swipe right to enter Google Now from your first home screen and view your cards. The “always-on” voice command of Nexus 5 is not available for the Nexus 4, but you can still hit the voice icon on the persistent homescreen search bar to search or perform activities. You can also swipe up from the on-screen navigation buttons to reach Google Now.Using the voice commands, you will be able to not just access data from the Internet but you can also ask your phone to fire up apps, send a message or even play a song. The Google Now experience will also bring along full-screen viewing and larger viewing area and even the wallpaper extends across the phone.The Google Now launcher is currently limited to a few devices that includes Nexus ones and Google Play Edition devices, which is bound to make a lot of people unhappy. Earlier, the KitKat experience on these devices looked and felt slightly different from the one on Nexus 5.The opacity of the top bar, larger icons and new wallpapers and even easy accessibility to Google Now were missing from it. The official release should change this, though there’s no word on whether it will be available for other devices which are running Google Now. As you may know by now with Android KitKat, the launcher is actually a stub app within the Google Search app (better known as Google Now), which activates the launcher functionality.

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Google Nexus 8 will be presented with an 8-inch display and Android 4.5 in July

The Google I / O 2014 is finally terminated, so it can be started to speculate about which new device will await us by the search engine giant. Currently circulating a message through the internet that says it will the new Nexus Tablet with Android 4.5 should be, which will be presented in July this year.According to a Google employee working at Google currently no successor to the Nexus 7 Due to the tough competitive struggle one wants to completely withdraw from the 7-inch segment and rather go new ways. However, you will not go to many tablets in competition and a throw on the market with a 10 inch, 8 inch but it should be the new Nexus. Here cavort much less competitors, such as the LG G Pad 8.3 or Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. Out of the way you go with 8 inch and the iPad mini, probably the currently largest competitors of the Nexus 7, which is, however, more expensive. Whether the new Nexus will be back from Asus, is currently unknown. The source could not verify the manufacturer.As part of this idea is to go in July this year on the stage, the employee, Google will also showcase Android 4.5 - and the 8th on the Nexus More did not reveal the source, unfortunately, because it would have been quite interesting to learn what equipment will have the small tablet.

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Google Nexus 8 set to launch with Android 4.5 in July: Report

Reports have for a while indicated Google may be working on a Nexus 8 tablet, and the latest claim which is being said to launch in July this year, along with the next Android version, said to be v4.5.It has being speculated that the search giant might be shifting away from its 7-inch devices because of the high competitiveness of the segment, which would be much less in the 8-inch bracket. Some of the popular 8-inch tablets in the market are Apple iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and LG G Pad 8.3.

As claimed in a report by Taiwanese publication , a senior employee of Google Dublin confirmed that the firm will be launching Android 4.5 OS in July along with the new tablet, Nexus 8. The source is also quoted to have that the upcoming Google I/O conference, which will start from 25 June, will concentrate more towards the services Google plans to bring for its users.The 8-inch Google Nexus 8 is most likely expected to launch with the next Android 4.5 OS version. There is no word on the features of the OS, but we believe that by the time Google I/O nears in, we might get a faded glimpse of it via leaks and rumours.Furthermore, the report from Taiwan claimed that Nexus 8 will be launched by April-end with "initial shipments of two million units." The same report has also indicated Asus as the manufacturer of theGoogle Nexus 8.Reports from last month indicated that Google might adopt Intel's Bay Trail-T platform for the alleged Nexus 8 tablet, instead of the Qualcomm chipset currently used in the Nexus 7 (2013).

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Google to Launch Android 4.5 and Nexus 8 in July

On Wednesday, Google’s head of Android and Chrome, Sundar Pichai announced that the Mountain View-based giant will host the I/O 2014 developer conference on June 25-26. In an attempt to find out whether we’ll get to see the next Android iteration at I/O we got in touch with a person familiar with the matter who revealed for us that Google will not introduce Android 4.5 during the aforementioned event.A Google Dublin employee said to us that his superiors have told him that Android 4.5 will be officially unveiled in July along with a new tablet, dubbed Nexus 8. He also confirmed for us that the I/O 2014 conference will focus on new services Google is planning to bring on the market.Our source also mentioned that Google will no longer develop a 7-inch Nexus tablet, because of the heavy competition on the segment. Instead, they will try to focus on the 8-inch segment, where they will have to face a smaller number of competitors. At the moment, the most notable 8-inch tablets on the market are Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and LG’s G Pad 8.3.The Google Dublin employee could not reveal more details about the Nexus 8 tablet, but since we are talking about a Nexus device that will be launched synchronized with Android 4.5, I guess it’s safe to assume that the 8 incher will come pre-loaded with the new Android version.Furthermore, sources in Taiwan suggested a few weeks ago that Google will launch an 8-inch Nexus tablet at the end of April with “initial shipments of two million units.” The same report also indicated that Google has once more chosen ASUS to be their partner in the development of the new stock Android-powered tablet.Would you be interested in purchasing an 8-inch Nexus tablet or you prefer the 7-inch models? What about Android 4.5? Are you looking forward towards any particular features?

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Android users will get to install Jolla’s rival Sailfish OS, bit by bit

The operating system will run on some devices in the Nexus, Samsung Galaxy and Sony Xperia lines, and before that comes out a Sailfish launcher will be made available so users can get used to the UI. Jolla’s Sailfish OS isn’t Android – not even an Amazon-style fork – but it can run Android apps and manufacturers can put it on the same hardware they use for Android devices. So after a pretty small-scale start, what would be the smart way for the plucky Finnish mobile upstart to make sure as many people as possible play with its software?Yup. On Friday, Jolla announced the first complete version of Sailfish OS and said users themselves would later this year be able to install it on many Android devices – according to the post-Nokia outfit, this will include “major versions of popular Samsung Galaxy, Google Nexus, and Sony Xperia .” In the meantime, Jolla will soon put a Sailfish launcher into “common Android marketplaces”, so people can get their heads around the operating system’s gesture-based user interface.All this will take place during the first half of this year, Jolla said, noting that the full Sailfish OS should be “commercially ready for global distribution” after the beginning of March, when Sailfish OS receives its fourth significant update.The company also revealed partnerships with other big hitters from Finland: Rovio, for an Angry Birds-themed “The Other Half” smart cover, and security firm F-Secure, for free cloud storage. Jolla will also work with Finnish IT consultancy Tieto to offer integration services to manufacturers that want to make Sailfish OS phones.

According to Jolla COO and co-founder Marc Dillon:

“We’ve been working hard together with our user community to make the user experience of the Jolla smartphone and Sailfish OS effortless and distinct. We believe that Jolla now offers a truly viable option for all smartphone users. Naturally we are not stopping here, as we continue to provide monthly software updates to Jolla devices and Sailfish OS.”

Sailfish OS users will be able to install “their preferred Android app store”, Dillon added – I’m guessing the official Google Play Store isn’t an option, but Jolla has previously announced a partnership with Yandex to see the Russian web giant’s Android app store preinstalled on Jolla devices. Sailfish OS is open source, and the community has already made native apps for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Foursquare.How likely is it that Android users will go Sailfish? Jolla is hopeful: chairman Antti Saarnio said in Friday’s statement that there are about a billion Android users out there. “Last year in China alone, about 100 million devices were re-flashed after the purchase with a new operating system. This approach allows Sailfish OS to scale into volume fast without limitations,” he noted.

“Just in a few months [since launch, presumably] we have shown how fast an open operating system can develop compared to closed ecosystems,” Saarnio continued. “It’s time for free choice instead of closed walled gardens.”

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