During the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January 2009, a struggling smartphone company that had once helped shape the mobile industry unveiled its next-generation platform. It was gorgeous. The design was unique and appealing, the gesture-based controls were smart and intuitive, and the company’s new smartphone operating system offered a breath of fresh air in an industry dominated by just two major players, Apple and Google.On August 18th, 2011, less than three years after this promising new plat...

Android smartphones are not typically updated very frequently, leaving many owners to either try and update their own device, or wait for months or even years to get the latest operating system. The technical lead developer on the Android Open Source Project believes the slow update rate many Android users have had to endure is “very reasonable.” Sometimes, Jean-Baptiste Queru revealed his opinion on his Google+ page in a congratulatory post towards Sony, who recently updated its Tablet S to Andro...

The Google-branded Nexus tablet the search giant is rumored to be co-developing with ASUS may be pushed back until July. Earlier reports had the device slated for launch some time in June, with an unveiling possibly set for Google’s annual I/O conference on June 27th. Unnamed sources informed The Verge on Friday that Google pushed back its planned release so it could tweak the device, however. The 7-inch tablet is supposedly equipped with a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich...

Google’s mobile payment service has gotten a fair amount of attention from the media, but user and partner adoption has been slow since the service was unveiled nearly a year ago. Google Wallet is the Internet giant’s eWallet offering, which incorporates NFC technology and allows users to pay for purchases using their Android smartphones rather than physical credit cards. According to Bloomberg, Google is now rethinking its service in an effort to bolster adoption. Citing multiple unnamed sources,...

Google chairman Eric Schmidt started a firestorm when he was quoted saying the company planned to “market a tablet of the highest quality.” Since then, speculation surrounding a Google-branded slate has nearly spiraled out of control. DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim recently fueled the fire, suggesting that a Nexus-branded tablet will enter production in April for an initial run of between 1.5 million and 2 million units. Further reports also suggested that the Mountain View-based company had ...

Following LG’s statement that the company is “heavily in discussions” with Google to become the next Nexus partner, HTC said it too is in discussions with the software giant. According to a new report from TechRadar, the Taiwanese handset maker is in talks with Google in hopes of being selected to design the company’s next flagship smartphone. Google previously worked with HTC to craft the original Nexus One. “Google hasn’t chosen its Nexus partner for (Android) Jellybean as ye...

LG, which was once a leading player in the mobile space, has yet to make a real splash in the Android era of smartphones. The company is looking to change that, however, with the next Google Nexus device. ”We’re heavily in discussions,” the head of LG’s smartphone division Ramchan Woo said in an interview with CNET. “We’re working on it.” Google’s partners have been concerned that the company will let Motorola, which it recently acquired, get access to the la...

Speculation surrounding an own-brand Google tablet began late last year when Google chairman Eric Schmidt was quoted as saying the company planned to soon “market a tablet of the highest quality.” The slate is expected by many to be a 7-inch Nexus-branded device that will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and compete with the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet at $199. The device could also push some Android partners out of the tablet market. Speaking with CNET, DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim stoked th...

Media tablets powered by Google’s Android operating system have for the most part been unable to capture consumers’ interest. With just a few exceptions, sales of individual Android tablet models have been extremely low by all accounts. Amazon’s new Kindle Fire is one such exception thanks to an attractive price point and tight integration with Amazon services. Google has seemingly taken note of Amazon’s success, and a new report suggests the company is working on a budget-priced slate...

Google may be preparing to take its mobile efforts to the next level as it tests a Google-branded MVNO in Spain. Unconfirmed reports accompanied by photos of a Google SIM card and a Nexus S running on a “Google_Es” network suggest that Google is toying with the idea of becoming a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or a company that provides cellular service by leasing capacity from existing wireless carriers and piggybacking on their networks. The photos suggest that testing is in the late stages as...

On August 15th, Google announced its intentions to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion and Motorola’s competitors all voiced support for the deal, suggesting the acquisition would help each company fight in patent battles against Apple and Microsoft. FossPatents, however, recently revealed a document that suggests Motorola Mobility could soon have the upper hand when it comes to new Android builds. An internal document that was released by a judge in the Oracle vs. Google case says Google should...

Swype released the latest version of its popular software keyboard exclusively for Sprint Nexus S 4G users on Tuesday. Swype now supports new app gesture features, shortcuts, dictionary management, automatic noun capitalization and more. Users, for example, can now move from the Swype Key to “t” and then “w” to automatically launch Twitter. The shortcuts feature allows you to select all by moving from the Swype Key to “a,” and cut, copy or paste using similar gestures. We t...

We’ve received some information from a source with knowledge of Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich plans, and it’s looking like the first Ice Cream Sandwich devices could start hitting the ground in as early as October. We have been told that Google is looking to push up the release of Ice Cream Sandwich devices as Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected in September or October, and the Mountain View-based company doesn’t want potential customers coming out of contracts (especially original DROI...

Samsung Romania appears to have accidentally verified BGR’s exclusive report covering the Nexus Prime along with various specs. Romanian paper Ziarul Financiar recently mirrored parts of our report, stating that the Nexus Prime will sport a Super AMOLED Plus HD screen and will run Google’s new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. Samsung Romania’s PR teem tweeted the story, which is a practice that is uncommon for official company Twitter accounts as such tweets are construed ...