nexus

Google Play, Android becoming entertainment powerhouses

Google Play's position among the top destinations for entertainment content, right there alongside Apple and Amazon, can no longer be denied.

Google announced today that it now has the licenses to offer movies and TV shows from News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox, which means Google Play can rent and sell material from all the major Hollywood studios. Google also locked up a deal with Time Inc. to distribute the media company's top magazine titles such as People, InStyle, and Time.

Perhaps most telling for Google is the deal it struck with Warner Music Group, one of the … Read more

Nexus 4 phone with Android 4.2 confirmed by Google, LG

Google and LG confirmed today the long leaked Nexus 4 smartphone, which will run on Android 4.2.

The Nexus 4 marks the first Nexus device built by LG, with Google looking to expand its partnerships and keep some of its partners thriving in the brutally competitive smartphone business.

"This is the first time we collaborated with LG to build a Nexus device," Andy Rubin, who runs Android at Google, said in a statement. "They brought an extraordinary amount of talent to the project, and the result is a feature-packed device that feels great in your hand … Read more

Hurricane Sandy puts Google's Nexus event on hold

Due to the severe weather conditions of Hurricane Sandy, we won't be filming a CNET Update show out of our New York studio. We'll return once the storm passes. In the meantime, here are some of the top tech headlines for Monday:

- Tracking Sandy: Many on the east coast spent the weekend boarding up windows rather than upgrading Windows. You can keep tabs on Sandy news through several websites, apps and Twitter accounts. Google has a helpful Crisis Response map that marks emergency shelters, evacuation routes and the storm forecast. News outlets like the The New York … Read more

Nexus 7 out of stock at Google Play; 16GB spotted at $199

Google could be clearing the way for a new 32GB Nexus 7 tablet as it takes its current models offline.

The $199 8GB and the $249 16GB versions are both out of stock on the Google Play site. The page lists the status of both models as "coming soon." A text field prompts you to enter your e-mail address to be notified when they're available.

Google is reportedly prepping a 32GB version of the Nexus 7 that would replace the 16GB as the high-end model. The 32GB model would adopt the same $249 price tag as the … Read more

Nexus 4 will have wireless charging, leaked manual says

A leaked quick-start manual has confirmed that the Nexus 4 will come with wireless charging.

The highly anticipated 4-inch smartphone will include an induction coil at the back of the device, between the Nexus logo at the top and LG's branding on the lower half of the smartphone. A few pages in, the manual mentions the "wireless charger" directly, and notes that Nexus 4 owners must only "use an approved model."

Pocket-Lint reports that the smartphone will come with only 8GB of internal storage, and because the device lacks a micro-SD slot, users will not … Read more

32GB Nexus 7 tablet spied at Office Depot for $250

It looks like the 32GB version of Google's Nexus 7 tablet has moved from rumor to reality, at least according to one blogger, who says his local Office Depot has one in stock for $250.

The 32GB configuration of the tablet has been talked about for a while now, with, most recently, reports of price cuts to the 16GB model in the U.K. fueling speculation of the arrival of a beefier Nexus 7.

Some expected Google to unveil the device on Monday at a big Android event in New York City, which has since been canceled on account of Hurricane Sandy.… Read more

From bars to the blogosphere, Nexus 4 gets around

If you wanna catch a glimpse of the latest, greatest smartphone before it gets released, you can cruise the bars in and around Silicon Valley hoping for a stray, or you can stay in your jammies and cruise the blogosphere.

Your chances might be just a little bit better online, but then again, you never really know if you're seeing the real deal.

Case in point: an alleged final rendering of LG's Nexus 4 device, courtesy of @evleaks on Twitter (and Android Police).… Read more

Lost Nexus 4 phone proves taking device prototypes to bars is stupid

If two lost unreleased iPhones -- and the resulting lawsuits, police investigations, and other recriminations weren't proof enough, a new story of a lost LG Nexus 4 prototype should convince those in possession of stealth devices that they should stay away from their local taverns.

In a post on Wired today, we learn the tale of a Nexus 4 -- the very phone that Google is expected to formally unveil next week -- that appears to have been accidentally left behind in a San Francisco bar. [Note: Google has canceled Monday's Android event because of Hurricane Sandy. We'… Read more

Welcome to a Windows 8 world

Friday's CNET Update is charging the backup batteries:

Today's tech news roundup has a storm of new tech, and the tech you need in a storm.

The initial preorder supply of white Wi-Fi iPad Minis were claimed in less than a half hour of it going on sale Friday morning. As of Friday afternoon, the black Wi-Fi models were still promising a delivery date of Nov. 2. White models ordered now won't be shipped for two weeks. Some of the first people to buy a 4G iPad Mini are seeing a delivery date of Nov. 23.

Windows … Read more

Say hello to Google's answer to the iPad

We've already seen pictures taken with the upcoming Nexus 10 tablet, thanks to Google's Vic Gundotra. Now we're seeing pictures of the device itself.

Days before the Nexus 10 is expected to make its debut in New York, new images have surfaced purporting to show the device and the updated version of Android it's running on. [Note: Monday's Android event has been canceled because of Hurricane Sandy. We'll update you with a separate post when we know more.]

BriefMobile posted a 16-shot gallery of the new tablet showing a roughly … Read more