lg nexus 4

The best pure Android phones right now

There's something magical about owning a Nexus phone. It's akin to belonging to an elite inner circle or cabal, one that's privy to the most up-to-date software straight from Google's top-secret labs. The benefits of running on pure Android unfettered by carrier bloatware, shady third-party apps, and manufacturer skins go beyond feeling special, though. The biggest is that accessories and apps simply run properly when not tripped up by glitzy yet proprietary add-ons.

Unless you void your warranty and root your handset, then flash it with custom Android builds, however, phones with stock Android are hard … Read more

Qualcomm Quick Charge powers your device faster

Have you noticed that your new smartphone charges up quicker than your old one? You might want to thank Qualcomm and the Quick Charge 1.0 technology, which Qualcomm today announced is in more than 70 Snapdragon-based smartphones and tablets.

The rapid-charging technology can charge your phone up to 40 percent faster than previous generations, Qualcomm claims.

Where other models might take up to 4 hours to charge, a Quick Charge could accomplish the job in under 3 hours. As of today, there are more than 70 devices with support for Quick Charge 1.0, with more on the way.… Read more

Google sells Nexus 4 wireless charger for $60

Months after Google began selling the LG-made Nexus 4 Android 4.2 smartphone, it (finally) has a wireless charger to offer as well.

The charging accessory, available in the Google Play store, resembles a sheared-off Nexus Q and costs $59.99.

Google's wireless charger, like most, relies on the Qi protocol of inductive charging. The upshot is that the charger will be able to power other smartphones using the same standard.

I personally think this is a hefty sticker price for an add-on that's long been underscored as part of the Nexus 4's key selling points. Even … Read more

Best Android Jelly Bean smartphones you can get now

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for Android Jelly Bean phones to ship, I'm glad to see that a flood of handsets with the coveted software has burst onto the mobile scene. Some of these devices, such as the HTC Droid DNA and LG Nexus 4, rolled straight off the assembly line boasting Google's most modern OS. Older phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Motorola Droid Razr HD Maxx, just received this significant upgrade.

Take a look at this stellar list of smartphones that all offer a state-of-the-art Android experience. From the pure flavor only … Read more

Quad-core smartphone shootout

Until now, smartphones with quad-core processors used to be just a twinkle in the eye of wistful Android addicts and gadget gurus. Either that or they remained exotic pieces of futuristic hardware reserved for foreigners. Quad-core handsets are now starting to arrive in force. The question is: which device packs the biggest CPU wallop? This chart lays it all out with deeper analysis below.

Phone HTC One X+ LG Nexus 4 LG Optimus G HTC Droid DNA Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Processor 1.7GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon … Read more

Smartphones with unusual features (roundup)

These days, almost every smartphone contains the same bag of tricks, with little to differentiate handsets, apart from the hardware and maybe some software extras.

Sure, one might have a better camera, more external or internal storage, and other specs that help us tell one phone from another. But on the whole, you can access e-mail, text messages, and social networks from them all, share photos and videos, surf the Internet, and install any number of apps.

This kind of uniformity is actually good news, since it means that even midrange smartphones can be just as capable as high-end products, even if they have a smaller screen or shorter battery life, for instance. Of course, there are some smartphones that stand out from the crowd for a certain physical or software feature. In no particular order, here's the current crop of unique handsets that have me looking twice.… Read more

LG Nexus 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3: Does LTE really matter?

When choosing a smartphone or a wireless carrier, it's important to know what your deal-breakers are.

There are so many choices today when it comes to picking out a new smartphone or even choosing a service provider. Devices come in different sizes, with different software and even different network support. And wireless carriers, which all have different strengths when it comes to network coverage, offer different packages with different prices for their services. When it comes to choosing a device or a carrier, which of these things is most important to you?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I … Read more

For holidays, T-Mobile goes big on Android and Windows Phone 8

Hurricane Sandy forced T-Mobile to cancel a Holiday Showcase event planned for New York City today, but the storm didn't prevent the carrier from announcing its 2012 product lineup for the holiday season. The iPhone is absent, of course, but T-Mobile will deliver a strong lineup of Android and Windows Phone 8 tablets and smartphones. As you'd expect from the carrier, some devices, like the LG Optimus L9 and Nokia Lumia 810, are decidedly midrange. Yet, other handsets, like the HTC Windows Phone 8X and new LG Nexus 5 are top of the line.

Here's the skinny … Read more

Latest launch rumor re Nexus 4 from Google, LG: October 29

The LG Nexus 4 rumor hurricane is beginning to gain strength off the coast of Android-land. The latest word is that a new Google phone could make landfall October 29.

The source of this speculation is unusual -- a French paper not known for tech scoops -- but if nothing else, the product name cited by Le Figaro lines up with the name of the rumored phone we saw outed on Carphone Warehouse earlier.

Making the date all the more interesting is the fact that it overlaps with the start of the AllThingsD "Dive Into Mobile" conference in … Read more