Android 4.2.1 Update Now Ready For The (“Takju”) Galaxy Nexus

We’ve already seen the Android 4.2.1 update being pushed out to the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10— but now the venerable Galaxy Nexus smartphone is starting to get some love too. Thanks some keen eyes, we now know the minor Android 4.2.1 update is now available for the takju variant of the Galaxy Nexus. Unfortunately, there’s no word on when the other variants of the Galaxy Nexus will see the update, but the hope is that it will be sooner than later… especially since the latest Android buildis already in the open for all the tinkerers out there.

If you’re on the “takju” variant of the Galaxy Nexus, hit the download link below to grab the update and flash that sucker on your device today. All of you other G-Nex owners just sit tight and be patient for now— your update will be here before you know it.

Download: Android 4.2.1 for takju Galaxy Nexus

Verizon’s Black Friday ad shows up with cranberry colored Droid RAZR, Galaxy Nexus, and LG Lucid free on contract

As the big day gets closer, we’ve started covering more and more Black Friday deals. And today we’ve got more deals for those of you on Verizon or looking to make the switch to Verizon this year. Their Black Friday ad lists a unique cranberry colored Droid RAZR (not the RAZR HD) for free on a two-year contract. This is pretty similar to last year’s red Incredible 2 Black Friday offering. Not a bad deal if you want something to stand out and don’t need the latest, greatest tech.

Alongside the RAZR, Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus and LG’s Lucid are both also free. Not great deals, but it’s decent. The ad also lists a unique white Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for $99. But like AT&T, last I had heard Verizon was no longer selling tablets on contract, so that’s a pretty strange deal. The ad also lists some deals on accessories, like 50% off some Jambox equipment if you buy a new phone. The Droid DNA also made an appearance as it releases on Wednesday.

So who’s going to stop by Verizon this Friday?

Apple and Samsung both allowed to add products to patent lawsuit

Our two favorite legal teams from Samsung and Apple have both been given the green light on adding more products to their newest patent lawsuit. This is the lawsuit that includes the iPhone 5′s LTE and Apple’s addition of the Galaxy Note 10.1, US Galaxy S III, and Jelly Bean, in case you lost track. According to this ruling Samsung and Apple will both be allowed to add those new devices to the patent suit. To clarify, when Apple added Jelly Bean to the lawsuit, that’s limited exclusively to the software on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus. Although since that is still technically Google software and not Samsung software, I’m just as confused as you are.

This lawsuit is set to take place in 2014 and targets the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, as well as 19 Samsung products. Realistically, neither of these companies will be promoting these same products come 2014, assuming no more products are added over time, but it’s always disappointing to see this constant litigation.

source: Bloomberg

Get a Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Victory 4G LTE for free from Sprint on Black Friday

As we gear up for a busy holiday shopping season, there’s nothing better than finding out what deals will be available ahead of time. Come Black Friday, Sprint will be offering a trio of steals, including a Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE for free with a new two year contract. These two devices will be available throughout the weekend, so you won’t have to camp out overnight on a full stomach.

Like we heard previously, subscribers will be able to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S III for just $50 when signing up for a new commitment, though you’ll need to show up bright and early on Friday to get your hands on one.

Source: Phandroid

Google releases factory images for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S devices on Sprint and AT&T

It has been a good week for hackers who want to experiment with their Android powered devices. Earlier this week Samsung released source code for several devices, like the Galaxy S III Mini, the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II, and their Galaxy Tab devices. Now it is Google’s turn to contribute a little something back with the posting of factory images for several Nexus devices.

The devices include Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus with an image available for stock Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. Also from Sprint, Google has posted the images for 4.1.1 Jelly Bean on the Galaxy Nexus S 4G. A third device, the AT&T version of the Nexus S now has Android 4.1.2 images available.

In the past, it was sometimes difficult to get factory images for Verizon and Sprint devices due to closed source code included for CDMA and LTE. Fortunately, those issues have been addressed, making the posting of factory images like these possible.

If you are someone interesting in trying your hand at tinkering with your Galaxy Nexus or Nexus S and you have been scared off by all the warnings about messing up your device, these factory images may give you some needed comfort that you can get back to a stock install. If you have been hacking your Nexus or Nexus S 4G, you may be able to get a little more aggressive in your experiments.

To get the source images, just use the source link below.

source: Google Developers

Android 4.2 Core Apps Now Available In One File For The Galaxy Nexus

As most Android users wait for the anticipated Android 4.2 update to hit their devices, Galaxy Nexus users will get to enjoy some of the major improvements found in core apps thanks to some leaked Android 4.2 apps. The boys at AndroidSpin managed to score a collection of GAPPs which includes the 4.2 versions of Gmail, Maps, Talk, Calendar, Clock, Photo Sphere, the latest keyboard and much more. All Galaxy Nexus users will need to do is grab and flash the zip files that are available for download using any recovery method— just like you would flash a normal ROM. One thing to note is that Google Wallet does comes as a separate .apk, so users will need to grab that separate file and sideload it if they are interested in utilizing the app as well.

More details and download links can be found at the source links below.

source: AndroidSpin | GAPPs | Google Wallet

Google rolls out Android 4.1.2 OTA update for Google Play Galaxy Nexus devices

More good news for owners of Galaxy Nexus smartphones. Those who purchased their devices through the Google Play store or who have flashed the “takju” version of the firmware onto their device should be receiving an over-the-air (OTA) update to bring their device up to Android version 4.1.2. The update mirrors the version that rolled out a couple days ago for Galaxy Nexus devices purchased from sources other than Google Play. Like the earlier variant, it appears this is a minor update that primarily provides some performance enhancements “under the hood” as opposed to new features for users.

If you haven’t been notified yet of the update’s availability for your device, you might want to check in your settings.