nexus

Apple fail should be a lesson for Microsoft

Apple is good at addressing design oversights. Will Microsoft be as adept?

The Retina iPad, for example, violated Apple's design creed: products should get thinner and lighter -- aka, cooler. Not thicker and heavier.

But Apple fixed this quickly (six month later) with the iPad Mini trifecta: thinner, lighter, cheaper. And the iPad, reinvented as the Mini, has been a runaway success.

Now that Microsoft is in the business of making tablets, can it act fast when it commits product-design sins?

Surface is not a success -- yet. The Surface Pro is too big and heavy (and expensive), according … Read more

Amazon Kindle Fire to go 10-inch

Amazon is expected to bring out a bigger version of the Kindle Fire, as it gradually grows the size of its tablets.

Amazon arguably started the small tablet fad when it launched the 7-inch Kindle Fire in November of 2011. And it followed that with 8.9-inch model, announced in September 2012.

Now it's moving up to the 10-inch class, Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, told CNET.

The biggest Kindle Fire yet will sport a stunning 2,560x1,600-pixel density 10.1-inch display, according to Shim. That's about 300 pixels per inch (PPI), considerably denser than … Read more

LG, Google at work on new Nexus handset -- report

LG and Google are partnering up on a new Nexus handset, according to a new report.

Google and LG executives met recently to discuss a host of topics, including the development of a new Nexus handset, the Korea Times reported, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the matter. LG worked with Google on the Nexus 4, which has proven to be one of the more popular Android handsets on the market.

Each year, Google places its special Nexus branding on certain devices. The company has used it for devices from other vendors in addition to LG. According to … Read more

Samsung Nexus 11 to debut in 2013, report says

Samsung may introduce a Nexus 11 tablet later in the year, according to tech site SamMobile.

Details surfacing this past weekend indicate that Samsung could introduce no fewer than four more tablets in 2013, one of them a Nexus device.

The so-called Nexus 11 will reportedly feature an 11-inch Super PLS TFT display, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and microSD expansion. This high-end unit will be the first tablet to feature Samsung's octa-core processor, alleges the blog. It is unclear at this point which version of Android will run the operation.

Given the recent whispers that … Read more

The fastest Android gaming tablets

The development of new chips that deliver zippier performance, smoother gaming, faster Web surfing, and longer-lasting battery life will soon make their way into new Android tablets. While the chips themselves -- and the high-end tablets that will house them -- have yet to be released, we have it on good authority that they'll deliver on their promise.

Gaming is an increasingly popular way tablet owners are spending time with their devices, and chip makers are paying attention. The gaming experience on Android tablets has improved in just the last year, and it's bound to only get faster, … Read more

Is an unlocked Galaxy S4 or HTC One worth the hefty price tag?

For most consumers in the U.S., price is not a factor when buying a new smartphone, since most devices with a two-year commitment cost roughly the same. But when you are in the market for an unlocked smartphone, the dynamic drastically changes.

High-end devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One, are still attractive to just about any consumer. The features are top-of-the-line, and the devices are sleek. But what many consumers don't realize is that a cutting-edge smartphone does not actually cost $200 or $250. In fact, if consumers were to pay the full … Read more

Making the change from iPhone to Android as easy as possible

Is iOS starting to feel a bit stale for your taste? It's something I'm hearing more and more as I talk to iOS users, or former iOS users. With some amazing Android phones hitting the market, it's tough not to get caught checking out the competition -- or even feeling a bit compelled to make the jump to Android.

But before you make the change, there are some kinks that need to be worked out to make the process go as smoothly as possible. You likely have contacts, a calendar, photos, and music that you'll want … Read more

Nexus 5: The likely price, specs, camera tech (video)

When it was first glimpsed, the Nexus 4 looked pretty similar to other smartphones -- quad-core, with a high-res display and a decent camera, and the latest version of Android chucked in for good measure.

What we weren't counting on however was the simply astonishing $299 price, which let smartphone owners working on a budget acquire a phone that was every bit as capable as the Samsung Galaxy S3, but cost half as much. A lack of LTE was painful to bear, but at this cost, who could complain?

Now we're standing on the prow of the good … Read more

Get the redesigned Google Play store app right now

Today Google announced a redesigned Play store app for Android users running Android 2.2 and above.

The redesign will begin showing up for users over the coming weeks, but if you're the type who doesn't like to wait, you can download and install the update yourself.

We knew it would only be a matter of time before the update was posted for all to enjoy, and thanks to Droid Life, you're a few seconds away from looking at the new Play store on your Android device.

Head on over to this post and follow one of … Read more

Google's next Nexus 7 could arrive in July, report says

Google's next-generation Nexus 7 tablet may be ready to hit the market by July.

The tech giant's latest offering will host a high-screen resolution and a thinner design, and will replace Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor with Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip, according to Reuters.

Both processors were considered, but Qualcomm's offering was selected due to "power reasons."

DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza has told CNET that although the 7-inch Nexus tablet currently supports a pixel density of 216 pixels per inch, the Asian supply chain indicates the next model may reach 323 pixels per inch. In … Read more