At the beginning of the month, Google made the 4.0.4 update file for the Galaxy Nexus available for everyone to download. Unfortunately, Google must have jumped the gun, because just a short time after release the link was pulled and G-Nex owners were back in the dark with no word from either company. The link is now back in order which could mean our 4.0.4 update is finally on the way.

If you’re tired of waiting for Verizon to give you the OTA, head over to our previous post here and read the instructions on flashing this official zip file.

Download link

Cheers Jason!

Oh no! It looks like one of the Google Maps cars was involved in a pretty bad accident. So far, there are no details as to what exactly happened, but we’re hoping everyone is okay. Luckily for Google, figuring out what happened shouldn’t be too difficult, seeing as how there are plenty of cameras on board that hopefully caught the footage. Have you ever seen one of the Google cars driving in your city?

A report out of the Wall Street Journal last week claimed that Google will potentially welcome in up to 5 “Nexus” or lead devices this winter to help launch Jelly Bean. Once launched, all of the devices will be sold directly to customers unlocked and off-contract (hopefully at reasonable prices too). It’s just a rumor at this point, but it makes a heck of a lot of sense for Google to go this route. They are sick of carriers interfering with updates, release schedules, etc. and this would give them ultimate control.

With that said, there has only be speculation at this point as to who will make what. Will we see 3 phones and 2 tablets? 4 phones and 1 tablet? All phones? Who will make them? Will HTC, Samsung, and Motorola produce the phones with Asus and Acer making the tablets? Maybe LG will get their first shot at a Nexus phone and Samsung on the tablet front?

In today’s poll, let’s discuss it and sell each other on what combination we think would be the best. Go!

Chalk up another win for Google and Android. Today, the jury in what a judge called the “longest civil trial” he had been a part of, decided that Google did not infringe on Oracle’s patents. This marks an end to a painful process that saw the likes of Andy Rubin and Larry Page take the stand to defend their use of Java in Android.

Feel free to cheers your phone this afternoon at happy hour.

Via:  CNET

Cheers duke69111!

With China giving their approval of Google’s acquisition of Motorola over the weekend, both companies said it would be a matter of days before they closed. It took two, as they finalized the deal this morning.

Google made sure to mention that Motorola will remain a separate company and that they will license Android, which will remain open. They also noted that Sanjay Jha will step down as CEO of Motorola and that Dennis Woodside, a senior VP at Google, will take his place as the new CEO of Motorola. This move was rumored all the way back in February. Jha will help as he can to ensure a smooth transition. For those concerned about Jha, know that he made $47 million last year and also plans to take home a massive check for stepping down, now that this deal has been completed.

There were no immediate plans for change specifically noted in the press release this morning other than the fact that Woodside has brought on an all-star team of industry leaders to help the company going forward.

Now that the deal is done, are you ready to see this merger “supercharge” Android? 

The final hurdle in Google’s acquisition of Motorola has been jumped – China and its antitrust authorities signed off on the deal. Both the European Commission and U.S. Department of Justice signed off back in February, but for whatever reason, China needed more time. Thanks to this final approval, the deal is expected to close within the next week.

What does this mean now? Well, probably not a whole lot in the short term. Google has continued to stand by their “Motorola is completely separate from Google” remarks, so for at least this year, we may not see anything change. Could Google eventually start to produce their own Motorola/Google branded products? Of course they could, but would that scare off many of their other partners in the Android ecosystem?

Via:  WSJ

Cheers Scott!

According to a new detailed report from Patent Bolt, Google has recently been hard at work coming up with ways to revolutionize the future of mobile technology. Google’s vision of the mobile future could possibly sit with Project Glass, and they are coming up with even more ways to make it an out of this world experience. The newest design details depict a Ring, which serves as a marker for the Google Glasses. With the glasses and ring, Google describes the user controlling actions with a complete library of gestures and movements.