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December 11, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
If you thought that simply because you weren’t buying a Verizon-bloated Galaxy Nexus that you would be privy to a true Google Experience, guess again! As first noted by XDA forum member Luxferro, who discovered that his GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus‘s build.prop fingerprint didn’t quite match up to the expected, not every Galaxy Nexus is a Galaxy Nexus.
What is “Nexus?”
Let’s take a few steps back and figure out what’s going on. To do so, we must take a look at what a Nexus device is, and what the term has come to mean. According to Andy Rubin himself, a Nexus device is, “the pinnacle of what we can achieve when integrating Android onto a piece of hardware.” In other words, a Nexus device should represent Android done right, i.e. the absolute zenith of technology—in both software and hardware.
The mere existence of the Nexus program is a tacit admission by Google that although Android’s fundamental distribution model has lead to industry-leading platform adoption, carrier and OEM control is hardly ideal. Instead, Nexus gives Google a chance to “take back” their OS and show the world Android in its full glory.
Previous Nexus Devices
The Nexus line began with the HTC-built Nexus One, the phone which ushered in Android 2.1 Éclair. Barring a select few carrier-controlled versions, this device featured pure Google software in the majority of its configurations. The hardware was great, too—a Samsung-sourced AMOLED panel here, 512 MB of RAM and a 1 GHz Snapdragon SoC there. Just a few months later, Froyo came; and naturally, the Nexus One was the first phone to receive the JIT- and Flash-enabling goods.
Next up was the Samsung-built Nexus S, which brought the first taste of Android 2.3 Gingerbread to the masses 11 months and change after the arrival of the Nexus One. While not quite the latest in hardware—as the Samsung Hummingbird and Super-AMOLED panel had been seen in the Galaxy S roughly six months earlier—the software in the most markets was still controlled directly by Google. While not bearing the moniker “Nexus,” the Motorola XOOM, which delivered Android 3.0 Honeycomb for us on a Aluminum-backed platter, was also a Google-controlled device in its home turf.
Galaxy “Nexus”
When the Galaxy Nexus was officially unveiled on October 19th in Hong Kong, the hardware and software evoked a visceral lust many had not experienced before towards a phone. Packing a 720p Super-AMOLED HD display, a powerful dual-core OMAP4 SoC, a full GB of RAM, and—most importantly—Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; the Galaxy Nexus was a show-stopper.
A Fly in the Ice Cream-Flavored Ointment
Unfortunately, not all is perfect in Android’s latest tasty treat. Reports quickly surfaced about how Verizon’s 4G LTE variant would feature both VZW branding and a short order of mild bloatware. Bloatware on a Nexus device? BLASPHEMY!
At least unlocked GSM owners were safe… Right? Wrong.
As quickly discovered by community members who failed to receive the 4.0.1 update, and subsequently weren’t able to perform a manually install, there are several software configurations of the GSM Galaxy Nexus. The true, Google-controlled version is yakju—the rest being Samsung-controlled variants, thereof. All carry the hardware code name maguro, so it is plausible that they can be flashed to yakju. However, according to Android software engineer Jean-Baptise Queru, it is unclear at this time whether this is actually possible.
yakjusc and yakjuxw are indeed the two Samsung-prepared builds I’m aware of at the moment, but I’m discovering them as they get released. I only have some visibility over the builds that are prepared by Google, i.e. yakju. Everything else comes from Samsung and I don’t know what their schedules and release plans are. I can’t guarantee that flashing the yakju files that I posted would work on a device that originally shipped with yakjuxw, as I don’t have access to such devices. The hardware is supposed to be close, but I don’t know for sure that it’s close enough. JBQ
Where Does This Leave Us?
All builds other than yakju are not controlled by Google themselves, leading to the very real possibilities of update delays and carrier- and/or OEM-installed bloatware. This doesn’t taste like “Nexus” anymore, does it? Since Nexus represents Google’s regain of platform control, anything other than unfettered Google is no longer Nexus.
To answer the question in the title, those lucky enough to own yakju devices can breathe a sigh of relief because they are able to enjoy a true, Google-controlled Galaxy Nexus. However, all other Galaxy Nexus owners better start getting familiar with fastboot and adb in order to get the unadulterated Android experience.
Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, or drop in to the discussion in the original thread.
Oh, and… SamSONg, I AM DISAPPOINT.
[Thanks to my fellow XDA Moderators xHausx and M_T_M for the tip!]
November 18, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
Google’s Mobile Product Manager Hugo Barra recently stated that the company had no plans to update the Nexus One to Ice Cream Sandwich, citing that the handset was simply too old to run the newer operating system. Many users felt unnecessarily abandoned, believing that a former flagship device under 2 years old could hardly be considered “too old” for updates. Having used a Nexus One as my primary device for eight months, the news made my heart sink ever so slightly.
Ironically enough, the first ICS SDK-port for the Nexus One actually had already appeared four days earlier. However, as is the case with the majority of SDK-ports, the lack of hardware acceleration made things dreadfully sluggish. Instead, AOSP builds are indeed the Droids you’re looking for.
Four days ago, we broke news of the ICS Source Code release and predicted an imminent rush of AOSP builds. We are happy to announce that not only has XDA forum member dr1337 begun the Nexus One AOSP porting effort, but several other devices have joined the tide. Thanks to the hard work by XDA forum members dizgustipated, MongooseHelix, stritfajt, jaybob413, onecosmic, Chaosz-X, and zFr3eak; the Nexus S, Droid Eris, Hero, Hero CDMA, Galaxy S I9000, Desire, and Desire HD now have their first tastes of Google’s latest treat.
Without further ado, here are the links to get started on your own device:
While none of the releases have quite the level of polish required to be made daily drivers, their mere presence just days after the source code release speaks wonders of the amazing talent housed within our development community.
If there are any other AOSP builds that I have left out, please send me a PM through the forums, and I will promptly add them to the list!
October 27, 2011 By: egzthunder1
The Nexus family… Google’s flagship line of devices has always been at the helm when it comes to getting official updates. According to a tip that we just got by XDA member joshman99, there was an official announcement by Google where they said that the aging Nexus One would not be receiving an Ice Cream Sandwich update due to it not having the necessary hardware to run it properly. I personally find this a bit ironic, considering that the Nexus One was the first device to get a port of the new OS within a couple of days of the SDK being released. There may be options that will likely become unusable like gyroscope dependent applications and probably a few others, but quite frankly unless the Galaxy Nexus is oddly equipped with some radical modifications in the hardware specs, there should be no reason for this OS to not run properly on that device.
This is one dance to which xda-developers has been dancing to since the Blue Angel days. “Oh, the Blue Angel will never be able to support Magneto (WM5) as its hardware is obsolete and will not be able to withstand it.” Sound familiar? That was back in 2005 right before the release of WM5, and a few months later, the OS was running smoothly on the Blue Angel. And to this date (almost 6 years later), the BA can still be updated to the latest WM builds. The case for the N1 is no different to this or any other device that has a place on this site. The hardware will and does support ICS. I mean, there is a fully functional port (well, not fully functional as it is taken from the SDK, but you know what I mean), and unless I am mistaken, if hardware was indeed a limiting factor on the ability of this device to use this OS, why does it boot? All the things that are broken on it right now are either kernel related. So, what is your excuse now, Google? Why drop support for the N1. I can see and understand the sales aspect of it as an older device that can support updates will likely mean diminished sales as people will be hesitant to buy a new device if the old one works just as well.
Do you think that Google should look at this thread and take their statement back? I personally think they should…
You can find the full article at The Telegraph.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
Thanks joshman99 for the tip!
October 3, 2011 By: egzthunder1
Well, it seems that the people/team behind Gingerbread really do not want to see this fantastic version of Android to be left behind and forgotten. Because of this, they decided to start rolling out what is likely to be one of the last updates to Gingerbread, Android 2.3.7. Several devices received OTAs being pushed in about a week and a half ago. Needless to say, between that time and now, roms of all sizes and colors have surfaced for a ton of devices across the site thanks to people like XDA member qbking77 who decided to pull out the update out of a friend’s device . Among them, we can see roms and updates to the new OS on the Nexus S, Nexus One, SGS2, and a few others.
There are already roms out from famous groups such as ACS and Cyanogen. So, if you are itching to have the latest of the latest before ICS hits the streets (either as a leak, via eBay, or as an official update), you should do a quick search on your device forum and see what you can find.
Friend got the OTA so I pulled the file out
You can find more information in one of the various threads across the site, like this one!
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
Thank you SimplyD for the heads up!
September 29, 2011 By: egzthunder1
If you thought that the aging Nexus One was already all out of development tricks, there are a few surprises in stock for you in the following article. First of all, XDA member dla5244 brings us a custom HBOOT for the Nexus One called BLACKROSE, which basically will grant S-OFF on the device. This will allow you to mess with pretty much everything (except for Radios). This is, when not put in context, a good development. However, what makes this a GREAT development is the fact that the custom HBOOT has a few added quirks on it. For instance, this will enable access to certain parts of the device like the MTD partitions, which basically are the divisions in which memory is allocated across the device. XDA Recognized Developer intersectRaven decided to give a method used by XDA member lbcoder a shot in order to try and modify the allocation of memory. The end result pretty much speaks for itself as he was able to get about 50 MB from from the /cache partition over to the main storage of the N1.
Are you interested in giving this a shot? If you are, you first need to make sure that you are flashing the correct HBOOT for your device. Flashing the wrong one may lead you to end up with a brick. Once you are done with that, you will need to go into insectRaven’s thread and read ALL of the steps. This is more involved than simply flashing a script like it is done on other devices like the G1 or even the EVO. Modifying the memory mapping on this will involve commands, hex editing, and a few other things that can potentially ruin your N1.
If you do try this, please leave some feedback and your end results.
You must execute this on HBOOT 0.35.0017
You can find more information in the custom MTD partition’s thread and in the BLACKROSE thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
Thanks crachel for the tip!
June 27, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
As part of our regular Q&A session here on the XDA-Developers Portal, I’ll be covering some questions and issues frequently seen here in the world of XDA. This week, we’ll concentrate on three officially sanctioned Google Experience devices: the Google Nexus S, the Google Nexus One, and the Motorola XOOM.
Q: I frequently get force closes in acore and google services framework. How do I fix this? [Question originally seen in the Nexus One Q&A Section.]
A: Really easy, this will fix either android.process.acore force closing or google.services.framework force closing.
WARNING!: This will wipe contacts. It seems acore fc’s when there are corrupted contacts. Usually by restoring contacts on an incompatible ROM….
And will temporarily wipe market list. So backup your contacts!Step by step:
0. Make sure Sync is off, leave it off for some time!
1. Go into settings
2. Select Applications
3. Select Manage Applications
4. (If you are on 2.2) Select the All tab
5. Scroll down until you find Contacts Storage (select it).
6. Wipe data+clear cache(If available)
7. Hit back
8. Scroll down until you find Google Services Framework (select it)
9. Wipe data+clear cache (if available)
10. Reboot and enjoyEnable sync again when your convinced that the error has gone.
Q: Does the $5.99 T-zones hack [work] on the Nexus S? [Question originally seen in the Nexus S Q&A Section.]
A: Unlike the Nexus One, the IMEIs of the Nexus S are known to T-Mobile and you are forced to upgrade to a more recent plan. Of course there are ways around this, but they are achieved through duplicitous means.
Q: Is it worth it moving my apps to the [internal] SD Card on my NS? [Question originally seen in the Nexus S Q&A Section.]
A: Do not move apps if you wish for them to be accessible immediately after boot (i.e. widgets). Additionally, you should be aware that FAT32, which is used on the USB Storage partition, is slower than EXT4, which is used in the /data partition. I would only start moving them over to .android_secure if you’re running low on space.
Q: What are all the Nexus S *# commands (secret codes)? [Question originally seen in the Nexus S Q&A Section.]
A: Many, but not all, of the ones in the Wiki for Galaxy S phones work.
Q: I’ve been invited to the Google Music Beta and have uploaded my songs but I can’t access them on my XOOM. When I open the music app, it just tells me that I should connect via USB to transfer songs onto my XOOM? [Question originally seen in the Motorola XOOM Q&A Section.]
A: In order to fix this issue, you must download the newest version from the market.
That wraps it up for this week’s session. Stay tuned for more news and Q&A sessions! As always, if you have any suggestions for stories or questions that we should cover, please feel free to send me (or any other News Writer) a private message.
May 20, 2011 By: egzthunder1
Looks like people left rather happy from Google IO. Lots of news regarding Android, Chrome, and everything that people could have possibly wanted to hear about the future of all that is Google. Not just that, but also many devs that went there left with their hands and pockets full as well. In the case of XDA member Nikropht, he walked out of the conference with a brand new and shiny AADK (Arduino Accessory Developers Kit). The dev decided to put some code together and as a result, he managed to get his Gingerbread-loaded Nexus One to recognize and interact with the board. On the pictures that were attached to the thread, one can see that all sensors seemed fully functional, as well as LEDs, and even USB support. The latter is a bit trickier because there are currently no apps or software made to support the platform. However, it is very early for this and we expect to see great developments coming out of it.
Please drop by the thread and leave some feedback for the dev.
I managed to snag an Android Accessory Development Kit from Google IO.
After wrangling all the necessary code bits together I got the demo code running on the Arduino board and my Nexus One.
You can find more information in the original thread.
Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.
May 9, 2011 By: TheRomMistress
Xda-Developers is a great source of information. Part of the reason for this is the general attitude of the members here. Websters Dictonary defines community as “joint ownership or participation.” By working as a community, the members of XDA have been able to come up with answers to some of the most difficult questions posed in the mobile world. Part of my job as a XDA News Writer is to find those answers and provide them to you in a quick and easy to follow manner. Please join me for another addition of The Weekly Q&A.
Q. This morning I received notice on my Rogers Samsung Focus that I’m ready to receive the 7392 update which fixes the certificate bug. My phone is currently unlocked with Nodo and I obviously want to keep it that way.
Has anyone with an unlocked phone already completed the 7392 update, and if so is your device still unlocked after. I’m concerned that Microsoft may have snuck in something that would disable the unlock many of us have applied to our phones. [Windows Phone 7][Original Thread]
A. After several replies, it was found that your phone will remain unlocked after the update. If you have not been notified that an update is available, try syncing your phone with the PC and starting up Zune.
Q. Today I downloaded a zip file which contained some songs. I downloaded them from mediafire using my HTC hd7 which worked perfectly and I could play these songs. The problem arose when I wanted to play them again but was unable to because I could not find them. I tried using file explorer and looked in the temp folder but was unable to find them. Does anyone know where I would be able to found it? [Windows Phone 7][Original Thread]
A. It depends on the type of file
Documents you can do a save as and make them available in the office hub
Pictures are available in the picture hubI don’t believe you can save music and videos, those are likely being stored in temporary internet cache that you don’t have access to. If the zip file was in your email, you’d be able to open it again from the email attachment (potentially without having to download it again).
Q. I’ve been searching and can’t find how to get Adobe Flash WP7 on my HTC HD7, any help? [Windows Phone 7]Original Thread]
A. Flash support ect is coming with Mobile IE9, which is coming later this year. Possibly with the Mango Update, possibly sooner. We aren’t sure yet.
Q. Can anyone confirm that 2.3.4 will break root on the N1? If so, will the GingerBreak exploit still work to root GB again? [Nexus One][Original Thread]
A. Update 2.3.4 will break root. just use the gingerbreak app again and youll be rooted
- Download the 2.3.4 update, rename it update.zip and place it in the root of my SD
- Then download the su zip and also place it in the root of the SD
- Don’t apply it as an update, because your phone will reboot once its done. If you reboot, you will lose your custom recovery. Use the “install zip from SD” option
- Once that’s done DO NOT reboot and apply the su zip
***Fun Fact***
Q. What was the codename for the Nexus One before release? [Nexus One][Original Thread]
A. It was both the HTC Dragon and Passion. It was released as the Passion.
That wraps up another edition of The Weekly Q&A. If there is something you feel may be “newsworthy” or you would like to share a solution that you came across, please PM myself or any other News Writer.
May 2, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
As part of our regular Q&A session here on the XDA-Developers portal, I’ll be covering some questions and issues frequently seen here in the world of XDA.
Q: I have a little headphone icon showing up in the system tray, and I have no idea why, or what exactly it means is happening. [Question originally seen in the Motorola XOOM Q&A Section.]
A: While the notification pops up at seemingly random some times, this is nothing to be alarmed about. Honeycomb simply places a headphones icon in the notification area to let you know that the Music Player app is running in the background. Sometimes, this is triggered by disconnecting headphones or removing the tablet from the dock.
Q: I don’t know what happened but yesterday after i restarted my N1, most of my apps on SD Card couldn’t seemed anymore! Apps are on the list, on the desktop and on the apps settings (without original icon). But my system doesn’t connect apps on my sd card. [Question originally seen in the Nexus One Q&A Section.]
A: It’s quite possible that the SD card has become corrupted. XDA forum member habs25 had a similar experience and was able to solve his woes with CHKDSK built into Windows. If that fails, a low level format of the SD card and reinstalling the old applications should do the trick.
Q: I want to be able to plug my DSLR camera directly into the USB on my Xoom and download the pictures. Is this possible if I root and use the new Tiamat Kernel? [Question originally seen in the Motorola XOOM Q&A Section.]
A: While you currently cannot connect a camera directly to the XOOM to download images (unless your camera supports USB Mass Storage mode), the easiest way to do this would be to use a USB card reader with your XOOM. An excellent guide is available in the forums on how to use USB Mass Storage with things like card readers and thumb drives.
Q: I was streaming a tv show and paused it and turned the screen off to answer a phone call. After about a 10 minute conversation i went to turn it back on and nothing. Holding down the power button doesn’t do anything. I plugged it into the charger and nothing also. I am rooted with custom kernel installed with SetCPU to scale all the way up to 1500 MHz. It’s been overclocked for a few weeks. When streaming I did notice it getting a couple degrees over 100 fahrenheit but didn’t think that much of it cuz my EVO can get a lot hotter. I didn’t buy a warranty through Best Buy, so I haven’t checked what their return policy is. I’m sure Motorola has some sort of warranty which I KNOW I voided with the rooting and such. What should I do? I’ve only had this thing for less than a month. It’s the wifi only version. [Question originally seen in the Motorola XOOM Q&A Section.]
A: As XDA forum member Rajones19 points out, “Might have just been a lock-up. Did you try to reboot it by holding down Power and Volume Up? That’s saved me a few times when things came to a crashing halt.”
Q: We have no lanyard hole in the Nexus S. Any ideas how to attach it? [Question originally seen in the Nexus S Q&A Section.]
A: Unfortunately, there really is no place to attach a lanyard to the Nexus S. While you may be able to thread a lanyard through the speaker holes in the removable battery back, we don’t recommend it… That is, unless you want your phone going flying at the slightest tug. But hey, that would keep your battery back from hitting the ground with catastrophic fury!
That about wraps it up for this week’s session. Stay tuned for more news and Q&A sessions! As always, if you have any suggestions for stories or questions that we should cover, please feel free to send me (or any other News Writer) a private message.
March 29, 2011 By: orb3000
XDA member adam2010 presents this new theme for your Nexus One using CM7 ROM. ADAMOID LuxurY really changes all colors and general look on your device. The complete package includes MIUI Music, Go Contacts, Go Launcher (themed), and Go Launcher Classic 2, so you don´t need to download any additional stuff to make it work.
For installation, make a Nandroid backup and then download the file. The file is not flashable, so you’ll have to extract it first, then put the flashable file in your SD card, goto Recovery, flash it, and voila!.
The developer opened a poll to find out what other devices should he be making this theme for, so if you like it leave your vote.
Originally posted by adam2010
[THEME][APPS] ADAMOID LuxurY DeSIGn – I <3 CM7 -(3/25/11)Searching for a whole new theme for your CM7 rom? Seek no more, look at the images and judge for yourself. I’m done talking (for now)
*** Theme for Other Devices coming soon! go to this thread***
Credits:
mY thanks to Cyanogen, Pendo, XDA, and mYself lol.Notes:
Most of the CM7 (RC2) UI is themed and I themed some apps to go with the new design.
Continue to the original thread.
March 23, 2011 By: Will Verduzco
In case you haven’t noticed, here at XDA-Developers, we like hacking and modifying our devices. A big part of this, which many often look past while installing countless ROMs and kernels, is that we appreciate customizing the appearance of our devices as well. Sure performance improvements can be seen in benchmarks and frame rates in games, but even dramatic performance gains are often quite subtle compared to basic themes.
Luckily, there is no shortage of theme creators in our community. XDA forum member Trock79 has taken it upon himself to create a highly integrated theme with a blue carbon fiber motif. The aesthetic certainly won’t appeal to everyone, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s daring, and those who like it almost undoubtedly love it. This theme, while originally created for the Google Nexus One, works with the CyanogenMod / T-Mobile Theme Chooser application, and should work with any WVGA device.
Want to give it a shot yourself? Continue to the original thread to download your copy!
March 18, 2011 By: orb3000
XDA member abhi0n0nakul told us about a HTC Desire S ROM being ported to the Nexus One. So, if you have this Android device, now you have the chance to try a newer Gingerbread based ROM. The latest version includes HTC Sense, Locations, WIFI, GPS, overclocking tool for up to 1113 Mhz, and the newest Market, all working well. According to the original poster, you will need latest radio: 5.12, latest hboot: 35.0017, sd-ext: 1gb, recovery: amon ra passion and to wipe all data in order to successfully install.
As work is still in process, there are some things not working yet, such as:
1. Camera and camcorder (causes reboot)
2. Blue-tooth
3. FM radio
4. Video player (though gallery works great)
5. Few graphical glitches.
6. Problems with status bar
7. USB mass storage
8. Charging led does not glow while charge
9. MMS problems
If you still want to try it, it´s advised that you know what are you doing. As always, the developers take no responsibility if you brick your device. Please leave your feedback, so future versions can be improved.
Originally posted by abhi0n0nakul
[ROM/DEV] Desire S (2.3.2 + sense) port to nexus one v0.3 release : [18/3/11]hey guys, its great that we now have gingerbread sense working (atleast its a start) desire s rom on nexus one.
the original rom(no booting) :redbullcat
but the original work providing a booting rom : dbasabe
and many more that have worked for making it boot.
kernel by redstar overclocking to 1113Mhzwell great work done by the team. wish for great future of the rom
WISHLIST:
1. update android version to 2.3.3
2. tb wake
3. hibernate,recovery,bootloader,hot reboot,silent/vib., mobile data on/off
power menu options
4. battery percentage
5. tb light notification alerts
Continue to the original thread.
March 5, 2011 By: mic_888
If you own a Nexus One you’ll find a few trackball colour apps around but all require root access. However, if you haven’t gotten round to rooting your device yet, XDA forum member andrewpmoore has written Light Flow an app for non-root users!
Light Flow lets you monitor a number of events and has 2 modes.
Priority mode lets you choose which notification type is most important to you and the trackball will flash in that colour. Succession mode is where the trackball will change colour and cycle through the colours of the notification types.
The modes can be set accordingly for when the phone is on charge or on battery, and the frequency of the colour cycle can also be configured.
Light Flow is available in a lite and paid version and is compatible with Gingerbread, the lite version being available for free on the Market. For more information, head on over to the application thread.
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