You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Now that you've picked up a freshly discounted Nexus 4, how about a seven-inch Android tablet to go with it? Well, the next-generation Nexus 7 goes on sale today in UK, Germany, France, Spain, and, er, Japan. British readers will need to digitally transfer £200 to Google Play for the 16GB entry-level model, while the 32GB version rings in £240. Want LTE? Well, O2 UK promises that its 4G-ready version will go on sale September 12th, for £320 -- no details on data plan pricing though. Pre-orders for that start tomorrow and if you do, you'll get a free "premium case" for your enthusiasm.
Filed under: Tablets, ASUS, Google
Via: Phandroid
Source: Google Play, O2
Google often takes its time bringing its Nexus variety of tablets and smartphones across the Pacific, but it's getting faster. Today, it announced that the refreshed Nexus 7 (with a new 1,900 x 1,200 resolution screen and 5MP camera) will land in Japan on Wednesday 28th August. The 16GB model is priced up at 27,800 yen, while double the storage will cost 33,800 yen.
For Japanese readers hoping for that LTE model, there's news on that front too. It'll arrive SIM-unlocked in the middle of September, the 32GB LTE model will cost just shy of 40,000 yen, notably off-contract -- Google says it'll work on all three of Japan's major carriers (DoCoMo, Softbank and KDDI's au). Barring the original 7-inch tablet, Nexus models have typically been in short supply in Japan; the Nexus 4 is yet to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.
If you're one of the 2013 Nexus 7 users who's experienced some wonkiness with multitouch, this is (hopefully) your lucky day. Over on Google's product forums today, Mountain View staffer Paulw confirmed a system update that addresses the touchscreen issues. Build JSS15Q is reportedly rolling out now -- if you've received the update, be sure to let us know if your Nexus 7 is finally screen freakout-free.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Google
Via: Droid Life
Source: Google product forums
If you're one of the 2013 Nexus 7 users who's experienced some wonkiness with multitouch, this is (hopefully) your lucky day. Over on Google's product forums today, Mountain View staffer Paulw confirmed a system update that addresses the touchscreen issues. Build JSS15Q is reportedly rolling out now -- if you've received the update, be sure to let us know if your Nexus 7 is finally screen freakout-free.
Update: Looks like the update addresses an issue with the unit's GPS sensitivity, too.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Google
Via: Droid Life
Source: Google product forums
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
A muddled sense of direction isn't the only problem affecting the new generation of Nexus 7 slates, it seems, as some users are also reporting issues with multitouch on the 1,920 x 1,200 display. The clip below the fold demonstrates the bug, and shows the touchscreen registering phantom inputs before freaking out for a couple of seconds. Over the past few weeks, chatter on the XDA Developers and Google Product forums suggests it's fairly common, with a response from Google on the latter stating: "The Android team is aware of this issue and investigating." We haven't had the same troubles with a 2013 Nexus 7 in our possession (running Android 4.3 build JSS15J, FYI), and while the root of the problem is still up for discussion, let's hope funky software is to blame -- no one wants the hassle of replacing faulty hardware, especially Google, when an OTA fix will do.
Filed under: Displays, Tablets, ASUS, Google
Via: GSMArena, Android Police
Source: Google Product Forums, XDA Developers (1), (2)
Wanna mod that shiny new Nexus 7? Today's your lucky day. Google just posted the factory image and binaries for its second generation 7-inch tablet -- also known by the product name "razor" and device name "flo". The factory image lets you restore your new Nexus 7 to the exact software it shipped with in case you grow tired of that custom ROM you cooked up using the binaries (natch). Speaking of which, the packages include drivers for audio and sensors from ASUS, NFC from Broadcom plus graphics and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink from Qualcomm. This comes mere hours after some open source drama surrounding the binaries (which now appears to be resolved) and with plenty of time to spare for UK customers. Follow the source links below and have fun hacking this weekend.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, ASUS, Google
Source: Google Developers (factory image), Google Developers (binaries)
The urban-hunchback shuffle is usually demonstrated by commuters slouching over a phone, in search of a pre-meeting coffee-house. But, if you're attempting something similar with the latest Nexus 7, maybe leave a little earlier. Why? Because word is that some users are reporting funky behaviour with the tablet's GPS -- perhaps causing a little deja vu for ASUS slate owners . Issues vary from total flake out, to halting after 10 to 30 minutes. Several attempted fixes -- including complete reinstalls -- haven't fixed things. Google is aware of the problem, and working on a fix -- but no details on when this might be delivered. It's suggested that disabling Google Play Services might help things. This component of Android is used by other apps though, so proceed with caution. Is it affecting you? Let us know in the comments.
Via: Phone Arena
Source: Google Groups
We were pleasantly surprised by the latest version of the Nexus 7, which landed in the US at the end of July. A little more patience has been required of Nexus fans on the other side of the pond, however, but the wait will soon be coming to an end. According to Pocket-Lint, ASUS has confirmed that the device will launch at midnight on August 28th, and will offer an asking price of £199.99 for the 16GB WiFi model and £239.99 for the 32GB WiFi-only version. There's no word on an LTE unit hitting British shores, but we'll keep you posted if we hear more.
Filed under: Tablets, ASUS, Google
Source: Pocket-Lint