The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was the first device I stood in line to get since the release of the Xbox 360. Android 4.0 wasn't just the latest version, it was the end of root access. The ability to take screenshots, the implementation of a great launcher and most every feature I had come to appreciate from custom ROM's were there. I had moved to Verizon Wireless from T-Mobile because my new house was not in one of the more magenta-friendly places on the map, and one of my biggest concerns was that I would not have access to a Nexus device, after proudly carrying the G1, the Nexus One, and the Nexus S.
Since the arrival of the Galaxy Nexus, my phone has been completely stock, no root access and no custom ROMs. Unfortunately that had to change today, as I moved my Galaxy Nexus back to CyanogenMod 9.
The Nexus that isn’t
The Verizon Wireless version of the Galaxy Nexus isn’t exactly the same as the other kids in the Nexus playground. The device (codename Toro) is different from the GSM version (Maguro) — it’s ever so slightly thicker due to the LTE radio, and the device gets updates from Verizon instead of Google. That last bit is significant, because it means that Verizon has to allow updates to the Galaxy Nexus that have been released by Google. For example, GSM versions of the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S started to receive the update to Android 4.0.4, and at the same time the update was pushed to the Android Open Source Project. In a nutshell, you can build the latest version of Android from scratch, or you can own a Nexus S or GSM Galaxy Nexus. If you have the Verizon model, there’s no knowing when the update is coming your way.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with another set of eyes testing a build to make sure things are working, although that didn’t seem to do much good when the Galaxy Nexus was first released, with all of the LTE issues that were had the first week. The biggest reason for Verizon to have their hands in this this particular pie was to make sure that the Verizon Backup Manager and the Verizon account app got integrated into the build. While I would hardly call two measly apps bloatware, I also don’t think that they necessarily need to come pre-loaded on the phone. At the end of the day if the big delay is just for internal testing and bloatware install, I’d rather place myself in a position to avoid an unnecessary delay. With custom roms like CyanogenMod, who build their offerings straight from the Android Open Source Project, I know that my version of Android will always be the most current, and my update unfettered by any Carrier fiddling.
Improving on an already great concept
All told, I am still very happy with Android 4.0. I find most of the things that were done to be significant improvements that I had previously been relying on custom ROMs to deliver. Unlike Android 2.0, I didn’t feel the need to replace the launcher, or to root the phone, or to install an arsenal of minor modifications to make it “just right” for me. Out of the box, I was pretty happy but with CyanogenMod 9 I was reminded of a few features that improve on the existing Android 4.0 experience that I had frankly forgotten I wanted.
For example, having access to my settings in the action bar at the top of the OS is very nice, but having one button access to things like screen rotation, WiFi, or the brightness of my screen in the same place is another thing entirely. I can choose from a list of what setting I want to go into my drawer for quick control, and it decreases the number of buttons I need to press to accomplish any of those tasks. The other feature that I have often touted as my favorite feature on anything I have ever used in my life is quiet hours. I can set a period of time on my phone, typically between 11pm and 7am for me, where all of the sounds on my phone are silenced, vibration is disabled, and the notification light on my phone is dimmed. It happens every day, automatically, without any need to remember.
Most of the features I really enjoy about CyanogenMod can be rigged up in a normal build of Android. There are apps out there for almost all of them, but CyanogenMod offers them all up in a package where the options are streamlined right into my settings. It’s clean, and it is just as stable as stock Android from my experience. Plus, the recent move by CyanogenMod to make builds default to a non-rooted state makes the experience as close to being just as secure as a stock build as possible in the Android world.
Not for everyone just yet
The CyanogenMod ecosystem is going through a lot of changes right now. Android 4.0 forced the developer team to invest in new hardware for their build machines, and in many ways completely rethink how they approached building their fork of Android for their now over one million users. The current iteration of CyanogenMod 9 for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is still labeled as a nightly build, rather than a stable build. All this means in this case is that all of the features they plan to implement for this phone have not been setup yet. In no way is this build of Android unstable. It is a nightly build in name only, and will receive its proper support announcement when it is absolutely ready. Putting CyanogenMod on a phone like the Galaxy Nexus is incredibly easy, since getting root access and unlocking the bootloader on this phone aren’t hindered by anything.
Tags: Android, android 4.0, aosp, cm9, CyanogenMod, cyanogenmod 9, Google, GSM, ics, LTE, roms, root, verizon wireless Popular Mobile Articles Do app ports from iOS guarantee Android’s future in second place? Motorola Webtop 3.0 brings ICS to big screens Project Glass: the augmented reality glasses from Google Review: Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T Asus Padfone on sale in Taiwan from $600-$1000 Mobile Archives April 2012March 2012February 2012January 2012December 2011November 2011October 2011September 2011August 2011July 2011June 2011May 2011April 2011March 2011February 2011January 2011December 2010November 2010 Search: All Articles Products Glossary Forums Previous
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Since the arrival of the Galaxy Nexus, my phone has been completely stock, no root access and no custom ROMs. Unfortunately that had to change today, as I moved my Galaxy Nexus back to CyanogenMod 9.
The Nexus that isn’t
The Verizon Wireless version of the Galaxy Nexus isn’t exactly the same as the other kids in the Nexus playground. The device (codename Toro) is different from the GSM version (Maguro) — it’s ever so slightly thicker due to the LTE radio, and the device gets updates from Verizon instead of Google. That last bit is significant, because it means that Verizon has to allow updates to the Galaxy Nexus that have been released by Google. For example, GSM versions of the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S started to receive the update to Android 4.0.4, and at the same time the update was pushed to the Android Open Source Project. In a nutshell, you can build the latest version of Android from scratch, or you can own a Nexus S or GSM Galaxy Nexus. If you have the Verizon model, there’s no knowing when the update is coming your way.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with another set of eyes testing a build to make sure things are working, although that didn’t seem to do much good when the Galaxy Nexus was first released, with all of the LTE issues that were had the first week. The biggest reason for Verizon to have their hands in this this particular pie was to make sure that the Verizon Backup Manager and the Verizon account app got integrated into the build. While I would hardly call two measly apps bloatware, I also don’t think that they necessarily need to come pre-loaded on the phone. At the end of the day if the big delay is just for internal testing and bloatware install, I’d rather place myself in a position to avoid an unnecessary delay. With custom roms like CyanogenMod, who build their offerings straight from the Android Open Source Project, I know that my version of Android will always be the most current, and my update unfettered by any Carrier fiddling.
Improving on an already great concept
All told, I am still very happy with Android 4.0. I find most of the things that were done to be significant improvements that I had previously been relying on custom ROMs to deliver. Unlike Android 2.0, I didn’t feel the need to replace the launcher, or to root the phone, or to install an arsenal of minor modifications to make it “just right” for me. Out of the box, I was pretty happy but with CyanogenMod 9 I was reminded of a few features that improve on the existing Android 4.0 experience that I had frankly forgotten I wanted.For example, having access to my settings in the action bar at the top of the OS is very nice, but having one button access to things like screen rotation, WiFi, or the brightness of my screen in the same place is another thing entirely. I can choose from a list of what setting I want to go into my drawer for quick control, and it decreases the number of buttons I need to press to accomplish any of those tasks. The other feature that I have often touted as my favorite feature on anything I have ever used in my life is quiet hours. I can set a period of time on my phone, typically between 11pm and 7am for me, where all of the sounds on my phone are silenced, vibration is disabled, and the notification light on my phone is dimmed. It happens every day, automatically, without any need to remember.
Most of the features I really enjoy about CyanogenMod can be rigged up in a normal build of Android. There are apps out there for almost all of them, but CyanogenMod offers them all up in a package where the options are streamlined right into my settings. It’s clean, and it is just as stable as stock Android from my experience. Plus, the recent move by CyanogenMod to make builds default to a non-rooted state makes the experience as close to being just as secure as a stock build as possible in the Android world.
Not for everyone just yet
The CyanogenMod ecosystem is going through a lot of changes right now. Android 4.0 forced the developer team to invest in new hardware for their build machines, and in many ways completely rethink how they approached building their fork of Android for their now over one million users. The current iteration of CyanogenMod 9 for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is still labeled as a nightly build, rather than a stable build. All this means in this case is that all of the features they plan to implement for this phone have not been setup yet. In no way is this build of Android unstable. It is a nightly build in name only, and will receive its proper support announcement when it is absolutely ready. Putting CyanogenMod on a phone like the Galaxy Nexus is incredibly easy, since getting root access and unlocking the bootloader on this phone aren’t hindered by anything.
Tags: Android, android 4.0, aosp, cm9, CyanogenMod, cyanogenmod 9, Google, GSM, ics, LTE, roms, root, verizon wireless Popular Mobile Articles Do app ports from iOS guarantee Android’s future in second place? Motorola Webtop 3.0 brings ICS to big screens Project Glass: the augmented reality glasses from Google Review: Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T Asus Padfone on sale in Taiwan from $600-$1000 Mobile Archives April 2012March 2012February 2012January 2012December 2011November 2011October 2011September 2011August 2011July 2011June 2011May 2011April 2011March 2011February 2011January 2011December 2010November 2010 Search: All Articles Products Glossary Forums Previous
Wii U launch expected November 18, but hardware is lacking
About that HD Voice on the HTC EVO 4G LTE…
Self-sustaining solar reactor creates clean hydrogen fuel
Instagram for Android launches – Slightly buggy, can’t save to SD
Project Glass: the augmented reality glasses from Google
IBM developing exascale computer for the Square Kilometre Array
New Firefox interface mock-ups posted
Do app ports from iOS guarantee Android’s future in second place?
Review: Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T
NASA designs supersonic aircraft with a quiet sonic boom Next Mobile Picks About that HD Voice on the HTC EVO 4G LTE…Do app ports from iOS guarantee Android’s future in second place?Motorola Webtop 3.0 brings ICS to big screensReview: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7AT&T confirms Lumia 900 on sale April 8 at $99.99Microsoft denies Windows Phone Challenge winner his prizeSamsung Galaxy S3 image leaks, unveiling expected May 22Google is the least open part of AndroidBeats Audio buys MOG, HTC gets a streaming music serviceWhat do we actually know about Android 5.0 (Jelly Bean)? Recent Mobile Activity Popular Article CommentsForum Talk rfisherusa
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Posted In: Mobile Read More » Nenuzza
My Iphone 4 is perfect, except when the battery is low. Here it comes, when the old technology can help the new one. ...
Posted In: Mobile Read More » mallikaah
Help needed to add and access G365 shortcuts on the mobile home screen....
Posted In: Mobile Read More » View All Forum Talk » ID Software crea la división ID Mobile. | HardwareMX
[...] Fuente. Esta entrada fue publicada en Gamer, Móvil, Noticias por Webmaster. Guarda el enlace permanente....
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Sorry I'm njshobeiri I write my name incorrect my name is jack fillips I'm from england...
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Nec is the fucking phone in the worldFucking nec and galaxy just iphone4 oh yeah...
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