AndroidNZ's Week in Android News

This is the first in our weekly series aggregating some of the most significant news in the Android world over the last seven days. Hit us up after the break to make sure nothing passed you by in a rather momentous week in the world of mobility.



Since we're introducing the format, well worn though it may be, for the first time here today, it's probably worth clarifying that the news here won't always be explicitly Android related. Some non-Android news pieces in the mobile and technology spaces are just too large to pass over, they send out ripples that are felt everywhere in the tech world, so naturally we'll want to tell you about them too. If you're a staunch one-eyed Android fanboy, you'll just have to avert your eyes when those stories crop up.

Speaking of that kind of news, its not without some sense of irony that we lead our first ever Week in Android News with the news that rightfully dominated headlines this week - Steve Job's passing. 

• I had a few simple but heartfelt words to say on the matter here, but naturally you'll find somebody saying something about it anywhere you look on the internet at the moment, whether it was Apple's succinctly sincere tribute, or Gizmodo's massive outpouring of stories collated here.

Beyond the tragic brevity of Steve Job's life, the next most significant story was the iPhone 4S announcement. You can find links to it in abundance if you have the inclination, but since this is an Android site you might be happy enough with my precis: iPhone 4S - bringing you hardware parity with 6-8 month old Android handsets, and also liberally borrowing from Android's software with its carbon copy notifications system, and other 'revolutionary innovations' such as voice recognition software. Sure, that's a little bit harsh, but you know when an Apple announcement isn't met with giddy rapture from fans living in the reality distortion bubble that something isn't all there.

A mock-up for how the Nexus Prime
might look based on how it really
does look in sidelong profile

For Android fans by far the biggest news this week has been in relation to the next Nexus phone, Samsung's Nexus Prime. Most reading here will of course already be familiar with the Nexus series of phones and what they're about, but for newbies here's a brief summary: the Nexus phones are ones that Google makes in partnership with a chosen manufacturer each year, their arrival always heralds the next big iteration of the Android OS - they're the first phones to have it, and also the first to get fitted with the incremental OS updates that occur throughout the year, and since they form the archetypal reference for the next generation of software and hardware they tend to enjoy a level of development support that few other handsets can match.

Information regarding the Nexus Prime has been plentiful this week. As per usual every blog on the planet has their own 'reliable', and 'exclusive' sources, unfortunately these sources haven't seen eye to eye on lots of the details, so it's been difficult trying to keep up with the outflow of information and get a feel for what might be genuine.

We'll try and throw you the abridged highlights here:

• First, lets start with something solid if lacking in detail - a teaser video from Samsung itself
• Now, how about those specifications eh? Well, here they are, courtesy of BGR. Quite disappointing aren't they? OMAP chipset, 1.2GHz dual core CPU, Verizon exclusive, 5mp camera... Weeeellll, maybe not...
• ...at least if GSMarena's sources have anything to say on the matter. They claim a much more enticing Exynos SoC clocked at 1.5GHz, an 8mp camera, and the same excellent GPU found in the iPad 2. 
• Now with all this uncertainty surrounding the specifications, it was heartening to know that the big reveal was only a few days away, or at least so we thought before Stuff reported an unofficial statement that El Goog and Samsung were delaying the announcement.
• As they say "hope dies last", so of course the faithful were holding out in the hope that this statement, lacking official corroboration, would be proven false, but sadly Samsung soon stepped up to confirm the news
• ...and just when you thought the drama surrounding the Nexus Prime must be done, up pops an alleged screenshot photoshoot, and a rather convincing video of the handset in action:

• ...and just when I thought I was done posting Nexus Prime news, I saw this today:

LG got in on the HD-screen action also, this week confirming their previously rumoured 720p handset - the LG Optimus LTE. The specs sheet makes for pretty exciting reading for geeks, although LG haven't announced whether the LTE will be available outside of its home market in Korea. Looking at those specs, and those of the rumoured Nexus Prime, you just have to wonder what Samsung will be bringing to the table with the Galaxy S III...

Even Sony had some 720p-screened handsets making waves, with some tasty looking specs that may or may not include a 12mp camera...

There was of course another Android handset announcement from a major manufacturer this week - HTC's immediately forgettable Sensation XL (it wasn't really HTC's week this week, their woes didn't stop at a rather average product launch - they also had to front up to news of a significant security flaw in their devices).

If you're reading this in the US, then you're probably aware that Samsung's awesome Galaxy S II variants for the US market broke cover recently. I'd keep an eye peeled on GSMarena, Engadget, and Androidcentral for news and reviews on the variant that comes in the flavour of your poison of choice network carrier. I don't expect all that much has changed from when I expended something like 11,000 words reviewing the international variant, so if you just can't get enough to sate your appetite while you wait for your contract renewal you might like to brush up on what I had to say here.

We had some news of our own this week too - AndroidNZ acquired some awesome new writers (we've recruited a couple more since then, but I'll introduce you to them next week).

We love gaming here too, so naturally it wasn't all work and no play. I had some fun with N64oid following its update to version 2.4. Judging by how many other blogs reported on this this piece, it seems I'm not the only one with an enduring fondness for the games of yesteryear...

...and finally, I reviewed one of the most polished Android games available "Great Little War Game" [Teaser alert: we've got a special announcement in relation to GLWG coming up too, so stay tuned as we head into the new week to find out more!].

Well that's it for now.

It goes without saying that each of us views the tech news with a slightly different filter: if you think there is a vital piece of news we've neglected to publicise, or if there is something you just gotta offload in relation to the news we have thrown out there, don't hold back - let us know in the comments section below!