Nexus

One of the all-time best sci-fi film taglines is to be put to the test. Is it true that "in space no one can hear you scream"?

You could survive exposure to the hard vacuum of space for several seconds, long enough to attempt a yell or yodel. After that, however, bad things will happen.

But thanks to some British boffins at the University of Surrey's Surrey Space Centre and Surrey Satellite Technology, humanity doesn't need to test the "Alien" tagline firsthand. They've launched a satellite into orbit equipped with a screaming smartphone. … Read more

A relatively minor update for the Nexus line of devices, Android 4.2.2, was released last week by Google. The update, which included various performance improvements, also included a change to the behavior of the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi tiles in Quick Settings.

To access Quick Settings, you simply swipe down from the top of your screen with two fingers. You'll see various tiles, all allowing you to quickly access their respective settings screen. New in the 4.2.2 update is the ability to long-press on the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth icons, toggling the state of the service.

It'… Read more

The Nexus 4's camera may not be such a bad option, but it's far from the best currently available -- something Google's Vic Gundotra says the firm is in the midst of changing.

Over at Google+, a photography-themed discussion relating to the quality of DSLR cameras and image quality versus the nuisance of carting around heavy pieces of equipment led Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering, to say the tech giant is "committed to making Nexus phones insanely great cameras."

In case any of you remain dubious, Gundotra further commented "just you wait … Read more

Have you noticed that your new smartphone charges up quicker than your old one? You might want to thank Qualcomm and the Quick Charge 1.0 technology, which Qualcomm today announced is in more than 70 Snapdragon-based smartphones and tablets.

The rapid-charging technology can charge your phone up to 40 percent faster than previous generations, Qualcomm claims.

Where other models might take up to 4 hours to charge, a Quick Charge could accomplish the job in under 3 hours. As of today, there are more than 70 devices with support for Quick Charge 1.0, with more on the way.… Read more

Google's Nexus 4 offers a pure Android experience on an unlocked device, at a great no-contract price. It's also fairly easy to disassemble and hides a bit of a hardware secret inside.

Full TechRepublic teardown gallery: Cracking Open the Google Nexus 4

The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch IPS display (1,280x768-pixel resolution at 320 ppi), 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel main camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, and it comes in 8GB and 16GB versions.

Given its hardware specifications, the Nexus 4 can definitely hold its own against other high-end smartphones. And with its support for NFC and wireless charging, LG's handset is even a step ahead of many devices. What the Nexus 4 doesn't have is LTE support -- at least not officially.

Overall, it's well-built, feels sturdy in your hands, and is fairly easy to take apart.… Read more

If you need me this morning, I'm obsessively checking my Nexus 7, looking for the Android 4.2.2 upgrade that's reportedly begun rolling out to Nexus devices and will likely to be pushed from the carriers as well, at some point in the near future.

One of my favorite winter morning activities here in the chilly Rockies is to get up early before the rest of the family, start a fire in the wood stove, and get some coffee going to start the day off right. In the name of multitasking, I like to do all the above while listening to podcasts or Spotify on my Nexus 7 via a Bluetooth stereo headset so as not to disturb my slumbering wife and child.… Read more

Months after Google began selling the LG-made Nexus 4 Android 4.2 smartphone, it (finally) has a wireless charger to offer as well.

The charging accessory, available in the Google Play store, resembles a sheared-off Nexus Q and costs $59.99.

Google's wireless charger, like most, relies on the Qi protocol of inductive charging. The upshot is that the charger will be able to power other smartphones using the same standard.

I personally think this is a hefty sticker price for an add-on that's long been underscored as part of the Nexus 4's key selling points. Even … Read more

Can I share a secret with you?

Smartphones really aren't that smart.

They do a small amount of thinking for themselves, but they depend quite a bit on the information you give them about yourself. Yes, they're like IBM's Watson -- or pretty much every Valentine's blind date you've ever had.

However, Google chose last night's Grammys to suggest that its smartphone, the Nexus 4, is just a little smarter than, say, oh, the iPhone 5.

Siri has had her troubles understanding you -- both your voice and the strange way you sometimes think. … Read more

Whether you think it's just a trendy party trick or the next feature we should all come to expect from high-end handsets, wireless charging is catching on and has been featured in a number of top-tier devices.

And while the future of its popularity still hangs in the air, we rounded up the best phones (in no particular order) that are available now and feature the technology. All these handsets, save for one Lumia, feature the capability natively and don't require a special phone case.

In addition, if you're looking at this list with envy while holding … Read more