Did Verizon's internal clock reset?

So, I've been waiting for 4.3 to roll out for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.... but not a peep has been heard. No leaks, no test groups, nothing. Which makes me wonder, did the JWR66Y update that rolled out on August 21, 2013 for the GSM Galaxy Nexus restart Verizon's internal "testing" procedures? According to Verizon's response to complaints about customers being unable to activate Nexus 7's with LTE, their testing process takes between 4-6 weeks to complete and certify a device for their network. I'm starting to think that Verizon probably has similar testing for updates and were mid-test when the bug fixes rolled out... and that sent them back to the beginning. If that is the case, and the clock re-started on 8/21, I should re-calibrate my predictions right? Though, Verizon's updates never seem to fall in that 4-6 week window.

So... if Verizon matches their speed with the 4.2.2 update of 19 days to a soak test and 36 days to release, that would've put us at September 9th for the soak test. So, let's assume Verizon goes back to their 50 days to soak test schedule from the 4.1 update. That puts the soak test at around October 10th.  Only time will tell.

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DnT

Start the clock...

Today Google officially announced Android 4.3. They stated that the Galaxy Nexus (along with the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10) would be getting that update, with updates beginning to get pushed out today. So let the "Verizon delay clock" begin....

Here's the Galaxy Nexus update history for comparison.  The 4.2.2 update came fairly quickly in only 36 days (by Verizon standards).  Based on that timeline, I'm hoping for an August 12th "soak test" followed shortly thereafter by a leaked version...and then an official OTA around August 29th.  Only time will tell.




4.0.4: ICS update
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4.0.4 was pushed by google (GSM) around March 30th.
4.0.4 was soak tested by Verizon on May 1st.
4.0.4 was pushed by Verizon around May 31-June 1

So, right on 60 days to 4.0.4


4.1: Jellybean
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Google began updating their GSM Nexus to Jelly Bean (4.1) on July 10th.
Verizon's soak test started on August 29, 2012.
An early leak was posted online in the first week of September. (I installed on 9/5)
The full update was rolled out 9/21

So about 73 days to Jelly Bean 4.1.


4.2: JB update
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The 4.2 update began rolling out on November 13, 2012 to the Domestic GSM variant "takju". 
4.2.1 was pushed out with a bug fix on November 27, 2012.
The Sprint CDMA variant started updating on January 30th, 2013
Verizon NEVER saw 4.2 or 4.2.1


4.2.2: JB update
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4.2.2 was released on February 11, 2012
4.2.2 hits Verizon testers on March 2, 2013 (only 19 days! That has to be a record)
On March 4, 2013 a leaked version was posted online. (I installed it on 3/5)
4.2.2 begins hitting Verizon Galaxy Nexus phones OTA on March 19th, 2013 (36 days - a Verizon record I'm sure!)

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DnT

Jelly Bean for Verizon (UPDATE!)

While the official Jelly Bean update for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is still MIA, there is a leaked version (JRO03O) that has been making the rounds on the internet. 

(UPDATED 9/21) The official Verizon update has arrived! Users are reporting the update is now available via Wi-Fi ONLY for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Get on Wi-Fi and hit that 'Check For Update' button now! 

I installed the leak on my rooted GN on September 5th and have been running it since. I thought I'd share my impressions here for those who may have grown impatient.

Jelly Bean definitely shows marked improvement in the responsiveness of the phone in terms of swiping, scrolling, and opening apps. Google Now offers some really intriguing features, but at this point for me they offered little value. The updates on sports scores were nice (at least once Google got NFL scores going for week 2!). I imagine people who do a lot of travelling would love the flight updates and travel features, but as I rarely move about the country (and even less about the world), they were of little use to me. Same goes for traffic updates - I work from home so traffic notifications offer me no help. I tried to  activate "places" to get updates on nearby events or businesses but I never had a card show up. Its possible I just hadn't given Now a chance to learn about me before disabling it.  The real issue for me, though, was the seemingly large increase in battery usage attributed to map/location-related programs. Under Better Battery Stats, there were no fewer than 5 different processes responsible for 'waking up' the processor on my phone, some with significant usage. Location services have always seemed to use an excessive amount of background processor time which always bugged me, but the increase I saw with Google Now active was just too much.

(Update: I'm giving Google Now another shot but with limited location features to see if it works any better)

The most obvious other change I saw in Jelly Bean was the device settings page. Instead of the previous "accounts & sync" line, Android 4.1 brings all your accounts to the main list for easier access and modification. I really don't find this to be a valuable addition as I rarely ever find myself adjusting things like app syncing. I usually keep all but the minimum necessities OFF. I feel that this change didn't add anything and just cluttered up the main settings screen and forced me to scroll more to get down to things like 'developer options' and 'about phone'.

The most useful change in Jelly Bean is the notification bar. Aside from the font style and color change, the notifications are far more useful. Instead of a very limited listing of your notifications, Jelly Bean provides you with a very detailed list of what's waiting for you including the content of SMS messages and an extended amount of info from received gmails, not to mention the ability to call contacts directly from missed call notifications.  It really makes the notification bar so much more useful.

As far as functionality goes, the radios did not appear to offer me any improvements over the prior versions, but then again, I never had major problems despite being in a borderline 3G/4G area.

[Note: If you were rooted on ICS and flashed the Jellybean update, you probably lost root and don't even know it. To regain root, copy this updated SU zip file to your sdcard and then install the zip through cockwork recovery.]

-DnT

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Apple plays catch up...

Or.... "The all-new iPhone 5"
Or.... "The new iPhone XLT"
Or.... "The innovative new device everyone else was already making...."

OK, so maybe I kid, a little.

But honestly, let's look at what's "new" here.

4" screen - Done 2 years ago, and a new 4"+ phone is released almost every day it seems.
Also, didn't Steve Jobs once say “3.5 inch handset size is the “sweet spot” for mobile phone design; big enough to produce detailed, legible graphics, but small enough to fit comfortably in the hand and pocket.”  I guess things change.  Maybe people evolved bigger hands in the last 2 years. To be fair, different screen sizes work for different people, which is what makes Android and all of its choices so great in my opinion. To each his own, size.

16:9(ish) - Again, Steve Jobs didn't like 16:9. Thought it was only good for movies. Times change I guess. I am a little surprised that their solution to resolution change on older apps is to letterbox. I guess they'll be pushing devs to update to the 16:9 ratio so they don't want to make it too complicated in the meantime.

UPDATE: Something else that's been bugging me about the iPhone is the display. While Apple unquestionably produces a phone with a great display, it still surprises me that they stick with a 640 horizontal line display. With almost all of today's manufacturers producing a 720 line display I find in interesting that they are sticking with 640. Obviously the benefit is transitioning apps to the new longer display more easily, but it just seems like having 720 lines gives you 'more' when it comes to video. Most HD video is 1080p or 720p, so scaling down to 640p implies a loss of some lines of resolution.

Headphone port on the bottom - Not sure that the Galaxy Nexus was the first, but it sure had that last year when it came out. It makes sense too. I'm pretty sure everyone puts their phone in their pocket upside down right?  Only fitting to put the port on the bottom so you can be plugged in while its in your pocket without switching things around.

Panorama photograph mode - Had that on my Galaxy Nexus last year. Check


LTE - Done early 2011.  In Apple's defense, there was no rush to be early to the party... as other than Verizon almost no one has a substantial LTE network in place anyway. No penalty for the late arrival.

Sharing tabs between mobile and desktop - Chrome Browser / Android Browser. Check.

SMS response when declining calls - Android. Check.


I'll give Apple some points for making it lighter, that's for sure. In terms of making it thinner, well its 18% thinner but its 18% longer, so no points there.




Also, while I completely understand them going with a new connector, the adapter they are showing just looks absolutely redonkulous.

UPDATE: The adapter is $30!  Ouch. That's a lot of extra cash coming Apple's way for everyone with an existing dock....






All in all, Apple is finally updating the iPhone to what consumers have been demanding for more than a year now. A 4" (or more) 16:9 screen and, for some, LTE. A lot of the 'new' features won't seem all that new to Android users, but with Apple's focus on litigating, it must leave little time for innovating!  Obviously, no one has touched one of the new iPhone 5's yet, so no one can comment on the performance of the processor, camera, or any of the other software features. They might turn out to be incredible, even if many of the other features are today's standards.


-DnT
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Where are those Jelly Beans?

As most Android addicts on Verizon Wireless know, Verizon is a bit slow to push updates. We suffer through it because they have the best speed and best coverage... and best customer service.

Anyway, as many people are aware, Google released their most recent version of the Android OS 4.1 codenamed "Jelly Bean" back in early July. Owners of the direct-from-google GSM variant of the Galaxy Nexus were treated to that update starting on July 10th.

So what does that mean for those of us on Verizon Wireless?  Let's see what happened with the 4.0.4 update to Ice Cream Sandwich.....

4.0.4 was pushed to Google's GSM variant around March 30th.
4.0.4 was soak tested by Verizon on May 1st (Which I immediately flashed to my phone!)
4.0.4 was finally pushed by Verizon around May 31-June 1

So, right on 60 days basically.

Google began updating their GSM Nexus to Jelly Bean on July 10th.
Based on the ICS timetable, I'd expect a Verizon soak test in Mid August.... which is now-ish.... followed by a full push in early September.

I guess we can only wait and see....



-DnT

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Verizon finally rolling out 4.0.4 to the masses...

It only took them a month or 2.... but Verizon finally started pushing the 4.0.4 update to its Galaxy Nexus users yesterday. The rollout seems to be going gradually, with some reports that Verizon plans to spread it out over 10 days.... which seems ridiculous yet on par with how they've handled everything about this phone.

That said, if you can't wait, there's always rooting and flashing the update yourself. I've been enjoying it for a month now.

Good Luck!


DnT

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4.0.4 where are you?

So, two days ago Google started rolling out some updated Ice Cream Sandwiches. Namely for the GSM Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S. So where's the love for the LTE Galaxy Nexus?

Well, according to Google, the reason is that they no longer consider ANY CDMA devices to qualify as "developer phones". Now, lots of people read this as "Google no longer supports this device" but that is simply untrue. They are still developing and building the Roms for these devices, the difference is that they cannot push it directly to the phone, nor release it for users to install. The reason, according to Google, is that the technology behind CDMA devices (used by Sprint and VZW) require the carriers to "sign a key" that enables telephony functions. Because Google cannot DIRECTLY update these devices, they no longer consider them "supported developer devices". But rest assured, they should still receive timely updates like their GSM cousins. "Should" being the key word as we all have grown to distrust carriers, especially when it comes to timely updates. Nevertheless, its only been about 48 hours since the 4.0.4 Rom was released so I'm willing to be patient. If VZW hasn't pushed out the update by next Friday, I'll start steaming....if its not out by the following Friday I'll be leading the angry mob!

Relevant links:
Phandroid - CMDA Nexus support

Android Dev Dan Morril's explanation

- DnT