As the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 go on sale, several Galaxy Nexus owners are already getting the update to Android 4.2. Luckily, updating your Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 manually is easy - download the update file from Google, and install it through adb. I did so earlier today, and it all went smoothly. Chrome seems to perform better (yay!), but for the rest this is clearly a point release. Two issues for me: the new lockscreen with widget support is a joke (only three Google-sanctioned widgets are available), and on the Nexus 7, Google did something I just can't wrap my brain around. Whereas on phones you open the new settings dropdown with two fingers, on the Nexus 7 you swipe down with one finger on the right to get the settings dropdown, and one finger on the left to get the notifications panel. Unintuitive, and incredibly cumbersome and confusing on a relatively small device like the Nexus 7. No more one-handed operation, either. Why Google didn't just employ the same two-finger gesture on the Nexus 7 as they did on the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus is beyond me. Such a massive UI fail - it almost makes me want to go back to 4.1.2. Luckily, my new HTC 8X will arrive in the mail tomorrow to distract me.
Post a Comment
Member since:
2006-01-06
You are overreacting, Thom. That is really a small thing, and I think will get fixed in custom ROMs, maybe like Cyanogenmod?
What is the real problem is that Google keeps development closed, and hits us with source code releases some unspecified time after pushing production builds to the public.
If they did push source code more often, preferably in real time to their public git servers, someone would tell them it's dumb ass idea much earlier.
Member since:
2005-07-06
Why Google didn't just employ the same two-finger gesture on the Nexus 7 as they did on the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus is beyond me.
Because Apple holds a ridiculously broad patent on using more than one finger on touch screen devices and has shown itself quite willing to sue over it. I'm sure there will be a way for the user to change that behavior, but Google has to concern itself with how Apple will respond to the default settings.
Member since:2009-06-20
Is this patent only valid on large screen touch device? Because, you know, it works with a two-finger swipe right now on both the updated galaxy nexus and the nexus 4.
I regret too Google's choise, but not for the same reason: they had another way to pull down the settings tab on a previous "alpha" build, which seemed better to me:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/10/15/exclusive-android-4-2-alpha...
Member since:2006-05-30
Member since:
2006-01-04
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2005-11-09
Member since:
2005-07-06
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2007-08-20
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2008-01-01
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2006-07-26
I updated my N7 last night and set up a guest account. Didn't link it to Google.
The guest account can't run applications that the main user installed.
I don't like this.
I should be able to let friends or family play Angry Birds or whatever on it as a guest.
Can't do this right now.
Member since:2006-05-30
It sent my Nexus 7 into a mental spiral of doom. The entire system became so unresponsive that I had to hard reset it. *sigh* I'm coming to expect the worse with the Nexus 7.. it's not as nice as the iPad mini I just played with in a local store, and it just keep on crapping out on me.
Member since:2008-08-27
It's in there; I set it up yesterday. In settings, under Users, there's a button to add a new user. When you do, you get a list of buttons on the lock screen to pick which user you're unlocking into - and new users get the first-boot wizard to set up their profile (including the username; they show up as "new user" until they do).
It seems to work as intended, though I haven't really tested it beyond setting up a new user and handing it to someone else for a while.
Edited 2012-11-14 12:52 UTC
Member since:
2005-07-08
It is full of developer goodies! 
http://developer.android.com/about/versions/jelly-bean.html
http://developer.android.com/about/versions/android-4.2.html
http://developer.android.com/tools/sdk/ndk/index.html
Looking forward to the new Renderscript capabilities, graphics optimization, JIT and GC improvements, better security model, Clang in the NDK, lots and lots of NDK fixes.
EDIT: Added more information
Edited 2012-11-13 20:50 UTC
Member since:
2005-11-10
Member since:2008-08-27
Member since:2005-11-10
Member since:
2011-04-11
Member since:
2005-08-11
I actually like the way you access the top panels now. It makes perfect sense to me. You swipe down from the notifications to get the notifications, and you swipe down from the battery,wifi, etc. indicators to get to the settings. I would have never even thought to use a two-fingered swipe to get to anything unless I had been told about it, so I think that method is actually less intuitive.
Member since:
2005-07-06
You know I've been having a lot of trouble with chrome on galaxy tab 7.7, whereas on my galaxy s2 i've had no problems with it. Today I realized that the problem might be swype. I use swype on my tab, but on my phone I don't. A lot of times when chrome locks up on my tab its when i'm typing something in. Thom, do you use swype with chrome?
Member since:
2006-05-30