Nexus 4 to have bumper accessories available, not for the same reasons as the iPhone 4

The Nexus 4 and iPhone 4 seem to share some similarities. Both were lost in bars in California by testers working for Google and Apple, respectively, and both share the same interest in glass. Yes, the front and back of the LG Nexus 4 are made of glass also, and it looks like the device will get bumper accessories when it launches, but not for the same reasons.
The iPhone 4 was plagued at launch by an unexpected problem, the Death Grip, also known as Antennagate, which prompted Apple to offer free bumpers to users that observed cellular signal attenuation when holding the handset “the wrong way.”
The bumpers were supposed to serve as protection for the device, without hiding the front and back glass panels, but they ended up protecting the antenna of the iPhone 4 from human touch as well.
The LG Nexus 4 doesn’t come with an Antennagate problem out-of-the-box but buyers will apparently have access to a similar accessory to protect the glass design.
Moreover, the handset has an edge-to-edge screen, so a bumper may be indeed needed to protect it. Google’s Dan Morrill revealed on Google+ that such accessories will be indeed in stock:

We’ve actually got some bumpers (ring-like cases that wrap the side but not the back) coming as accessories for Nexus 4, if that’s how you roll.
On the back, there is indeed a small raised ridge, which should prevent scratches if not breaks.

He answered thus to comments to a recent posting in which he explained that his favorite Nexus 4 feature is that edge-to-edge glass finish, applauding LG’s design in the process.
So, will you buy Nexus 4 bumpers to go with the device?

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Matias Duarte explains Tablet UI in Jelly Bean and why Nexus devices have no SD card

At some point, we all wonder how Google makes the decisions they do. Especially regarding Android. While most of their efforts are widely liked by nearly everyone, there are some things we wish they’d explain in greater detail. Things like how they came up with the Tablet UI. Okay, what we really want to know is why no SD card love in the Nexus devices. Matias Duarte sat down to help explain things.
His explanation about Tablet UI is truly fascinating. Duarte explains that the Tablet UI in Jelly Bean was the result of market research done to see how people use devices. It was concluded that pretty much everyone uses their phone in portrait mode most of the time.
With tablets, though, it was found that people hold tablets in all sorts of ways. Upside down, right side up, and any other orientation. So the tablet UI design in Jelly Bean was done to help accommodate people who hold their tablets any which way.
Duarte goes on to explain that with the tablet UI, the three navigation buttons we’ve all come to know are always where you need them. It doesn’t matter which way you hold it. That helps bring uniformity to the platform and users don’t need to learn how to use their tablet a new way just because they’re holding it differently.

Cool stuff, so why no MicroSD cards in Nexus devices?

Not a lot of people are going to be happy with that answer. As Duarte explains, “We take a different approach. Your Nexus has a fixed amount of space and your apps just seamlessly use it for you without you ever having to worry about files or volumes or any of that techy nonsense left over from the paleolithic era of computing.”
Thus, Nexus devices don’t have MicroSD card slots. They are simply too old of a technology and apparently they confuse people. Many people probably wouldn’t mind this if there were better storage options.
While the Galaxy Nexus had 32GB of storage, the LG Nexus 4 has been reported as only having 8GB and 16GB offerings. It’s disappointing that Google believes everyone would be happy with only 8GB or 16GB of space with no room for expansion. Many people use much more than 16GB of space.
If you’d like to read a transcript of the answers Matias Duarte gave, you can find them over at Droid-Life. Is anyone satisfied with Matias Duarte’s answers? Or are they rather disappointing? Let us know your thoughts.

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Google’s Nexus 4, Nexus 10, Nexus 7 3G and Android 4.2 announcement event cancelled, Sandy to blame

Thanks to recent leaks and reports, we have a general idea of what Google should unveil during its upcoming media event – initially scheduled to take place in New York on October 29 – but, with two days left to go, we have some bad news from Android fans: the playground is temporarily closed.
Google had to cancel the announcement due to Hurricane Sandy. The location of the event – a waterfront pier – is now in an evacuation zone, as New York is now in a state of emergency.
Android Authority, invited to attend the event, can confirm Google’s cancellation. Here’s the short email we have received:

We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more.
Stay safe and dry,
The Android Team

Google was expected to unveil new products on Monday, including the LG Nexus 4 smartphone, the Samsung Nexus 10 tablet and the 32GB versions of the Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi and Cellular + Wi-Fi). All these devices should run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, with Google also expected to introduce the main features of its new mobile OS version.
The company will surely reschedule the press event and we’ll be back with more news on the matter as we have them.

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