Monday, February 18, 2013

Android Authority

Android Authority


More cheap Android tablets coming from Asus and Acer this year

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 02:27 AM PST

asus-nexus-7-logo

It's hard not to appreciate the Nexus 7 for setting the Android tablets bar pretty high despite its sub-$200 pricing. Since then, we've seen more major manufacturers trying to appeal to customers who care more about price than specs.

A recent study by CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets reveals that shipments of non-branded tablets will reach 100 million units in 2013. Trying to sway customers to choose the branded ones instead are Asus and Acer – two names that are looking to grab a bigger piece of the budget Android tablet market.

According to reports, we'll see more 7-inch slates being released by the Nexus 7 maker before the end of the first quarter this year, with prices ranging from $120 to $300. One of its latest budget offerings is the 7-inch MemoPad, which is now available in select markets for roughly $170.

As for Acer, it looks like the Iconia B1, the 7-inch Jelly Bean tablet that's offered for $160, has been selling well enough that the Taiwanese is planning to release more Iconia models later this year. Acer's senior VP Scott Lin said that the 8-inch and 10-inch variants are expected to hit stores in Q3 2013 for approximately NT$6,000 ($200) and NT$7,000 ($230).

As for their goals this year, Asus is aiming to ship 12 million units of tablets in 2013, while Acer is hoping to double last year's sales of 1.8 million units.

Cherry Mobile unveils Fusion Bolt tablet: quad-core power and Jelly Bean for just $99

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 02:22 AM PST

cherry-mobile-fusion-bolt

You can't do much better than Amazon's $159 Kindle Fire or Google's $200 Nexus 7, right? The two tabs are cheap, but at the same time pretty snappy, light, sleek and very elegant. And they're even up to date in the software department (especially the N7).

But what if you could find an even more affordable tablet? Like a $99 one with a quad-core processor and Jelly Bean butter? Impossibru, you say? Not in the Philippines, the new land of all possibilities.

After blowing our minds already with the $110 5.2-inch Cruize phablet and the $125 4.5-inch Thunder, Cherry Mobile is lowering the price bar even more for its newest tablet effort. The Fusion Bolt is mostly a repackaged Ainol Novo 7 Venus, but with slightly different specs and an absolutely unbeatable price tag.

cherry-mobile-fusion-bolt-2

There's a quad-core Cortex A9-based Actions Semiconductor ATM7029 processor beneath the thing's hood, and, although it's only clocked at 1 GHz, it should perform honorably enough in browsing, multimedia and even some light gaming.

The 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of on-board storage sound equally as "honorable", while the 7-inch IPS panel might be one of the nicest surprises. It boasts a 1,280 x 800 pixels resolution, which is on-par with the Nexus 7 and actually better than what the Kindle Fire or the new Acer Iconia B1 have to offer.

cherry-mobile-fusion-bolt-3

The on-board Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is probably an even bigger surprise, while the 4,000 mAh battery sounds butch enough to handle five or six hours of continuous running time. There are even dual cameras fitted on the tab (a 2 MP rear-facing one and an 0.3 MP on the front), as well as microSD support and Wi-Fi b/g/n.

But the cherry on top of it all is pricing. Php 3,999, or $99 (told you, didn't I?). Too bad the Fusion Bolt has smaller chances of ever landing outside of Asia than I do of winning a Pulitzer for this article.

The GooPhone One is a near perfect replica of the unreleased HTC One (aka M7)

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 01:41 AM PST

goophone-one

GooPhone's done it again. What do you mean, what? Have you already forgotten about the I5, the incredibly accurate iPhone 5 copycat unveiled before Apple's latest? We haven't, which is why we couldn't help but chuckle when spotting the newest GooPhone clone.

Chuckle and then bring it to your attention, naturally. Meet the GooPhone One, an exact replica (we think) of the still unreleased HTC One, previously known as the M7.

Aren't these GooPhone guys a riot? Seriously, we had no idea how the HTC One was going to look until last week and they already have a duplicate in production? Unbelievable!

Of course, with the HTC One unveiling events scheduled for tomorrow, we highly doubt GooPhone's clone will go up for sale before its "twin". And still we're amazed at how quickly they got things done. Just look at those two pics and ignore the fugly UI and the GooPhone imprint for a moment.

goophone-one-2

Can you really tell this isn't the real thing? We think not. Unfortunately, you will be able to tell the two apart once the knock-off will be out. And that's because rumor has it the GooPhone One will come packing a quad-core Mediatek MT6589 and 1 GB of RAM.

The 4.7-inch display will probably not boast a Full HD resolution either, but the rear-facing camera is said to be equipped with a 13 MP sensor. As far as software goes, Android Jelly Bean should butter up the package, but instead of the sleek-looking Sense 5 UI, you'll get the Lewa OS on top (whatever the heck that is).

Now let's just hope GooPhone won't be looking to sue HTC. Because if they will, all hell will break loose and the trial could well be the final nail in HTC’s coffin (sarcasm alert).

Galaxy Note Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean now officially rolling out international version

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 12:52 AM PST

Galaxy Note II Jelly Bean

We have seen various leaked Galaxy Note Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean builds in the last few months, but it looks like Samsung is finally ready to rollout the official update to its first-gen phablet.

In case you happen to own the international Galaxy Note version (model number GT-N7000) then you'll be able to update either via KIES or over-the-air (OTA). You're looking for build JZO54K, which is most likely going to be rolled out in stages.

Sam Mobile says that the update is already available in Asia – specifically in Hong Kong and Taiwan – but you can expect your country to get it soon as well. Not to mention that you can always choose to manually update your device, by getting the appropriate firmware.

AT&T Galaxy Note owners, and everyone else that has a carrier-branded version, you may have to wait a while longer for your mobile operator to release the update. But it can't be long now.

galaxy-note-jelly-bean-android-4.1.2-1

Have you officially upgraded to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean?

Vic Gundotra: The next Nexus phone will (hopefully) have an insanely great camera

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 12:49 AM PST

People buy Nexus phones for multiple reasons. They’re cheap, they’re fast, they run stock Android, they’re the first to get software updates. But no one with an ounce of common sense would ever buy a Nexus phone because of the camera. The Nexus One had a terrible shooter. The Nexus S was a bit better. The Galaxy Nexus was actually a step backwards. And while the Nexus 4 isn’t too bad, it’s still not as good as the best camera phones out on the market today.

So what’s Google going to do to address this issue? According to Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering, the search giant is “committed to making Nexus phones insanely great cameras.” In other words, Vic’s just being a tease. Notice how he used the phrase “insanely great”, something that Apple uses in their marketing quite often. This isn’t the first time that Google has done this. Remember “Project Butter”? That word, butter, is what Steve Jobs used to describe the scrolling on the iPhone back in 2006.

We don’t mind companies copying each other’s marketing lingo, because at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what a company says about their product. What’s important is that they deliver a fantastic piece of hardware. If the next Nexus has an amazing camera, we’ll be shouting about it from the rooftops. If it has a terrible camera, we’re going to shrug our shoulders and just say that it’s business as usual.

What does Google have to do in order to make the perfect camera phone? Easy, hire some imaging experts who know what the hell they’re talking about. Why do you think Samsung’s phones and Sony’s phones take great photos? Each of those respective companies has a dedicated camera unit. We can’t explain why Apple’s phones take such good photos, but that’s another story altogether.

It’s finally official: LG’s Optimus G Pro has a 5.5 inch 1080p screen, Snapdragon 600

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 12:25 AM PST

gpro_verge Image Credit: The Verge

LG has just announced their latest flagship device for 2013, the Optimus G Pro. Chances are you’ve already heard of it because it was launched earlier this year in Japan. That version has a 5 inch 1080p screen. This new variant, which will land in Korea and North America, has a 5.5 inch 1080p screen. Why are there two versions of the same phone? We don’t know.

As for the guts, this is the first phone to use Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 600. The S4 branding is dead, so you’re going to be hearing a lot about the 600 from here on out. It’s basically an improved S4 Pro that’s clocked slightly faster. We’re talking an extra 200 MHz, bringing the total to 1.7 GHZ. The rest of the phone isn’t too shabby either: 13 megapixel camera, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of memory, and a 3140 mAh battery that’s not only removable, but it also charges wirelessly.

We’re going to have to get our hands on this thing before we pass any judgements, but here are our initial thoughts: The G Pro looks exactly like a Galaxy Note. The phone, no matter how good it is, will still be the last phone we would consider buying. In less than 72 hours we’re going to see the HTC One. In four weeks we’re going to see the Galaxy S4. In a little over a month we’re going to be able to buy Sony’s Xperia Z and ZL. Those four devices have so much more appeal than whatever LG brings to the table.

Can LG ever relinquish their underdog status? Sure, but they have to be bold. They need to stop coming out with phones that look like clones of Samsung devices. They also have to show off what makes their software special.

That or dump their skin altogether to attract the hardcore crowd.

White house petition to make unlocking legal still needs 28K signatures. Only 5 days to go!

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 09:32 PM PST

banner-galaxy-s3-i9300-galaxsim-unlock-120905

Blame it on the petition to build a Death Star and the government’s shooting down the proposal because of budgetary constraints. Because the White House raised the minimum number of “we the people” petition signatories from 25,000 to 100,000, we mobile phone lovers would have to work harder for something that many believe is our right as consumers. Phone unlocking is now illegal, you may have heard. But if you want to ask government to rule otherwise, you may still have a chance if you sign a petition.

I earlier wrote about a WhiteHouse.gov “we the people” petition to make unlocking legal, which needs 100,000 signatures before authorities are compelled to make a response or act on the matter. The petition starter, Sina Khanifar, got in touch with us to say the petition needs more signatures, and that the petition is running out of time. As of writing, the “Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal” petition has garnered 71,994 signatures and will need 28,006 more in order to reach the goal. The campaign only has until February 23, which is five days from now.

“The decision to remove the exemption for unlocking phones is bad for consumers, and it's up to our elected officials to help defend consumer rights,” says Khanifar in an article explaining the circumstances behind his launching of this campaign. In gist, he says consumers should be able to decide which carrier to use, whether domestically or abroad (to save on roaming fees). Carrier lock-ins are protected by pre-termination fees, anyway, so carriers’ contracts are protected should a user decide to cut short the two-year contract, which often subsidizes the handset cost.

See also: Mobile phone unlocking will be illegal by January 26

It can be argued that government and carriers would not care anyway if you unlocked your phone. But what the ban affects is the developers that create unlocking tools. Khanifar himself was sued by Motorola under the DMCA for creating software tools for unlocking their phones. Without these tools, then users might find it more difficult to unlock our devices.

And there’s a precedent of prosecuting consumers in the recording industry. If the RIAA can sue 9 year olds and grandmothers for “illegally” downloading songs, then what’s stopping carriers for suing its users who unlock phones? (I’m not a lawyer, nor do I pretend to be one, though, so this is just an observation.)

Do you want phone unlocking to be legal? Then head over to the source link to sign the petition.

Does the Nexus 4 have an overheating problem?

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:59 PM PST

banner-nexus4-e960-unlock-relock-bootloader

A Reddit post tells us that the Nexus 4 automatically shuts down when reaching 140 degrees Fahrenheit – that's precisely 60 degress Celsius (see image below) – which is not a bad thing actually, considering that it's a measure that would prevent bad things from happening to your phone's battery.

But it's a bad thing if you find yourself in a situation where it shuts down because of increased heat multiple times a day, without an actual reason to explain the increased temperatures.

So does the Nexus 4 have an overheating problem?

On further investigation, you'll find "Issue 40334: Nexus Overheating" on Google Code, a problem raised in late November 2012 that has 37 people interested in an answer, with more adding their experiences. Comparatively, the more-viral Reddit thread has 176 comments to date, some more serious than others.

From what we can tell so far by looking at Issue 40334, there isn't a general cause for any overheating problems, although some of the reports detail similar experiences, and there's no official answer from Google either.

Here are some instances in which the Nexus 4 overheated: increased heat around the camera, when using 3G, GPS, Google Earth, Facebook or Google Chrome, doing a benchmark, browsing the Play Store, using certain apps, talking on the phone/Skype and when playing intense video games. According to one Nexus 4 owner, pretty much doing anything, "this damn phone gets really hot."

nexus-4-140-fahrenheit-shut-down-1

Some users have complained of not being able to actually talk on the phone because of its temperature, hurting their ears and/or hands in the process.

The reports kept coming in even after the Android 4.2.2 update, with the most recent ones dated a few days ago. Some of the disgruntled Nexus 4 owners put the blame on LG, with overheating being rather a manufacturing problem than a software one – apparently the Optimus G, the Nexus 4's twin, also overheats.

Of those that kept adding updates to Issue 40334, some have already replaced their overheating Nexus 4 units, but the problem did not go away for all of them, with some users still experiencing increased heat on the device.

This wouldn't be the first or last device that gets overheated during use, not that this is an excuse or anything, but is this a widespread problem for the Nexus 4 or does it affect only a number of devices? Have you experienced it?

Market Helper helps with incompatible apps dowloads, root required

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:19 PM PST

market-helper-logo-1

In case you happen to own a device that's not supported by a certain application that you absolutely musth have, you may be interested in an app that deals with that problem, Market Helper.

Running Market Helper on your Android device will let your device steal the identity of a different device (handset or tablet) that's compatible with the app you want but can't otherwise download. According to the developer, the change is done without any modifications to the build.prop file "or any system files," and once you get what you need, you can revert right back.

Unfortunately, while the app is available as a free download from the developer's site, you'll need to root your device to get it, as you won't find it in the Google Play Store. In fact, in case you do a search on the Play store for "Market Helper" you'll find an app that goes by that name, but it's something completely different so don't bother getting it, as it won't offer any similar features.

Obviously, we're not encouraging you to root and/or install any software from third-party locations, but at the end of the day it's up to you to decide what's good or bad for your Android handset or tablet. But you'll also be the only person responsible for whatever goes wrong with the device while using Market Helper.

market-helper-2

That said, have you used Market Helper yet? What did you need it for?

Thanks red phx!

Where next for Android?

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 04:09 PM PST

wherenextforandroid

When the HTC G1 appeared in 2008, there was no suggesting that Android could run anything but a phone. Since then, Android has dominated the smartphone market and begun to appear on other types of devices. While Android is far from market saturation, it’s time to wonder whether it’s captured as much of the market as it’s going to. Therefore, what should Android be used for next?

The battle for the living room

Coming up with an effective interface for a so-called Smart TV has been the holy grail of most tech companies, but so far nobody has developed a system that has truly taken off. Various companies are already experimenting with Android dongles for the TV (see our feature) which is a step in the right direction. The problem is that these devices are for a niche market – and that niche is made up of the people who would actually seek out such a device – otherwise these dongles are not well known. Most of them also suffer from the age old problem that has plagued all home theatre PCs (HTPCs), i.e. controllers.

The only groups that seem to have got this right are the people who only make media server software such as XBMC and Plex, who put the remote control in an app for your tablet or phone. Most people have their phones at their side all the time, and so it makes sense that the phone should be the controller. A touch device can have a completely configurable interface (i.e. not restricted by physical buttons) and there would be no issue with connecting or pairing the two devices, as they would presumably be on the same Wi-Fi network.

GK802

Controllers aside, Android is well placed to be the basis for a smart TV system because of its open environment. This would also be an area in which custom skins would be more acceptable, as consumers are used to different TV brands having different menu designs, and so there wouldn’t be quite the same push-back as there is by smartphone enthusiasts.

There would, of course, be an advantage in standardising the device to a certain degree so that the Play Store may still be used, as the app ecosystem is Android’s other big advantage. Being able to run apps on the TV, whether it be 3D games or content delivery applications such as BBC iPlayer, NetFlix or even a podcast client, is what will hook users into actually wanting to buy in the first place, and staying engaged.

There is of course, the problem with a multi-user environment. With third party services, it is going to be the user’s job to create family accounts and to authenticate them. However, Google could should create a structure for ‘account groups’, so that content purchased from Google Play Music or Movies purchased by one member of the family would be available to others (not just trial plays as is currently the case). I’m sure this idea would send rights holders into conniptions. However, I don’t see this as any different from spouses sharing a book or DVD. Alternatively, an Android Smart TV system could support the same multi-user system as found on Android 4.2.1 – this would be easier but less elegant.

smartdroid

Android Smart TVs are going to have to be gaming-capable too. The idea of stand-alone games consoles is going away (unfortunately for the likes of Ouya). This is evidenced in how the established games consoles have become home media centres too. Consumers want as few devices underneath their televisions as possible, and consequently as few cables as possible. Why have a separate games console when you can have something that will fetch all your content AND play games?

OUYA

Staying on the theme of minimising the number of boxes beneath the TV, there is the dilemma of whether an Android Smart TV should be a separate device that connects to the TV set or whether everything should be built into the TV itself. Manufactures would love the latter as it would inevitably speed up the upgrade cycle for TVs. However, flat panel displays do not come cheap, and so – sadly – having the Android ‘brains’ in a separate (and changeable) box would be the most pragmatic solution. The best of both worlds would be to have a standard card slot on TVs for an Android ‘brain’ to dock into, but it’s unlikely we’ll see manufacturers cooperating to that extent.

Smashing Windows

I recently questioned whether Android could replace Windows, and concluded that it wasn’t a realistic possibility given the massive user base and industry acceptance of Windows. There was a caveat to that defeatist conclusion in that there are many individuals for whom using an Android system is a realistic alternative to a Windows machine. This is because less technically inclined users are simply living in a browser, and so wouldn’t know or care what operating system they’re using as long as they can launch a browser.

windows8startscreen

Furthermore, the app environment is more controlled in Android than desktop Windows, however Windows 8 and RT are catching up in that regard, but there isn’t the same breadth of apps as on Android. With the multi-user support present on Android tablets, the idea of an Android desktop, or at least an ‘Android family computer’ becomes much more realistic.

lockscreen

Google is also pursuing Chrome OS – see our feature on the potential of Chrome OS. The problem here is that Chrome OS and Android are too different – they are totally different ecosystems – the fact that they both run the Linux kernel is irrelevant. Does Google really need to be putting resources into two ecosystems?

samsung-chromebook-2012

Android is perfectly able to run in a desktop context, one could argue more so than Chrome OS. While Google may be following the same pattern as Apple’s OS X and iOS, Microsoft is the target to take on. While Google is dividing its efforts between two operating systems, Microsoft is working to unify its platforms. So far it has succeeded in getting its PC, tablet, and smartphone operating systems running the same kernel and sharing many APIs, and there are hints that Windows Phone will ultimately share the same app store as Windows 8 and RT.

This isn’t about what’s best for the companies concerned, but about user experience. Android is in healthy a position to fend off Windows RT and Windows Phone 8, but is Chrome OS taking attention away from the already thriving Android ecosystem at the cost of effective competition against Windows?

Android Central

Android Central


Utter! Voice Command Beta: control your phone by voice

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 01:49 PM PST

Utter! Voice Command Beta

The recent update to Google Now has just made one of the nicer Jelly Bean features -- offline voice recognition -- available for third party developers to use, and voice command app utter! is the first to take advantage of this feature. Utter! is positioning itself to help accomplish most anything that could normally be done by a default Google Voice Search and go beyond that to then let you control other device functions outside of the scope of Google's own offering.

Hang with us after the break to see what utter! brings to the table in its current beta state.

read more



Netgear PTV3000 gets a firmware update, now officially supports host of Android devices

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 01:47 PM PST

Netgear PTV3000

NetGear's PTV300 Miracast adapter has been available for some time now, but it just recently received a firmware update that made it compatible with a number of Android devices. Now at v2.2.9, which is the third official firmware update (Android functionality was added in 2.2.7), supported devices now include:

  • Samsung Galaxy S3  (Android 4.1.1 or above)
  • Samsung Galaxy Note II  
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
  • LG Optimus G  (Android 4.0.4 or above)
  • Google Nexus 4 (Android 4.2.1)
  • Sony Xperia (various models with Android 4.0.4 or above) 

Miracast remains a fairly new standard, so some hiccups may still arise. Lakeeast in our Nexus 4 forums says the recent Android 4.2.2 update might have affected things, but we've yet to confirm this. (Still trying to our PTV3000 updated from a the last firmware update.) If you've got one, give it a shot. And if you're still on the fence, keep an eye out to see what's what.

We've got the full v2.2.9 changelog after the break.

Download: PTV3000 v.2.2.9

read more



International roundup: HTC One and Galaxy S4 rumors, new LG phones and an early Xperia Z launch

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 09:25 AM PST

Android CentralAndroid CentralAndroid CentralAndroid Central

As Phil mentioned in this week's column, the next two weeks in the smartphone world are going to be particularly crazy. We've got events from HTC and Sony next week, and Mobile World Congress starting the following weekend. (And we have a feeling March is going to be even more action-packed.)

So in the run up to these events, there's been plenty of international news to report from all the major manufacturers. Head past the break to find out what's been stirring these past seven days with the rumored HTC "One," Galaxy S4, Optimus G Pro and Sony Xperia Z.

read more



Plume adds its own open-sourced DashClock Widget extension

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 07:05 AM PST

Plume DashClock Widget

Another day, another DashClock Widget extension, it seems. The latest is from Twitter app Plume. It's doing things a little bit different. Whereas Falcon Pro baked its DashClock extension directly into the app, Plume's is a separate download. That's an extra step, but Plume developer LevelUp Studio also released its extension code as open-source which in addition to being awesome is also in the spirit of DashClock Widget, which itself is open-sourced.

A reminder that you'll need Android 4.2.x to use DashClock Widget.

Hit the link above to download the extension. And hit the link below for the raw code.

More: Plume for DashClock on Github



From the Editor's Desk: Ready for a wild couple weeks

Posted: 17 Feb 2013 06:07 AM PST

Phil Nickinson

Flights are booked, bags are packed and passports are in hand. February inevitably becomes one wild tech ride, and 2013's not disappointing. Consider:

  • Feb. 19: HTC events in New York and London, and something in Sydney as well. The consensus is that we'll see the fabled "M7," possibly called the "HTC One."
  • Feb. 20: Not strictly Android-related, but Sony's got something going on -- most likely the next-generation PlayStation. Kind of a big deal.
  • Feb. 23-27: Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The show doesn't actually open until Feb. 25. But as is the trend these days, we've got meetings and events as early as two days before doors open. We'll have a full MWC preview later this week, but expect news from Sony, ASUS, Huawei, ZTE, Mozilla, Ubuntu and LG, among others.

And that's just the stuff we can tell you about. Things are happening off the books and behind the scenes, as they always do. So you'll forgive me if I keep this kind of short this week. Gotta run, but not before a few other thoughts ...

read more



DashClock Widget v1.2 adds shortcuts, visual tweaks, new languages

Posted: 16 Feb 2013 07:49 PM PST

DashClock Widget

If you've got an Android phone or tablet that's got Android 4.2.x and you're not using DashClock Widget, you are, quite frankly, doing it wrong. And the app that turns the Jelly Bean lock screen widgets into more than just wishful thinking -- by the way, it's already in the 50,000 to 100,000 download range, and we'd be willing to bet it's on the high end of that -- got an update to version 1.2 today, bringing with it a number of improvements.

First up are some new visual tweaks, allowing for custom opacity, as well as the ability to center the clock. You also can assign application shortcuts to the weather and clock widgets. Nice. Then there's the addition of extensions for missed calls and new text messages. Or perhaps you'd be interested in support for French, German, Spanish and Russian. Use Microsoft Exchange for your calendar? It's now supported. Some of this is tucked into a new "advanced" menu, so dive into the settings to see the new features.



From the Android Forums: Importing contacts and Nexus updates

Posted: 16 Feb 2013 05:09 PM PST

Importing contacts

LolUmad asks in the Android Central Forums:

Hello.

I just sold my Nokia 920 and got a Nexus 4. I have two questions for the aware:

  1. All of my contacts had to be imported in from my microsoft.live account. How do I add them all to my Google account (so that next time I get another android phone I can just have them imported in automatically)?
  2. How do software updates work? Automatically or do I have to do something.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome aboard, and we're glad you asked! Your first question is a pretty common one, and luckily it's also a really easy one thanks to the settings built into Gmail. Since you're coming from a Windows Live account, you can have Google import your contacts automatically via the web. Open your Gmail account in a web browser on a computer, and look for the settings icon in the upper right. Open the settings, choose the "Accounts and Import" tab, and in the list choose "Import mail and contacts". This will copy everything over to your Gmail account, which syncs with any Android device you're signed in to. 

For anyone not using a web-based service like Windows Live, importing contacts is still pretty easy. Just export them from your mail client into a .csv file and you can import that file in your Google Contacts page. Either way sure beats typing them all by hand.

For your second question. the answer is both! Updates will come automatically from Google to your Nexus 4, and you'll know you have one because of the notification icon. Google rolls the updates out pretty slowly at first, and many times we don't like to wait. You can sideload an update pretty easily if you're the type who doesn't like waiting in line. It involves a little work at your computer's command line, but it's not really hard. You can find all the information you would every want to know about sideloading updates in the Nexus 4 forums.

Have a question you need answered? (Preferably about Android, but we're flexible.) Hit up our Contact Page to get in touch!