Editorials
Verizon Galaxy Nexus Beaten to Jelly Bean by Non-Nexus Device
And there it is, Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners. What looked like a possibility last week has become a reality. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus, the Sprint Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus S 4G, and other Galaxy Nexus devices worldwide have officially been beaten to Andrid 4.1 Jelly Bean by an Asus tablet.
Let that sink it for a minute.
Done? Good. Yes, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, the first Galaxy Nexus released in the United States, has officially been beaten to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean by the Asus Transformer Pad 300, a Wi-Fi tablet that was only recently released here in the United States.
Read: Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean Update Gets Some More Bad News.
The Transformer Pad 300 beat the Verizon Galaxy Nexus to Jelly Bean.
Earlier this week we learned that the update was rolling out for some users though it wasn’t clear if a full-on roll out was taking place. Turns out, it wasn’t.
Jelly Bean has arrived for the Transformer Pad TF300! Go get yourselves some sweet OS goodness :) & RT to spread the word
#JellyBean— ASUS (UK) (@AsusUK) August 24, 2012
However today, Asus made the manual update available to U.S. customers through its website and announced that the update is now rolling out to customers in the United Kingdom.
So, that means, while owners of Nexus-branded devices sit and toil on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, owners of a much newer, non-Nexus device are currently enjoying the benefits of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an update that was apparently “next up” for the Galaxy Nexus of all flavors back in July.
Apparently “next up” means waiting more than a month and a half for the update.
As a Galaxy Nexus owner this is discouraging to say the least. I bought the Nexus device thinking on the premise that it would be first to major Android updates. And while I really want to blame Verizon here, this is a global thing. Carriers around the world still don’t have the update. So, it’s hard to take a cheap shot at Verizon here.
Read: Slow Verizon Galaxy Nexus Jelly Bean Update Frustrates.
At this point though, I really don’t care who it is to blame. I just know that I’ll more than likely never buy an Android device on a carrier again and instead opt for the unlocked version of the Nexus.
After all, owners of the unlocked Galaxy Nexus HSPA+, which costs just over $300, have been on official Android 4.1 Jelly Bean since the beginning of July.
In fact, they were first to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, just like I thought all Nexus devices would be.
Wishful thinking.
Chris
08/24/2012 at 6:09 pm
Terrible!
quick
08/24/2012 at 7:35 pm
I only buy unbranded Nexus devices, but I think the next gen Nexus phone this will not be possible (IN THE USA ONLY) due to the fact every major US carrier has or will have their own LTE network & frequencies…
So while it was great to have the pentaband GSM Galaxy Nexus (using mine on T-Mobile), I don’t think its possible that any manufacturer will bring forth a muti carrier compatible/unlocked LTE nexus phone to the market (again I’m referring to USA only). This is quite depressing really… I hope to god they can prove me wrong though!!!!!!!!!!!
Saif
08/25/2012 at 7:25 am
May be possible as 4G LTE is launching on worldwide GSM Carriers already or it’s planned to roll out soon
Don
08/25/2012 at 7:13 am
not true for my Verizon GNex. I’ve had jelly bean since Aug. 1.thanks to Vicious and AOKP. custom roms = the whole point to owning a Nexus. no?
as always, great article Adam.
Shawn
08/25/2012 at 8:20 am
im really having trouble flashing the custom roms on my Gnex. it just gets stuck on the boot up. What are the other steps to take after this? Do I keep re installing until it takes?
Devris Wijaya
08/26/2012 at 4:28 am
You have to full wipe if you don’t want to stuck in the boot loop
GeeksOnHugs
08/25/2012 at 11:55 am
You hit the nail on the head with not buying carrier branded devices. The benefit is not just updates but the ability to shop at will for the best price and service.
Apparently lots of people are not aware of the discount providers. I pay $45/mo for unlimited everything. My G-nex, which rocks a stock google build of JB, has paid for itself.
George
08/25/2012 at 3:10 pm
seems a no-brainer to me to buy an unlocked nexus device anyway.
Jerry Thomas
08/26/2012 at 1:25 am
I use the nexus in India and hence had to buy an unlocked set … Got the jellybean update 4.1.1 around July 10th …
Scott Dreyfus
08/26/2012 at 9:05 am
I’ve had 4.1.1 build on the ns4g for over a month now. Get into the fun of android customization, that what a nexus device is all about. Unlock it and make your experience what ever you would like it to be.
Daniel Engel
08/27/2012 at 5:59 pm
This is exactly what EVERY Canadian/yakjuux Galaxy Nexus user has been going through that didn’t have a pure yakju/takju version to begin with, or flash to those streams themselves.
Samsung Mobile Canada continues to say they are working with Google and provide no timeline while we have been stuck on 4.0.1 for the last SEVEN MONTHS.
This is pitiful and not the Nexus experience that we were all sold on up here. I’ve personally flashed to Yakju and am running Jellybean now, but the general users of these supposed Google phones should not have to do this.