The Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OTA update for Galaxy Nexus (GSM/HSPA+) started rolling out back in late March but only for a handful of users. The OTA update has been pushed to most Galaxy Nexus with product name as ‘yakju’, but still a lot of Google updated Galaxy Nexus haven’t got it as these updates are region specific. It should be noted that devices with yakju product code are updated directly by Google while the non-yakju ones are applicable to receive updates from Samsung which are apparently delayed by a couple of weeks. So, if you cant wait for the Galaxy Nexus OTA Android 4.0.4 update anymore, then you can opt to manually install the update.

See: [Check if your Galaxy Nexus is updated by Google or Samsung?]

Google has officially released the "yakju" factory images for Galaxy Nexus "maguro"  (GSM/HSPA+) which are meant to be flashed manually only on yakju version. However, there is a 100% working trick to Install the official Android 4.0.4 yakju update on yakjuxw version of Galaxy Nexus. This would also change your Galaxy Nexus from yakjuxw to yakju which is indeed good as your device would then be eligible to receive official OTA updates directly from Google and Not Samsung.

Disclaimer: Try this guide at your own risk! We wont be responsible in case your device gets bricked. This may also void your warranty.

NOTE:

1. This process requires to unlock bootloader which will wipe/factory reset your phone.
2. Your phone should have Official Stock firmware running and Not a custom ROM.
3. Your Galaxy Nexus device name should be maguro (See how to check that)
4. This procedure is meant only for GSM/HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus.

~ We’re going to perform this entire task using Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit, a reliable and easy tool to root, unlock, backup apps + data, and flash .img files on Galaxy Nexus.

Tutorial – Installing Android 4.0.4 Update on Galaxy Nexus (YAKJUXW model)

Step 1 – This is the most crucial step among the entire task. You need to install and configure the ADB and Fastboot drivers on your Windows system. Follow our guide on [Installing ADB & Fastboot Drivers for Galaxy Nexus using Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit]

Step 2 – Take a backup of your installed apps (with data) and SD card contents. Check our article, [How to Backup Galaxy Nexus Apps & Data without Rooting]

Step 3 – After you’ve configured the drivers properly and performed a backup, it’s time to unlock the bootloader. Follow our [Guide to Unlock Samsung Galaxy Nexus Bootloader]

Step 4 – Download the below files:

• Download 4.0.4 (IMM76D IMM76I) Official “Yakju” factory Image (Direct Link)

– Extract this .tgz file to your desktop using archive program like WinRAR. Then rename this file and add a .zip extension to it. Extract the file to a folder on your desktop. Then open the folder and extract the file (image-yakju-imm76d.zip) to the same folder.

• Download Fastboot and ADB files (XDA) – Extract the files to the same folder (fastboot-and-adb) on your desktop.

Step 5 – Installing Android 4.0.4 and Flashing the ‘YAKJU’ Firmware

1. Enable USB Debugging on your phone and connect it to computer via USB. (Make sure it is charged.)

2. Open Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit (Run as Administrator), select your device model (CDMA or GSM) and click on ‘List devices’ to verify that the connection is stable. Then select the ‘fastboot-bootloader’ option and click on ‘Reboot Bootloader’.

3. Your phone should now boot into Bootloader mode. Get ready for flashing!

To flash the Image files that you extracted in Step 4, select the ‘Flash (Permanent)’ option from the Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit. Next,

- Click on the System option and select ‘system.img’ file from the folder yakju-imm76d.

- Click on Userdata option and select ‘userdata.img’.

- Click on Boot option and select ‘boot.img’.

- Similarly, click on recovery and select ‘recovery.img’.

4. Erase the cache partition. This has to be done via CMD.

To erase cache, right-click the folder ‘fastboot-and-adb’ while holding down the Shift key. Click on ‘Open command window here’.

A command prompt window will open up. Simply type fastboot.exe and hit enter. Then type fastboot erase cache to wipe the cache.

Reboot – Then type the command fastboot reboot and hit enter. That’s it!

Your device should now boot up normally and present up with the new Android 4.0.4 update and ‘yakju’ firmware that will offer prompt updates directly from Google. You can confirm the product version using the ‘GN updater checker’ app. Restore the backup that you created in step 2 to get back all your installed apps along with their data.

What’s new in 4.0.4 – The latest Android 4.0.4 update for Galaxy Nexus offers stability improvements, better camera performance, smoother screen rotation, improved phone number recognition and more. We also noticed a significant improvement in battery life after upgrading to 4.0.4.

Enjoy the more awesome Ice Cream Sandwich on your GNex now!

P.S. We’ve tried the above tutorial on our Galaxy Nexus and it worked perfectly. Do let us know if you face any issues while going through the described process.

[Thanks XDA Forum]

Related Posts:

• Guide to Unlock Samsung Galaxy Nexus Bootloader
• Installing ADB & Fastboot Drivers for Galaxy Nexus using Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit
• How to Install Android 4.0 ICS Official Update on Nexus S
• Check if your Galaxy Nexus is updated by Google or Samsung?
• How to Backup Galaxy Nexus Apps & Data without Rooting

Samsung Galaxy Nexus GSM version comes in several variants and you might not be aware that the source for its OTA updates varies depending on the device version. After going through some credible forums, we noticed different product names of Galaxy Nexus (GSM) such as yakju, yakjuxw, yakjusc, yakjujp, yakjuux, etc. Apparently, it’s said that devices with ‘yakju’ build are Google branded and thus eligible to receive updates directly from Google. Whereas, devices with non-yakju builds (yakjuxw) having brand as Samsung are region/carrier specific and will probably get updates from Samsung. There is no confirmation yet if there is any difference in the updates but it is certain that Google delivers prompt updates while those from Samsung are delayed by a few weeks.

Here’s an easy way to Check the product version of Samsung Galaxy Nexus which can help you easily determine whether your device is updated by Google or Samsung. Simply install the free app ‘GN Official Update Checker’ from Google Play on your Galaxy Nexus. Then run it to check the device product name, yakju or yakjuxw.

If you’re looking for more detailed info than just the product name, then install the app ‘Android System Info’ from Google Play. The app provides a lot of technical information about Hardware, System, Telephony, etc. and has built-in Task Manager, App manager, logs viewer, battery stats and more.

To view the relevant details, open the app and navigate to System tab > BuildInfos. Listed there are the hardware, brand, device, product name, etc.

Stay tuned! We’ll soon be covering more interesting articles on Galaxy Nexus.

Related Posts:

• Guide to Update Samsung Galaxy Nexus (YAKJUXW) to Android 4.0.4 and Get future Updates from Google
• Galaxy Nexus – Official Specifications & Video
• Buy Unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus for $399 on Google Play
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus Coming Soon to India
• Download Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0 User Guide/Manual

The extremely anticipated Android 4.0 ICS update has finally started to roll out for the most popular Android device, i.e. Samsung Galaxy S II (SGS2). Yes, Samsung has now officially announced the availability of Ice Cream Sandwich update for users of SGS2 in European countries and Korea. Don’t be disappointed, Samsung will gradually roll out the update to other markets and for several other eligible Galaxy devices as well.

Here is the official announcement made by ‘Samsung Mobile’ on Google+.

We’re thrilled to announce that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will be served to GALAXY S II users in the European countries including Poland, Hungary and Sweden, as well as Korea today, and gradually roll out to other markets.

ICS for GALAXY Note, GALAXY S II LTE, GALAXY Tab 8.9 and 10.1 will follow soon.

In addition, we’ll also offer Android 2.3 Gingerbread firmware upgrades for GALAXY S, GALAXY Tab 7", GALAXY S Plus, GALAXY S SCL (Super Clear LCD) and GALAXY W from end March. The firmware upgrades for GALAXY S, for example, include Face Unlock, Snapshot, Photo Editor, and others.

The availability and scheduling of the software update and specific models upgradeable to Android 4.0 will vary by market and wireless carriers’ requirements.

Source: Google Plus

Related Posts:

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Launch Event on Oct 19th [Watch Live on YouTube]
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• Galaxy Nexus – Official Specifications & Video

Microsoft has finally released the much awaited update for Windows 8 in an event at Barcelona, following the initial release of Windows 8 Developer Preview in late 2011. Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available to everyone for free who wants to try it out. With Windows 8, the whole experience of Windows has been re-imagined and it offers a more robust experience. This brand new OS is designed to work on a variety of devices, ranging from touch-enabled tablets, to laptops, desktops, etc. Download it now to try and experience the new features and included apps at no cost!

The doors for “Windows Store” (currently in beta) has also been opened with the availability of Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The store serves various new Metro style apps from both third-party developers and Microsoft. It’s available worldwide for download in English, French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese languages.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview [Video]

Video: Windows 8 Consumer Preview Official Demo

Windows 8 Consumer Preview System Requirements:

• 1 GHz or faster processor
• 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
• 1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution

>> It should be noted that Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a pre-release version of Windows 8 that may encounter bugs. Hence, it’s recommended not to use it as your primary OS but for testing purposes and providing your feedback.

Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview at http://preview.windows.com or visit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/iso for its ISO images, available in both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64). The product key is meant to activate your beta copy.

• 32-bit (x86) [Size: 2.5 GB]
• 64-bit (x64) [Size: 3.3 GB]

Product Key:  DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J  (English)

Check below references articles for detailed information:

• Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Consumer Preview

• Introducing Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Related Posts:

• Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product Guide
• Download & Try Windows 8 Developer Preview for Free
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• Nightfall and Starlight Panoramic Theme [First Official Windows 8 Theme]
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Recently, Avast released the final stable version of avast! 7. The company’s flagship product ‘avast! Free Antivirus 7‘ just got more advanced, secure, faster and easier for users. The latest new version of avast! security products has got a UI facelift (including their site) and several new technologies have been added to the package.

Avast 7 introduces ‘Streaming updates’ from the "cloud" to deliver real-time virus database updates, thus to protect users from new and emerging threats. The new File reputation system aka ‘FileRep‘ enables faster threat identification by sorting new, potentially dangerous files from known safe files. Another interesting feature is ‘Remote Assistance‘ that offers the ability to securely initiate remote support from any of your geek friend or a technical person. This way you can allow a desired person to directly control your computer from a remote place and fix the issues underlined by you.

Furthermore, avast! 7 offers ‘Customizable Installation‘ when proceeding with a fresh or new install. Upon installation, it now displays 3 options – Express install, Compatible install and Custom install; choose the one that fits you best. Surprisingly, avast! now promotes Google Chrome, by integrating this cool browser within their installer, let it install automatically and set Chrome as default browser. However, you can choose to skip Chrome by un-checking the options listed at bottom in the avast! setup window.

Avast! version 7.0.1407 Release Notes:

• Reputation scanning via FileRep (cloud-based)
• Streaming updates
• Sandbox & Autosandbox improvements
• Remote assistance
• Browser protection improvements (including antiphishing)
• New installer
• Export/Import settings
• UI facelift
• Screensaver facelift
• Runs on Win8 Developer Preview
• Many other security and stability related fixes

To update to avast! 7 directly, simply use the built-in program updater. It worked flawlessly for us, a reboot was required though.

Direct download links:

• avast! Free Antivirus
• avast! Pro Antivirus
• avast! Internet Security

Related Posts:

• Download Google Chrome Official Standalone installer
• Google Chrome Standalone Setup
• Download Full Standalone Installer of Google Chrome [ Portable Chrome also Available ]
• Norton Internet Security 2012 and Norton AntiVirus 2012 Final Released
• How to get the Standalone Installer for Google Chrome without downloading [Windows Featured]

After several beta builds, Piriform has released the final stable version of “CCleaner for Mac”. CCleaner is a renowned free utility for cleaning Windows PCs to make them faster and more secure. Mac OS X users can rejoice as CCleaner is no more limited to Windows only, but now also available for Mac. Since its first beta, the program has been improved and updated with most of the prominent features as offered by its Windows version.

With CCleaner for Mac, users can efficiently manage their Mac by analyzing and cleaning it as required. It includes option to clean trash, recent documents, recent applications, logs, Applications caches, and browser’s cache, cookies, history, etc. Morever, an uninstaller service is built-in to let you easily uninstall the desired apps. One can even verify and repair drive permissions and erase freespace.

CCleaner for Mac v1.01 [Changelog] -

• Browser Support for Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera.
• Cookie management.
• Repair Permissions.
• Wipe Freespace.
• Stability fixes on 10.5 and 10.7.2.
• Improved cleaning of Chrome’s omnibox.
• Several minor fixes.

Supports: Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6 and 10.7.

Download CCleaner for Mac

Related Posts:

• CCleaner Beta for Mac released
• CCleaner 3.0 released with New features & 64-bit support
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VideoLAN has finally released the much awaited 2.0 version of “VLC Media Player”, the best and most popular media player for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player that plays most multimedia files including DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols. VLC 2.0.0 “Twoflower” is a major release, presented after 485 million downloads of VLC 1.1.x versions. It efficiently plays most codecs (MPEG-2, H.264, DivX, MPEG-4, WebM, WMV player) without requiring any codec packs.

Related Posts:

• Download VLC Media Player for iPad
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• MPlayer- Best Media player which plays many Formats

Earlier today, Google announced a great news for Nexus S owners by offering them the most anticipated and the latest Android OS update ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’, literally at the best time of the year. Starting today, Google has begin rolling out the awesome Android 4.0, ICS update to GSM/UMTS Nexus S devices. However, the official ICS update may take a while to hit your Nexus S. Therefore, here is a simple tutorial for all those who can’t wait for the OTA update and are really desperate to taste ICS.

Note: This update is meant only for the GSM/UMTS Nexus S phones. Also, only upgrade if your Nexus S is running the official Gingerbread build and NOT any Custom ROM.

Steps to Manually Update Nexus S to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich -

1. Download Android 4.0 ICS update file. (Official)

2. Rename the downloaded file to update.zip.

3. Copy the file to the Internal storage (root directory) on your Nexus S.

4. Turn off the device. Then hold down the Volume Up and Power button to boot into the Nexus S bootloader.

5. Select Recovery (Use volume buttons to navigate and power key to select.)

6. As you see the warning triangle and arrow, hold the power key and tap volume up button. A menu will appear.

7. From menu, select “apply update from /sdcard“, and select update.zip file.

8. Wait till device installs the update. Upon completion, choose “reboot system now“.

Voila! After reboot, Android 4.0 should welcome you.

via [Android Central]Related Posts:

• Galaxy Nexus – Official Specifications & Video
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Launch Event on Oct 19th [Watch Live on YouTube]
• How to Install Android 2.2 Froyo Update on Motorola Droid
• Easter Egg Hidden in Ice Cream Sandwich on Galaxy Nexus
• Guide to Update Samsung Galaxy Nexus (YAKJUXW) to Android 4.0.4 and Get future Updates from Google