Google Nexus 5: Release date, price, specs, news and rumours

Google’s Nexus devices have become the best way to experience Android as it is intended. Launched last year, the Nexus 4 was a huge success for Google.

Now, one year later stocks are running low and rumours are growing that the company is about to launch a new, slightly larger replacement: the Nexus 5. Here’s what we know… Google Nexus 5 specs Most of what we know about the Nexus 5’s specs comes thanks to its filing at the US Federal Communications Commission. According to those documents, the Google Nexus 5 will come with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, Bluetooth 4.0, wireless charging and dual-band Wi-Fi. Previous rumours had suggested that Google may opt for the slightly older and less powerful Snapdragon 600 chipset to keep prices down. Google Nexus 5 looks When rumours of a new, five-inch Nexus smartphone began emerging, they hinted it would be based upon the recently unveiled LG G2. Since then, we’ve had two glimpses of the phone. The first happened during the launch of Android KitKat. An unnamed Google employee was seen using an unannounced Nexus device to film the unveiling of the new KitKat statue. Google later pulled the video, but not before several stills were captured. Then in the middle of October, a Google engineer left a prototype Nexus 5 in a bar. The person who found the smartphone took several pictures of the device, as well as a video. It shows a device with a five-inch screen, horizontal Nexus branding – partial obscured by an ID label – and the boot screen for Android KitKat 4.4. Google Nexus 5 Android version Rumours have speculated that Google will use the Nexus 5 to debut its next version of Android, KitKat 4.4. The best evidence we have to date that the Nexus 5 will be is the video of the device left in a bar in September. That video all but confirms the device will come with Android KitKat. Whether or not it will be the device it debuts with is another question. That said, Google is likely to want to debut the new operating system with a flagship device – and the Nexus 5 fits the bill. Google Nexus 5 release date There is currently no official word on when the Nexus 5 will be unveiled, never mind launched. What we do know that Google launched the Nexus 4 in October 2012. Add to that recent hints that Google is running low on Nexus 4 stock with no plans to order more and it is no stretch of the imagination see an October launch for the Nexus 5. In addition, rumours have begun to emerge suggesting that Google is planning an event in October. While it’s currently unclear what it is for, its timing suggests that it is for the unveiling of the Nexus 5. As for when you’ll be able to get your hands on a Nexus 5? Well that we don’t know. Don’t expect it to be any later than the end of November though.

GTA 5 release date, trailer, news & rumours

GTA 5 news, release date, screenshots, trailers, plotm multiplayer and more

It's less than a month away from the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 and all the signs are there that Rockstar's open-world monster is shaping up to be arguably the last great game exclusive to this generation of consoles. The game is set in the fictional South Californian city of Los Santos - Rockstar's approximation of Los Angeles -  and all the hills, countryside and beaches around it. Rockstar says that GTA 5 is the ‘largest and most ambitious game’ it has undertaken yet. You can expect the same mix of gun fighting, car-jacking, police-baiting action you’ve been enjoying since the original PC top down antique. However, the new GTA 5 also boasts brand new content such as the game's heist feature and the sprawling persistent world of GTA Online. Grand Theft Auto 5 release date Grand Theft Auto V now has an official release date of September 17th 2013. This is somewhat delayed date – In a statement on the website the studio has apologised to fans asking for their understanding and patience saying, "Please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be." Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer A brand new trailer for GTA 5 has appeared showing each of the three main playable characters - Michael, Franklin and Trevor - in more detail giving away details on their lives and the kind of people they are. Michael's shows a rich man revealing to his therapist the troubles of balancing family life with a life of crime. Franklin's reveals his struggles to avoid getting involved in gangland activities plaguing his neighbourhood. And Trevor's. Well, his can be summed up with "Do you want me to get my dick out again?". The trailer also shows off the game's impressive new graphics engine which will be used to create a playable environment many times larger than any previous Grand Theft Auto game before it. SCREENSHOTS: GTA 5 Screenshots Check out the trailers below. Trailer 1 Trailer 2

Moto X specs: reviews, price and release date

The Moto X has finally launched. Check out the official specs, price and release date right here

The Moto X specs, release date and prices have been officially announced at an event in New York.

The Moto X’s headline specs include a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED 1280x720 pixel screen with a
glass coating that wraps around the sides.

The processor onboard is a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 and the device will feature 2GB RAM. Moto has included dedicated Natural Language Processing and ‘contextual computing’ cores. Bizarrely, the Moto X launched on Android 4.2.2 - so much for Google giving Motorola preferential treatment. 

Inside, there will be 16GB internal storage (12GB user-accessible), but no microSD card for expansion, which will come as a disappointment to many who like to hot-swap SD cards. Around the back, there’s the much talked about 10.5-megapixel camera with Moto’s Clear Pixel technology, while a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera offers an option for video-calling and self-portraits.

There’s a 2200 mAh battery that Motorola says will keep going for 24 hours, which sounds a little ambitious in our view.

The device, which will be a US-only launch will be made in the US and marketed in the US. It will cost $199 (£130).

20 Aug 2013

Motorola has announced it will be removing the custom engraving option for the Moto X due to 'quality concerns'. According to Computer World's JR Raphael on Google+, 'Custom engraving won't be available on the Moto X at launch. During beta testing, the company determined the quality of the printing wasn't meeting its standards and decided to pull the plug on it for now. Spokesperson tells me they hope to work out the kinks and start offering the option to consumers soon.' 

Moto X Specs

SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (MSM8960Pro) 1.7 GHz Motorola X8 System (SoC+NLP Processor+Contextual Processor)
Display	4.7-inch AMOLED (RGB) 1280x720
RAM	2GB LPDDR2
WiFi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac, BT 4.0
Storage	16 GB standard, 32 GB online, 2 years 50 GB Google Drive
I/O	microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone, NFC, Miracast
OS	Android 4.2.2
Battery	2200 mAh, 3.8V, 8.36 Whr
Size / Mass	65.3 x 129.3 x 5.6-10.4 mm, 130 grams
Camera	10 MP Clear Pixel (RGBC) with 1.4µm pixels Rear Facing 2 MP 1080p Front Facing
Price	$199 (16 GB), $249 (32 GB) on 2 year contract

Touchless Control allows you to control your Moto X using your own voice commands. Like Google Glass, it will learn what you sound like. As previously rumoured, the Moto X can be completely customised to meet your taste.

You can customise the device via Moto Maker, allowing you to change the colour, rear, style, texture, engraving, anything. This feature is an AT&T exclusive for now, however, with other US networks having to settle for the basic black and white versions. Moto also confirmed a vast array of accessories that will launch alongside the Moto X.

Motorola has released a series of promo videos detailing some of the Moto X's features. Check out Moto Maker, the Always-on Google Now functionality, and Quick Capture below: 

Moto Maker explained

Here’s the official line from Motorola on Moto Maker: 

‘Your Moto X is truly yours, because you design it. Through our online studio, Moto Maker, you choose the colors, and decide on the details: front, back, accents, memory, wallpapers, even add a name or a short message. When you’re done, we assemble your Moto X right here in the USA and ship it to you for free in 4 days or less.

‘Choose from more than 2,000 possible combinations, with more to come. We’ll be constantly exploring new offerings, such as real wood backs, starting later in the year. Still love the classics? You can choose an eye-catching woven black or woven white model right in the store.’

Moto X: Always-on demo

The Moto X is designed to be the first handset to have truly always-on functionality, whereby you can access the phone via saying – Okay, Google Now – even when it is asleep.

This always-on functionality is made possible by Motorola’s new X8 chipset, which features two bespoke cores atop Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 chipset. These ‘cores’ are plugged directly into the Moto X’s sensors and are specially designed to understand your voice and interpret your surroundings.

Check out Always-on in action below:

Moto X Quick Capture video

The Moto X features a 10-megapixel Clear Pixel (RGBC with 1.4µm pixels) camera that can be quickly accessed via a twist of the wrist. Motorola calls this Quick Capture, and you can see it in action below:

The only downside to all this is that there's no word on whether or not the Moto X will be coming to the UK. So far it's looking like a US-only launch. 

• Moto X review roundup: under-specced and overpriced

The Moto X is pretty much what we were expecting, tallying up almost exactly with the wealth of leaks and speculation we've seen in the past week or so, but we haven't had the chance to get our hands on it yet, so click over the page to see what our brothers in the US thought about the device when they were able to get their greasy fingers on it.