Google has taken to stealth updating Search and Maps for Android while attention is squarely placed on CES this week. The updates for Maps for Android center on improved battery life with Latitude now featuring faster refreshes for locations and adds the ability to guess location based on vehicle speed if the GPS signal is lost during a drive and offers more public transportation route options for supported public transit systems.

Google has also updated its Search for Android to feature faster, smoother performance, with an updated and simplified user interface. Suggestions for search are now grouped by type, with web suggestions at the top as well as country-specific suggestions and search results for all countries with Google domains with long press capability added to remove history items.

Some additional tips from Google on the new Search for Android:

• Tap the arrow to the right of a search suggestion or history item to add it to your search term before searching.
• Get suggestions from other apps on your phone – check out searchable items in Search settings.
• Long press on home screen to add the Google Search widget, if you don’t have it already, to access search faster.

With the latest update to Maps, Google is seeking to address the biggest issue with the application in battery life compared to previous versions as well as adding additional features for users of public transport while Search being updated for Gingerbread and earlier versions for Android is Google’s attempt to continually maintain the Search app for those versions of Android while gradually transitioning to the newly merged Ice Cream Sandwich.

We have some of the first Samsung Galaxy Nexus photos on the web, hands-on with Sprint’s first LTE phone, in the highest resolution of any member of the mobile media.

Hit read more to see the live shots.

Sprint did caution that these were prototypes of their form of the Galaxy Nexus, which will be only offered in its 32 GB version at launch. The phone was missing references to Google Wallet, but we were able to confirm that NFC and Google Wallet were intact on the device as of the prototypes shown.

Stay tuned later for the first live shots of the LG Viper, Sprint’s second LTE smartphone.

We do apologize for the quality of some of these photos, the lighting at Sprint’s CES aftershow is extremely poor, and Sprint is not making units available for behind-the-scenes access (such as, with proper lighting).

Update: Sprint confirmed to us that their version of the Galaxy Nexus LTE will indeed include NFC and Google Wallet support at-launch.

Welcome to PhoneNews.com’s continuing coverage of CES 2012. Up next on the keynote list is Intel’s, with CEO Paul Ortellini detailing the manufacturer’s goals for 2012 and beyond on PCs and mobile. Particular focus is expected on the chipmaker’s initatives in mobile with Medfield as well as Android on x86 along with more potential announcements.

4:25 – Ready to go
4:30 – Gary Shapiro hits the stage to introduce Paul Ortellini
4:34 – Running through video montage of intel’s marketing goals with emphasis on computing across form factors
4:35 – Paul Ortellini hits the stage
4:38 – Runs through history of personal computers and transition to computing, mentions consistent experiences across devices as the goal, with a focus on information security
4:40 – Running down Moore’s Law in the context of the current state of consumer electronics advancing quickly. Mentions Ivy Bridge manufactured on 32nm process with the next series running on 14nm process
4:42 – Going on to talk about phones and mentions Intel chips in more than 400 million mobile devices in 2011
4:44 Ortellini announces debut of Intel’s mobile processor in China beginning with Lenovo with Lenovo CEO Liu Jun onstage
4:46 – Jun announces Lenovo K800 powered by Intel’s Atom processor with a 4.5 inch display
4:47 – Lenovo K800 to ship on China Unicom in the second quarter, also mentions 10-inch tablet powered by Atom
4:49 – Ortellini shows off Intel Smartphone Reference Design built on Android with 1080p playback, HDMI out, 8 hours talk time,  Mike Bell onstage to show off reference design and mentions NFC capability. Demo of web browsing over HDMI out, gaming with accelerometer demo
4:53 – Security with McAfee on Android mentioned and available on Android Market, now showing off 1080p video playback, timelapse demo against competitor, mentions optimization and cross-platform work with Angry Birds demo with full performance despite ARM coding
4:57 – Camera demo with burst shot demo, 10 shots in one second
4:58 – Ortellini states better performance than shipping phones, introduces CEO Sanjay Jha of Motorola Mobility
4:59 – Jha announces a multi year partnership centered around smartphones based on Intel, also announces final carrier approvals this Summer with launches afterward
5:01 – Ortellini talking about shopping  and the changes caused by online shopping. Brings in Chris Aubrey of Adidas to demo the Adidas product wall
5:04 – Product wall powered by intel and demonstrates integration of video and shopping carts to streamline sales, also integrated with tablets for credit card sales, mentions fivefold sales increase after testing  in flagship store
5:06 – Ortellini shows off new reference tablet running  Windows 8 and 32nm processor
5:07 – Touting Windows 8 on x86, now runs through PCs with Ultrabook category; video montage demonstrating Ultrabooks
5:10 –  Jeff Clark, Vice Chair of Dell onstage
5:16 – Announces Dell XPS 13 ultrabook with 6mm depth, aluminium and carbon fiber base, edge to edge Gorilla Glass display, full-size keyboard and Smart Connect/Rapid Start capable with constant connection with 9 hours of battery life, Core i5 and i7 options with TPM and Dell Pro support for enterprise IT. Pre-orders start in February
5:17 – Demonstrates prototype with sliding keyboard and collapsible hinge to convert into tablet, ultrabook team onstage to demo Ivy Bridge prototypes
5:19 – Call of Duty demo on Ivy Bridge ultrabook with no discrete graphics
5:20 – Ultrabook game demo with smartphone connected as controller as well as integrated touch controls
5:22 – touch control for video demoed as well as video transfer from external storage via Thunderbolt
5:23 – Announces partnerships with Technicolor and Dreamworks as MGO app in Intel’s AppUp center for first run HD movies, WiDi demo with LG also demoed with MGO app and information retrieval
5:26 – NFC demo on ultrabook uses NFC with reference smartphone and instant verification to complete awkward checkout demo
5:28 – Demo of Windows 8 x86 applications closes out this round of ultrabook demos
5:30 – Video of will.i.am demonstrating ultrabook capabilities and Ultrabook Project initiative. Will.i.am on stage to detail the project.
5:37 – Poor guy looks uncomfortable when sticking to a script.  Compares ultrabooks to ghetto blasters. Ortellini looks caught off guard
5:38 – That’s a wrap. 

The latest update to Google Voice for the iPhone centers on the addition of multiple number entries for sending a text message to and a further update that allows it to support Google Voice on the native dialer if being used on the Sprint iPhone. Such updates were long requested and should make it easier to use Google Voice in place of the native functionality along with a multi line text entry field. The update is now available in the App Store.

It should be noted that the latest update is causing some users issues as many are reporting that the phone’s actual mobile number will display on the caller id of the recipient on outgoing calls instead of the Google Voice number even if the settings are configured to display the Google Voice number only.

Almost two months after it made the announcement that it would end Flash development for mobile devices, Adobe has released its promised update for Android Ice Cream Sandwich after the international launch revealed that the phone initially shipped without support and previous versions could not be used.

The update is now available in the Android Market, but does feature a few caveats related to Ice Cream Sandwich such as  StageVideo using On2 and Sorenson protocols not working and seeking while video is paused will not update the video frame. Also, Ice Cream Sandwich does not prioritize incoming calls, so audio remains playing before and after call is received, and the enter key does not work on the multi-line text input field. Adobe has not stated whether these issues will be addressed in a future update.

As Adobe has left mobile Flash development up to individual licensees, questions remain as to Google’s commitment to the protocol while it tries to enable cross platform video support with its own codec and HTML5, which leaves Samsung to develop the plugin, if it so chooses to.

Verizon has announced on Twitter that the long awaited Galaxy Nexus will finally be released beginning later tonight or early tomorrow morning depending on timezone, as the phone will be launched at 1AM EST online and early tomorrow morning via Verizon retail stores and Best Buy stores. The phone will be priced at $299.99 after new 2 year agreement. The specifications as previously confirmed by Google can be seen at the continue reading link

This week, Google is offering sales on select applications, lowering the price to ten cents per app. The promotion is being run in celebration of the Android Market hitting ten billion downloads of content since its launch.

The applications will change daily, today’s current offerings are Fruit Ninja, BB – Bedtime Battle, AirSync by doubleTwist, Flick Golf!, Star Chart, Reckless Racing, Reckless Racing PLAY, Christmas HD, NFL Rivals, Beautiful Widgets, and Read It Later Pro.

Users can view the apps on the Android Market application from most Android devices, or directly from the Android Market website on any other machine.

Verizon has confirmed that Google’s Wallet mobile wallet support will be excluded from the forthcoming Galaxy Nexus flagship Android smartphone. In separate statements made to the press today clarifying the situation, Verizon explains its side of the story:

“Recent reports that Verizon is blocking Google Wallet on our devices are false. Verizon does not block applications.

Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones.

We are continuing our commercial discussions with Google on this issue.”

As Verizon supports the other major mobile payment initiative known as ISIS, the exclusion of Google Wallet, should be seen as a given, knowing that service is currently supported by rival Sprint, with more carriers expected to sign on in the future.

However, the additional detail that the Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus would have to be modified to support Google Wallet is erroneous, as the hardware support is built-into the phone at the chipset and NFC chip level, but what Verizon more than likely meant to say is that its version would not support the SIM-based security element that the international 3G version currently ships with and opting for another hardware-based security element that could still allow Verizon’s version to fully support NFC services in the future.

What remains to be seen is if Google Wallet will still be able to run on the Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus with the exclusion as it stands. With the phone slated to launch later this week, this latest news will be sure to affect those that expected to use Google Wallet without issue. While the phone is billed as a Nexus device, more and more details have surfaced in recent weeks that have confirmed Verizon’s direct involvement in the development of its version instead of strictly adhering to Google’s reference design such as the inclusion of Verizon branded apps.

HTC has finally confirmed and announced that it will begin releasing an Android 3.2 upgrade for the HTC Flyer, a long suspected upgrade that gave many users frustration.

The Flyer sits alongside the Dell Streak 7 as being powerful seven-inch tablets, which emerged alongside 10-inch tablets that ran on Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb. Unfortunately, Google confirmed after Android 3.0′s release that the platform lacked support for smaller-screens than a 10-inch, 1024×600 pixel display could allow for. Worse, Google violated open source licenses and outright refused to release the source code; preventing others from patching Android 3.0 to run properly on seven-inch tablets.

As we saw with the Dell Streak 7, upon the release of Android 3.2, support for these small-yet-powerful tablets finally came to fruition. However, while Dell committed early to the upgrade, HTC stayed relatively quiet. Today, HTC began pushing the Flyer upgrade to European 3G variants of the Flyer, and promised to release updates for the Wi-Fi variants globally. The update will be pushed over-the-air, and will not wipe user memory.

One device remains unconfirmed however, and that is the HTC EVO View 4G, the Sprint-exclusive WiMAX-and-CDMA relative of the Flyer 3G and Flyer Wi-Fi. As we saw with Dell, the T-Mobile HSPA+ variant of the Dell Streak 7 did not get upgraded to Android 3.2, and is stuck for life at Android 2.2, Froyo. Many are concerned that the HTC EVO View 4G may suffer a similar fate. Both the Sprint EVO View 4G and T-Mobile Dell Streak 7 suffer from somewhat lackluster sales, sparked by similar constraints; high device pricing.

While T-Mobile and Dell maintained strict pricing controls on the Dell Streak 7, Sprint and HTC have been a bit more forgiving, allowing wholesalers to dump overstock of the EVO View 4G onto the market for nearly at-cost pricing, as low as $239 in fire sales, and $289 in sustained sales pricing. Sprint has also rolled out a 1 GB Tablet Data Plan which we covered and took advantage of recently.

Google recently released the source code to all versions of Honeycomb, alongside the release of source code for Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich. Honeycomb is significantly more in-line with Android 4 than Android 2 versions, as Android 4/ICS is built off of Honeycomb. For tablet owners, Honeycomb is a major improvement over Android 2.0, which was designed strictly for cell phones, and Android 3.0 was designed strictly for tablets. Android 4 unifies this experience, with one platform designed for both smartphone and tablet. Android 4 however does this as the cost of lower-end device support; Android 4 requires much of the hardware that tablets, and powerful smartphones share, and generally will not perform properly on low-end devices without both custom designs, and major reengineering.

Following up, reports have surfaced from the UK release of the Galaxy Nexus that have confirmed that the phone is shipping without mobile Flash capability, with no way to force compatibility via earlier versions, as the mobile Flash players for Honeycomb, Gingerbread and Froyo have also been confirmed to be incompatible with Ice Cream Sandwich.

For its part, Google has released this statement regarding the lack of Flash support on the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich as a whole:

 “Flash hasn’t been released for ICS yet so as far as we know, Adobe will support Flash for ICS.”

The discovery of the lack of Flash support on Android 4.0 follows the surprise announcement of the immediate halt to mobile Flash development made by Adobe earlier this month, which included halting in-house development of mobile Flash for multiple platforms, including Android.

However, Adobe made explicit mention that the halt to mobile Flash development would not affect those that have their own licenses to the platform, such as RIM who confirmed continuing development for Flash on its PlayBook tablet outside of Adobe’s own development as well as the commitment to open source the platform so that others can continue development if necessary.

This would mean that if Adobe were to not make Flash for Ice Cream Sandwich available for whatever reason directly, Google and/or Samsung could take up development for the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0, provided the investment in development makes sense and enough demand exists to justify it, as well as the availability of licenses to develop compatibility to begin with.

As Adobe is moving to HTML5 development on mobile after years of touting Flash on Android as the superior alternative to the iPhone with mixed results, this puts the onus on both hardware manufacturers and software developers to speed up the transition away from Flash on Android, although it won’t happen without a loud minority refusing to give up Flash for the sake of a bullet point advantage over the perceived inferiority of Apple’s iOS and iPhone/iPad, which was the catalyst for Adobe making the move to abandon Flash on mobile in the first place.