This is where we bring you all the stories that didn’t make it to our home page. These are still good reads, so make sure to check them out. After that, you can go ahead and enjoy the rest of your weekend in peace!

• Google acquires BufferBox [Financial Post]
• HTC One VX coming to AT&T December 7th [Android Authority]
• Even more affordable Nexus 7 tablet shows up in benchmarks [Brief Mobile]
• Microsoft products won’t be embargoed due to FRAND patents [Scribd/Robard]
• Ingress updated to be less hacker-friendly [Into Mobile]
• HTC One X and One X+ soon to get Android 4.2? [Pop Herald]
• Samsung Galaxy S Advance to get Jelly Bean this January [Samsung Germany]
• Google Maps Navigation now available in Mexico [Google Mexico]
• Dolphin Browser updated to version 1.2: Android 4.2 support, faster page loading and more [Android Police]

Android fans jumped off their seats when reports of an FCC filing for an upcoming Google TV started spreading, yesterday. Google TV’s potential hasn’t been taken to its fullest just yet, and seeing new manufacturers jumping in is always exciting. Especially if it’s one like ASUS, which is said to be releasing the ‘Qube’ Google TV USB stick soon. There might be a bit more to it, though.

Most seem to have ignored The Verge’s sources, who claim that the ASUS Qube will be a Nexus device to be released this January. Furthermore, this project is said to be the reason why Google postponed the Nexus Q, making this new unit the orb’s replacement.

After seeing Google’s constant ignoring of its smart TV platform, many of Google’s moves were upsetting for Google TV fans. The Nexus Q’s announcement was filled with comments about the omission of Google TV. Adding Google TV would alleviate the Nexus Q’s high price ($300) and make the device much more enticing. The aesthetically-pleasing orb already had streaming features, so why not make it a full-fledged Google TV?

For these reasons, the idea of the ASUS Qube with Google TV somehow coming to replace the Nexus Q makes much more sense. We still have nothing specific to go on, but some state this will work as a companion accessory (maybe to an upgraded Nexus Q?) while others believe it will be a standalone USB Google TV of sorts.

Regardless, we will simply have to wait and see. We must take these rumors with a healthy dosage of sodium, but hopefully we will know more by January. But what do you guys think – could this be the Nexus Q’s epic return?

[The Verge via GTV Source]

Those estimated shipping notices for the popular Nexus 4 just have to have a limit, and it seems we have finally reached it. After shipping estimations went up to 9-10 weeks, the 8 GB Nexus 4 has finally been marked out of stock, meaning it will probably take about 3 months or more for users to be able to snatch this device from the Google Play Store (ouch!).

Most of us have figured out that Google is simply trying to make it seem like the device is “in stock”. It really isn’t. Those of us who purchased a Nexus 4 during the second batch are pretty much pre-ordering them. But the sweet Nexus 4 has proven to be so popular that even these masked pre-orders have to be stopped.

The 16 GB version is still available for purchase. I managed to grab one that is shipping in 4-5 weeks, but those who order it at this point will have to wait 6-7 weeks before they get it shipped. Let’s just hope this one doesn’t reach the 10-week limit any time soon. Waiting until February (or later) is not a nice thought.

[Google Play Store]

Just because I, personally, don’t see the need for docks (or even tablets for that matter), doesn’t mean that the rest of you don’t find them useful. In fact, I’ve seen a lot of discussion about docks with just about every major Android release, the Nexus 7 being no exception. Those of you that can’t stand another minute without a dock to nestle your Nexus 7 can rest easy, ASUS has finally cooked one up with your name on it. Well, actually it has their name on it, but you know what I mean.

We saw an early glimpse of the cradle many months ago and it looks like all those many months of R&D have finally come to fruition — that is, if you speak Japanese. The dock popped up on ASUS Japan’s website, where it will be available for sale sometime this month for 3,480 yen (around $42.23). No word if or when we can expect this to come stateside, but hopefully that Nexus branding means we’ll see it come to the Play Store before long. Anyone feenin’ for a Nexus 7 dock?

[ASUS Japan]

While I’m beginning to have little faith that Google will ever turn around the sinking ship that is Google TV, there’s no denying the platform has potential. Despite my feelings on the budding platform, it appears some OEM’s aren’t quite ready to quit the “Android for your TV” spinoff, with ASUS finding itself as the newest OEM to take a chance on Google TV but — not in the way you might be thinking.

The ASUS Qube is the device passing by the FCC today and it appears that, instead of going for the traditional set top box route like Vizio or Sony have done, ASUS could introduce and Android dongle for televisions. The “Android on a stick” will be powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Marvell Armada CPU and connect to a television via USB (similar to the Roku USB stick), transforming a dumbTV, into a smartTV.

There’s even a few apps that have popped up in the Play Store from ASUS that directly reference the Qube, so it’s safe to say something will launch soon. Let’s hope they’re working on getting some kind of Android version of Airplay in there. What do you guys think — if priced right, would you buy an ASUS Google TV USB stick?

[FCC | via Engadget]

In the Android community, we’re generally known for customizing our devices to better suit our individual tastes and style. While this is typically done through the use of themes or 3rd party apps, what about when it comes to the outside of your device? Well, if you have the Verizon version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, you may be inclined to know that the official Samsung battery covers are now live on Samsung’s online store.

Verizon Galaxy Note 2 “Marble White” battery cover $20

Verizon Galaxy Note 2 “Titanium Gray” battery cover $20

Whether you needed a shiny new replacement cover (already?), or simply wanted to mix and match covers on your new Note 2, Samsung’s official covers can be purchased for a fairly reasonable $20. If the Verizon logo on the back feels like an eyesore (only compounds that branded home button) — tough noogies. You wont be able to find replacement battery covers for any other version of the Note 2 from Samsung, not even the international version. I called up Samsung to find out how I could get an unbranded battery cover for my Note 2, and they simply said it’s not possible. Lame.

Of course, you can always snag an official Galaxy Note 2 Flip Cover for a much higher $40. A little too rich for my blood, these covers offer a fair amount of protection, while showing off your device in bright new colors. You can save money by buying a 4-pack in the colors shown above — pink/yellow/green/white or blue/orange/black/white — for a cool $100.

One of the best parts about owning a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (or even the S3) is because almost every major carrier in the world offers the device with no variance in design, accessories for the Note 2 are plentiful. But I have to warn you — colorful battery covers can be found on the cheap from sites like eBay or Amazon, and while those come in a variety of materials and finishes, they do not come with an embedded NFC chip. Might not be a big deal if you don’t use “S Beam” or Google Wallet, but I wanted to give you a heads up.

Google started its Nexus line of devices with phones. That was a sensible starting point at the time because, well, phones were the only things Android was running on. Tablets came along and Google eventually adorned the big slate category with its Nexus branding. Heck, they even tried their hand at a Nexus-branded orb that was supposed to be the most awesome media center ever (which, due to technological shortcomings and lack of supply, ended up becoming a dead dream).

So why couldn’t Google ever make a Nexus TV? They most certainly could if they wanted to, and we’d be highly interested in seeing how such a project would come out. Designer Jonas Dähnert felt the same and took it upon himself to create some concept artwork of what a Nexus TV unit would look like.

The artist decided not to go too in-depth with detailing specs (after all, it’s just a concept — who really cares what it’ll run?) but we do learn of a few goods he’d like to see. Its main feature would be a 3D panel that can be used to do 3D video chat with its dual front-facing cameras. It’d be running a customized version of Android (we’d guess Google TV, of course) and would come with ports galore. HDMI, full-sized USB, SD card slots, ethernet, WiFi, a VGA port and more would all be available for the end-user.

I can imagine LG or Samsung taking such a project on, but the most interesting thing to think about is pricing. It’s quite simple for Google to subsidize a $600 phone in order to sell it to the end-user cheaply, but TVs might be an entirely different beast. Still, it would be quite nice to see something like a 50 inch LED 3D 240Hz Google TV unit for $500.

The artist also had another cool idea regarding Google’s Project Glass. There would be interchangeable lenses, dual front cameras for recording 3D content, and a set of 3D-enabled lenses for viewing the 3D content on that aforementioned TV. It’s all unlikely at this point, of course, but it doesn’t hurt to dream, does it?

Take a look at a couple of photos above and below, and be sure to head to the source link to check out the full slate of renders. Also, don’t forget to vote in the poll below and let us know whether or not you’d buy a Nexus TV (along with Nexus-branded glasses, apparently, to go along with it).

Take Our Poll

[via t3n]

Our friends at Dead Zebra have been busy since releasing Werewolf, the sporty Android collectible that was made available for the holiday season. The team endured hurricane Sandy, thankfully, and went to town on releasing its special Android collectible design for Christmas — Frankie Frost.

Designed by Scott Tolleson, Frankie Frost embodies everything the wintry atmosphere of the Christmas season has to offer. Snow flakes, ice and the bluish tone of cold weather all shine through with this design, and it would look great up against any desk ornaments throughout the holiday season. The only thing that could have made Frankie better is a hook to hang him onto a fresh pine tree.

You can own one for just $10, and the buying period will be split into two: 11am PST on December 6th, then exactly 12 hours later for another round on that same day. These tend to go fast so Dead Zebra is limiting these to two per household — sorry, no hording for eBay, folks.

The collectible will begin shipping December 10th, so it should be in folks’ homes in time for Christmas (though those of you outside the US will want to select faster shipping times as delays could push delivery past December). Be sure to bookmark Dead Zebra’s site and return on the aforementioned day at the aforementioned time to secure yours.

[via DYZPlastic]

Good news for all you texting and status updating junkies out there, SwiftKey Flow is finally nearing an official public release. Yeah, I got pretty excited too. Evan Tapper, SwiftKey’s community manager, sent out an email today to those who signed up for early access to the upcoming SwiftKey Flow update, know that beta testing is set to begin. Here’s the email going out to testers:

Hi,

Thank you for registering your interest in SwiftKey Flow. We’re very pleased that so many of you are eager to help us test it out.

SwiftKey Flow is very nearly ready for beta testing. When it is, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to download it and how to leave us feedback. Your comments are very important to us – you’ll be a vital part of making sure that the public release of SwiftKey with SwiftKey Flow is our best keyboard yet.

To make sure that you receive the SwiftKey Flow testing email and it doesn’t end up in your spam folder, please add feedback@swiftkey.net to your list of contacts.

In the meantime, why not nominate SwiftKey in the TechCrunch 2012 Crunchies? We’d love it if you could nominate us here http://bit.ly/skcrunchie and let your friends know.

All the best,

Evan Tapper,
SwiftKey Community Manager

While an expected launch date wasn’t given, typically an official release in the Play Store follows pretty quickly after beta testing begins. Oh, and for those wondering, SwiftKey Flow will not be a separate download for those that have already purchased SwiftKey in the past  (3, 2, or 1), and will be an update to the existing SwiftKey 3 already found in the Play Store. Great news.

If you ever played Anomaly Warzone Earth, you will understand why we jumped at the chance to preview the game’s upcoming sequel. In Anomaly Korea, the action shifts to the games titular country where players will face new enemies and challenges with the help of new units and new powerups in this “tower offense” game.

What is a “tower offense” game? Think of it as the opposite of tower defense. Instead of building up a fortress and waiting for hoards of enemies to come to you, you outfit a crew of tanks, missile launchers, and artillery units and take the combat on the road. As your units come head-to-head with enemy machines, only the strongest survive. You can collect money to upgrade units throughout the game as well as buy additional support.

A big part of the Anomaly series is the use of powerups, which range from necessities like repair to smokescreens to keep enemy fire off your back. New in Anomaly Korea is the Blast powerup, which allows your units to fire faster and further than normal in order to engage a large group of enemies or fire from outside of an attacking tower’s range. New units include the Horangi tank, which can unleash a special power capable of taking out an enemy with a single blast.

While there are plenty of additions to Anomaly Korea, the gameplay remains the same. So does the excellent presentation, which features top-notch voice acting, crisp graphics, and plenty of excitement. Each level can be completed in a variety of ways, whether that means avoiding as many enemies as possible or wiping them all off the map. A number of challenges keep the levels fresh, from rescuing an ally pinned down behind enemy lines to clearing a factory of occupying forces.

Anomaly Korea will be available for Android soon, bringing 12 all-new levels for fans of the original. An advanced ‘Art of War’ mode will put the skills of the most advanced players to the test. From our short preview, we’re left with nothing but excitement for the next entry in the franchise and can’t wait to get our hands on the full game.