Yesterday was a huge day for Android developers. Just weeks after being debuted at Google I/O 2012, the source code for Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, was made available in the Android Open Source Project. But that's not all that happened. Along with the introduction of Android 4.1, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus LTE earned back its supported title in the AOSP.
Thanks to expanded driver support, Verizon Galaxy Nexus users can now proudly call their smartphone an AOSP device. As far as how things look on paper, the Verizon Nexus has the same level of support as the GSM Nexus available through Google Play. Google developer JBQ, Technical Lead for the AOSP, is calling the Verizon Nexus' support "experimental." There are still some unexplained errors with Verizon Nexus AOSP builds not found in retail and GSM builds, but it's a good start.
So what does this really mean for Verizon Nexus users? To be frank, not a whole lot. It doesn't mean updates are going to be provided any faster by Verizon, and ROM development will most likely continue on as normal, which is most definitely a good thing. The Verizon Nexus already has a robust development community that wasn't slowed down by the device's lack of AOSP support.
As for Sprint Galaxy Nexus users, you're still out of luck. It would appear that Samsung and Sprint don't want to fork over the drivers for the Sprint Nexus, leaving it without AOSP support.
