Samsung & Google launches Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Electronics and Google introduced a smartphone Galaxy Nexus. This is the first smart phone that uses Android's latest operating system version 4.0 is Ice Cream Sandwich. Galaxy Nexus formerly called Nexus Prime allegedly was introduced in Hong Kong.


Samsung had previously worked on the phone with the name Nexus S. Ice Cream Sandwich itself is the Android operating system that can be used both in mobile and tablet. Reportedly, Ice Cream Sandwiches are a blend of Android Gingerbread with Honeycomb.

As with all Nexus phones, the Galaxy Nexus boasts some impressive specifications. The smartphone features a 1.2 gigahertz dual-core processor, a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a pronounced curved shape that is intended to cradle the face. There's a a 5-megapixel camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and support for 1080p HD video capture and playback. Samsung says that its camera experiences zero shutter lag.

The body of the HSPA+ version is a svelte 8.9 millimeters thick (Neither Google nor Samsung specificed the thickness of the LTE version in their presentation.) The Nexus S also featured a subtle curve in its design, in keeping with the original curve of the Samsung Nexus S.

With a number of advantages, the handset is ready to fight in the heat of the smartphone market competition. Check out pictures Galaxy Nexus shots from near the following:







The Galaxy Nexus will launch in November in the U.S., Europe, and Asia (including China and Japan). Although no pricing has been announced, Samsung did mention that NTT DoCoMo will be the Japanese carrier.

Is this Google Nexus Prime's smartphone?

Nexus Prime touted as the latest smartphone from the Nexus family, after Nexus One and Nexus S. A picture which is claimed as Nexus Prime has also appeared in cyberspace. Handtec online retailers in the UK has been displaying the images which it accuses of Nexus Prime. According to the site, the screen on the Google Nexus Prime is 4.6 inches of Super AMOLED HD delight with resolution of 720p.


A 5MP camera captures video at 1080p and a 1MP front facing camera is also aboard. Under the hood is a TI OMAP 4460 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM. Of course, the phone is powered by Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. And yes, this model appears to offer a strictly pure stock Android experience.

Just like the Nexus S, Nexus Prime is made by Google in collaboration with Samsung. Predicted, this smartphone is released soon. There is also news that Nexus Prime is not the final name and may still be Galaxy Prime.

Nexus S unlock on bootloader

Excellent news, folks. The bootloader on the Samsung Nexus S can be unlocked just as the Nexus One's was. Gandalf44 in the Android Central Forums reminds us of the instructions:

1. Shutdown the phone
2. Hold down volume up + power
3. Now you are in the standard recovery mode
4. Assuming you have 2.3 SDK installed with fastboot (Google around for that info..), now on terminal/windows or Windows cmd depending on OS type "fastboot devices" to check your device can be seem via USB
5. Assuming you device is seen via fastboot devices, now type "fastboot oem unlock"
6. Accept ... and new bootloader is unlocked...

Why would you want to unlock the bootloader? You need access to install a custom recovery. And you need a custom recovery to install custom ROMs. And you need custom ROMs because, well, you just do. Trust us. So this is very good news indeed. If we don't see custom ROMs by the end of the day, somebody's slacking.

Nexus S from every possible angle

We understand that this is UNACCEPTABLY LATE in internet terms, but Samsung has just got around to distributing some nice, high-res photos of its new Nexus S Android phone and we’d very much like to put them on the internet.

These photos are absolutely huge, so if you want to examine the print quality on the lettering on the back of the Nexus S, click on one, go make yourself a cup of tea, then come back.

Actually, they’re not that big once converted from PNG to JPG. And here’s Samsung’s press release about the new Android 2.3 phone, which also confirms the December 20 Carphone Warehouse UK launch:

SAMSUNG AND GOOGLE TO DELIVER NEXUS S, THE FIRST MOBILE PHONE IN THE WORLD POWERED BY ANDROID 2.3

Nexus S offers the latest version of the Android platform, Gingerbread, 4" Super AMOLED touch screen with curved design, Near Field Communication (NFC), front and rear-facing cameras and 1GHz application processor

LONDON, UK – December 6, 2010 — Samsung Electronics, a leading mobile phone provider and Google™ today announced Nexus S™, the world's first handset to feature the latest version of Google's Android™ platform. Powered by Android 2.3, Samsung has packed Nexus S with powerful technology and the latest in hardware features.

JK Shin, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, said: "Samsung and Google have worked together closely to deliver the best Android smart phone experience for consumers. It has been our ambition in working with Google to continue to push the Android platform forward and create a smart phone that has both superior functionality and a stunning user-experience. It is extremely satisfying to see this partnership again bear tremendous fruit."

"Samsung Mobile is pleased to have worked with Google to create the first device featuring the much anticipated Android 2.3 OS. Nexus S is powerful proof of Samsung and Google's commitment to bringing technology firsts to market and launch products that utilise the open and innovative Android operating system," said Simon Stanford, Managing Director, Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland. "Nexus S integrates Samsung's best-in-class hardware and technology with the exciting new features and upgrades of Android 2.3 Gingerbread to give consumers a breakthrough smartphone experience and I'm pleased to say it's available to UK consumers from December 20th."

“Google is excited to co-develop Nexus S with Samsung, ensuring solid integration of hardware and software to deliver the lead device for the latest version of Android, Gingerbread,” said Andy Rubin, Vice President of Engineering at Google.

Nexus S is designed with Samsung's brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen technology providing a premium viewing experience. The 4-inch Contour Display features a curved design for a more ergonomic style. Nexus S also features Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which allows you to read information off of everyday objects like stickers and posters that are embedded with NFC chips. Powered by a 1 GHz Samsung application processor, Nexus S produces rich 3D graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content.

Nexus S is equipped with a 5 megapixel rear facing camera and camcorder, as well as a VGA front facing camera. In addition, Nexus S features a gyroscope sensor to provide a smooth, fluid gaming experience when the user is tilting the device up or down or panning the phone to the left or right. Nexus S also comes with 16 GB of internal memory.

Android 2.3, 'Gingerbread', is the fastest version of Android yet. It features support for Near Field Communication (NFC), a new and improved keyboard with multi-touch support, Internet calling (VoIP/SIP support), and a clean new user interface. Nexus S also includes popular Android features such as portable Wi-Fi hotspot, true multitasking, access to Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Navigation, Voice Actions, Google Voice™ and YouTube™, and access to over 100,000 apps and widgets on Android Market™.

Starting December 16, Nexus S can be after December 20 at Carphone Warehouse retailers in the U.K.

News, Google Nexus S Now Official

Google and Samsung officially announce the Nexus S, their Android collaboration, which is the second Android phone released by Google, following the Nexus One by HTC. The Nexus S, as its name suggests, is pretty much based on Samsung's own Galaxy S smartphone. Most notable new features include a 4-inch Contour display with curved glass screen, capacitive touch sensor and anti-fingerprint display coating; built-in Near Field Communication (NFC) connectivity and the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

The Nexus S, like other Galaxy S phones, is powered by a 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor. It has 16GB internal storage capacity but lack microSD card slot for expansion. The "curved" smartphone has a 5 Megapixel camera and a front VGA camera. However, its 5Mpix cam records only 720×480 video, lacking 720p HD video capability found on all Galaxy S models.

The Nexus S supports GPS/A-GPS, Bluetooth WiFi 802.11b/g/n connectivity, quad-band GSM/EDGE, tri-band HSPA networks, and microUSB connection. Other features include haptic feedback vibration, three-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor and software noise-cancellation. The Android 2.3 handset comes with a 1500 mAH Lithum Ion battery that allows for talk time up to 6.7 hours on 3G and standby time up to 17.8 days on 3G.

As for availabity, Nexus S will be sold unlocked and carrier-independent initially through Best Buy stores in the U.S. and after December 20 at Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK.

Back Story

Highlights:

360º View

Google Maps Navigation

Nexus S: Youtube 2.0

Preview of Google Nexus S Gingerbread

The Big day for Google has already started with announcments of couple of things at Web 2.0 summit.

Google Nexus S as rumored, is manufactured by Samsung, with the new Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" with pure android experience. The starting point was the Samsung Galaxy S, so far the best Android phone. It is significantly faster than the Nexus One (and most current generation phones), with a great Super AMOLED 400 x 800 resolution screen that is second only to the iPhone 4.

The phone also becomes the first Android smartphone capable of NFC, near field communications.

The Design:

The phone is sleeker than the Nexus One, but the black plastic case doesn't feel that good. The feel is definitely not solid. It is very thin and light – just 4.55 ounces with dimensions are 63mm x 123.9mm x 10.88mm (slightly thicker, taller and wider than the iPhone 4, and with a larger screen).

Hardware:

The Nexus S is not dual core processor, but rather uses the 1 GHz Hummingbird processor (same as Galaxy S), but Gingerbread's hardware acceleration had brought th true potential of the hardware, as aresult, it feels much better than Froyo.

The super AMOLED 4″ display is superb, even better than Galaxy S with richer blacks than iPhone 4.

Battery life: Unlike most Android phones, the battery is good – much, much better than Nexus One. you would practically get 6+ hours of heavy voice/data usage, thanks to the powerful 1500 mAh Lithium Ion battery. Official terms claim 400 minutes of talk time on 3G, 841 minutes on 2G, and standby time of 428/714 hours on 3G/2G.

Camera: Gingerbread expands the camera support to dual camera. Rear facing is still 5 megapixel camera, with a flash, the front one is a VGA camera. Both perform well when used for any app.

Sensors: Nexus S also gets gyroscope, along with accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, haptic feedback and a light sensor.

Memory: It comes with 16 GB of internal flash memory, but no room for expansion.

Rest is pretty much similar to Galaxy S, Nexus One.

The Availability

Google will not be selling this phone directly to consumers. Phone will be available initially at Best Buy in the U.S. (on T-Mobile) and Carphone Warehouse in the U.K. Google says the phone is currently expected to be available starting December 16, although pre-orders might be taken earlier.

Nexus S confirmed by Google – Android 2.3 due within “weeks”

Google’s Eric Schmidt has just been addressing the Web 2.0 conference, and took to the stage holding the much-rumoured new Google phone – the Nexus S. Yes, it’s real now. Schmidt didn’t mention the hardware manufacturer, but this is clearly the same Samsung-made Android phone that’s been all over the internet for some time.

Schmidt didn’t give much away about the phone itself, either, save for announcing it will arrive including support for the NFC protocol – the short-range chip-reading tool used to make micro-transactions. He also said Android 2.3 will arrive within the “next few weeks”, presumably on the Nexus S first.

The US version held by Schmidt was pictured running on T-Mobile – but we’re expecting the Nexus S to arrive SIM-free around the world, as we discovered some weeks ago. It is Google’s next big thing, after all. Link & pics via Engadget.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt this afternoon gave a sneak peak at Gingerbread -- Android 2.3 -- on "an unannounced" Android device that sure looked a lot like the Samsung Nexus S. It's all going down as we type at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.

Will we "get" Gingerbread today? Doesn't sound like it. Schmidt said Gingerbread is on its way "in the coming weeks." And as we've said before, we still have to see the SDK and what-not before it starts rolling out to phones, with the Nexus One likely among the first. [Web 2.0 Summit]

Here’s a video of Google’s Eric Schmidt waving around his “new operating system aligned with a potential hardware device” at the Web 2.0 conference last night. It’s the Nexus S, even though Eric refused to name it or the hardware manufacturer during the event.

Don’t be put off by the intimidating 44:48 advertised runtime of the below clip – the new Google-branded Android phone is the very first thing they talk about.

Eric, no need to be so coy. We know all about it already. It’s the Samsung Nexus S. You’re not very well informed for a man whose job is the internet. Links via Engadget and Mobiflip.