Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Launched!

[dgstorm]

The Samsung/Google live! marketing event was just held in Hong Kong, and we were blown away by the presentation. Samsung and Google have been working closely with each other on this technology and it is designed to take Android to a whole new level.

Be sure to check out our dedicated sister-site, @ GalaxyNexusForum.com!

Here is the full breakdown of The Samsung Galaxy Nexus flagship superphone: Launching in November - US, Europe, & Asia (including Japan and China)

• LTE or HSPA+ - So it will work with several carriers - NOT NECESSARILY VERIZON EXCLUSIVE!
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 4.65 Inch HD Super AMOLED Screen - 1280 x 720 Resolution (Native Resolution of ICS) - Fast Response time
• Ergonomic curved contour case
• 8.90mm thin with a 4.29mm bezel
• Hyperskin Textured back
• Buttonless Design
• Zero Shutterlag Camera - Low-Light Shooting
• Full HD Video
• Barometer
• NFC - Google Wallet and other data sharing

Here is the full description of Android 4.0/ Ice Cream Sandwich:

• Roboto - Font and Graphic Design Theme
• New Live Wallpapers
• Buttons Part of the Android SW UI - Virtual & animated and Hide when not needed
• HomeScreen - Gesture based navigating with Scrolling and Stax - Easy to find
• You can pick up, move and resize Widgets
• Folders - Can Move and combine them - Can make speed-dial shortcuts
• Can customize Favorites Tray at bottom
• Recent Apps Icon - with big thumbnails - Customize and remove apps from your lists (flick gesture to throw away what you don't need)
• Power and Volume Down to Do Screen Caps
• Notification System - Improved, Faster - Peek in Notifications from LockScreen
• Music Player notification while in other apps
• Text Input - Keyboard Improved - improved error correction and in-line spellchecker - Drag-able selectable text
• Talk to Type Feature - Faster and button free
• Face Unlock - Facial Recognition Security Locking
• Improved Browser - Tabbed Browsing - Request Desktop version and Bookmarks (Will synch with Chrome from your laptop) Incognito Browsing
• Gmail Improved - Action Bar at Bottom - Select Multiple messages - Swipe/flick gesture through inbox - Offline Search
• Calendar App - Extra Readable - Same Flick Gesture movements - Pinch to Zoom
• Better and More transparent Data Controls - Data Usage Charts - Projected Usage - Can use it To Give you Warnings - Can set Auto cutoff limit - Can track which apps use the most data
• Photos - Easier and more powerful Gallery App - Drag Lock Screen to left and goes instantly to camera - Can share pics within the open sharing APIs - Super-fast internet uploading - Instant zero-shudder lag pics - quick easy touch-ups and filters - easier to organize photos - Panorama shots - Instant Upload with Google+
• Improved HD Video Software - Continuous Focus Zoom while recording - Timelapse video
• People App - Evolution of Contacts - Personal "Me" Profile - Contacts in Magazine Style UI - Updates to as many online services as you want for each social network contact - Live window into your social world - Quick Contacts = Contact cards for your contacts - Can add people directly to your homescreen - Speed up or slow down voice messages - can create pre-canned messages = called quick response
• NFC - Android Beam - share any contact or content between NFC Android devices - music, Googlemaps, articles, websites, games, multi-player gaming, etc...

The SDK will be available for ICS immediately, so developers can run with the ball. The event lasted a full hour and really showcased the amazing qualities of the hardware and software. One of the things that was most impressive was that the camera on the Galaxy Nexus was only a 5MP but looked better than many 8MP cameras. The software was the reason for this, and really is where this device and Android will shine brightly! Share your thoughts guys!

Here's a link to Google's Android 4.0 ICS Developer's Site for more details: Android 4.0 Platform Highlights | Android Developers

 

[mikeyo1990]

the SDK is all we need for the ability to build custom roms right. I forget from when gingy was released. But ne ways this pretty much guaranteed my upgrade will be used for that galaxy nexus!!

 

[tgyberg]

Jaw on floor!

 

[alienware777]

Is there a recording of the announcement anywhere? I was only able to watch half of it.

Also, http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-4.0-highlights.html

 

[johnomaz]

I loved every piece of that presentation. I am drooling over Ice Cream right now. I can't wait. I loved the Nexus and want one. I sure SURE hope its still around in March when my upgrade is here. 5 megapixel is just fine for me with the capabilities the camera has on that phone. The rest...well, it speaks for itself and it says I'M AWESOME!

 

[wvdroidman]

when will this be available on verizon and how much?

 

[Vakharn]

I only saw this in the low res stream they had on youtube but the camera's color looked pretty impressive for a cell phone. I'll be interested to see if it beats the iPhone 4S's camera in that respect as that's always been an area where most cell phone cameras are weak, and the 4S is pretty good in that respect. The video looked pretty exceptional, and I look forward to seeing some of it in full 1080p.

It was unfortunate that they had two tech fails during the presentation, with neither the facial recognition unlocking nor the quick text reply to phone calls going right, but I think some problems have to be expected at any live event like this, and they still have a while to work out the bugs before November comes around.

 

[volando]

The good:
Amazing screen, decent specs, lots of ICS goodness, Beam NFC swapping anything between phones (!!)

The not-so-good:
Noticeable lag, ICS buggy as all hell (face recognition didn't work at all, 'busy right now' text messages in response to calls didn't either), no word on hardware acceleration

 

[alboboy10]

Time lapse thing was cool.. Panorama. A lot of great features.

This phone is very nice looking.

My biggest concern is battery.

 

[socalsx]

the 5mp looks better than your 8mp probably because of a better lens.. megapixel isnt an indicator of quality

 

[Arkbird]

I have a Bionic now with a bunch of accessories...eBay???? I have to get this. I don't care that it will be full price, It will be worth it.

 

[legalkill]

I actually had thought about getting the razr this morn after the unveil, but the advances in ics alone make the Nexus my next phone; especially with the track history of the motorola/verizon updates on my droid1

 

[donzz]

That "beam" was pretty cool! Not sure if I like that new type face though.

 

[tjk629]

I hope ICS can be put on other phones quickly!

 

[sst45jeff]

Anybody know what the physical size of the phone is yet. I have been searching everywhere & cant find the specs for size.
Found this in the bionic forum.

Galaxy Nexus
Network HSPA+ 21 850/900/1900/1700/2100; 850/900/1800/1900 EDGE/GPRS (LTE will be available depending on region)
Processor1.2GHz dual-core processor
Display: 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED
OS:Android Ice Cream sandwich
Cameras:Rear cam: 5-megapixel, Front cam: 1.3-megapixel for video call
Video: Playback and recording at 1080p (30fps, MPEG-4/h.263/h.264)
Connectivity:Bluetooth 3.0, USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC
Sensors: Accelerometer, compass, gyro, light, proximity, barometer
Memory: 1GB ram + 16/32GB storage
Battery: 1750mah standard battery
Size: 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94; 135g