The Philippine Online Chronicles

Tech giants Google and Samsung unveiled last October 18 the new Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone designed for the latest release of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the former’s mobile operating system.

Key Features

• Network: HSPA+ 21 850/900/1900/1700/2100; EDGE/GPRS (LTE will be available depending on region)
• Processor: 1.2GHz 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

The Nexus features Face Unlock, which, through facial recognition, allows users to unlock the phone simply by looking into the phone’s front-facing camera.

The phone also has Google+ support built in, which would then allow users to have group conversations with Messenger, and video chat with up to nine people through Hangouts.

Don’t let the 5MP rear camera fool you. With Ice Cream Sandwich, the phone promises “zero shutter lag,” 1080p videos with built-in image stabilization, auto-focus, image retouching, video editing, improved low-light performance, and the ability to take panoramic shots with a single motion.

Also note that the phone has a screen larger than the Samsung Galaxy S II’s 4.21” screen and the iPhone’s 3.5” screen. However, as designer Dustin Curtis has recently pointed out, bigger does not always mean better.

The smartphone features a contour display and is 8.84mm thick with a 4.29 bezel.

Through the use of Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, the Nexus features Android Beam, which allows its users to instantly share webpages, YouTube videos, maps, and even apps by simply tapping two phones with one another.

Ice Cream Sandwich

The Ice Cream Sandwich follows Google’s tradition of alphabetical desserts as names of Android versions which include Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, all of which is now superseded by Ice Cream Sandwich. However, the features of the new OS borrow much from those of its last two predecessors.

Following Google’s Mike Claren’s pronouncement of “one OS everywhere,” the new OS is designed to be used for the broad spectrum of mobile devices such as tablets, convertible laptops, and smartphones, unlike Honeycomb, which was designed solely for tablets.

Probably, the most interesting feature of the new OS is the fact that it has support for devices without any physical buttons (such as the Galaxy Nexus). To repeat, in bold, no hardware buttons. This means that anything you would want to do, you would have to do with dynamic buttons on the screen that reorient themselves according to how your device is tilted or oriented.

The Galaxy Nexus’ 1280x720 resolution is the native resolution if the OS.

Similar to Honeycomb, contextual devices of applications can be accessed through the Action Bar at the top of the screen, which also replaces Android’s menu and search button.

In their official blog post, Google claims that they have improved Android’s browser, which has been criticized by many to be “slow and clunky”, to now be “significantly faster”. The tab manager has been refined and supports up to 15 tabs and a user’s bookmarks can easily be synced with your desktop’s Google Chrome. Web pages may also be saved for offline viewing, and users may request the desktop version of a site if the mobile version is not to your tastes.

Google’s blog added that Ice Cream Sandwich will have the best Gmail experience to date, with a design that supports two line previews, gesture support that allows user to swipe left and right between emails, and the ability to search your inbox even while offline. Also revamped is the Calendar, which allows for zooming with a pinch gesture.

The Android’s contact list has also been revamped with the People App, where the details of a users contact are sourced from popular social media networks like Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

The OS has also improved its voice-input feature, making it more accurate and faster. However, this feature may be less impressive than it could hve been due to the introduction of the much-talked-about Siri on iPhone 4S.

For typophiles, the Ice Cream Sandwich says goodbye to the Droid Sans with a new default font, Roboto (very similar to Helvetica), which is optimized for HD displays.

Battle for the best smartphone

Google and Samsung’s unveiling comes at the heels of the launch of the newest model of Apple’s iPhone.

Unsurprisingly, this could lead to a new battlefront between Samsung and Apple, which has been trading legal potshots at each other in the last months. The coming holidays may be the perfect theater for this battle.

The Apple 4S has had a good headstart on this battle, as four million units have already been sold, making it a possible candidate for the Guinness Book of Records’ fastest selling electronic item of all time.

For in-depth, side-by-side comparisons between both phones, website Techno Buffalo has a nice table.

The launch of the Galaxy Nexus closely coincides with the third anniversary of the G1, the first phone to run on Android. According to Google, more than 550,000 Android devices are activated daily.

Both the Galaxy Nexus and Android Sandwich shall be available in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia this coming November. The price for the phone however, is yet to be announced.

Images from Nexus Website and flickr.com/abdulhassain. Used under creative commons.