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| blogs.computerworld.com |
Samsung Electronics, the self-styled "top smartphone maker", has at once affirmed the Galaxy Nexus release date in Europe, but is being slenderly fuzzier about the U.S. date. However, we should see the long-anticipated reference Android Ice Cream Sandwich design on Verizon within weeks. While JR Raphael's on vacation, here's what we know, in The Long View...
Greetings from a sunny England, where Samsung's been holding its establish party this week. You may remember that Samsung delayed the launch in deference to the death of Steve Jobs (or perhaps in honor of the all-powerful news cycle -- you be the judge).
Amongst the announcements were the latest details on Google's flagship smartphone for the new version of Android -- version 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Formerly known as the Nexus Prime -- at least by fandroid rumor-mongers -- this has been an eagerly anticipated announcement, coming as it does, hard on the heels of Apple's iPhone 4S introduction.
We now finally have a hard date for European availability, but still a slightly fuzzier U.S. date; we act know it'll be on Verizon initially, though. In Europe, it'll be out on November 17; in the U.S., well, sometime in November.
The European version will support the über-fast 21 Mb/s HSDPA, but Verizon's will get a "admittedly 4G" LTE upgrade. Rocking a dual-core, 1.2GHz OMAP 4460 SoC from TI, based on an ARM Cortex-A9, plus a 384 MHz PowerVR SGX540 GPU, and 1GB of RAM, it's expected to be a scorching power-house.
Rear camera is 5 megapixels, which can record 1080p30 HD video; front snapper is 1.3. It even has NFC and a barometer, just in case you want to predict the weather... or something.
It weighs 4.8oz, and it's got a 4.7" Super AMOLED, oleophobic screen (OK, 4.65", whenever you want to be really pedantic) with a better-than-HD, WSVGA resolution of 1280x800 an HD resolution of 1280x720. The bezel's pretty thin, so it doesn't seem as bulky in your hand as you might imagine.
The form-factor reminds me of the much-underrated Dell Streak (a/k/a the Mini five). I purchased a mint one of these on eBay recently, for $240; it's a wonderful little toy. The Dell doesn't quite have that resolution, being WVGA, but that's still pretty dense for a 5" screen. Perhaps Dell was just ahead of its time?
Speaking of 5" form-factor tablets, Samsung also announced its Galaxy Note device. Same resolution as the Nexus, but 1280x800 WXGA resolution, with a 5.3" screen. Amusingly, it comes with a stylus, which should bring back "nostalgic" memories of poking at Palms and iPaqs of old...
Anyway, back to the Galaxy Nexus: I see the 16GB version advertised for pre-order in the UK at around the £500-to-£525 mark -- that's including the Britain ludicrous 20% sales tax, which works out around $650 plus tax. This is, of course, unsubsidized, unlocked, and SIM-free; it'll also be available in the UK via the O2 network initially.
No word yet on U.S. pricing, but I can't see it coming to these shores unbarred sans-contract this year, can you? blogs.computerworld.com
Greetings from a sunny England, where Samsung's been holding its establish party this week. You may remember that Samsung delayed the launch in deference to the death of Steve Jobs (or perhaps in honor of the all-powerful news cycle -- you be the judge).
Amongst the announcements were the latest details on Google's flagship smartphone for the new version of Android -- version 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Formerly known as the Nexus Prime -- at least by fandroid rumor-mongers -- this has been an eagerly anticipated announcement, coming as it does, hard on the heels of Apple's iPhone 4S introduction.
We now finally have a hard date for European availability, but still a slightly fuzzier U.S. date; we act know it'll be on Verizon initially, though. In Europe, it'll be out on November 17; in the U.S., well, sometime in November.
The European version will support the über-fast 21 Mb/s HSDPA, but Verizon's will get a "admittedly 4G" LTE upgrade. Rocking a dual-core, 1.2GHz OMAP 4460 SoC from TI, based on an ARM Cortex-A9, plus a 384 MHz PowerVR SGX540 GPU, and 1GB of RAM, it's expected to be a scorching power-house.
Rear camera is 5 megapixels, which can record 1080p30 HD video; front snapper is 1.3. It even has NFC and a barometer, just in case you want to predict the weather... or something.
It weighs 4.8oz, and it's got a 4.7" Super AMOLED, oleophobic screen (OK, 4.65", whenever you want to be really pedantic) with a better-than-HD, WSVGA resolution of 1280x800 an HD resolution of 1280x720. The bezel's pretty thin, so it doesn't seem as bulky in your hand as you might imagine.
The form-factor reminds me of the much-underrated Dell Streak (a/k/a the Mini five). I purchased a mint one of these on eBay recently, for $240; it's a wonderful little toy. The Dell doesn't quite have that resolution, being WVGA, but that's still pretty dense for a 5" screen. Perhaps Dell was just ahead of its time?
Speaking of 5" form-factor tablets, Samsung also announced its Galaxy Note device. Same resolution as the Nexus, but 1280x800 WXGA resolution, with a 5.3" screen. Amusingly, it comes with a stylus, which should bring back "nostalgic" memories of poking at Palms and iPaqs of old...
Anyway, back to the Galaxy Nexus: I see the 16GB version advertised for pre-order in the UK at around the £500-to-£525 mark -- that's including the Britain ludicrous 20% sales tax, which works out around $650 plus tax. This is, of course, unsubsidized, unlocked, and SIM-free; it'll also be available in the UK via the O2 network initially.
No word yet on U.S. pricing, but I can't see it coming to these shores unbarred sans-contract this year, can you? blogs.computerworld.com
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