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The Galaxy Nexus is a touchscreen slate Android smartphone developed by a partnership between Samsung and Google. It is the third generation successor to Google’s previous flagship phones, the Nexus One and Nexus S. It has a curved HD (1280×720 pixels) Super AMOLED display, an improved camera system, and Google’s new version of its Android operating system, version 4.0, code-named Icecream Sandwich.
The Galaxy Nexus was unveiled at Google and Samsung’s Ice Cream Sandwich event on 19 October, 2011 in Hong Kong. It was released on November 17, 2011.
Hardware:
The Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65-inch 1280×720-pixel HD Super AMOLED PenTile curved glass display, a dual-core 1.2 GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor (ARM Cortex-A9) with an accompanying PowerVR SGX540,1 GB of RAM. Additionally, a 1,750 mAh battery, 1.3 MP front camera and 5 MP rear camera (with zero shutter lag) capable of 1080p video, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC and it has 16 or 32 GB of internal memory.
The Galaxy Nexus also hosts support for MHL through the use of its Micro USB 2.0 port. This means that the Galaxy Nexus has the ability to output up to 1080p audio-visual content to any supported external display such as HD Television.
The Galaxy Nexus has no physical buttons on the front, but instead features on-screen softkeys embedded into the system software (part of Android 4.0). Beneath the soft keys, a multicolored notification LED is featured, a feature missing from the Nexus S.
The 3.5mm headphone jack is located on the bottom of the phone, and the camera is located in the center of the rear side. The phone will have 16/32 GB internal storage depending on model.
Android 4.0, Icecream Sandwich, brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. Simple layouts with subtle animations and delightful flourishes make everything feel alive…Gone are lists of text with icons, replaced by big pictures and bold text, just like a magazine. Instead of boring button presses, find your way around with fun, consistent gestures.
Widgets galore
Interact with your favorite apps right from your home screen with new types of widgets. Resize and arrange them to suit yourself..
Multi-task away
Quickly switch between apps with a dedicated recent apps button. Dismiss those you don’t care about with a swipe of your finger…
Keep me notified
Swipe down to see your latest notifications, now with rich graphics and controls. Swipe your finger to dismiss those you don’t need..
Browse the web at your fingertips
View multiple open pages, swipe to get rid of those you’re finished with, and enter incognito mode for private browsing.
Sync your Google Chrome bookmarks so your favorite sites are always handy. Share pages with friends instantly. And save any web page for offline reading.
Rapid-fire typing
Dozens of improvements to auto-correction and touch recognition make the keyboard feel natural. A new inline spell checker lets you quickly edit misspelled words. It’s never been easier to type long emails or messages on your phone.
Type with your voice
Galaxy Nexus listens. Simply touch the microphone on the keyboard and start talking to write emails, SMS, or any other text—more than 20 languages supported. Text appears in real time, so there’s no waiting for server processing.
Zero Shutter Lag Camera
Galaxy Nexus has a full-featured camera with automatic focus, top notch low-light performance, and zero shutter lag. Open it right from your lock screen, and fire off a photo instantly. Snapping several photos is quicker than the blink of an eye..
Galaxy Nexus introduces a new, fun way to unlock your phone—with a smile. State-of-the-art facial recognition technology lets you switch on your phone and look at it to get past the lock screen—no passwords to remember, nothing to type or swipe.
Share contacts, web pages, YouTube videos, directions, and apps—just by touching two NFC-enabled Android phones back to back. Tap to beam what’s on your phone to your friend..
The Galaxy Nexus is a highly anticipated phone, even regarded as the most anticipated Android device of 2011, gathering very positive reviews. According to Engadget editor Darren Murph, the Galaxy Nexus was “smooth as ever. Without question, this is easily the slickest, most polished version of Android yet” and that “The entire experience just felt polished. In a way, it’s as if Android’s growing a bit and maturing before our eyes.” Vincent Nguyen, from SlashGear noted the fast performance of Android 4.0.1, the tight integration between the operating system and the hardware and concluded that “this is the best Android phone around today.”