Google and Samsung Bring It

As I said yesterday, Google and Samsung introduced the Google Galaxy Nexus phone. It's a technical doozy:

Samsung started the press event by unveiling the Galaxy Nexus, an impressive new smartphone that the consumer electronics company codeveloped with Google to serve as the ICS launch device. Rumors about the device's lofty specs have been circulating for months. The highlight is its 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with an impressive 1280x720 resolution. The device has a curved form factor that is said to give it a natural feel despite its large size.

The device also has a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4 CPU, front and rear-facing cameras and 1GB of RAM. Samsung says that there will be separate models with HSPA+ and LTE connectivity available depending on region. Other connectivity features include Bluetooth, WiFi, and NFC. It also has the full array of sensors, including a built-in gyroscope and barometer. The device is scheduled to ship in November with Android 4 on board.

That'll be with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software:

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – taking cues from the Honeycomb tablet OS – uses the entire screen for navigation, with the usual Android buttons appearing on the interface itself as opposed to existing as physical hardware components. ICS introduces a smorgasbord of new features to the platform, including face recognition for unlocking, advanced voice integration, and an improved notification system.

It's a technological beast:
Sleek looking devices with technological advancements should up the cool factor but are people actually going to appreciate these features? How will it compare to the RAZR and the iPhone:

In the multimedia department, you won’t run out of options with either of these phones. The Droid RAZR and the iPhone 4S have 8-megapixel cameras at the back that can record full HD 1080p video. The Galaxy Nexus can also record 1080p video, but, surprisingly, Samsung put only a 5-megapixel shooter on Google’s phone, which is less than what we have seen on other phones from the manufacturer, such as the Galaxy SII. All three phones also have video chat cameras on the front.

I'm personally a multimedia guy and like to take pictures of my surroundings. The Nexus falls short, but not by much. It has tricks though:

If you’re looking for extra tricks from your phone, the Galaxy Nexus might be what you’re looking for. Out of the three phones, the Nexus is the only device with Near Field Communication support, which allows you to make wireless payments (at a small, but growing list of retailers), as well as to beam contacts, websites, apps or maps to other NFC-enabled devices by just bringing the phones together and making them touch.

So the Nexus has a lot of potential as a phone. We now have information as to when these phones come out:

Anyway, without any further adieu, a Verizon Wireless screen capture has surfaced online and is showing the “tentative” launch date for the HTC Rezound as well as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Droid HD (aka Droid RAZR). According to the image, all three of these handsets will be available on November 10th.

I expect these phones to be huge hits amongst the tech geeks of our generation, but I don't know how well it's going to do against the iPhone. The iPhone still is the most popular and "coolest" phone on the market. A lot of people own Androids, but I don't think the technological capabilities of the phone are tapped. It's hard for the general public to get excited about that.

That's not say these phones won't sell. Familiarity with the RAZR name will bring interest. The recommendations for the Galaxy Nexus will help that phone. They will still sell. I'm not sure they'll sell as well as the iPhone.