Google and Samsung Unveil Galaxy Nexus Powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 20 Oct 2011

When you say the word smartphone people immediately think of Apple’s iOS-powered iPhone. It is true that there are many, many iOS users out there and it is true that the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone market. It is just as true that the number of Android users is growing (some 550,000 Android devices are activated daily) and that the perspective is beginning to shift. When you say “smartphone”, some people will not immediately assume you’re talking about the iPhone – they’ll ask “iOS or Android?”

Cupertino-based software developer Apple made the news this month by announcing the release of the iPhone 4S and iOS 5.

The new iPhone has a better processor and a better camera than the iPhone 4S and features a new intelligent assistant called Siri that sometimes says funny things. The latest version of the iOS comes with more than 200 new features as Apple explained. Chief among them is the new Notification Center which allows users to easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption.

Mountain View-based search engine giant Google now makes the news with a smartphone-related announcement. On Wednesday morning on Hong Kong, Google and Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy Nexus smartphone which is powered by the latest version of the Android operating system, mainly Android 4.0. The codename of the Android 4.0 is, drum rolls please, “Ice Cream Sandwich”.



The Galaxy Nexus smartphone, which will be available in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia starting this November, has the following to offer:
- A super slim profile (8.84mm thick) and a 4.65” Contour Display.
- True high definition (720p) resolution
- Dual core 1.2 GHz processor
- High-end camera with zero shutter-lag, automatic focus, top notch low-light performance and a simple, intuitive way to take panoramic pictures
- 4G LTE or HSPA+ technology

If you would like to learn more about the Galaxy Nexus just click here.


As I mentioned above, the Galaxy Nexus smartphone is powered by Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich.” As Google explained, everything about the Android operating system has been rethought and redesigned with a simple goal in mind: to make Android “simple, beautiful, and beyond smart.”

“With Ice Cream Sandwich, our mission was to build a mobile OS that works on both phones and tablets, and to make the power of Android enticing and intuitive,” commented Senior Vice President of Mobile with Google, Andy Rubin.

Here are the main features Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has to offer:
  • New interface.
  • Face unlock – unlock the device by looking into the camera.
  • Android Beam – feature that uses near field communication (NFC) technology to share contacts, websites, apps, maps, YouTube videos with others by holding tapping two phones together.
  • Voice typing – compose messages and emails by simply speaking into the device. The text appears on the screen as you speak it.
  • Google+ is built into Android 4.0.

The Galaxy Nexus is the third generation of Google smartphones. Its predecessors are the Nexus One and the Nexus S.

The 57min long video below was shot at Google and Samsung's presentation of the Galaxy Nexus phone.


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