Google has put out that the new Android based Nexus S can be bought in the U.s starting Dec. 16. The Nexus S is made by Samsung, and has most of the same features as the Samsung Vibrant, plus the addition of a front facing camera and the ability to have a mobile hotspot that the Vibrant didn’t have.
Plus, the Nexus S is also the very first handset to use Google’s new Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system.
The Nexus S features a sleek and stylish glass design that is gorgeous to view and feels great when you put it up against your ear. It’s expected that the glass used is Gorilla Glass like that used in Samsung’s Galaxy S handsets, but that data wasnt included in the report.
The Nexus S screen will be the same 4″ AMOLED display most people adored when it showed up in the Galaxy S phone series. When it comes to the technical specs, the Nexus S uses the same 1 GHz processor, which even now runs quickly on Android 2.1, so it is expected to really be quick on Android 2.3. Besides the 5 MP camera like you get on other Galaxy S handsets, the Nexus S will feature a VGA (640×480) front-facing camera that you can use for video chatting.
Plus, the phone can also be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to up to six devices. And, Google has announced they won’t charge to use the hotspot ability, which is not the same information T-Mobile has since it currently charges $15 for that service and considers it an add-on.
One option making a brand new appearance on a U.S. phone is Near Field Communications or NFC. While it shows up all the time in places like Asia, NFC hasn’t been seen in the States. It lets you use your phone to share data with nearby terminals or electronic devices that use a radio frequency to get information, buy things or serve as an airplane ticket or your boarding pass. While there is not currently many ways to use it in the States, those could crop up in time.
Even with all these extra features, the Nexus S will only weight .3 ounces more than the Vibrant (4.55 versus 4.2 ounces), and it is still .5 ounces less in weight than a HTC myTouch 4G with similar features. The Nexus S runs on T-Mobile’s HSPDA network, and can’t access the same 4G-like” speeds that the HTC handset can get on the more advanced HSPA+ network.
Google’s new Gingerbread operating system will give users an improved interface with an equally improved keyboard, the NFC interface support, as well as a more open VoIP protocol.
It’s estimated that the new keyboard is one of the best improvements that customers will appreciate. Even thought the previous Android keyboards were pretty good, this new one will have more spacing between the letters, bigger fonts, an improved suggestion feature that lets users have access to previous keying history to speed up typing. Plus, it will let you type letters, numbers, and special characters without leaving the same screen.
It has also improved the copy-and-paste function by making it one touch and adding on a new text selection tool.
Consumers will be able to buy the Nexus S unlocked through Best Buy, which means it can be formatted to use with so it will work with whatever GSM carrier the customer desires. If you do that, however the full retail price of $529 applies, or you can get it with a two year contract with T-Mobile and spend only $199.99.
If you consider all of the above, there is a lot to look forward to in the new Nexus S. Here is a full list of its features:
It will have 6.7 talk hours possible with up to 8 days of standby power
The band modes it will work with include: 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS, Tri-band HSPA: 900, 2100, 1700, HSDPA (7.2Mbps) and HSUPA (5.76Mbps)
The operating system will be the new Android 2.3 Gingerbread
It weights a mere 4.55 oz, has the dimensions of 4.9 x 2.5 x 0.43 inches and uses a 1500 mAh battery.
It has a 4.0” WVGA AMOLED (800 x 480) display and 72op video capture abilties.
It has a back facing camera with 5 megapixels and a front facing one with VGA of 640×480) and an auto focus and flash.
The processor is a Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Processor and itwill have 16 GB on-board memory .
