Google Confirms Nexus S Phone With Android 2.3
Nexus S, according to Google, is the lead device for its official release of Gingerbread. In a Monday post to the Official Google Blog confirming the Nexus S arrival, Google's Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering, Nexus S delivers "what we call a 'pure Google experience: unlocked, unfiltered access to the best Google mobile services and the latest and greatest Android releases and updates."
Nexus S features what Google is describing as a 4-inch contour display that fits comfortably in hand and against the side of a face. It sports a 1-Ghz Hummingbird processor, front and rear-facing cameras, 16 GB of internal memory, and hardware for near field communication (NFC), a short-range wireless technology. The long-awaited version 2.3 Gingerbread update offers interface changes, NFC support and keyboard and text selection tools, as well as what Google says is improved copy and paste functionality and gyroscope sensor support.
Google's Android platform has met astounding success since its 2008 debut, and according to most analysts, has grown faster than any other mobile OS out there in 2010, now seen on a small galaxy of Android smartphones and other devices by Motorola, Samsung, HTC and other vendors.
Google's first Nexus One, a Google-branded phone manufactured by HTC, was itself something of a failure following a wave of customer service problems during its January 2010 release. But the Nexus S should find instant appeal thanks to the compelling growth of Android, and Gingerbread, whose SDK/NDK, Google confirmed, is also now available.
Google further confirmed that Dec. 16 is the launch date for Nexus S, which will be available either unlocked or with a service plan through T-Mobile. Pricing was not confirmed. Select retailers, including Best Buy in the U.S., will carry the phone.