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Scoop! It's the Ice Cream Sandwich

October 19, 2011 | Dan Jones |

Google and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled the latest version of the Android mobile operating system on the flagship Galaxy Nexus smartphone at an event early Wednesday morning in Hong Kong.

Google first previewed the latest "Ice Cream Sandwich" update of its Android OS back in September. Google and Samsung cancelled the original launch event, planned for CTIA last week. (See OS Watch: RIM Buys Up a Cloud Vendor.)

Updates to the OS include:

  • A faster browser.
  • Near-field communications (NFC) capabilities with "Android Beam", which allows users to touch phones to swap apps, maps and videos.
  • Software "buttons" replace nearly all hardware buttons.
  • A better "soft" keyboard.

    Read the blog from Google SVP of mobile, Andy Rubin, on the updates.

    The lead device using Android 4.0 is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Features include a 4.65-inch contour display and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor over either 4G LTE or HSPA+ 3G wireless.

    You can view the entire launch presentation below:

    The Galaxy Nexus will launch in November. The Samsung phone follows hard on the heels of other top-flight smartphones such as the iPhone 4S and the DROID RAZR 4G. (See Photos: Moto Gets Skinny With 4G RAZR and Photos: Apple iPhone 4S Launch Day.)

    — Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile



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