Oct 18

Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on (video)

Posted in: Android, Google, GoogleAndroid, hands-on, mobilepostcross, NeXus, samsung, smartphone, Today's Chili, video

Remember the Droid RAZR? That’s so yesterday. Or, earlier today. Whatever. The point is, Samsung’s just busted out the planet’s first Ice Cream Sandwich-based smartphone here in Hong Kong, a few days late but hardly worse for the wear. The Galaxy Nexus (formerly referred to as the Nexus Prime) carries on the Nexus torch in spectacular fashion, and we’ve just spent a few quality moments with one here at the launch event. Design-wise, it’s clear that the Nexus S DNA is here, though the rear reminds us most of the Galaxy S II. Those who abhor physical buttons will also be delighted, and while we’d gotten used to the whole Power + Home for a screenshot on the GSII, Power + Volume Down works just fine on this fellow.

The 1.2GHz dual-core processor was startlingly fast. It actually felt a wee bit quicker than our Galaxy S II, and given that Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus were apparently built for one another, we’re assuming there’s some deeply ingrained optimizations to thank. Swiping from pane to pane was faster than its ever been on Android, and the new Roboto font actually is super eye-pleasing. The touch response of the capacitive buttons — much like those on the original Nexus One — take a bit of getting used to, and we had to mash ’em just a touch harder than we anticipated to elicit a response. [Update: turns out our demo phone was a bit of an early build; we touched another model later in the day, and our response gripes were gone. Perfectly responsive. Hopefully that’s the one that’ll ship out.] Not necessarily a bad thing, just a thing worth noting. We’ve built our impressions after the break, replete with a video. Enjoy!

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Nexus hands-on!

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on (video)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Droid RAZR by Motorola: the tale of the tape

Posted in: Android, galaxy, Google, hspa, lte, mobilepostcross, moto, motorola, NeXus, nfc, official, samsung, Today's Chili
Well folks, the wait is over. Now you can push the rumors, early introductions and other pre-announcement ramblings aside and focus on the real matter at hand: which of these shiny new handsets will you buy? Will it be the Galaxy Nexus or the Droid RAZR? Let us offer some insight into the matter as we dive head-first into the specs below.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Droid RAZR by Motorola: the tale of the tape

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Droid RAZR by Motorola: the tale of the tape originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Google announces NFC-based Android Beam for sharing between phones (video)

Posted in: Android, Google, nfc, Today's Chili, video
Google’s already embraced NFC for mobile payments, and it’s now ready to do some sharing as well. That comes in the form of the new Android Beam feature for Ice Cream Sandwich, which the company just announced at its joint event with Samsung in Hong Kong. Much like HP’s ill-fated Touch-to-share functionality, it will let you simply tap two NFC-enabled devices together to share a piece of information. That will work with a range of apps and services in Android, including YouTube videos, contact information, maps, web pages, and even links to apps in the Android Market. What’s more, Google also announced that the SDK is available for download today — get it at the source link below.

Update: We’ve now added a video of the demo from the keynote after the break. You’re welcome.

Continue reading Google announces NFC-based Android Beam for sharing between phones (video)

Google announces NFC-based Android Beam for sharing between phones (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Ice Cream Sandwich revamps Android camera and gallery features

Posted in: 1080p, Android, breaking news, camera, galaxy, Google, mobilepostcross, NeXus, nfc, official, samsung, Today's Chili, video
It’s been a long time coming, but with the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich, Android finally takes a significant leap forward in terms of camera and gallery features. The camera interface is completely new — it’s faster and easier to use with instant access from the lock screen. Shots are taken immediately thanks to zero shutter lag and continuous autofocus with automatic face detection. Touch-to-focus with exposure lock is now supported, and the UI adds a proper digital zoom slider. The camera app also includes a new sweep panorama feature.

The gallery app is also significantly improved, with Instagram-like “hipster filters” and a built-in photo editor that lets you crop and rotate pictures at arbitrary angles. Any tweaks you make are saved in a separate file, keeping the original shot intact. Images can now be sorted by location (using geotagging), and by person (if manually tagged). Video also receives a serious boost in functionality with 1080p capture, continuous autofocus, and the ability to zoom while recording. Additionally, it’s now possible to create time lapse videos right from your phone.

It’s too early to tell if all these features will trickle down to legacy devices or remain exclusive to the Galaxy Nexus, but we’ll find out soon enough.

Ice Cream Sandwich revamps Android camera and gallery features originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Roboto and the new design philosophy of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted in: Android, Google, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili
Roboto

When it came time to talk Ice Cream Sandwich, Matias Duarte started the conversation (or is it lecture?) with a bit about Roboto. At it’s most basic, Roboto is a font — the new face of Android in a post Honeycomb world where tablets and phones share the same software space. Sure, it may seem like just another rounded, clean sans serif typeface, but it’s really an entire aesthetic that Duarte says has guided the design philosophy of Android 4.0. It’s “modern, yet approachable” and “emotional,” in PR speak at least. But the clean, geometric design extends to the rest of the OS which now sports more clean lines, subtle animations and ditches UI elements that have been deemed “unnecessary.” Sure, Roboto may seem like “just a font” to you, but the folks behind ICS, it’s a mindset.

Roboto and the new design philosophy of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Roboto font and the new design philosophy of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted in: Android, Google, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili
Roboto

When it came time to talk Ice Cream Sandwich, Matias Duarte started the conversation (or is it lecture?) with a bit about Roboto. At its most basic, Roboto is a font — the new face of Android in a post Honeycomb world where tablets and phones share the same software space. Sure, it may seem like just another rounded, clean sans serif typeface, but it’s really an entire aesthetic that Duarte says has guided the design philosophy of Android 4.0. It’s “modern, yet approachable” and “emotional,” in PR speak at least. But the clean, geometric design extends to the rest of the OS, which now sports more clean lines, subtle animations and ditches UI elements that have been deemed “unnecessary.” Sure, Roboto may seem like “just a font” to you, but for the folks behind ICS, it’s a mindset.

Roboto font and the new design philosophy of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Android Ice Cream Sandwich adds Face Unlock feature

Posted in: Android, Google, Today's Chili

There’s no shortage of new features in Ice Cream Sandwich, but one sure to attract a lot of attention is Face Unlock. That, as you can probably surmise, lets you unlock your phone through facial recognition instead of a password — hardly a new idea, but a first for Google. Unfortunately, the demo didn’t go quite as planned during the keynote — locking out Google’s Matias Duarte — but we’ll be sure to give it a go ourselves and report back.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich adds Face Unlock feature originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore

Posted in: Android, breaking news, Gmail, Google, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili
Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0, the update offers a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. Some of the highlights include an NFC-enabled feature called Android Beam, offline search in Gmail, new lock screen features and a fancy unlocking method called “Face Unlock,” which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can’t use your phone without permission. Ice Cream Sandwich also includes enhancements in almost every native app within Android itself. The SDK is already available for Android 4.0, and the update itself will make its first public appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, also unveiled tonight. After the break, we’ll cover all of the nitty gritty details, along with some excellent screenshots below. So come along, why won’t you?

Gallery: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official

Gallery: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Screenshots

Continue reading Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official

Posted in: Android, breaking news, Google, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili
Google has taken the stage in Hong Kong to make the next version of Android OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, a thing of reality. Better known as Android 4.0 appears to offer a massive redesign to the user interface and adds a plethora of new features. So here’s what’s new: first, we’re seeing a new notification menu, as well as the ability to take native screenshots, a modern typeface dubbed “Roboto,” and an improved task manager. ICS also includes a fancy unlocking method called “Face Unlock,” which uses facial recognition to ensure strangers can’t use your phone without permission.

Gallery: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official

Developing…

Check out all the action on our liveblog happening right now!

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus launches in November on NTT Docomo, Verizon, and more

Posted in: Android, carrier, galaxy, Google, mobilepostcross, NeXus, nfc, official, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon

On stage at Samsung and Google’s joint event they’ve finally confirmed launch (November) and one carrier (NTT Docomo) for the Galaxy Nexus superphone with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The leaks let us know it’s coming to Verizon too, and its pentaband with AWS and HSPA+ means it will play nicely with AT&T and T-Mobile once it’s released as well. It’s over and we’re still without any additional carrier announcements, exact release dates or pricing, but you can relive all the glory in our liveblog here.

Update: You can add Three UK to the official list, we’ll keep an eye out if any others pop up. [via Android Central]

Update 2: Throw one more European carrier in the mix, as Vodafone has informed us they’ll also offer Samsung and Google’s finest next month.

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus launches in November on NTT Docomo, Verizon, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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