Hasta La Gadget!

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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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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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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Continue reading Samsung and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich event liveblog!

Samsung and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich event liveblog! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wait no more. Google and Samsung have just made the long-awaited Galaxy Nexus (not longer the Nexus Prime, as we’d once heard) official here in Hong Kong, and the specifications are downright drool-worthy. Those with bantam hands need not apply, as this 4.65-inch behemoth is bound to bring back talk of Sidetalkin‘. Naturally, Ice Cream Sandwich is onboard, with Google finally revealing the version number as 4.0. Other specs include an HD Super AMOLED display (1,280 x 720), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear camera (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam, 1080p30 video recording and playback, a newfangled panorama mode, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 3.0. You’ll also find USB 2.0, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an embedded NFC module, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity sensor and even a barometer — yeah, a barometer. Finishing things out, there’s 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage space and a 1,750mAh battery. As for radios? There’s an HSPA+ model on tap, while an LTE version will “be available depending on region.” There’s nary a mention of carrier in the press release we’re holding, but based on earlier leaks, a 4G build for Verizon Wireless seems a lock.

Focusing on Ice Cream Sandwich for a tick, Android 4.0 will bring “an entirely new look and feel to Android,” boasting a redesigned user interface, bolstered multitasking / notifications, full-on NFC support and a new People app, which enables users to browse friends, family and coworkers’ photos whilst peeking their status updates from Google+. ICS also introduces Face Unlock, which taps into facial recognition protocols in order to unlock your handset. And then there’s Android Beam, an NFC-based technology that allows you to “quickly share webpages, apps and YouTube videos by simply tapping two phones together.” According to Goog, the “lock screen, home screen, phone app and everything in between has been rethought and redesigned,” and this is quite the beastly phone to launch with. We’re still awaiting word as to when ICS will be rolled out to other handsets (and which ones will support it), so keep it locked here for more as the liveblog unfolds — check below for more pics and after the break for a press release.

Continue reading Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus gets official: Android 4.0, 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus gets official: Android 4.0, 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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