Hasta La Gadget!

So this is how it was supposed to go: Best Buy would start selling the Nexus S in the States on December 16th, and Carphone Warehouse would follow on a few days later — the 20th, to be exact — in the UK. Looks like the British are going rogue here, though, because Samsung’s Gingerbread-packed slate is showing “in stock” on Carphone Warehouse’s site right this very moment, which should theoretically mean it ships the same day if you order it before 5PM local time. Let us know if you get it in your paws before the 20th, alright?

[Thanks, Daniel K.]

Nexus S in stock on Carphone Warehouse’s site a little early originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android boss Andy Rubin almost always makes for an entertaining interview, and his appearance at AllThingsD‘s D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco last week was certainly no exception. The introduction of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the Nexus S were the official news items of the day, but Rubin took the opportunity to showcase the next version of the platform — Honeycomb — running on a prototype Motorola tablet that no one had seen before. He also runs through a breakdown of Android’s business model (hint: it’s profitable), muses about video calling, and gives us a look at that crazy new 3D-capable Google Maps app. Follow the break for the footage.

Continue reading Andy Rubin’s full D: Dive Into Mobile interview video posted

Andy Rubin’s full D: Dive Into Mobile interview video posted originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It can be difficult to review a phone like Google’s Nexus S in a world already populated by so many outstanding Android devices. Not only does the manufacturer of this phone make a series of handsets that are all essentially the same (the Galaxy S line), but countless other OEMs are cranking away on hardware for the platform. Of course, the Nexus S is a decidedly different phone altogether. Picking up where the company’s Nexus One left off, the S continues Google’s legacy of creating standalone, “pure Android” phone experiences, seemingly aimed less at the mainstream and more towards developers. Unlike the failed experiment of the Nexus One, Google appears to be taking a more realistic approach to the S; the phone will be sold through Best Buy (and Carphone Warehouse across the pond), which suggests that the company has bigger plans for this device.

And what a device it is — the Nexus S boasts a 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4-inch, 800 x 480 curved Super AMOLED display (dubbed the Contour Display), 16GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear and VGA front-facing camera, and near field communication capabilities. But hardware is only half the story here — the big news is that the Nexus S showcases the next major evolution of the Android OS, namely, Gingerbread (or version 2.3). The update comes with a slew of new features alongside some UI improvements that show Google isn’t slowing down when it comes to pushing its mobile operating system forward. So is the Nexus S a real standout in the Android world, or is it more of the “me too” tech we’ve seen lately? Read on after the break for the full Engadget review to find out!

Continue reading Nexus S review

Nexus S review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yelp may be the raconteur of restaurant recommendations and Foursquare the cardinal of check-ins, but Google has an ace up its sleeve: NFC chips. The company’s embedded near-field communications chips into each and every one of these “Recommended on Google Places” window stickers, which you’ll be able to trigger with a shiny new Nexus S — just hold your handset up to the black dot, and voila, your phone gets a “tag.” Google’s now distributing the signs on a trial basis to Portland, Oregon businesses as part of a larger Google Places kit, though it doesn’t explain how (or if) they’ll be able to program the chips. Either way, if you own a hot new joint in Portland, you might as well give it a spin. Find the sign-up form at our more coverage link, or peep a Nexus S doing its thing after the break.

Continue reading Google rolls out NFC-equipped Places business kits, muscles in on location-based territory in Portland

Google rolls out NFC-equipped Places business kits, muscles in on location-based territory in Portland originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The US and UK may be the only officially official markets for the Samsung-built Nexus S from Google, however Sammy’s Russian team has already dished out a few extra details on overseas availability. Penciling in a February 2011 launch for the Gingerbread flagship, the Russki guys point out that their version of the Nexus S will come with a 4-inch Super Clear LCD instead of the Super AMOLED panel adorning the English-speaking variants. This is most likely motivated by the still limited supply of S-AMOLED displays, though we wouldn’t fret too much — the Super Clear stuff has shown that it’s no slouch either. If anything, it’ll be the February release that has us grumbling our way through winter.

Nexus S will drop Super AMOLED in favor of Super Clear LCD in Russia, maybe other territories too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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