Google Nexus S unveiled with Android 2.3 Gingerbread on it

Finally, the smartphone and Google Android update everybody has been waiting for is here. Google and Samsung have unveiled much awaited Nexus S smartphone running Android 2.3 Gingerbread update. Housing 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird microprocessor, the Nexus S offers pretty much same features that the current generation high-end phone offer. Google Nexus S would be available in US after Dec 16 (unlocked and T-Mobile branded) and Dec 20 in UK. The price of unlocked version and T-Mobile branded Nexus S wasn’t revealed by Google.

Google has jointly made Nexus S with Samsung. Nexus S has new 4-inch Contour Display that supports WVGA (800×480) pixel resolution. This Contour Display comes with curved glass screen and has anti-fingerprint display coating – oleophobic coating like the one on Apple iOS devices. Samsung has used the same 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor which also rests in Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab. Internally, Nexus S sports 512MB RAM.

The Nexus S has 5 megapixel camera with Flash and Auto Focus. It certainly fills in for missing Flash in Galaxy S. Back panel camera promises 2560×1920 pixel resolution still image quality and 720×480 pixel resolution for video. Nexus S would also be used for video conferencing since it has front-facing VGA camera offering decent 640×480 pixel resolution. Gaming would get bit more fun with the three-axis gyroscope sensor included on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread running smartphone.

We can foresee Google swiftly trying to bring gaming on Android platform. Samsung has also added the accelerometer, digital compass, proximity sensor and light sensor in Nexus S. Nexus S is a quad-band GSM phone that will support HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps and HSUPA up to 5.76Mbps mobile data connectivity speeds. This Nexus S phone comes with Near-Field Communication technology that allows the phone for exchange of information at short distances of 4-6 inch for location-based services, e-commerce, mobile search and more.

Google vice president Andy Rubin stated in the blogpost that, Nexus S is the first device to ship with much awaited Android 2.3 Gingerbread update. Google touts this update to make the Android interface faster. Now all Gingerbread compatible phones can expect an update in the next fortnight or by the end of year. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 family phone owners may have to wait longer since Android 2.1 update was just rolled out. For wireless Internet, Nexus S offers Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support and Bluetooth 2.1 is kind of surprising since Galaxy S sports Bluetooth 3.0 version. Not only that, the lack of FM Radio and HDMI port is also bit of a surprise to us. But there’s a 3.5mm audio port for music lovers to hook in their favourite headsets or headphones. This smartphone also comes with noise-cancellation software built-in.

Google Nexus S would be sold online through Google or through Best Buy Mobile. US based consumers can buy Nexus S with T-Mobile service from the cellular company’s retail outlets or even an unlocked version. Internally, Nexus S comes with 16GB memory and doesn’t offer memory expansion slot. In terms of native pre-installed Apps, users will find Google Earth and Google Maps with Navigation quite helpful. Nexus S promises A-GPS for location based services apps. Google Voice Actions seems to be a Gingerbread exclusive feature that will let you browse through menus or perform basic tasks on phone using Voice-based commands.

Google Nexus S promises 14 hours of talk time if you’re using 2G Network and 6.7 hours of talk time on 3G Network mode. Packing 1500mAh lithium Ion battery, we hope that Gingerbread might aid somewhere in power management of the smartphone.

One amusing part about this launch Nexus S is that Google promises unlocked version directly from Dec 20. So if you’ve got a friend, colleague or relative living in US or UK, you can ask them to get you a Nexus S for Christmas.