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Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich

Kathryn McConnachie
By Kathryn McConnachie, Digital Media Editor at ITWeb.
Johannesburg, 19 Oct 2011

Samsung and Google have revealed the Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone to run the latest Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The long-awaited handset and OS were unveiled at a special event in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after the event was postponed for a week, as a tribute to the late former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.

The release follows just a week after Apple unveiled its next generation iPhone, the iPhone 4S, and its updated mobile operating system, iOS 5.

Ice Cream Sandwich combines tablet and smartphone platforms in an effort to attract more application developers and consumers. Android currently dominates the smartphone space, powering a reported 190 million phones.

Samsung is Apple's biggest competitor and the biggest seller of Android devices. The Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AM-OLED display with a 1 280 x 720 resolution and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.

MD of Strategy Worx, Steven Ambrose, says the Galaxy Nexus will attract a select but committed following, especially among the technically adept, showcasing what is possible on the new Android OS.

“The Galaxy Nexus is a great example of focused design with innovative collaboration between hardware and software. The Nexus product showcases the abilities and cutting-edge capabilities of Google software, and this is complemented by Samsung manufacturing prowess,” says Ambrose.

ICS features

The Galaxy Nexus has a tear-drop like design and multiple new features, thanks to the Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

The device uses facial recognition technology to replace the traditional pass key to unlock the handset. Other key features include an improved camera with zero shutter lag, auto focus and 1 080p HD video. Apart from a native panoramic shooting feature, instant editing options such as filters, cropping and red-eye removal are also available.

The handset also provides users with a detailed analysis of data usage and instant file sharing capabilities through Android Beam, which allows for sharing between Android phones by bumping them together.

A new “People” app also links all of a user's contacts with all of their social profiles, including Google+.

Raise the bar

MD of World Wide Worx, Arthur Goldstuck, says Ice Cream Sandwich is not so much a game-changer as a “game-mover”.

“Much like the iPhone 4S, it raises the bar, enhances the experience and brings us closer to true converged devices,” says Goldstuck.

“Ice Cream Sandwich will be especially powerful in offering a unified experience across all phones and tablets - previously one of Apple's biggest differentiators. It also brings in a stronger design ethos, which will help persuade those who are swayed by aesthetics.”

Ambrose says, Google's latest OS is a bit of a step change for Google; as it unifies the tablet and smartphone platforms into a common code base.

“Android's latest OS will be more of an evolution for the user than a revolution, but should offer significant user interface improvements for most devices.”

The Galaxy Nexus will go on sale in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia in November, in time for the holiday season. Samsung says it also plans on releasing an LTE-enabled Galaxy Nexus.

Staying on top

Reuters reports that analysts foresee both Apple and Samsung maintaining their dominant positions in the market.

Research manager for client devices at IDC, Melissa Chau, says: "I don't see Apple and Samsung getting kicked out of their positions anytime soon (in the next year or so)."

"It will be a very close race between Apple and Samsung mainly because I think Apple is in a high-end and more niche category than Samsung, whereas Samsung can certainly bring that scale all the way down in price."

Yesterday, Apple reported quarterly results that failed to meet expectations for the first time in years. The company claimed that rumours surrounding the iPhone 5 impacted on demand for iPhones during September.

However, Apple CEO Tim Cook, remains upbeat: “Customer response to iPhone 4S has been fantastic, we have strong momentum going into the holiday season, and we remain really enthusiastic about our product pipeline.”

Apples and ice creams

Ambrose says the Galaxy Nexus is more of a showcase than a true mass market competitor to the iPhone 4S.

“The latest version of Android will migrate to most current and future Android devices, and this will represent significant competition to the iOS platform.”

Samsung and Apple are currently locked in legal battles in 10 countries over smartphone and tablet patents.

Goldstuck says both Samsung and Android will be boosted by Ice Cream Sandwich and “we can expect them to claw back share that may be taken initially by the iPhone 4S.

“The iPhone is heavily driven by media hype and sentiment, while Android continually becomes nimbler, more powerful and more attractive - and quietly grows its market share in places where Apple doesn't yet realise there are even places,” says Goldstuck.

Related story:

iPhone 4S breaks sales records

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