With many re-caps of this week’s breaking news, this issue will focus on the announcements of the long awaited Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and the Motorola DROID RAZR! The Galaxy Nexus finally dropped in Hong Kong Tuesday, and officially claimed the its throne over any pre-existing Android device out there. Though the DROID RAZR had our jaws dropping earlier that morning, it was soon forgotten after the Galaxy Nexus hit.
The device will debut with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This updated OS will include a ridiculous amount of improvements – both cosmetically and with systematical functioning. A completely new lockscreen, new standard homescreen, and practically every standard application has been re-wrapped with Android 4.0’s new cyan-colored theme. Like past OS updates, this version of Android will include a new collection of ringtones and notification audio tones (now available). Editing photographs is now possible within the new Gallery application, and the camera is vastly improved over previous versions. Photos are taken almost instantly, and Google has implemented a panoramic setting straight into the app. Be sure to check here for even more new features not mentioned during the official release! For the official Samsung Galaxy Nexus hands-on, navigate here.
During Motorola’s showcase Tuesday, the MotoACTV and DROID RAZR were unveiled. The MotoACTV will be directly competing with the iPod Nano and even offers a bit of innovation. The device will be able to read their owners pulse through the headphones to determine songs they workout best to! The DROID RAZR will be the thinnest smartphone to hit the market come November 10th. It will have many exclusive accessories including lapdocks, keyboards and more. Unfortunately, the RAZR will have a locked bootloader and a non-removable battery; developers – don’t plan on rooting this device with ease. Be sure to check out our hands-on with the RAZR and even a benchmark comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Those hoping for an upgrade to Android 4.0 will be pleased that a number of manufacturers are working towards pushing them as soon as possible. HTC is currently looking over Ice Cream Sandwich to determine a proper upgrade plan for their current lineup. The Motorola DROID RAZR and DROID Bionic have both been confirmed by Motorola to receive updates near the beginning of 2012.
Also reviewed this week was the ASUS Eee Pad Slider via SlashGear. ASUS also confirmed Android 4.0 will appear on the Transformer soon, and will surely debut on the Transformer 2 flaunted on video Wednesday! Finally, released was the price of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus without a carrier contract. The sim-free version will run at $680, a bit cheaper than I was expecting.
