Don't diss my phone: Nexus S to get Ice Cream Sandwich within weeks

Google has whetted everyone's appetites for the next tasty version of Android that looks to bring OS improvements all around. The Galaxy Nexus will be the next Google flagship phone, insuring owners will always get Android updates, and in a timely fashion. The current flagship handset, the Nexus S, is going to get Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) "within weeks" according to Google, which will make it one of the first existing Android phones to get it. Google has also confirmed that the original flagship phone, the Nexus One, is too old to get ICS.

See also: After the iPhone 4S, Android just feels wrong

My recent article about the iPhone 4S, specifically how its smooth operation made my Nexus S 4G feel dated, generated a litany of angry responses about the Nexus S. I don't want to rehash them all here, some were definitely heated, but the gist was the Nexus S is too old to compare to the latest iPhone.

The Nexus S has been around for months, the commenters pointed out, and only has a single-core processor. This makes comparing the Nexus S to the iPhone 4S very unfair, and even irresponsible according to some commenters. It doesn't matter that the Nexus S/Nexus S 4G is the current Android flagship phone, it can't compare to the iPhone 4S and it is unfair to do so.

Whatever folks may think of the Nexus S, owners are feeling pretty smug now. The main reason most buyers wanted an Android flagship phone is to get timely official updates. Knowing that the phone will be getting the Android 4.0 update, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, makes up for the "dated" capability of the phone. The latest and greatest official version of Android will be hitting the Nexus S soon, so I would say that makes it a great phone to own right about now.

The Nexus S 4G from Sprint, which happens to be my phone, is the only Android phone that works with Google Wallet. Wallet is the service that uses the phone's NFC hardware to pay for goods by simply tapping the terminal to pay. I finally got to test this yesterday, and it is pretty heady stuff to pay for goods just by tapping the phone on the terminal. Of course there aren't many merchants accepting Google Wallet yet, which is why it took so long for me to try it. Truth be told it took the return of the McRib to entice me into an establishment that accepted payment by my phone.

Of interest:

• TechRepublic: Android 4.0: Eight new features that actually matter
• CNET Asia’s review of Samsung Galaxy Nexus and top five features
• CNET’s first impressions
• This is My Next on the features
• Android developers blog
• Top 10 features in Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is enchanting, easy, and makes you feel special
• Unwrapping Google Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 (photos)