Google on Monday announced its Nexus S, the device that will be the showpiece for the Gingerbread/Android 2.3 release. In addition, the Gingerbread software developer kit (SDK) is now available.
The Nexus S was co-developed with Samsung and will be the first out of the gate with Android 2.3, which on the surface looks a lot like Android 2.2 in terms of user interface. In a blog post, Google said it will open source Android 2.3 "in the coming weeks."
Gallery: Google-Samsung Nexus S revealed
Like the first Nexus phone, Google will sell the latest version unlocked and with "a pure Google experience." These efforts are designed to highlight what Android can do before carriers start adding icons, bolting down app stores and carrying out other hijinks.
Generally speaking, the Nexus S looks evolutionary not revolutionary. There's no dual-core and the screen is similar to what's found in a Droid. The main implication for the Nexus S is that Samsung appears to be the Android flag carrier these days.
A few key details about the Nexus S, which will be sold unlocked or under a T-Mobile contract:
- It features a 4 inch Contour Display;
- Has a 1GHz Hummingbird processor;
- Rear and front cameras;
- 16GB of internal memory;
- And near field communication technology.
The latest improvements to Android include (blog post):
- User interface tweaks;
- Near field communication support;
- New keyboard and text selection;
- VoIP calling;
- And other improvements.