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Live: Google, Samsung intro Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.0 [done]

updated 11:00 pm EDT, Tue October 18, 2011

We track the Google, Samsung joint Nexus event

(Update: finished) Google and Samsung tonight are unveiling Android 4.0 and the Galaxy Nexus, the new official Android flagship, at a special event in Hong Kong. Both promise to merge the best of Google's tablet experience with smartphones in a very high-end device. Check into our live coverage below at 10PM Eastern.

11:00PM: Show's over.

10:56PM: Again, you can put people in the app tray. You can video chat from contacts. Swipe to get the dial pad or recents. Voicemail has a new interface and lets you speed up messages. You can send pre-made messages to decline a call if you want to be more polite.

Android Beam: uses NFC to share things like web articles or map data just by putting phones together to get information. Minecraft used as a demo for app sharing: you can get an Android Market listing just by touching phones while one of them is running the app.

10:52PM: "Gorgeous" new contact view. Jumping into a profile shows you aggregated contact info pulled in from various sources. There's a "me" profile as well.

10:47PM: "World-class" camera performance. Get to the camera from the lock screen. Face detection and tap to focus. It's easier to share photos with a visual sharing picker. Zero shutter lag on the Galaxy Nexus. You can edit right from the app, including "hipster filters." New Gallery app looks "amazing" with large previews. There's now a built-in panorama mode that just lets you sweep [a la Sony] to create your panorama.

Video has continuous focus, zooming while recording, time lapse videos, and video snapshots.

10:43PM: Gmail has an action bar at the bottom that you'll see in many Android 4 apps. Dual-line inbox to make it easier to find your messages. Swipe to navigate through your inboxes. Search your last 30 days of messages whether you're online or not, and you can change it.

New calendar app: swipe gestures also work. Pinch to zoom in and out to get more detail or a better overview. All other core apps updated. YouTube, Maps, Music. Data usage tracker: it not only tells you how much you've used, it predicts how much you'll use and lets you set a warning bar. You can even force it to cut you off after a certain amount.

10:39PM: Face unlock: lets you unlock just by showing your face. Duarte botches the demo as it won't unlock.

Hugo Barra shows the new browser: new tabs interface (really pages) with visual selection. Android 4 lets you request the desktop site right away. Chrome Sync now built in. Save a page for offline reading (read: Instapaper). Great for plane tickets and train schedules. Most visited pages and incognito, also from Chrome, come over.

10:34PM: Matias Duarte of Google up. People liked Android, but they didn't love Android. They were frustrated when they didn't know how to do something and didn't attract people. How do we enchant people?

First: Roboto, a typeface designed for paper-like resolution. Wanted something that didn't look like an old-fashioned image [another dig at Apple's skeuomorphic UI] but not sterile. Big, bold, headlines that suck you in. Eliminating lines and boxes. Showing the lock screen: the Roboto face is right in your face. Animated lock screen opening. The navigation buttons are now part of the main touch UI. Buttons hide when they don't do anything, rotate, and hide when you're watching video.

Widgets are more important: easier to load up, drag and drop as much as you want. You can resize them. Folders are "dead-simple" to use: drag and drop (just like iPhone). Same gestures to reorganize folders. You can now put contacts in your app shortcut tray on the home screen. Power and volume down buttons held together take a screen cap [feature that iPhone has had since 2007].

Swipe to dismiss notifications. Keyboard got a "lot of love" this time around. In-line spelling checks to get suggestions. Voice dictation is instant; you don't need to press any buttons for a follow-up.

10:22PM 8.94mm thick, but 4.29mm thick bezel: that means it can have a big screen without feeling any bigger. Whether it's in your hand or in your pocket, it feels natrual. Hyperskin on the back makes it feel natural. Hidden notification light.

Anyone can claim a thin design and long battery life when using last-gen 3G, but Samsung is doing this with 4G. [clear shot at Apple this time]. Barometer for pressure and NFC. Pogo pin connector on the dock.

November: US, Europe, and Asia. NTT DoCoMo in Japan.

10:17PM: When we mean fast, we don't just mean faster relative to last year's devices, we mean fast. [possible dig at Apple] Screen is critical: the experience begins and ends with the display. HD. Highest contrast ratio: 100,000:1. Because it's organic, it's very battery-efficient. 4.65 inches. 1280x720, 16:9 is Android 4.0's native resolution. Great for text at any size. Won't find anything as vivid. 0.01ms pixel response time means no motion blur.

10:11PM: Want a very simple experience. One that leaves you satisfied when the phone goes back in your pocket. Better than smart.

Introducing the Galaxy Nexus -- it's exactly like the leaks. Outselling every other platform on the market.

10:07PM: Today, the first Ice Cream Sandwich phone. Super AMOLED, dual-core processor with unmatched performance, a unique design, LTE technology. Depending on the market, some areas wiill have HSPA+ versions. Amazing photo taking and sharing. Powerful example of their joint commitment.

10:03PM: Samsung runs a promo video. "Some things just go better together, so get ready for a perfect combination." JK Shin, president of Samsung mobile, up after a brief intro.

By Electronista Staff


  1. kerryb

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001


    drag queen

    is that a picture of a drag queen with the big blond wig?

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