The good news today was that there’s to be a new Google phone, the Nexus S, the first smartphone to run Android 2.3, also known as Gingerbread. The bad news that followed, is that Australia will not be on the receiving end of stock, initially the Nexus S is limited to sale in the USA and UK, starting December 16 and December 20 respectively. Then late in the day, the Australian arm of Samsung, makers and co-developers of the Nexus S, released the following statement:
“Samsung Electronics Australia is excited at the prospect of bringing the Nexus S to Australia. We are currently reviewing our options on how to bring this to market locally and look forward to sharing more details at a later stage.”
So don’t get too excited, who knows how long Samsung’s review and action will take. And if you really want one, there are ways to have one in your hands early.
What is Near Field Communication?
You’ll see in the specs for the Nexus S below the term ‘NFC (Near Field Communications) capability’. Here’s a short video from one of the members of the Google Android team explaining that capability:
Google Nexus S specifications
- Network: 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz; 3G (HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps) : 900 / 1700 / 2100 MHz
- Operating system: Android 2.3 (aka Gingerbread)
- Display: curved 4.0” WVGA Super AMOLED (800×480)
- Camera: 5.0 megapixel camera + VGA front camera, Auto Focus, self shot
- Video: HD(720p@30fps) video playing, Video recording D1 (720×480)@30fps mpeg4, H.264, H.263
- Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, AMR-NB
- Features: NFC (Near Field Communications) capability; A-GPS; gyroscope sensor, accelerometer, digital compass, proximity, light, Android Market for more applications and contents
- Connectivity: Bluetooth technology v 2.1 + EDR; USB v2.0 (High-Speed); Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Memory: 16GB iNAND
- Size: 63 x 123.9 x 10.9 mm
- Battery: 1500 mAh