Samsung has just given the Galaxy Nexus its European unveil, along with the white Galaxy Note, and we couldn’t resist putting these two rare Android smartphones up close for a video comparison. Both have their distinct appeal: the Galaxy Nexus is the first Ice Cream Sandwich device, of course, bypassing TouchWiz for the pleasures of Android 4.0, while the Galaxy Note has a tablet-aping, 5.3-inch display with a stylus using Wacom technology for perfect digital inking. Check out our hands-on, including video, after the cut.
White can be a tricky color to get right: you run the risk of making your smartphone look oversized or, worse still, tacky. Samsung has nailed it with the Galaxy Note, however: the super-skinny bezel around the Super AMOLED HD display – running at a crisp 1280 x 800 resolution – and the 9.65mm thick chassis make for a device that looks distinctive rather than cheap. The matching white pen, with a discrete Samsung logo, is a nice touch too.
Here's what you need to know about the latest version of Google's mobile OS which combines the best of the Android 2.x phone interface with the Android 3.x Honeycomb tablet interface.
Ice Cream Sandwich is designed for use with both phones and tablets.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich features
Android ICS offers a massive array of improvements over its predecessors bringing the best of both Gingerbread and Honeycomb while providing a raft of new innovations.
The company says 4.0 is a complete rethink of Android's image and is part of a push to make the OS "Enchant me, Simplify My Life, and Make Me Awesome."
"Android 4.0 builds on the things people love most about Android," says Google in a post on the Android Developers Blog. "Easy multitasking, rich notifications, customizable home screens, resizable widgets, and deep interactivity — and adds powerful new ways of communicating and sharing."
Minor improvements include better copy and paste, data logging and warnings and, at last, the opportunity to easily grab screenshots by holding down the power and the volume buttons.
The keyboard and dictionaries have also been revamped, says Google. "Error correction and word suggestion are improved through a new set of default dictionaries and more accurate heuristics for handling cases such as double-typed characters, skipped letters, and omitted spaces. Word suggestion is also improved and the suggestion strip is simplified to show only three words at a time."
"To fix misspelled words more easily, Android 4.0 adds a spell-checker that locates and underlines errors and suggests replacement words. With one tap, users can choose from multiple spelling suggestions, delete a word, or add it to the dictionary."
The new OS is designed to bring common actions to the fore, with better animations and an entirely new typeface - more on that shortly.
Google has confirmed it is working on an Android 4.0 update for the Samsung Nexus S and other Android devices.
Director of Android operating system User Experience Matias Duarte told Engadget that Google is. "Currently in the process for releasing Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus S. Theoretically it should work for any 2.3 device."
Motorola confirmed to TechRadar that the Motorola Razr will launch in the UK with Android 2.3, but that there will be an update to 4.0in 2012.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Roboto
Among the first new features championed by Google at the Hong Kong media event was a brand new typeface for Android in the shape of the easy-to-read "Roboto."
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich System Bar and Action Bar
At the launch event, Google showcased a host of virtual buttons that appear at the bottom of the screen in some apps and allow users access to areas of the device like phone and contacts.
These are located in the System Bar - present in all apps - and enables you to navigate instantly to Back, Home, and Recent Apps. Virtual buttons are present across all apps, but can be dimmed by applications for full-screen viewing.
You can also access the contextual options for each app in the Action Bar at the top of the screen.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich voice control
Android 4.0 introduces new voice input engine, You can dictate the text you want, for as long as you want. After dictating, you can tap the underlined words to replace them from a list of suggestions.
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在 Galaxy S II 一战后，Galaxy S III 毋庸置疑地成为下一台最受关注的手机，但设计图及规格等重要稍息则迟迟都没有来。不过，Galaxy S III 的有关资料终于在今天流出。
作为下一代的 Samsung 机皇，规格当然要有一定的板斧。据稍息，Galaxy S III 将会采用 1280 x 1024 的 4.65″ 超大屏幕，精密度达到了 352dpi，比现时的 iPhone 4 还要高。此外，Galaxy S III 还会搭载一颗 2.0 GHz 的四核心自家处理器，这标志着四核心手机的年代要来临吗？最令人惊讶的是 Galaxy S III 的拍照跟录像能力，他拥有一颗 1000万像素镜头，同时支持 1080p 60 fps 录影，其技术达到了专业的级数！其实 Galaxy S III 的所有东西都令人惊讶，小弟不能一一拿出来说。 Samsung Galaxy S III 的已知规格：
2.0GHz 四核心处理器 ~ (2.0Ghz Quad Cuo Processor)
1.5 GB RAM / 32 GB 手机内存
4.65 inches 1280 x 1024 Super Amoled III, 352-dpi 高清而亮丽的屏幕 ~ SUper Amoled
1000万像素镜头~ 10 MP Camera
支持 1080p 60 fps 录影 ~Support 1080p 60 fps REcord
破天荒的金属机身设计 ~ metal casing
厚度仅有 9mm ~ 9mm thickness
采用暂时最高容量的电池，容量为 2,250mAh ~ 2250 mAh Battery
内建 NFC 晶片
运行最新的 Android Ice Cream Sandwich
运行自家最新的 Touchwiz 5.0
Galaxy S III 有着有如发梦一样的规格，不但有强劲的处理器，而且有着一个现时最漂亮的屏幕。不过有趣的事情现在才发生，Galaxy S III 真的采用这 1280 x 1024 的 4:3 屏幕吗？这里好像没有其他 Android 手机采用 4:3 的屏幕。都是那一句，一有稍息，我们就会跟大家分享。不过要把 Galaxy S III 拿回家中，还需要一段比较长的时间。Samsung 预计在 2012 年的 MWC 发表这令人振奋的机皇，并在 2012 年中发售，我们至少还要多等七个月才能真正把玩 Galaxy S III。
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Samsung Galaxy S II 成为本年度的热爆机皇应该大家都知道并且认同。正因为 Galaxy S II 的成功，Galaxy S III 的规格跟长相一直成为 Android 手机界里面最火热的话题。早在上个月，本网已经流出过 Samsung Galaxy S III 的规格，记得当时的稍息还说是采用四核心处理器。可惜今天再次流出的规格已经改为 1.8 GHz 双核心处理器。其他东西则没有什么变过，例如 2 GB RAM 现在都是 2GB。 Samsung Galaxy S III 的已知规格：
1.8 GHz Exynos 4212 双核心处理器 ~ 1.8 Duo Core
2GB RAM
4.6 寸 Super AMOLED Plus HD 荧幕
1200万像素镜头 ~ 12MP Camera
运行 Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
支持 4G LTE
支持 NFC
此外，从图片中可以看到 Samsung Galaxy S III 将会有一个崭新的设计，与现时的四方设计有所不同。同时，Samsung Exynos 4212 的双核心将会比现时的 4210 更高效能跟更省电。原因是 Exynos 4212 采用最新的 32nm 技术做成的。所以 Samsung Galaxy S III 的效能将会比现时 Galaxy S II 更为出色！
