One the gadgets that I've recently had the pleasure of getting to play with is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Three.
It's one of the new kids on the block; it was just released in Europe in November, and just last month in the US. It is the very first smartphone running Google's newest operating system straight out of the box, Android version 4.0. Google affectionately calls this OS “Ice Cream Sandwich” or “ICS” for short.
The hardware itself is beautiful, and is also unsurprisingly fast and powerful, with a dual-core 1.2 Ghz processor. However, if you have tiny hands, it might not be the best phone for you, as the Galaxy Nexus sports a gargantuan 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED curved glass display, making competitors screens look minuscule in comparison. Don't be turned off by the plastic backing either, as the attractive easy-to-grip material makes this phone a joy to hold in your hand.
A unique feature of the Galaxy Nexus the lack of physical buttons altogether, instead featuring on-screen “soft keys” embedded into ICS software. They disappear when you're watching full-screen media or using apps, which is pretty nifty if you value screen real estate. ICS is amazingly slick, and in my personal opinion, even better looking than iOS5 on the iPhone4S...and that's coming from a Mac user, folks. Google has completely outdone themselves with the revamped the look of Android in ICS, and added in lots of gorgeous detail with the new user interface.
Android lovers have long enjoyed the ability to extensively customize home screens with folders, widgets & photo galleries, and it's even better than previous versions of Android, truly giving you the chance to make your mobile experience "yours". The camera on the Galaxy Nexus also has some major pluses, with an awesome 'zero-lag shutter' 1.3 MP front-facing camera and 5 MP rear camera, capable of capturing HD video
Galaxy Nexus also has the voice control app "Vlingo" to rival the iPhone4S' Siri, which is useful if you're the type who appreciates shouting commands into your phone on-the-go. Personally, I've never found much use of voice command (on any device), but it seems to be a desire of the general public, so it's definitely a feature on the Galaxy Nexus worth mentioning.
The only downside I can find in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is that the camera isn't quite as good as the ones on the Samsung Galaxy S II or the iPhone4S, which both sport an 8-megapixel camera, compared the Galaxy Nexus' 5-megapixels. Sure, megapixels aren't everything, but it is a slightly noticeable difference if you're used to a superior camera.
All in all, it's an amazing phone inside out. If you've been thinking about making the jump to Android, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is definitely an awesome place to start.