Picture source: pocketnow.com

Although Apple has been pounding loudly in the mobile beat lately, Google and Samsung have been quietly collaborating to produce the most killer smartphone and mobile operating system ever. The phone? Galaxy Nexus. The OS? Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Check out these moves:

• 4.65-inch screen, 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, Super AMOLED HD display technology
• 1.2 GHz dual core CPU with 1GB of RAM
• 16 or 32 GB internal memory (no microSD card slot)
• 1750 mAh (or maybe bigger on Verizon LTE models) removable battery
• 4G LTE or HSPA+ connectivity (depending on carrier)
• Face Unlock — Unlocks your screen by face recognition.
• NFC (for Wallet and Beam functionality)
• WiFi and Mobile Hotspot functionality
• Hidden Notification LED
• 5MP camera with 1080P video (with continuous focus, zoom, time lapse and video snapshots), Low light photo capability, single-motion panorama picture functionality, 1.3MP front-facing camera, Zero shutter lag (yeah, that’s right, shot after shot!)
• Swipe unlock directly to camera.
• Talk to type — words appear as you “type” with your voice.
• “Request Desktop Version” so you can get to full version of site easily
• Android Beam — Using ICS and NFC share any content between Android devices by bump and tap.
• Screen shots — Hold down power button and volume down to get screen shot.
• Keyboard in-line spell checker with suggested corrections.
• Size (mm): 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.9, Weight: 135g
• Release date? November 10 (est.). Price? $299 on contract (est. w/32GB).

Ice Cream Sandwich looks delicious! The famous WebOS developer, Matias Duarte, is now at Google and he has proceeded to make Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich an emotionally pleasing experience, from the new system font (Roboto) to the finely polished and well color-coordinated screens, buttons and tabs, to the convenience features that make life simple. Ice Cream Sandwich combines the separate phone and tablet OS’s into one operating system. It is designed to work terrifically with HD resolutions on both tablets and phones. Note: If you are a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 owner, you’re in luck. You will be getting Ice Cream Sandwich!

One thing should be pointed out about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus display. Blacks are true black. So contrast is superior, and the screen just POPS! Nothing else comes close. And it’s more energy efficient, since the black pixels don’t fire.

Although the 4.65-inch screen is big, the overall phone isn’t as big as you’d think, since the nav buttons (back, home, etc.) are integrated into the screen, so they’re always oriented correctly. The bezel around the screen is thin, too. The phone is said to be nicely pocketable. I believe it. And this handset is subtly curved for comfort in your hand and against your face.

I wanted the following features for my ideal smartphone:

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Verizon – broader signal coverage and blazingly-fast 4G LTE connection speeds.
• Samsung’s Super AMOLED HD display – It just POPS.
• Nexus – Google Nexus phones get the latest system updates quicker than all the other phones.

Galaxy Nexus has it all! I’ll follow up with a review when I get it.

That’s right, “WHEN” I get it! Happy birthday, me!

Oh Baby! One thing’s for sure.. Galaxy Nexus, you will be mine!

For more information, here are some links:

PocketNow: Samsung Galaxy Nexus Unveiled
SlashGear: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Complete Guide
YouTube: Android Ice Cream Sandwich / Galaxy Nexus Unveiling
YouTube: Introducting Galaxy Nexus. Simple, beautiful, beyond smart