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Nexus S immigrates to Canada, Future Shop commemorates event with gingerbread muffins
It's been a good week for Canadians to get a taste of Gingerbread, with today marking the official release of the Nexus S for our friends up north. To mark the event, lucky Toronto residents were greeted with a release party at Future Shop, replete with ginger-themed treats and giveaways. With availability spreading across the country, Samsung's homage to Android purity is now available online through Mobilicity, Telus, Koodo, Wind, and Videotron, effectively tempting the majority of Canada with Google's finest offering. If you'll remember last week's report on Mobilicity's soft launch of this praised handset, we assumed Fido and Rogers were nipping at their heels... and while the Nexus S has yet to hit their online stores, you might find them sitting in your local Best Buy. So, Canada, how does it feel to get this awesome slab of engineering coming at you from all corners? Don't worry, we'll understand if this is an emotional time. %Gallery-121302%
Samsung Nexus S 4G hits the FCC
Sprint still isn't offering anything more specific than "this spring" for a Nexus S 4G launch date, but it looks like we may now at least be one step closer to a release. The Google-approved phone just turned up at the FCC this weekend under the guise of "SPH-D720," which we've already had some indication was indeed Nexus S 4G's model number, and which has also turned up on Samsung's own site for the phone before being removed for one reason or another (see an image of the cached site after the break). As you can see above, the illustration also cuts a familiar outline, and the FCC tests reveal the presence of a Sprint-friendly WiMAX radio, which folks will hopefully be able to put to use sooner rather than later.
Mobilicity soft launches Samsung Nexus S, still no contracts
Canada's Mobilicity soft launched the Nexus S today -- as news rolls in from just about every other Canadian carrier of this device's imminent arrival-- for the relatively low price of $499 (roughly $521 USD) off contract. We only had a peek at a run-of-the-mill black device, not the lovely white version that's been popping up, but interestingly, a dummy set we saw seemed a lighter version of the black one shown above -- perhaps the "Black Silver" we've heard rumored? Official launch date for the Samsung wunderkind is slated for April 14th, though, if you want in now, hit up your local bricks and mortar as the sets are shipping.
White Nexus S with AT&T 3G bands hands-on! (video)
Well, what do we have here? Sure enough, it's that coveted white Nexus S with AT&T-compatible 3G that we mentioned yesterday, and we just got our dirty little paws on it thanks to a friendly tipster. This particular handset was purchased from Negri Electronics, and it's both unlocked and running Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread), the version that just barely started rolling out to existing AWS Nexus S units in February. As you can see, it's pretty much identical to the current model, except of course for that white tuxedo and 850 / 1900MHz-friendly 3G radio. Feast your eyes upon Google and Samsung's latest prodigy in our gallery below, and hit the break for our hands-on video. [Thanks, Steve] %Gallery-120640%
Nexus S with AT&T bands available in white for $600, headed to Fido and Rogers
It's been a long time in coming, but it looks like Google and Samsung's love child, the Nexus S -- a favorite around these parts -- is finally available with AT&T's 850 and 1900 MHz 3G bands from online retailer Negri Electronics, for $600 in your choice of black or white. It's not the first time we've seen the elusive Samsung GT-I9020A in the wild: it's already appeared both in the hands of the FCC and on the Bluetooth SIG's website. We've also seen pictures of a Nexus S with a white battery cover before. And here's more: we already knew the AWS version of the Nexus S was coming to Canada via Mobilicity, but according to MobileSyrup, you'll soon be able to pick up the Nexus S on Fido and Rogers for C$500 contract-free or C$100 with a three-year commitment, and these two carriers use the same 3G frequencies as AT&T in the US. So, until we hear something official from Samsung or Google, hit up our plethora of source links below.
Charge Anywhere update turns Nexus S into full-on mobile payment terminal
Processing mobile payments via an external dongle? That's so early 2011. Charge Anywhere has a less troublesome idea, and if you're the lucky owner of a Google Nexus S, you could soon be accepting cold, hard virtual cash via NFC. For those already familiar with the space, you'll know that this very company already has applications out for the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices, but all of those obviously require a credit card swiping mechanism to be connected. According to CNET, the latest version will include support for the NFC module embedded within the Nexus S, enabling it to be a full-on mobile payment terminal with no additional hardware required. Both MasterCard PayPass and Visa Blink payments could be ingested, but don't go searching for the update in the Android Market; the company's done with the new build, but it won't be let loose to the public until it's ran past larger customers first. We don't get the impression that the NFC-compatible version will run any more than the $9.99 per month, but it's obviously a wait-and-see affair for now.
Google Nexus S 4G for Sprint hands-on (video)
We finally got our hands on the elusive Samsung Nexus S 4G for Sprint at CTIA here today and it's pretty much what you'd expect: a Nexus S with its GSM / HSPA radio swapped for a set of Sprint-compatible CDMA / EV-DO and WiMAX radios. While the Nexus S 4G lacks a SIM slot, it's actually 0.3mm thicker than the Nexus S -- that's the thickness of a business card, and is meaningless for all practical purposes. The phone also features a 4G signal indicator in the status bar, along with a 4G sub-menu in the wireless settings. Our demo unit was running Android 2.3.4 (!) -- a version we have not yet come across -- but we were told that neither the hardware nor the software are final at this point. So don't be surprised if the production model receives a few tweaks before launch. Perhaps a Sprint logo? Enjoy the gallery below, and hop past the break for our hands-on video. %Gallery-119694%
Google Nexus S 4G with WiMAX announced for Sprint: coming this spring for $200
For a while, it seemed like the 850 / 1900MHz 3G version of the Nexus S that'd work on AT&T, Bell, Telus, and Rogers would be the next one to show up, but Sprint ended up emerging as the frontrunner more recently -- and now it's official. The Nexus S 4G stays true to the T-Mobile-flavored original, offering an unfettered stock Gingerbread experience; it's fractions of a millimeter thicker and a couple grams heavier, but the real change is inside where you'll find both CDMA / EV-DO and WiMAX radios -- hence the "4G" in the name. There'll be a menu option for turning WiMAX on and off -- good for those times when you value battery life over breakneck browsing speeds -- and considering Sammy's prior experience rolling the Epic 4G for Sprint, we're cautiously optimistic that the Nexus S hardware will make the transition from GSM with minimum pain. The new version will be available "this spring" for $199.99; follow the break for Samsung's full press release.
Nexus S 4G confirmed by Sprint's own website, first 'fully integrated' Google Voice smartphone
in case we didn't leak this thoroughly enough for your tastes, here's Sprint spoiling its own surprise: the Nexus S is coming to the Now Network in a 4G flavor. Touted as "Pure Google," this WiMAX-toting device will be the very first to feature "fully integrated" Google Voice -- which we're told means using only one number for all your calls and permits for things like web calling and voicemail transcription. Pretty snazzy, if you ask us, and potentially even more important than the mere addition of 4G networking. All it took to discover this bit of intel was a casual search for "nexus" on Sprint's web portal, not exactly the hardest snooping job ever, but we appreciate our eagle-eyed tipster for doing it all the same. Now it's just a matter of waiting a few more hours until Sprint's CTIA event to hear the full details of its collaboration with Google. [Thanks, MTW] Update: What do you know, Sprint must read Engadget. The offending search topic has now disappeared from its public servers. Update 2: And now it's official. $200 on a two-year contract, arriving this spring.
How would you change Samsung's Nexus S?
The first phone to ship with Android 2.3 has been kicking around for a solid quarter now, which means it's just about time to roast it here on How Would You Change. The Nexus S didn't provide the same system shock as did the Nexus One, but bringing a curved display, Gingerbread and an embedded NFC chip to US airwaves definitely made an impact. 'Course, we're still waiting for a version to ship with support for AT&T's 3G bands, but we're confident that quite a few T-Mobilers have bit the bullet by this point. You've heard our thoughts on the matter, and now it's your turn -- if you were in control of dictating the second-ever Nexus phone, how would you have done things differently? Would you have stuck with HTC rather than heading over to Samsung? Shipped it on a different carrier from day-one? Thrown in a white version just to rub things in? Get creative down in comments below -- there's no telling how your nuggets of wisdom will shape the inevitable Nexus T 2.
Hulu for Android coming soon, destined for 'select' phones with Android 2.2?
Since the dawn of Flash on Android -- yes, that was just ten months ago -- Google smartphone users been largely unable to access their favorite Hulu programs on the go. At CES 2011, we heard that Hulu would indeed come to Android, but not when or where. Today, we're a step closer to the answer. An eagle-eyed Engadget reader spotted this image at the company's website, depicting a most unusual combo: an image of a Samsung Nexus S (which comes with Android 2.3) and a suggestion that Hulu Plus will soon be available on a subset of devices running Android 2.2. We can't say which devices quite yet, but we've heard this tune before, and suspect Hulu will only run on phones that have DRM baked into their hardware. Now how about that Google TV? [Thanks, Raymond D.]
Best Buy knocks Nexus S down to $100 on contract for two weeks only
Had your eyes on a Nexus S but still haven't taken the plunge? Then it looks like that indecisiveness has finally paid off, as Best Buy has now knocked a full $100 off the phone for a limited time if you're signing up for a contract. That's from today until March 23rd, to be precise, and it seems that your local Best Buy doesn't even need to be a T-Mobile dealer for you to get the deal -- you'll just have to get the phone shipped to you. Hit up the link below for all the details. [Thanks, Kevin]
Sprint's Nexus website is 'coming soon'
Just to throw a little more fuel on the fire, it turns out that directing your browser to now.sprint.com/nexus takes you to a landing site where you're told that "this page will be ready soon." Certainly sounds more likely than ever that Sprint's preparing to launch its own variant of the Nexus S -- and if our sources are correct, it'll be called the Nexus S 4G, likely with both CDMA and WiMAX on board. Interestingly, both now.sprint.com/evoview and now.sprint.com/evo3d -- the other two devices in our rumor three-pack from earlier today -- redirect to Sprint's home page rather than giving you an HTTP 404 error, suggesting they're also real. CTIA kicks off in just over two weeks' time where these things are likely to be revealed, but who knows? Maybe they'll give us a little tease ahead of the show. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google gifts Xoom tablets to game devs at GDC 2011
Google's notoriously generous at developer events, tossing out free devices like candy on Halloween, but here at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco it's letting them flow like wine. Each attendee at Google's Web Developer Day yesterday got a free Cr-48 laptop, and today the company dished out even greater prizes -- either a free Motorola Xoom tablet or a Nexus S smartphone to every soul listening to some exceedingly well-attended technical sessions on Android. That's certainly one way to attract game developers to your platform.
Nexus S 2.3.3 update adjusts screen's color temperature, we go eyes-on
We've been hearing reports about Nexus S' Android 2.3.3 update adding a yellow tint to the screen and even washing out its colors, but according to Google's Ry Guy, said patch is indeed intended to tweak the display's color temperature. Here's the full quote from Google's support forum: "With your new OTA complete, you may notice a slight difference in the way colors are displayed on your Nexus S. For Nexus S, we have adjusted the color temperature settings to more accurately reflect darker colors at all brightness levels. The Gingerbread UI being darker, we found that the colors were not as accurate when the device was being used at lower brightness levels. For example, some users reported that the initial color temperature was too high leading to some darker greys having a reddish tone; with the new color temperature this is no longer the case." So while this display tweak is well-intentioned, it looks like many commenters on both the forum and XDA-Developers aren't too happy with this. Being curious geeks that we are, we went ahead and manually updated our own Nexus S (and by the way, be sure to match your build number with the appropriate patch). As you can see in our comparison photos (shot with the same manual camera settings and medium screen brightness), the new overall color temperature is no doubt subtly warmer, although the dimmer brightness settings no longer suffer from the aforementioned red tone. Interestingly, we actually approve this change, and the Super AMOLED display certainly doesn't look washed out to us, nor do we see any noisy dithering that some have reported. Surely we can't be alone. Well, there's only one way to help solve this mystery: if you happen to be a fellow Nexus S owner who's applied this update, why not chime in below? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] %Gallery-117684% %Poll-60799%
Official Android 2.3.3 updates for Nexus One and Nexus S unearthed, available to the impatient
Waiting sucks, doesn't it? Yes, yes it does -- which is why we're delighted to see that direct links to the official, final updates to Android 2.3.3 for the Nexus One and Nexus S have both been turned loose. This is especially exciting news for Nexus One owners who've stayed on the straight and narrow and haven't moved to a cooked Gingerbread ROM already, since they're still on Froyo -- but it's also good news for developers working on NFC apps with the Nexus S and Android's freshly-baked NFC API, since it means they'll have real-world devices to start playing with. So go on, get to it -- we know you're not going to wait for the over-the-air notification anyway. [Thanks, Will]
Nexus S and Nexus One get Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, fixes random reboots and writes NFC tags
Your Nexus One is a second-class citizen no more: Today, Google's rolling out Android 2.3.3 to both its premier smartphones. The latest build, still referred to as Gingerbread, brings even more NFC goodies than foretold, as the Nexus S will soon be able to write (not just read) rewritable NFC tags as well as act as a glorified NFC tag itself. (You can see both possibilities in the three screenshots above.) What's more, Google tells us Android 2.3.3 will fix the random reboots that have plagued the Nexus S as of late, and offers other random bugfixes as well. You'll find the whole kit and kaboodle streaming to your phones over the air during the next few weeks to come. Update: We're also hearing that integrated Facebook contacts will be treated differently in Android 2.3.3 -- we've reached out to Google for more information. Update 2: Here's the deal with regards to Facebook.
Nexus S suffering from random data loss, reboots? (updated: fixes coming!)
Lots of people have lots of problems with lots of things, but to say that we've been getting lots of complaints about Nexus S issues would be an understatement. Hundreds have chimed in on the Google Mobile Help forum indicating that their handsets are frequently losing data signal and, once lost, a reboot is required to reconnect. It's been said this could be related to an issue that's been around since 2009 (issue 2845), but a new issue in the Android bug tracker has been created, 14672, which specifically deals with the Nexus S. You might want to star 'em both if you're affected -- or feeling charitable. Finally, and perhaps even more troubling, is the phone rebooting. By itself. In the middle of a call. You can imagine how this might be a little annoying. That issue is number 13674 and it's linked down there too. Update: Huzzah! Just got a note from Google saying: "All of the issues described in the post are resolved and will be fixed with an OTA that will go out soon." Feel free to start mashing that "system updates" menu item. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Nexus S revisits the FCC, this time with bands for AT&T
You may not be able to read the model number on that miniscule label, but you're looking at a cross section of the Samsung GT-I9020A -- colloquially known as the Nexus S for AT&T -- which just made its debut at that Ellis Island of wireless devices, the FCC authorization database. Sure enough, it's sporting the requisite 850 / 1900MHz WCDMA bands for the American carrier (though it could just as easily appear at Canada's big three) as well as Bluetooth, single-band 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and 13.56MHz for RFID. In case you're curious, the latter indicates that the curvy handset will almost certainly keep its NFC capabilities. So, Samsung... are you about ready to tell us about that GT-i9023?
White Nexus S confirmed to be 'coming soon' to Vodafone
We heard last month when we got our first glimpse of a white Nexus S that it might be headed to Vodafone, and that's now finally been confirmed by Vodafone itself. Details are still pretty light beyond that, but Vodafone says that the phone is "coming soon," and that it will be the only carrier to offer the phone in white -- in the UK, at least. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
