Tag: Google

I'm not sure I'd take Rezound, but I'd definitely take a Droid RAZR or Nexus over the Nitro. I'm actually somewhat surprised AT&T didn't snag something more differentiated to woo us Androids coming off 2-year contracts.

Frustration levels mounting, many have told us that they've already jumped the gun and purchased either an HTC Rezound or Motorola Droid RAZR. Both respectable, and well reviewed devices. Neither, however, ship with Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

WP7 is pleasant enough, but seeing anything referencing "Outlook" immediately induces nausea and psychedelic images of an insanely happy paperclip randomly appearing on a severely underpowered mid-90s Compaq laptop.

But, this time, I say wait for the NEXUS II, coming February 30. Quad core processor. NFC 2.0. 5-inch 4K screen. Confirmed... well, wait a sec, let's wait to see what micdawg has to say about that.

This is the largest upgrade cycle in Android's young history. For Google, it's important to keep us from turning to the dark side, hence the flurry of flagship handsets from Samsung, HTC and Motorola.

Early reviews on Nexus have ranged from glowing ("one of the best smartphones ever made" - The Verge) to the skeptical ("As impressive as it is, Ice Cream Sandwich can be messy, and without it, the Galaxy Nexus is just another Android device." - CNET).

I was leaning towards Nexus for two reasons: (1) it ships with ICS, and (2) it has softkeys. Now I'm not so sure, and am re-considering the RAZR. I am partial to Motorola. Buying American is always a bonus too.

To sweeten the deal, Google announced exclusives from 6 artists: Rolling Stones, Cold Play, Busta Rhymes, Shakira, Pearl Jam, Dave Mathews Band.

As we continue to wait for the mystery that is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone to arrive on Verizon, here's the latest news, commentary, and opinion.

Me? I've short-listed three phones: the aforementioned RAZR, HTC Rezound, and ICS-toting Samsung Galaxy Nexus.