On Monday, Google unveiled its new phone, the Nexus S — its second attempt to make a dent in the crowded smartphone market. The Nexus S runs on Android's new 2.3 operating system, known as Gingerbread, and features a 1 gigahertz processor, a 5 megapixel camera, and a "sleek new contoured display designed to curve alongside its owner's face." Google — which tried (and failed) to sell its first model, the Nexus One, directly — is switching courses this time: As of Dec. 16, the new phone will be sold via retailers like Best Buy, with a $199 price tag and a two-year T-Mobile contract. The search giant promises the phone will deliver a "pure Google" experience, but is the Nexus S a winner? (See the Nexus S up close)
The new OS delivers: The phone's battery life and processor speed are impressive, but "the main event" is the Gingerbread operating system, say Michael Arrington and Jason Kincaid in TechCrunch. Gingerbread is not a revolutionary upgrade, but "it's improved in a lot of small ways," from better text predictions to a slicker-looking notification bar. Those improvements, combined with the phone's seamless Google integration, mean that "if you're an Android user you will want this phone more than any other."
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