Google Nexus S launches in time for Christmas

The Android phone for users who hate fragmentation launches in less than two weeks

Google on Monday took official wraps off the Google Nexus S, the successor to the HTC-manufactured and Google-designed and branded Nexus One. Nexus S will be the first Android device to ship with the latest version of Android (2.3), nicknamed Gingerbread, whose DSK/NDK is available for developers starting today.

Co-developed by Samsung, the Nexus S dons a 4-inch multi-touch WVGA display, a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, a second front-facing camera for video chat, a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, and 16 GB of built-in memory. Additionally, the phone features NFC (near field communication) hardware that reads information from NFC tags, which can be embedded anywhere to provide information in the real world.

Gingerbread, the new Android release, comes with user interface refinements, NFC support, a new keyboard and text selection tool, Internet (VoIP/SIP) calling, improved copy/paste functionality and gyroscope sensor support.

Google Nexus S will be available after December 6 (unlocked or with a T-Mobile service plan) online and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores in the U.S. and after December 20 at Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy retailers in the U.K. Barely in time for Christmas, but still in time.

In the very first few seconds of the first video embedded below, one Android team member immediately sets the Google Nexus S apart from the rest of Android devices:

“Nexus is all about bringing the pure Google experience to consumers through Android. You're always going to be getting the latest upgrades and the latest software and the latest innovation from Google.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs a few months ago set forth probably the best criticism of Android, that it is a fragmented mobile offering ruined by meddling carrier hands, where users don’t understand why their phone has one feature and not another or why they can download the latest OS upgrade on one phone but not another. While the comments could have easily been interpreted as well-placed aimless attacks in a world where Android increasingly gains market share while iPhone sales slow, they were widely accepted as well-thought out and worthy of response.

The Nexus S, like the Nexus One, has Google’s hand in its creation and is guaranteed to always stay up-to-date with the latest Android OS. In a way, Google wants this device to be the iPhone of Android, as far as completeness and elegance goes. The company even uses the word “magic” in the blog announcement.

Nexus S customers get “unlocked, unfiltered access to the best Google mobile services and the latest and greatest Android releases and updates,” writes Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering.

Check out the two videos below from Google for more Google Nexus S goodies. The first puts the spotlight on Googlers as they talk about bringing the “pure Google experience” to an Android iPhone, the second is an introductory promo video.