Google today announced the latest release of the Android platform, Android 2.3 – known as Gingerbread – and unveiled the next Android device from the ‘Nexus’ line of mobile phone products – Nexus S.
Nexus S was co-developed with Samsung, and is the first smartphone to feature a 4” Contour Display. It also includes NFC (near field communication) hardware.
Nexus S is also the first device to ship with Android 2.3. It delivers a number of improvements, including user interface refinements, NFC support, a new keyboard and text selection tool, Internet (VoIP/SIP) calling, improved copy/paste functionality and gyroscope sensor support, which is especially useful for games. For developers, the Gingerbread SDK/NDK is now available, and in the coming weeks Gingerbread will be open sourced.
Andy Rubin, VP, Engineering, said, “As the lead device for Gingerbread, Nexus S combines great hardware with great software to provide users with a fast and powerful mobile experience. We believe Nexus S will drive innovation in the mobile space that will benefit our users, our partners and developers working on Android, and the entire mobile industry.”