When the Nexus S ICS update was first being pushed through last December, Google had to quickly yank it after numerous reports of users whose phones starting freezing and crashing. But then it fixed the bugs and starting rolling out updates yet again, but only to those with 3G versions of the Nexus S. Those with the Nexus S 4G were left behind. The update was leaked online earlier this week.

Around 3% of all active Android devices are running version 4.0 or later, while manufacturers are forced to be conservative about when they expect to get their devices updated. Several other manufacturers have pledged support for the new update, and a bunch of phones currently running an older version of Android will be eligible to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich beginning in the coming months.

[via Computerworld]

Engadget has confirmed with sources familiar with the matter that Google is expected to begin rolling out the Ice Cream Sandwich once again for the Nexus S and Nexus S 4G. Time wise you’re looking at “the next few weeks” – possibly pushing the much awaited update into April. That’s better than no update at all, though.

So what exactly was the problem with the original update that was pushed out back in December? Users on xda-developers noted that the Android OS was consuming a larger amount of battery life than normal when the Nexus S was running Ice Cream Sandwich. That led to poor battery life throughout the day, causing Google to pull the update while they could fix things.

When Ice Cream Sandwich does start rolling out to Nexus S’ again, users can look forward to a wide variety of changes, such as improved notifications, the new Roboto font, modified UI, as well as a refined Gmail experience. More details in our full Ice Cream Sandwich review.

It was less than an hour ago that Google clarified what was turning into a heart-attack of a story in Android forums about how CDMA was dead and Android was going down the tubes. What Google notes instead is that recent CDMA Android devices have implemented core telephony functionality in APK files provided by carriers in binary form. Each of these APK files must have a platform key to function, and if a custom build is made by a group from the AOSP source code, they wont have this code and bad things will happen.

What Google is doing now is saying that they’ll “make available as many as possible of the closed-source binaries for these devices” and that all Nexus devices will continue to have unlockable bootloaders. What’s not entirely clear still is if the CDMA Galaxy Nexus will have any support from Google in the future for those who wish to go above and beyond the development call in the future. This also may mean that your CDMA Nexus devices in the future won’t get updates at the same time as the rest of the Nexus devices.

We’ll continue to follow this story and report on what Google plans to do with the Nexus line as they move forth into the future.

[via Google Android Support]

You can access the build (if you dare) by heading to the XDA Developers Forum thread where you’ll be given a few directions for use as well. There are both original Nexus S and Nexus S 4G builds out there, make sure you get the right one, and BE careful. This is a hack, and that means the possibility of busting your device all to kingdom come. You’ll need to ROOT and have an environment ready for flashing a ROM. If you have no idea what that means, probably you should just skip it and wait for the official update coming from your carrier.

While this update is not entirely complete, (there are a few icons, Face Unlock, and some other feature still missing,) this does once again show the tenacity of Android developers and their intrepid will to get the best and/or most updated system working on their devices each and every day of the year. To have a peek at how this ROM is looking, check out the screenshots provided by HAKA above and below. To have a peek at how the complete version of Ice Cream Sandwich is working, have a look at our own Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on video from Hong Kong, plus check out our Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich / Galaxy Nexus Launch Wrap-up for all the details!

Let us know how it goes!

[via XDA Developers, original ROM by Beezy]

If you’ll remember exactly what the Nexus S looks like (surely many of you still have one in your hands right this moment) you’ll find that this design isn’t all THAT FAR off from the last Google hero phone. That one was working with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, this new one, likely called something along the lines of Galaxy Nexus or Nexus Prime, is set, very possibly, to be running Android x.x Ice Cream Sandwich, a system that’s set to combine both the tablet-based Android (Honeycomb) and the handset-based Android (Gingerbread.)

Have a look at the video source for this image below:

Then have a look at a bigger version of the image here by clicking on the thumbnail – it’s so very lovely!

The person who created this image (or made it more clear, however you want to see it, goes by the name Greyhaven7 on Reddit and fancies himself a graphic artist. I think so! Here’s his take on it:

I believe that the screen’s curve is much LESS extreme than Samsung’s teaser video might lead us to believe. If you look closely, there is a light-gray bevel at the far ends (by the top and bottom of the phone) that the blue line heavily overlaps in the middle.

I’ve done my best with Photoshop to “undo” the overlay and clean up the background to reveal a better approximation of what the phone probably looks like under that glowing blue line.

Look like the hero for you? We’ll be at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2011 Google Episode next week LIVE, so stick with us here on SlashGear for all the details and the greatest set of photos and hands-on videos you’ve ever seen in your freaking LIFE!

[via Reddit]

What you’re seeing here is the Wallet application that’s automatically added to your device once you’ve updated to version 2.3.7 Gingerbread on your Nexus S 4G. Upon opening this application for the first time, you’ll be prompted to add a PIN number of four characters – numbers only. Once you’ve done this, that PIN is kept secret and the app (and its functions) can only be used by those who have that number. Inside the app you’ll see a rather familiar view with the Google Wallet title up top next to a lock icon (to let you know that, aesthetically, you’re secure), below which you’ll find Payment cards, Loyalty cards, My Offers, and History. Below THAT there’s a simple “How to make a purchase” guide that we recommend everyone take a look at before anything else.

Inside Payment cards you’ll find, like most screens here, sparse options. You’ll want immediately to activate your Google prepaid card as all early-adopters are given a $10 credit right out of the box. You can use this to test your Google Wallet before entering in any sensitive information if you like, this alleviating all of your fears, of course. Next to this there’s a Citi Mastercard (the only card able to be activated right at launch) and gift cards. Each of these are activated by entering in simple information and confirming, at which point your card is linked to your account quite simply.

The Loyalty Cards screen contains a single PLUS sign the same as the cards in Payment cards did, only here there’s some different options: AEO Rewards and OfficeMax. All cards, once entered correctly, have a button underneath them that allows you to simply activate or de-activate them. Just tap and go for it. You’ll be able to select a default card from your Payment cards, everything else is selectable or works automatically.

My Offers will contain coupons galore offered up by groups all around you, these coupons working like any other paper coupon would, having an expiration date, starting time, and value. You can look for Redeemable offers as well as browse through Used and expired offers. This part of the app connects with Google Shopper which we don’t go into too deeply, but is able to be activated directly from the My Offers screen. Here you’ll find offers by selecting (manually or automatically) your physical location, finding coupons around the area that you can redeem.

History is last, but most important if you plan on balancing your credit cards, as all information related to your past actions is listed here in easy to expand form. Below History is the simple use guide which we also go over in the hands-on video.

Sound like something you’re going to pick up and use once you’ve got access?

That means we won’t be able to put Google Wallet to the test until the weekend. And even then, the mobile payment app will only be available for one handset model—the Nexus S 4G on the nation’s third largest carrier and Google’s launch partner when the service was first announced back in May. This makes for a very limited pool of initial testers.

These lucky few will get to take advantage of the NFC chips inside their Nexus S 4G handsets to make some rapid purchases at the checkout line. Payments are linked to a Citi MasterCard or to Google’s PrePaid card, which can be funded by almost any credit card such as Visa, American Express, and Discover. Checkout then involves only a single tap of the Nexus S 4G on an NFC-equipped terminal.

There have been talks that Google could extend the Wallet service to other NFC-equipped phones through the use of NFC stickers, but that’s looking less likely now. Reports from earlier today suggest that issues having to do with security could bar NFC stickers as any option.

The NFC stickers were always going to be at a disadvantage in comparison to the Nexus S 4G implementation. In that handset, the Secure Element is a separate chip that Google says is “isolated from your phone’s main operating system and hardware” and uses “encrypted protocols to enforce access control.” PIN access is required whenever a payment is to be made, temporarily enabling the NFC chip and unlocking your card credentials so that they can be read by the vendor’s device.

With no access to an in-phone Secure Element, and presumably a passive NFC chip – as used in various existing wireless payment cards – Google Wallet stickers would lack those same security policies. Indeed, according to Google’s original outline, the stickers are only intended to be linked with a single credit card, using the cloud to communicate with the Google Wallet app itself. That isn’t the case with the Nexus S 4G system, though: Google makes clear in its FAQ that no network connection is required for the phone to make payments, only that it be powered on.

It’s looking increasingly likely that the Google Wallet stickers don’t entirely fit in with Google’s overall plans for the service. Although Google has licensed Visa payWave - which uses passive NFC rather than a Secure Element system, and is limited to sub-$25 transactions – the payments provider confirmed, it will be offered as another option in the existing Google Wallet experience rather than as a simpler way for non-NFC devices to join the party. ”We look forward to bringing Google Wallet to more phones in the future” the company said on launching the service yesterday, but with a variety of different NFC payment systems in operation worldwide, it could be that buying a new Android phone with the requisite Secure Element and NFC hardware is the only way to get onboard.

Google Wallet lets you pay for any of your purchases at participating locations by simply tapping your Nexus S 4G on a NFC-equipped terminal at the register. Payments work with your Citi MasterCard credit card or Google’s PrePaid card, which can be funded by any credit card, including those from Visa, American Express, and Discover.

The Google Wallet service was first announced back in May with initial launch partners being Citi, MasterCard, First Data, and the Now Network carrier. Visa, Discover, and American Express will also be joining the platform soon with support for their NFC specs to be added in future versions of Google Wallet.

For more details on Google Wallet, make sure to visit the official page here.

However, it’s unclear if the CDMA handset will be the only device to support Google Wallet at the service’s launch. Previously, Google has promised that other Android devices will gain access to the functionality by using NFC stickers, though there’s no mention of that option in the leaked memo.

Users will need a PayPass-enabled Citi MasterCard in order to register with Google Wallet; from that point, they’ll be able to monitor their transactions using the free app and make payments to vendors and other Google Wallet users simply by tapping their phones together. More details on the payments process here.

There’s speculation that Google’s launch is timed to coincide with NFC World Congress, which as the name suggests is a show with short-range wireless as its theme. That begins today in France, and though Google is not a listed exhibitor, MasterCard is the official sponsor of the show.

[via Android Community]

The images in these photos we would give an educated guess at saying are certainly the Samsung Nexus S Android handset but whether or not this is actually an Ice Cream Sandwich Beta build or not is up for debate. What we’re seeing here is a suspiciously cyan-looking layout where apps are crowned by a set of tabs that show Apps and Widgets separate with an Android Marketplace link in the upper right. Icons appear to be, on the whole, the same as we’ve seen in the basic vanilla build of Gingerbread on the Nexus S and the dock for app shortcuts at the bottom of the main homescreen set is semitransparent, having a circle depressed around the fourth app in the set, this possibly showing a drawer of apps working for multi-tasking much in the same way Honeycomb does now.

The following set of specs and features are written up by RootzWiki based on their sources:

Some features of ICS that we know (from our source and speculation):
• Blue Themed – Like our site (Change theme on bottom)
• Camera has built in panorama mode
• Will launch with Google Shopper and NFC Enabled devices will be able to utilize those features
• Gmail is all rethemed
• Will be available for the Nexus S
• Nexus Prime gets it first (expected) then other devices will follow after
• Not too many changes, just UI things, don’t think requirements are set too high for year old devices to run it
• The little icon in the bottom right, looks like a tray with multiple apps in it
• Google search bar embedded on very top like Honeycomb
• Apps/Widgets launcher a lot like Honeycomb
• This release is still very early, notice the theming of the power tray

This set of photos also shows some settings in an exitable (with a big x) window with T-Mobile at the top and options for Pulse and AudioManager Console below it – this is very likely the notifications drawer we’ve been pulling down from the top of the screen for some time now – whether or not it’ll be pulled down, up, or popped out from some place is yet unknown for certain. Then there’s an image of some information on the Android version (with reads IceCreamSandwich without spaces or version number), along with a Build number of soju-userdebug IceCreamSandwich IRK36B.

The next set of details comes from Android Police who had the other set of leaked photos:

Our source has revealed the following:
• Brand-new launcher and app drawer, with screenshots of both featured exclusively on RootzWiki
• Camera now has a panorama mode (not pictured)
• Gmail has been totally re-themed to go with the new OS (not pictured)
• Nexus S will be receiving ICS via update, but the “Nexus Prime” will be getting it first
• Mostly UI changes – many older devices (< 1 year old) should be able to run it

What do you think? Seem like a realistic set of specifications from all different directions? Have a look at our Sandwich archive or head to the last rumor: Samsung roadmap leak tips 720p I9250 Android ICS phone, more or head back to the original official announcement for the REAL release from Google at the spring developer event: Android Ice Cream Sandwich Officially Announced at Google I/O.

Coming quick we hope!

In order for Google to become successful in changing the entire business ecosystem in the United States and abroad, they will certainly have to think about getting manufacturers to work with the other mobile platforms they produce phones with in order to attain a wide enough audience. This system of using cell-phones and other handsets for payment on a day-to-day basis has been a long time coming – the most basic difference between NFC and the system we use right now is the amount of metal and plastic we’re using to carry around out account numbers. Of course there’s a lot more going on with Google Wallet, but as soon as Google, Citi, Mastercard, and First Data get the population to agree to that idea, they’re sold.

But when will Apple and Microsoft get on board? Will they get on board? Are they late to the party, or is NFC payment via mobile device a bad idea?

How it will be done at the beginning

Google Wallet will be represented by an app that users can download on their Android phone at the outset. It will connect to Google Offers, a system where people can access coupons and discounts from their web browser, (be it on their desktop, laptop, mobile device, wherever,) that they can transfer to their Google Wallet account, that “Offer” then instantly showing up wherever the user has the Google Wallet app open. They can then use that offer at the corresponding store.

When a person gets to a store and wants to pay for the product or service they desire or require, they simply touch their mobile device to the payment panel that the store has installed. This panel, in whatever form it takes, reads instantly everything you’ve got that corresponds to the store or particular product or service. This could be a coupon, it could be a rewards card, it could be anything.

Inside your Google Wallet you’ll have at least one card, that being your Google Card – aka GCard, which will act as a sort of re-chargeable payment system that you can add money to and take money out of via the NFC system. In addition to this, you’ll be able to add one or more credit cards, each of them then sitting in your wallet available for you to use or de-activate at any time.

There will also be Google Wallet Objects which will include your credit cards but will also include coupons, customer rewards cards, “puzzle pieces,” and other special scannable items.

How it will be done in the future

Like all apps in the future, the concept of an “app” will have changed from platform-based to cloud-based, meaning that if you’re able to access the internet, you’re able to access the app. A good example of where this change has already happened is in Google Maps. Very recently Google Maps changed from where if you were using a mobile device and navigated to Google Maps in your web browser, you’d be re-directed to a download point where you were able to grab the app, which was separate from the web browser. Now they’ve re-worked their mobile functionality, allowing anyone with access to a web browser to utilize Google Maps from the web. Simple, and now universal, very simply.

Before this though, Google will rally to have the Google Wallet app available on other platforms such as Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 (soon to be Windows Phone 7.1 Mango.) They will not risk this ecosystem to fail simply because people are unwilling to use an Android phone. Once we figure out the technology to get this system working via web browser (or some sort of other method that allows every device to have Google Wallet, regardless of platform,) Google will move forward with it.

All this is assuming that Google can grab enough momentum here at the beginning to keep the ball rolling on into the future. If they can, we’ll be Japan in no time.

Three people familiar with the situation divulged that Google plans to unveil their mobile payment service with Sprint at an event in New York on Thursday. Users of Android phones equipped with an NFC chip will be able to pay for goods and redeem coupons directly from their handsets.

The first smartphone that will be able to handle the new mobile payment service is Sprint’s Nexus S 4G, which has an integrated NFC chip. It will be interesting to see if the service actually gets unleashed this Thursday, as it will certainly set Android phones ahead of the game. Apple’s upcoming iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 are rumored to be without NFC.

Currently, Visa and ISIS are also planning to launch their mobile payments systems before the end of this year. What do you think about mobile payments in general? Will you be one of the first to adopt this new method of purchasing?

[via Bloomberg]

A white Nexus S showed up on Samsung’s website today for a brief moment before being pulled. The guys at PocketNow were able to get a screenshot of the page, which clearly indicated the carrier would be AT&T.

Listed as ‘pearly white’ the device is actually two-toned, with the back side being white and the front face being black. It is also listed with the model number GT-I902A instead of SGH-Ixx7 as is normally expected from a Samsung smartphone sold directly through the carrier. This could mean that this Nexus S is slotted for retailer-only distribution.

No details on pricing or release date have been confirmed, but Best Buy’s $99 subsidized price for the T-Mobile Nexus S is a good indicator of what to expect. Also considering the recent AT&T 4G controversies, it’s also not certain whether this device will be HSPA+ and HSUPA enabled at launch like the recent Samsung Infuse 4G.

[via PocketNow]

The smartphone has some other really cool features too. The curved screen is a Samsung Super AMOLED offering and the device runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. It has a 1GHz single core processor and has GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and NFC tech integrated. The smartphone has 16GB of internal storage. The rear camera is a 5MP unit with autofocus and LED flash. It also has a lower resolution camera for video conferencing on the front.

The Nexus S 4G is on the Sprint network for about $200. If you want to save yourself some money you can get it at Best Buy for $50 cheaper. Both places will require you to sign a new 2-year contract to get the subsidized price.

[via Android Community]

There’s also native support for Google Voice, which Sprint announced was incoming alongside the Nexus S 4G and for which early invites started being issued late last week. Otherwise it’s the same Nexus S we know and love, only with an extra turn of 4G speed.

That means a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, a front-facing camera for video calls, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS. There’s also NFC and 16GB of internal storage.

The other ever so tiny difference between this and the original Nexus S Google powerhouse phone is the weight, this phone apparently just a “baby hair” lighter than the original. Note that the back of the phone on the original has a bit of the ol’ StealthArmor on it, so don’t get too antsy about the battery cover. All that said, this phone will more than likely be shown off in earnest later this week at some event or another (probably a SPRINT event, do you think?)

In all honesty though, this phone is really exciting, and we’re sure those wary of the recent announcement that AT&T will be picking up a piece of T-Mobile will be glad to hear that this phone is, indeed, now going to be on Sprint. Until we get a better look at the phone, all we’ve got are these sassy spy shots though, so get your trading boots on and get ready to march on down to the Sprint store sooner than later! More as we get it!

[via Android Community]

It will also support voicemail transcription and the usual divert features, allowing up to six phones to ring simultaneously on an incoming call. Otherwise the specs are as before, so a 4-inch Super AMOLED “Contour Display”, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 5-megapixel main camera and front-facing VGA camera.

16GB of internal storage, NFC and a 1GHz processor round out the key specs. The Google Nexus S 4G will arrive on Sprint this spring, priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement including mandatory data plan.

[via Android Community]

Press Release:

First Pure Google 4G Device with Android 2.3 in the U.S., Nexus S 4G from Google and Samsung, Coming to Sprint this Spring

First 4G device powered by Android 2.3 boasts pure Google experience, Google Voice integration, Super AMOLED display and Mobile Hotspot capability is Sprint’s 20th 4G device and fourth 4G phone announced to date

Visit www.sprint.com/nexus to register to receive more information

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), March 21, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) extends its 4G device innovation lead once again with the upcoming availability of the 20th 4G device and fourth 4G phone, Nexus S™ 4G1 from Google™. Coming to Sprint this spring, it will also be able to take advantage of the unprecedented controls and services enabled by Google Voice™ integration built into the Sprint Network.

Manufactured by Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), a leading global mobile phone provider and the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States2, Nexus S 4G comes packed with a pure Google experience using Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread, the fastest version of Android available for smartphones. It is powered by a 1GHz Samsung application processor that produces rich 3D-like graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content along with a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to make playing mobile games, browsing the Web and watching videos a fast, fluid and smooth experience.

“Nexus S 4G shows the strong commitment Sprint has to Android, and when combined with our 4G network capabilities, it gives customers the option of a pure Google experience,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “As the first 4G smartphone with Android 2.3, Nexus S 4G delivers on the promise of the advanced data capabilities of 4G to deliver an incredible Web browsing experience, offers quick and easy access to future Android updates and access to the services built into Google Voice.”

It is designed with Samsung’s brilliant Super AMOLED™ touchscreen technology providing a premium viewing experience. The 4-inch Contour Display features a curved design for a more comfortable look and feel in the user’s hand or along the side of the face. It also offers a screen that is bright with higher color contrast, meaning colors are incredibly vibrant and text is crisp at any size and produces less glare than on other smartphone displays when outdoors, so videos, pictures and games look their best and the sun won’t wash them out.

Sprint Nexus S 4G customers will be among the first to receive Android software upgrades and new Google mobile apps. In many cases, the device will get the updates and new apps as soon as they are available.

“We’re excited to partner with Sprint on Nexus S 4G, which brings innovative hardware by Samsung and innovations on the Android platform, to create a powerful smartphone experience,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of Engineering at Google.

Nexus S 4G features a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and camcorder and front-facing VGA camera. In addition, Nexus S 4G features a gyroscope sensor to provide a smooth, fluid gaming experience when the user tilts the device up or down or pans the phone to the left or right.

Additional key features include:

3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability, supporting up to six Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously
Android Market™ for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games available for download to customize the experience
Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Navigation, syncing with Google Calendar™, Voice Actions and YouTube™
Corporate email (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®), personal (POP & IMAP) email and instant messaging
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows the device to read information from everyday objects, like stickers and posters embedded with NFC chips
16GB Internal Memory (ROM)/512MB (RAM)
Wi-Fi® – 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
Integrated GPS
1500 mAh Lithium-ion battery
“Samsung is thrilled to work with Google and Sprint to create the next generation Nexus S. Adding 4G capabilities takes this iconic device to the next level,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. “Nexus S 4G integrates Samsung’s best-in-class hardware and the exciting features of the Android 2.3 platform with the impressive speed and connectivity of Sprint’s 4G network.”

Nexus S 4G from Google will be available exclusively from Sprint this spring for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade (taxes not included) in all Sprint retail channels, including the Web (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1), as well as select national retailers.

Sprint Nexus S customers also will be able to easily use their current Sprint wireless phone number as their Google Voice number without having to port their number, avoiding porting charges and potential service disruptions. Google Voice makes it easy for people to manage and access most of their voice-based communication. It lets users manage up to six different phones through one number with intelligent call routing and advanced features like call screening, blocking and recording.

Now Sprint subscribers can use their Sprint number across their office, home and wireless phones, and personalize settings so calls from friends ring their wireless device and home phone, while calls from the boss only ring at the office. Google Voice users can receive transcribed voicemails and read or listen to them online. They can also read, send and search text messages and call logs online at www.google.com/voice.

Nexus S 4G requires activation on one of Sprint’s Everything Data plans, plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $39.99 per month versus Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and Web (excluding Verizon’s Southern California plan; pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).

Sprint customers get more with unlimited data plans on the Sprint Network. Sprint offers real simplicity, value and savings versus competitors, making it easy for customers to get the most out of their phones without using a calculator to tally up costs or worrying about how much data they’ve used.

Sprint Everything Data plans qualify for automatic enrollment in the Sprint PremierSM loyalty program3. Existing Sprint customers can switch to an Everything Data plan without extending their service agreement. New lines of service require a two-year service agreement.

As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008. As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint is America’s Favorite 4G Network4. Sprint currently offers 4G service in 71 markets in 28 states. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

Nexus S 4G from Google and Samsung fact sheet
A pure Google experience

Manufactured by Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), Nexus S 4G™1 from Google comes packed with a pure Android experience using Android 2.3, Gingerbread, the fastest version of Android available. Nexus S 4G customers will be among the first to receive Android updates and the latest Google mobile services. Nexus S 4G is powered by a 1GHz Samsung application processor that produces rich 3D-like graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content, and a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to make playing mobile games, browsing the Web and watching videos a fast, fluid and smooth experience. It is designed with Samsung’s brilliant Super AMOLED™ touchscreen technology providing a premium viewing experience. The 4-inch Contour Display features a curved design for a more comfortable look and feel in the user’s hand or along the side of the face. It also offers a screen that is bright with higher color contrast, meaning colors are incredibly vibrant and text is crisp at any size and produces less glare than on other smartphone displays when outdoors, so videos, pictures and games look their best and the sun won’t wash them out.

Productivity
· 1GHz Samsung application processor that produces rich 3D-like graphics, faster upload and download times and supports HD-like multimedia content along with a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to make playing mobile games, browsing the Web and watching videos a fast, fluid and smooth experience
· 4-inch Super AMOLED display with pinch-to-zoom
· Android 2.3, Gingerbread
· Android Market™ for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games
· Google Voice™, an innovative service that offers advanced calling controls, makes it easy to manage up to six devices with one Sprint phone number, with intelligent call routing and advanced call controls like call screening, blocking and recording, and online management of SMS, voicemail and call logs at www.google.com/voice
· Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™ with Navigation, Google Calendar™, Voice Actions and YouTube™
· Messaging – personal and business email and text messaging, as well as IM through a Google Talk
· Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows the device to read information from everyday objects, like stickers and posters embedded with NFC chips
· 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability supporting up to six Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously
· Integrated GPS
· 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps
· 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps
· Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n

Entertainment
· Dual camera: rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with camcorder and flash, and front-facing VGA camera
· Stereo speakers
· Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
· Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack

Specifications
· Dimensions: 4.88 inches x 2.48 inches x 0.44 inches (124 mm x 63 mm x 11.2 mm) (LxWxT)
· Weight: 4.62 ounces (131 grams)
· Display: 4-inch (480 x 800) Super AMOLED touchscreen display
· Battery: 1500 mAh Lithium-ion battery
· Memory: 16GB Internal Memory (ROM)/512MB (RAM)

Sprint and Google to Launch Integrated Google Voice Experience on All Sprint Phones, Including Upcoming Nexus S 4G
Sprint is first carrier to allow customers to use their existing mobile number as their Google Voice number without porting

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), March 21, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and Google announced today a new integrated Google Voice™ experience that will allow Sprint customers to set their existing Sprint wireless phone number as their Google Voice number. Sprint customers will be able to take advantage of all the features and benefits of Google Voice without the hassle and fees associated with porting their number. Sprint is the first and only carrier to offer this capability, which will be available soon on all Sprint CDMA phones.

In addition, Nexus S 4G1, announced today by Sprint, Google and Samsung, will allow Sprint customers to enable the integrated Google Voice experience and will come preloaded with the Google Voice Android app.

“As part of our partnership with Google, our customers will appreciate having the easiest set-up experience of any wireless carrier for Google Voice across all of our CDMA phones, using their existing Sprint phone number,” said Kevin McGinnis, vice president-Product and Technology Development, Sprint. “It’s now easier than ever to truly live a mobile lifestyle with the ability to manage multiple devices through intelligent call routing and online controls using just one phone number – your existing Sprint number.”

“With this integration, we have made Google Voice simple to use with a Sprint phone,” said Dave Girouard, president at Google. “Sprint subscribers now have access to all the benefits of Google Voice behind their existing mobile number without the need for porting or, if they already have a Google Voice number, they can display that number from their Sprint phone without the need for a separate application.”

Manage multiple devices with Google Voice

Google Voice makes it easy for people to manage and access most of their voice-based communication. It lets users manage up to six different devices through one phone number with intelligent call routing and advanced features like call screening, blocking and recording using the phone’s dial pad. Sprint subscribers will be able to use their Sprint number across their office, home and wireless phones, and personalize settings so calls from friends ring their wireless device and home phone, while calls from the boss only ring at the office. Google Voice users can receive transcribed voicemails and read or listen to them online. They can also read, send and search text messages and call logs online at www.google.com/voice.

Sprint is the only carrier that allows the user to assign their existing mobile phone number as their Google Voice number without having to port their number, avoiding porting charges, potential service disruptions and the hassle of calling their carrier to terminate and port their number to Google Voice and then re-subscribe with another number. Sprint’s integration with Google simplifies and shortens the process of moving a phone number to Google Voice to mere minutes.

Integrated Google Voice Experience from Sprint

One number for all your devices Work, home, mobile; no need to change numbers after a move or new job
Route phone calls and text messages Send work calls to the office, personal to home or mobile
Conditional call presentation Hear caller info before answering or send straight to voicemail
In-call options Record calls, switch phones during a call, conference calling
Manage it all online Manage call history, texts and voicemail; listen to voicemail and read transcribed messages; view threaded text messaging history and continue the conversation online
Keep your existing wireless phone number without porting Only with Sprint

Customers can sign up to be notified when the integrated Google Voice experience for Sprint phones is available at www.google.com/voice/sprint.

With a few simple steps, any Sprint CDMA phone will be able to use Google Voice to simplify the customer’s wireless experience:

1.
Customers can simply go to www.google.com/voice/sprint and sign-up for the integrated service from Sprint.
2. Google will then confirm the customer would like to use their existing Sprint number as their Google Voice number.
3. Customers do not need to notify Sprint that they plan to use Google Voice. A notification is automatically sent to Sprint to provision the necessary services on the network required for the Google Voice integrated experience.
4. Within minutes, all of the customer’s phone calls, text messages and voicemail run through Google Voice, and all inbound and outbound calls show up with the customer’s existing Sprint number with all of the benefits of Google Voice.

For more information on Sprint’s Google Voice integration, watch the video and visit www.sprint.com/googlevoice.2

Use of Google Voice is available at no additional charge with Sprint plans including Sprint’s Everything Data plans. Sprint’s Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM include unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones – a savings of $39.99 per month versus Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and Web (excluding Verizon’s Southern California plan; pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).

Sprint Everything Data plans qualify customers for automatic enrollment in the Sprint PremierSM loyalty program.3 Existing Sprint customers can switch to an Everything Data plan without extending their service agreement. New lines of service require a two-year service agreement.