Android Ice Cream Sandwich Release, Nexus Details Leaked

With so much focus on Apple, the iPhone 4S and Steve Jobs’ unfortunate passing this week, we almost neglected Android-related news. Here’s the lowdown on two interesting rumors about Google’s latest Android phone and the latest version of the Android operating system …

Fresh from the Android Developers Account on YouTube is an accidental confirmation on when Ice Cream Sandwhich will launch and whether the event will be broadcast live. The answers to both those questions are Oct. 11, 2011, and “yes.” The YouTube video is called “Android ICS Launch” and in the place of an actual video is a clock icon and a countdown to the event. Accident or marketing genius? Either way, it has people talking about Ice Cream Sandwich.

That buzz continues with an alleged leak of the features of the new Google/Samsung Android Nexus Prime phone, which apparently is the largest and beefiest Android phone to ever hit the market. Dual 1.5GHz CPU, a 4.65-inch screen with a resolution of 1280×720, and world-phone dual-band stats that mirror the iPhone 4S. The most intriguing aspect is the alledged curved shape of the phone will have, including a curved glass. Is that an aesthetic choice or one that shifts the paradigm? My vote is for the former. Will the phone tear up the iPhone market? Maybe … but don’t place any bets yet.

We’ll keep you posted as Android’s scrumptious updates roll out. If Ice Cream Sandwich merges Gingerbread and Honeycomb into the cohesive operating system that Google has been promising, this could be the sweetest deal since Android 2.0 launched.