(Cross-posted on the Google Mobile blog)

Beaming a video with a single tap or unlocking a device with only a smile sounds like science fiction. Now, you can actually do these things (and more) with a phone that fits in the palm of your hand.

Wednesday morning in Hong Kong—together with Samsung—we unveiled Galaxy Nexus, the first phone designed for the latest release of Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

With a super slim profile, Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65” Contour Display with true high definition (720p) resolution and a lightning-fast dual core 1.2ghz processor combined with 4G LTE or HSPA+ technology. Galaxy Nexus also features the latest in software: Ice Cream Sandwich makes Android simple and beautiful, and takes the smartphone to beyond smart.

Beauty and simplicity
With Ice Cream Sandwich, our mission was to build a mobile OS that works on both phones and tablets, and to make the power of Android enticing and intuitive. We created a new font that’s optimized for HD displays and eliminated all hardware buttons in favor of adaptable software buttons. We also dramatically improved the keyboard, made notifications more interactive and created resizable widgets.

The desktop-class browser is significantly faster, featuring a refined tab manager and the ability to sync your bookmarks with Google Chrome. Ice Cream Sandwich also features the best mobile Gmail experience to date, with a new design that lets you quickly swipe through your inbox and search messages even when you’re offline. Calendar boasts a clean new look and you can zoom into your schedule with a pinch.

Connect and share
People are at the heart of Ice Cream Sandwich. We rethought how you browse your contacts with the new People app, which combines high-resolution photos and updates from Google+ and other social services. It’s also easier to capture and share your life with family and friends. Galaxy Nexus sports a high-end camera with zero shutter lag, automatic focus, top notch low-light performance and a simple way to capture panoramic pictures. Shoot amazing photos or 1080p video, and then edit and share them directly from your phone.

Beyond smart
Galaxy Nexus isn’t just a smartphone—it’s beyond smart. Ice Cream Sandwich gives you complete control over the amount of mobile data you use by helping you better understand and manage it. We’re also introducing Android Beam, which uses near field communication (NFC) to instantly share webpages, YouTube videos, maps, directions and apps by simply tapping two phones together. Face Unlock uses state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to unlock your phone with nothing more than a smile.

This weekend marks the third birthday of the G1, the first-ever Android phone. Nine releases later, more than 550,000 Android devices are activated daily.

Starting in November, Galaxy Nexus will be available in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Check out the Nexus website for a product tour and more info.

Posted by Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President, Mobile

The Official Google Blog

Samsung has unveiled its latest tablet device tasked with eating into Apple’s iPad dominance, launching the new Galaxy Tab 7.7.

The device is an upgrade of the original Galaxy Tab, launched last year, in every sense of the word; not only does it have a dual-core 1.4GHz processor, it also packs in a Super AMOLED Plus (1280 x 800 resolution) display, up to 64GB of in-built storage, 3-megapixel camera and will be powered by Google’s latest Honeycomb update – Android 3.2.

However, the most unique thing about the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is its profile, in that it is just 7.89mm thick. We are talking super-thin territory here, moving to the thickness of a pencil. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 has a brushed metal reverse, taking it away from the flimsy plastic finishes that it came known for with its previous tablet and smartphone devices.

Release dates and pricing is unknown but Samsung will offer them up very soon, check back for more information.

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Samsung has announced it will delay the Australian launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet until late September, waiting until a court verdict is reached on claims that the Korean vendor had copied the design and packaging of Apple’s iPhone and iPad products.

With an injunction placed upon sales of three Samsung smartphones in some European countries and a similar ruling made in Germany, banning the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung has said it will delay the launch of its tablet device pending a decision in late September, lodging a cross claim through the Australian court in the next few days.

Samsung’s statement detailed its actions:

“Today, Samsung informed the Federal Court of Australia it intends to file a cross claim against Apple Australia and Apple Inc regarding the invalidity of the patents previously asserted by Apple and also a cross claim against Apple regarding violation of patents held by Samsung by selling its iPhones and iPads.”

The Australian launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was delayed earlier in the month following an agreement between Apple and Samsung, with sales expected to begin in the following weeks.

Samsung has been involved in legal battles in the USA, Europe and South Korea, as well as Australia, with Apple claiming that the Korean manufacturer has infringed its wireless patents.

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With Berlin’s IFA 2011 mobile expo fast approaching, Samsung has unveiled four new smartphones that it intends to showcase at the event, each bearing the fruits of the Korean smartphone vendor’s new naming policy.

Samsung adds the Galaxy W, Galaxy M Pro, Galaxy Y Pro and Galaxy Y to its Galaxy Series of smartphones, each unique in terms of features and pricing.

In a bid to simplify the way it names its smartphones and to reduce consumer confusion, Samsung has begun to categorise the handsets in its Galaxy range into five different categories, sub-categorising each device into as many as three variants.

Samsung’s top-end handsets will now be given a “S” (Super Smart) classification and in most cases will be one of the company’s flagship phones. “R” or Royal, is a premium model which combines power, design and productivity, with “W” (Wonder) delivering high-quality strategic models and “M” (Magical) phones coupling performance with a decent price.

The “Y” (Young) range of smartphones targets younger demographics or new smartphone owners, priced lower to appeal to emerging markets.

Each category of smartphone will have three classifications; Plus, Pro and LTE – indicating an upgrade to an existing model, the addition of a QWERTY keyboard or 4G support respectively.

Samsung’s four new devices a placed in three of its new naming categories:

Samsung Galaxy W

The Samsung Galaxy W smartphone is a candybar handset that is powered by Android 2.3 and features a 1.4GHz processor, 3.7-inch WVGA (800×480) TFT LCD, and 14.4Mbps HSDPA, 5MP camera, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and 1500mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy M Pro

As a Pro model, the Samsung Galaxy M Pro is a QWERTY smartphone that comes with 2.66-inchWVGA (480×320) display, Android 2.3, 1GHz processor, 5MP rear-facing camera, front-facing VGA camera, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and 1350mAh battery. The Galaxy M Pro launched with enterprise app support for Cisco Mobile, Webex and Sybase Afaria.

Samsung Galaxy Y

The Galaxy Y is an entry-level smartphone, running Android 2.3 with a 832MHz processor, 3-inch WVGA (320×240) display 2MP camera, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 1200mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Y Pro

Very similar to the Galaxy Y, the Galaxy Y Pro adds a portrait QWERTY keyboard and sports a 2.6-inch WVGA display, Android 2.3, 2MP camera, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA.

For those who are still unsure of Samsung’s new naming policy, the infographic below may help:

Each of the devices will be showcased at IFA 2011, where Samsung will likely announce newer, more powerful smartphones and tablets.

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Apple has stepped up its bid to protect its design patents and innovation on its iPad and iPhone devices after escalating its dispute against Samsung to request a sales ban on sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.

Bloomberg reports that Apple has asked an Australian court to block sales of the tablet in the country, accusing Samsung of infringing ten of its patents, including the “look and feel” and the touchscreen technology use in its iPad, said Apple lawyer Steven Burley.

Burley also stated that the company would look to stop Samsung selling its tablet in other countries, although it is not known where.

Apple’s legal action against the Korean smartphone vendor began in April, with the Cupertino-based company stating that Samsung willfully violated patents, committed trademark infringement and exercised unfair competition with its smartphone and tablet devices.

It stated at the time:

It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.

Apple believes the injunction is necessary because has had “announcements of an imminent launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 device ongoing since July 20”. Because the tablet differs slightly from that on sale in the US, Samsung’s lawyer has said the company will provide Apple with the Australian version of the tablet so it can determine whether it will pursue legal action to ban sale of the device.

Samsung lawyer Neil Murray has indicated that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will go on sale in Australia in “at least a couple of weeks,” suggesting the company may be able to clear the issue with Apple before the device launches.

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Samsung today announced the launch of its flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S II in a press event in New Delhi.

Touted to be one of the thinnest Android handset in the market, Samsung Galaxy S II was unveiled in Mobile World Congress earlier this year and is the successor of the illustrious Samsung Galaxy S.

Specs-wise, it boasts a 4.3″ Super AMOLED plus display, 8MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED Flash, a 2MP front camera, 1080p video capture and NFC Support.

It runs on Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” with TouchWiz 4.0 UI layer and is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. The phone will retail at Rs 32,890 (727$ ) across all retail outlets in India from June 9, however the pre-booking will kick start from 26th May.

Planning to buy Samsung Galaxy S II? Do check out our unboxing video (Tip: this unboxing was done at 8,000 feet in an aircraft) and our hands-on video.

Update: Vodafone has tied up with Samsung to grab a 6 day exclusivity over Samsung Galaxy S II’s sales in India i.e. Vodafone will start retailing the handset from June 3.

Also, Vodafone has introduced a special data plan for all the new Galaxy S II customers wherein it will be offering 1GB free data for 6 months.

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