Google and Samsung send invites for October 19

Google and Samsung together sent Electronista and others an invitation confirming rumors surrounding a rescheduled Android 4.0 event. The two now plan to unveil the OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, along with the Galaxy Nexus (possibly called Nexus Prime), on the morning of October 19 in Hong Kong. The timing coincides with the D Asia conference and would start at 10PM Eastern time.

The two plan a live stream for those who can't visit the city.

Originally, both had planned to unveil the new OS and reference phone at CTIA this week but, at the time, moved it back indefinitely out of respect for Steve Jobs. The company later confirmed that the decision had come from high-level executives and that hardware attached to the event was still on track. In the US, the phone may arrive on or near November 3 and could be a Verizon exclusive, at least in a version with LTE-based 4G.

The new Nexus, whatever its name, is expected to be a heavy modification of the Galaxy S II HD LTE with the same ultra-dense, 4.65-inch, 720p screen bent into the same curve as the Nexus S. It may run as much as a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, either Samsung's Exynos or a TI OMAP chip, and would carry NFC for short-range wireless features like Google Wallet. Samsung might take an unintentional cue from the iPhone 4S and use a very fast camera, albeit not as high resolution as Apple's.

Android 4 is expected to marry many of the features of the tablet-oriented Android 3 with smartphones, such as touchscreen-only navigation buttons, visual multitasking, and other cosmetic and practical elements. It might also unify the tablet and smartphone code bases to minimize the split in its platform.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, Google, Steve Jobs, Android, Samsung, mobile phones, Apple, TI, OMAP, Exynos, Ice Cream Sandwich, Nexus Prime, Galaxy Nexus