Google and Samsung unveil iPhone challenger

Google has combined closely with Samsung to launch the new Galaxy Nexus smartphone running the latest version of the Android OS, Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

The Hong Kong launch defies expectations the search giant would cool ties with manufacturers other than Motorola, which was purchased by Google in August.

Indeed, attendees could be forgiven for thinking it was Samsung that was purchased, as Google senior vice president of mobile, Andrew Rubin, revealed that the companies’ engineering teams worked in the same building while developing the device and OS.

Due to debut in the US, Europe and Asia in November, the Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65-inch Super HD AMOLED display that is slightly curved to conform to the face.

The 5-megapixel rear camera has zero shutter lag for quick photography, and the device is LTE enabled, for use on ultra-high-speed networks.

As for Android, the OS offers a new, specially designed typeface called Roboto, a face recognition unlock (which failed in the demo but could spare the hassle of unlocking the device manually), offline gmail search, and Android Beam, a feature which allows sharing of content when devices are placed back-to-back.

Google has already released the SDK for ICS so developers can start playing with the new features. Go here for more.