Samsung's new Galaxy Nexus smartphone is the first device to operate on the latest Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" OS. Scheduled for availability in Canada on December 8 exclusively through Bell and Virgin Mobile, we got our hands on one to get a good look at its features and specs.

Immediately, the dazzling screen is apparent on this device. It's one of the largest I've seen on a smartphone at 4.65", and boasts 1,280 x 720 resolution.

It's also Super AMOLED, which means it's energy efficient, uber-vibrant, and can be viewed easily in direct sunlight. Compared to my iPhone, Web pages look crisper and clearer; and reading eBooks is much more comfortable (though I still prefer the full tablet experience for this.) There's even an offline reading option for downloading a browser page and reading it later, during a flight, for example.

The back is textured, allowing for a secure and comfortable grip without your fingers sliding about. And the phone is super-slim, at 6.7mm at its thinnest point. (It employs a curved design, with 8.4mm being its thickest point.)

One of the neat features that sets this device apart is called Face Unlock. Go to Settings, Security, and Screen Lock, then turn on this option to snap a photo of your noggin. Once programmed, as soon as the device detects your face, it will automatically unlock. As a secondary function, you can set up a unique pattern using a nine-point grid to unlock the phone that way. While Face Unlock works quickly and easily, I did find that sometimes it wouldn't recognize me; for example, if I was wearing my hair up when I originally took the photo with my hair down.

Other neat features include Android Beam for sharing Web pages, apps, and YouTube videos with other mobile devices; instant access to the Google+ social networking service; support for Near Field Communications (NFC) for connecting wirelessly to things like posters, or performing tasks like making contactless mobile payments; and personal hotspot for connecting other WiFi-enabled devices and sharing your uber-fast 4G wireless connection (and thus data plan.) I was able to successfully link up my iPad to the phone, though I did find that speeds weren't as favourable as when using my own WiFi at home. This, however, could have been due to a number of situational factors.

The phone offers a dual-core processor and support for multi-tasking. Indeed, browsing Web pages is quick and easy, with virtually no lag load time as you scroll through items like news stories or image-rich blog posts.

With a 1.3 MP front facing camera, 5MP camera with flash, and 1,080p video capture capability, the digicam specs won't blow you away, and fall pretty well in line with the latest high-end competing models. What does make the Galaxy Nexus stand out is the literally zero shutter lag that makes it easy to snap a virtually unlimited number of photos in rapid succession. One qualm I've always had with my iPhone (3G S) camera is the fact that there's always that short, four or five-second delay between the time that I push the camera icon and the camera actually loads up and is ready to take the first picture. Then, once I do snap a photo, there's a few seconds lag before the photo is actually snapped; critical time when you're snapping shots at a concert, for example, or trying to snag some other live event. With the Galaxy Nexus, the camera boots up in a second, and you can take tons of shots without missing a beat.

The camera in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus boasts virtually no lag time, allowing you to snap photos in rapid succession to grab fast-moving subjects. In this example, I was able to capture 18 photos of my colleague Adam Grant waving hello in less than 5 seconds. Here are just three of the images.

There's also a panorama shot option built into the phone, though snagging good shots will require some practice.

Among the upgrades in Android 4.0 include optimization for use on both tablets and smartphones, software buttons in place of hard keys, an improved on-screen keyboard, more interactive notifications, a more refined tab manager within the browser, and resizable widgets.

Sadly unlike other Samsung phones, the Galaxy Nexus does not have the clever Swype typing option, which lets you run your finger across the virtual keyboard to intelligently compose words.

A built-in panorama shot mode allows for taking scenic panorama photos from the smartphone's built-in 5MP camera; though getting these right will take a bit of practice. Here's an attempt at the Marketnews office kitchen.

Another neat option is a pre-loaded data usage app that allows a user to track now only how much data he's using, but see what applications account for how much data. You can even set the phone to shut off data once you reach a certain amount, to ensure you don't go over your monthly allotment, or perhaps to stay within certain limits when roaming. The time frame can also be set to coincide with your monthly billing cycle. Not only if this feature useful for staying within limits, but it's also a good way to determine how much data certain applications gobble up; or even for parents to monitor what their kids are doing on their devices. For example, on my loaner device, I can see that 23.05 MB was used for tethering and portable hotspot; 17.25 MB in the Android Market; and 2.83 MB on Facebook.

While the phone has micro USB and HDMI connections, unfortunately there's no expandable memory capability: the phone can only hold 16 GB worth of data. For most, however, especially those used to the Apple ecosystem, this will be more than enough. Still, it would be nice if Samsung released a 32 GB option as well for those data-hungry folks. But consider also, however, that with the emergence of the "cloud," and the ability to do things like stream music online over the ultra-fast 4G connection, store books in third-party stores like Kobo, and access photos through apps or online galleries, the need to actually store content on the device itself is becoming lesser and lesser.

As a faithful iPhone supporter, the device that has come closest to convincing me to switch is this one. The Android platform is sleek and heavily supported. This smartphone itself is thin and lightweight, with an easy-to-operate user interface, and quick operation and response times. And available apps, in many categories, rival iPhone. The price is also right: at just $160 on a three-year contract, that's $100 less than what my current carrier would charge me to upgrade to an iPhone 4 S (hmph, and I'm even off contract!)

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus definitely holds its own, and is a viable competitor in the Apple-led smartphone market. If Samsung continues to produce devices like this, the company will be going nowhere but up in the smartphone race.

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