When Google peered across Silicon Valley and saw what Apple was doing with the iPhone, their first reaction was to do what they do best – create a free alternative to the software. Of course, the trick that Apple is able to pull off better than anyone else is making excellent hardware that is purpose built to run their software. Google, not being hardware manufacturers, knew at once that their mobile operating system was going to be plastered on every cheap piece of plastic hoping to be the next íPhone killer’. Google was going to have to work closely with a top-flight manufacturer to develop a phone that was worthy of Android.

Google’s first stop was HTC, a Taiwanese powerhouse with a reputation for surprisingly agile and well built handsets. The Google Nexus One aimed to offer a ‘pure Android experience’, stripped of manufacturer and carrier add-ons and restrictions. It was optimized to carry the latest version of Android (at the time, Android 2.1 Éclair) and to run Google’s native apps as smoothly as possible. Though a critical success, the Nexus One was crippled by an online-only ordering scheme. Google moved on to Samsung for it’s next collaboration, the Nexus S, which was an improvement over HTC’s effort, but looked underpowered next to Samsung’s flagship unit, the Galaxy S II, which offered the beastliest specs on the market.
The Galaxy Nexus is an attempt to redress that imbalance – Samsung’s bestest technological bits and pieces, mixed with the Nexus ethos of pure Android. It’s a handsome unit, with Samsung’s superior AMOLED display and a high-end ‘Hyper Skin’ on the back to make it non-slip and fingerprint resistant.

Most of the Galaxy Nexus’ specs are equivalent to the S II, suggesting that the two lines will eventually merge. The S II is bigger and has a better camera, but the Nexus runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which may be a little too whiz-bang for some. Widgets have been shoved into their own section, partly solving an issue many users had with Honeycomb. But the most pressing issue many have with Android is the disconnect between the cuddly release names and the cold, futurtastic feel of the operating system. Those who have read the Steve Jobs autobiography will work out that the square-edged feel of the icons is down to Apple’s fierce guarding of the rounded-corner motif, which they hold a patent on. That might seem crazy bananas, but a few hours playing with Ice Cream Sandwich will make it abundantly clear the extent to which design matters.

The Galaxy Nexus makes a good effort of combining Samsung’s spec-heavy superphones and Google’s attempt to integrate hardware with software. More importantly, it paves the way for more improvements down the line.