Samsung Galaxy Nexus and ICS announcement: Live Coverage!

Welcome to our Live Coverage post, dedicated to the official unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and Ice Cream Sandwich - the latest version of the Android operating system by Google. As you might guess, we'll be treating you with up-to-the-minute updates during the course of the event, so that you can be in the know of all that is happening right now over in Hong Kong, where the announcement takes place.

We’ll be starting our liveblog around 7:00pm pacific time | 10:00pm eastern time. We expect it to finally bring Google’s answer to iOS 5 - Ice Cream Sandwich, a statue of which has already been erected at Google’s HQ. Samsung is expected to back it up with the Nexus Prime, a 4.6” technological behemoth with a curved glass display, dual-core processor, LTE and everything else you can imagine save for a built-in coffee machine.

Live event tracker

21:59	Ray from PhoneArena thanks you as well... :) Well, that's all, folks, thanks for being with us once again!
21:58	Kim Titus is back on stage. He thanks everyone for being there today.
21:58	The ICS SDK is available right now, by the way. You hear that, developers?
21:57	If developers pick up that technology, they will be able to use it for lots of different stuff like initiating multiplayer games.
21:56	Android Beam is a new NFC feature that can be used to transmit web pages, maps, YouTube videos, and more.
21:54	You can answer a phone call using a Quick response, it sends a pre-defined text message to your caller.
21:53	There are new APIs for visual voicemail integration with the call log.
21:50	The People app has been totally redesigned.
21:50
21:49	"We've put people at the heart of Ice Cream Sandwich."
21:49	Continuous focus, zoom while recording, time lapse and video snapshots will all be available with the Nexus's 1080p video recording.
21:47	Panorama shots are coming standard with Ice Cream Sandwich, they are now doing a demo of how you do that.
21:46
21:45	Now here's something more interesting - built-in photo editing capabilities!
21:45	Face detection is built in the camera app, and so are digital zoom and touch to focus... nothing new here.
21:43	There's a new data usage tool, which will be able to make predictions of how much data you'll be using, based on your usage history.
21:41	The calendar app is taking advantage of pinch-to-zoom, allowing you to see more details within the bounds of a single view.
21:40	Users will now be able to do offline searches in their Gmail inbox.
21:38	You can select multiple messages and manipulate them.
21:38	Gmail has also been redesigned - you get a preview without having to open a message.
21:37	Save for offline reading is also available.
21:37	They've built in the option to call the desktop-version of a site! No more scrolling to the bottom of the page...
21:36	They are now looking at the internet browser. Tabs will use the same interface as the multitasking functionality.
21:35	It uses facial recognition to unlock the phone... Matias just failed to unlock his phone using Face Unlock!
21:34	With ICS, they are implementing a new unlock method - Face Unlock.
21:32
21:32	They've been giving the QWERTY keyboard "a lot of love"...
21:30	Power + volume down will now take a screenshot, no matter where you are in the interface.
21:30	Matias is now paying attention to the new multitasking interface - the one we know from Honeycomb.
21:29	Homescreen folders will work similarly to iOS.
21:28	Widgets will now be resizable with ICS, so you'll be able to customize your environment even further.
21:28
21:27	Multiple homescreens and widgets are here to stay it seems. Surprised?
21:26	Galaxy Nexus will have no buttons on the front, it will have virtual ones.
21:25	There goes the new lock screen.
21:24	They've been looking at the latest trends in graphics design for inspiration.
21:24	Roboto will be the name of the new UI style for ICS.
21:23	"Android is enchanting!" - It sure is, Matias.
21:22
21:21	Matias Duarte is now on stage!
21:21	So much for the Galaxy Nexus, now they are shifting the focus to Ice Cream Sandwich!
21:20	Samsung Galaxy Nexus will launch in November across the US, EU and Asia.
21:20	He's now talking about the 5MP camera with zero-shutter lag and 1080p video recording.
21:19	The back will have something called Hyper Skin - some kind of texture making the phone feel good in the hand.
21:18	The bezel around the display will be just 4.29mm.
21:17	The idea of the curved design is to be ergonomic - being very sleek and comfortable to use.
21:17	He'll now go through the design of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
21:16	They have come to conclude that a real estate of 4.65" will actually work pretty good with ICS.
21:14
21:14	The Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Nexus will have an HD resolution.
21:14	So that's the combination they were hinting about - great hardware and new OS in ICS.
21:13	He talks about all the good stuff that comes with LTE, which will be supported by the Galaxy Nexus, of course.
21:12	He outlines four key areas: speed, screen, design and OS.
21:11	"Samsung is now number 1 manufacturer of Android-based smartphones."
21:11	The Galaxy Nexus will now be introduced by Kevin Packingham, senior VP for product innovation.
21:10
21:09	They are rolling a video about the Galaxy Nexus now.
21:07
21:07	Now it's time for Mr. Andy Rubin to show up on stage... it's the father of Android!
21:06	Super AMOLED, dual-core processor, and LTE will all make it into the new phone, as well HSPA+, for some markets...
21:05	"Today Samsung and Google unveil the first Ice Cream Sandwich phone!"
21:05
21:04	Talks about the success of Android, and the partnership between Samsung and Google.
21:04	J.K. Shin, Samsung president is now taking the stage!
21:03
21:03	Kim Titus from Samsung comes on stage.
21:01
20:58	Hey, it's Ray S. here, getting ready to liveblog the Google | Samsung event tonight. So, who's wanting that 4.6" ICS behemoth?