Flying a human into space is a really expensive task. But today’s technological advancements are creating robots that are getting smaller, cheaper and more capable, and the machines of course won’t be asking for air, water or food. That’s why NASA has been developing helper robots that can support and enhance the capabilities of humans for space missions.

They are currently testing robots called SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) which actually have been around since 2006. The robots, having the size of that of a bowling ball, utilize CO2 thrusters to fly around the International Space Station.

And no, it’s not just you. They look similar to the droid from Star Wars. MIT professor David Miller was inspired by the scene from the movie in which Luke Skywalker is trained by a droid.

In the early stages, scientists from NASA were doing experiments to ensure that the SPHERES were capable of getting around objects and flying in formation. Now, they are trying to expand the capabilities of the robots. For that purpose, they attach an Android-powered Samsung Nexus S onto the robot.

Once attached, the handset becomes the brain of the robot and will tell it where to go. The enhanced robot will conduct surveys and inspections of the space station’s interior with the built-in camera to capture photos and video, thereby giving the crew a lot more time to do other tasks such as editing their landing speech. And in the future, the robots can be utilized for tasks outside the station and other duties as well.

According to a NASA research engineer, they chose the Nexus S, as it is easy to take apart and because they are familiar with the Android platform which will help while making customizations. They have used AA alkaline batteries instead of lithium-ion on the device and it has no GSM antenna; so that it does not interfere with the electronics at the station.

Check out the videos to know a lot more.

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The update will roll out in waves, as is very common, with GSM devices being the first in line. The entire roll-out should hopefully finish in under a month.

Google has also published a Tips for Android 2.3 Users page for tips surrounding both the upgrade process and detailing certain changes between 2.3 and 4.0.

Additionally, there are certain apps from 2.3 that will need to be fully upgraded in order to work with Android 4.0.

For users who are looking for a manual update, the file for T-Moble’s Nexus S is live already. Keep in mind that with the manual upgrade you are downloading at your own risk.

While 2.3 is not a bad operating system by any means, the upgrade to ICS is certainly a welcome feature for current Nexus S users.

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On the flip side of that Google has also confirmed that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will not be ported over to the Google Nexus One, because the original Nexus smartphone is simply “too old” to get the upgrade. I guess that makes sense, even if the phone is not even two years old, but it could simply be a play to avoid offering a broken or painfully slow user experience on the Nexus One.

In any case, the ICS update for the Nexus S should start rolling out before Santa makes his rounds, but it will definitely take place after the Galaxy Nexus makes it official debut next month. Google says that the ICS operating system “is thought through with the needs of the next three years in mind.” Maybe that should motivate Nexus One owners to upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus?

The post No Ice Cream Sandwich For Nexus One, But Nexus S Getting ICS Soon appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The whole NFC payment thing might finally start getting some traction around these parts, because it looks like Google Wallet is officially launching today. It was originally announced a few months ago, but I guess the boys and girls in Mountain View, California were still ironing out the kinks.

In case you missed it, Google Wallet effectively stores your credit cards and other methods of payment onto your smartphone in the form of an Android app. When it comes time to pay for something, you simply tap your phone rather than fumbling through to find the right piece of plastic. It’s supposed to be simple and seamless.

However, this launch may already be marred by a bit of a slow start. For starters, the Google Wallet app apparently looks like it will only be compatible with the Nexus S 4G from Sprint, but it should work with other Nexus S phones too I would think. The other hiccup, according to the internal document shown here, is that only PayPass enabled Citi MasterCards can be loaded onto Google Wallet at this time. That’s a curiosity, because why can’t other PayPass MasterCards work?

If it’s only replacing one card at this time, Google Wallet isn’t going to do much good for George Costanza…

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The official successor to the Nexus S is coming with all sorts of rumored specs and features, perhaps the most notable of which is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. After all, it is through the Nexus family of phones that we’ve seen most of the major upgrades to Android, aside from the tablet stuff with Honeycomb. Naturally, the rest of the specs are pretty darn impressive too.

One of my gripes about the Nexus S was a lack of a dual core processor. That’s not a problem with the Nexus Prime, as it’s said to rock a 1.5GHz dual core courtesy of Texas Instruments (OMAP4460). That gets backed up by a hefty 1GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity, “Super AMOLED HD” display with 720p, and a PowerVR SGX540 graphics accelerator. OMAP4 chips are said to support up to 1080p HD recording and playback, in addition to up to 20MP stills. On a bloody phone.

That said, if Samsung is indeed the manufacturer, they could stick with their in-house dual-core Exynos chip instead, the same processor used in the Galaxy S2. You’ll also notice the lack of physical buttons, as those are integrated into the mobile OS instead.

All of these features sound awfully sweet, but there’s going to be at least one spec that’ll likely have you weeping: battery life. With Super AMOLED HD and a 1.5GHz dual core, I’d imagine you’ll be reaching for a wall outlet every 20 minutes. In any case, the current rumor mill points toward a Thanksgiving 2011 launch for the Nexus Prime, if that is indeed its name. Roll out.

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The original Google Nexus One was a statement phone. It was meant to be the Google Phone, getting first dibs on any Android updates and providing users with a pure “vanilla” experience. No carrier branding, no custom skins. The Nexus S is the second generation of that idea and now it’s available for a few more people. That’s because they’ve got the tri-band HSPA (850/1900/2100) version in the wild.

Highlights of Features

As a quick rundown of the features and specifications, you’ll find that this take on the Google Phone is pretty much identical to the AWS model that was being sold through T-Mobile and Best Buy USA. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

In addition to the whole (vanilla) Android 2.3 Gingerbread experience, you also get that beautiful 4.0-inch (480 x 800 pixels) Super AMOLED display. Just like the AWS version, this screen has a slight curve to it that’s meant to fit the contour of your face. There’s a 5MP camera on the back, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 16GB internal memory. Unfortunately, there is no microSD expansion slot, so like your iPhone brethren, you’re stuck with the internal memory.

Power comes by way of a 1GHz Hummingbird (ARM Cortex-A8) processor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, and 512MB of RAM.

Network Compatibility

One of the biggest reasons why I was interested in this particular phone was the switching of the bands. The original Nexus S would only give you 3G access to AWS-based operators. In the United States, that’d be T-Mobile. In Canada, you’ve got Mobilicity and Wind Mobile.

However, the “big three” in Canada don’t use those bands, nor does AT&T. That’s where this version comes into play. The tri-band HSPA includes the important 850MHz and 1900MHz bands, opening up this “pure Google experience” to a much larger audience. In fact, it was launched almost simultaneously by not only Rogers, Bell, and Telus, but also underlings like Fido and Koodo. That’s a big deal.

General Design and Interface

Some of the early complaints about this phone was its “plastic” feel, especially when compared to the more robust design of the Nexus One. Yes, it’s true that the Nexus S has an all plastic body with a very slippery back, but I don’t mind it. If you didn’t mind the overall design of the iPhone 3G/3GS, then you won’t mind it either.

I appreciate the thin profile but, like other Samsung Android phones, the power button is on the right side rather than on top. That’s a personal preference thing, I suppose, but this design doesn’t really allow for a top-mounted power button. On the left side is the volume rocker, but there is no dedicated camera button on the right side. That’s an important omission.

The Gingerbread interface is pretty great, as you’d expect, with multiple homescreens that can be populated with your choice of widgets and so forth. I like the 3D scrolling list of apps, but it would have helped if it was easier to organize them in some way. I guess that’s where the multiple home screens can come into the picture.

Screen Quality

I’m a big fan of Super AMOLED. The colors are positively brilliant and cannot be captured in a simple picture. You really have to see it in real life. The blacks are remarkably dark and everything just pops off the screen. There is no better Angry Birds experience.

That said, it’s not perfect. The viewing angles, especially under certain light or while running certain apps, can be a little odd. You can still see what you need to see, but the colors start to “shift” in strange ways. Naturally, glare on a shiny screen like this can make for a difficult daylight experience at times too.

Camera Image Quality

Camera phones are getting better and better, and the Google Nexus S is no exception.

No, it’s not nearly as good as what you’d get with a “real” camera, but the Nexus S will hold its own against other similarly equipped smartphones. The built-in flash is reasonably bright and picture quality is decent for what it is. The camera app isn’t nearly as robust as I’d like it to be, though, but that’s more of an Android thing than something specific to this phone.

I have a couple other sample photos in my Flickr photostream, so you can check those out too.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for an unlocked Android phone that is guaranteed to get first dibs on any Google updates, this is it. Samsung has typically been pretty bad with keeping up with Android versions, but this is a Nexus phone. The factory unlocked nature, regardless of which carrier you choose is a nice bonus too.

Some people may not be able to get past the plastic feel of the phone or the lack of a microSD slot. That’s understandable. You might also rather get a dual core smartphone since this single core 1GHz Hummingbird is already behind on the times. That’s understandable too. And let’s not forget that Rogers just launched its LTE network to boot, leaving you with “just” HSPA for your wireless data.

These are all valid concerns and all valid reasons why you may not want the Nexus S. For my part, I think it’s a great phone. The lack of HDMI-out and the lack of expandable memory are unfortunate, but the Hummingbird processor is speedy enough and the pure Google experience is stellar.

The post REVIEW: Google Nexus S Smartphone (850/1900 Version) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Google Nexus S has a near field communications (NFC) chip in it, so you know that Google is interested in pursuing this technology for a variety of purposes. The most obvious application is mobile payments and it looks like the search engine has just made its next big move on this front, buddying up with MasterCard and Citigroup to make it happen.

The concept of using NFC for mobile payment isn’t novel, by any stretch, but it’s just on the cusp of hitting the mainstream in North America. This partnership could really be the tipping point, rendering the “barcode” style Starbucks app obsolete. Just tap the phone, pay for your latte, and be on your merry mobile way.

The interesting thing is that Google isn’t at all interested in taking a cut from the transaction revenue. Instead, it’s going back to its search business, selling (aggregate) customer information back to retailers. The stores can then offer targeted ads and discounts to their customers.

Considering all the security things with chip-and-pin technology, requiring signatures, and all that jazz, it’s almost ironic that they want to make it as easy as tapping a phone to pay for a new Xbox at a brick and mortar store. Now, if you lose your phone, you could be losing so much more. The thief can check your email, update your Facebook, and potentially load up on filet mignon at Morton’s Steakhouse!

[WSJ]

The post Google Partners with MasterCard, Citigroup to Develop NFC Payment Scheme appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The official Google phone is now rocking some 4G connectivity… depending on your exact definition of what it means to have 4G. The Google Nexus S has been available since December of last year, but the American version only played friendly with T-Mobile’s bands. That’s changed, since Sprint has picked up its own version in the form of the Samsung Nexus S 4G.

Just like its T-Mobile compatible counterpart, the Sprint version has pretty much the same feature set. You still get Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box in a vanilla form; no TouchWiz or carrier-specific skinning here. You also get that four-inch Contour Display (Super AMOLED, none of that S-LCD stuff), as well as a 5MP rear camera, 1GHz processor, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, GPS, and NFC tech.

This is the fourth “4G” phone to launch through Sprint and the 20th 4G device overall in the carrier’s lineup. They’re going to have to bring in the heavy firepower now that T-Mobile and AT&T are combining into a Devastator-sized mega-provider. Then again, given the pending rise of dual core smartphones, is a 4G “vanilla Google” experience enough?

Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, the Nexus S 4G is set to hit Sprint this spring for $199.99 on a new two-year contract.

[Sprint]

The post Samsung Nexus S 4G Offers Pure Google Experience to Sprint appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The first incident of the problem was reported on Dec. 28, but it wasn’t until nearly two weeks later that Google admitted to the problem’s existence at all. After originally tilting blame in Samsung’s direction, they quickly started testing fixes.

“So we’ve successfully reproduced this issue and are in the process of investigating with Samsung,” wrote Google employee Ry Guy in a help forum. ”I’ll provide updates as soon as I have them.”

They still can’t seem to figure out what’s causing the problem; after testing one fix on Jan. 13 with no success, they’ve moved on to a second attempt as of last week.

Meanwhile, some Android-only blog sites have been showing signs of deep distaste over Google’s bugs and response times.

“With any new Google product you expect to be a public beta tester,” writes Taylor Wimberly of AndroidandMe.com, ”but using the Nexus S is so frustrating at times that it is almost not worth it.”

But it’s in the comment strings of articles such as this that you can really see how people are taking to the problem. Many are Nexus S users who have far stronger opinions than those who wrote the articles. Some are users of other Android phones who claim to have experienced the same problem.

Google’s not the only one who’s shied away from a faulty phone release lately. After the release of the iPhone 4, Apple delayed admitting the existence of the “iPhone death grip,” a problem that caused reception to drop quickly when users held the phone in a certain position using their left hand.

Google did most recently address the bug where wrong contacts were receiving SMS messages, the Android 2.3.2 update however did not include a fix for the reboot problem. Let’s hope it comes soon, because that Atrix 4G is getting closer to release. Google did not respond to our request regarding the release of this particular fix.

The post Nexus S random reboot bug taking its toll on Android fans appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Mobilicity CEO Dave Dobbin (remember when it was going to be called DAVE Wireless?) has officially confirmed that the Gingerbread-flavored Android phone will indeed be crossing the 49th parallel and joining the shelves at Mobilicity in March. This sounds easy enough, since the current Nexus S is already of the AWS variety that plays nice with Mobilicity’s network.

What about the folks rocking WCDMA 850/1900? Interestingly enough, Dave also mentioned that the Nexus S is also coming to Canada via Bell, Telus, and Rogers. This means that a more typical “NAM” version of the Nexus S is also in the works, but no precise timeline was provided for this variant. For Americans, this means that they may soon have Nexus S with AT&T too.

Curiously left out of the mix is the juggernaut among new Canadian entrants, Wind Mobile. It’s possible that this other AWS Canadian carrier is picking up the Nexus S too, but they’re also just as happy if you buy an unlocked model to go their way too. After all, they never officially carried the Nexus One either.

[Mobile Crunch via Howard Forums]

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