Still waiting for your Galaxy Nexus? Now you can grab the User Manual to satisfy your curiosity! At just 108 pages, it’s sure to make nice bed time reading 
Download the Galaxy Nexus User Manual
[Via Droid-Life]
Galaxy Nexus User Manual
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Tag Archives: Specifications
No Gorilla Glass for the Galaxy Nexus
One of the biggest features of the Galaxy Nexus is the huge 6.5″, 720 x 1280 HD screen. Like seriously, that’s the kind of resolution you’d be looking for in a widescreen TV – and it looks that much more brilliant to have all those pixels packed into a much smaller area.
But the quality of the screen doesn’t matter if it’s liable to break, or scratch, at the slightest impact (iPhone, anyone?). Many of the top-end Android phones have been using Gorilla Glass – a toughened variety of glass manufactured by Corning – which is extremely difficult to scratch. Samsung uses Gorilla Glass for their popular Galaxy S handsets, so many people expected the Galaxy Nexus to feature the same materials.
Sadly though, that’s not going to be the case. Corning recently tweeted that the Galaxy Nexus would not be using Gorilla Glass. Samsung has confirmed this news, and stated that the Nexus would use another type of fortified glass.
We don’t know what sort of glass this will be, or how it compares to Corning’s product. But Gorilla Glass has become the gold standard in durable smartphones, so it will be hard to convince people that another solution is just as effective. For now, if you’re looking at buying a Galaxy Nexus, it might be worth considering a case or screen protector, just for the added peace of mind.
[Via Android and Me]
Why does the Galaxy Nexus include a Barometer?
Well that’s a little surprising. Just when it seemed like the Samsung Galaxy S II packed every available sensor into a mobile package, the Nexus has outdone everyone again. According to the official specs, the Galaxy Nexus packs a barometer, along with the standard GPS, WiFi, Compass & Accelerometer sensors.
So what’s a barometer useful for? The common household usage is to forecast the weather. Variations in atmospheric pressure can predict short-term trends in the weather, and indicate an approaching storm. But Android already has plenty of ways to access the weather forecast, from online services. This doesn’t seem a sufficient justification to install a completely new sensor in the device.
But there’s another reason, which isn’t so obvious. GPS receivers sometimes integrate a barometer, in order to get more accurate altitude readings. The error margin for the Z-axis with GPS is quite high, but combined with atmospheric pressure readings from a barometer, the accuracy can be increased dramatically. With the inclusion of an accelerometer, barometer, compass and GPS sensors, the Galaxy Nexus suddenly has an incredibly accurate way to pinpoint your exact position, velocity and orientation.
It’ll be really interesting to see what tools developers can write to take advantage of this new technology. I can see potential benefits for mountain climbers, or cross-country trekkers, who want to log their whole trip. But there’s also potential ramifications in the research field. Wouldn’t the Galaxy Nexus make a great candidate for sub-space weather research?