Initial thoughts on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus

Much has been written about Google's latest showcase device already. Most of those reviews are far more thorough and professional than anything I could hope to write. But when has that ever stopped someone from sharing their thoughts on the internet? So in that grand tradition, I present my completely biased opinion of the coolest bit of tech I've ever had the pleasure of owning.

Yes, I'm a total Google fanboy.

The first thing I noticed about the phone was how much nicer things look in Ice Cream Sandwich. I never had complaints with Android's design, but this version is a vast improvement. The new Roboto font is striking, and even the icons and widgets somehow look cleaner. Of course, the high-resolution screen could also have something to do with that. I can't wait to throw an HD video at this thing.

Something I thought was cool in the previews, but didn't fully appreciate until now is the new folder system. To create a collection of apps on your home screen, you simply drop one icon on top of another. You then end up with a stack of icons representing your new folder. Clicking the stack opens a dynamically-sized window showing those items in a grid. I keep a lot of shortcuts on my home screens, but I'm only using three (of five) thanks to folders.

The phone is super-responsive. Sliding from screen to screen is instantaneous, as are menus. Great Little War Game, which used to take a good six or seven seconds just to open on my EVO, is now ready to go in two. Hooray for dual cores!

Notifications, always one of Android's strong suits, are even better in the new version. If you've assigned a picture to a contact, that image will appear as part of the notification when you receive an email. A fun bit of trivia is that all but one of the stock ring tones is named after a star, constellation, or galaxy (get it?).

The new soft buttons are great, but they make interface inconsistencies even more obvious, and sometimes frustrating. Many apps put a menu button in a toolbar at the top:

Others put the toolbar on the bottom:

Still others rely on a soft menu button:

And then you have those that have a soft button, but pressing it doesn't do anything:

The built-in screenshot function, by the way, is very nice. I'm making good use of it.

Face Unlock is pretty cool. Sometimes it's instantaneous (or near enough), and sometimes it takes a couple of seconds. Other times it doesn't work, and you have to slide to unlock. The system won't recognize me when I wear a knit cap, or in especially low light. No biggie.

Finally (for now), the cameras. I haven't really used either of them yet, except to play with the instant shutter. And yes, it is fast. Snapping multiple photos in a row is now incredibly easy. I look forward to taking this phone to Brewers games! Of course, there's a price to pay for quick shots, and that is focus. It's going to require some experimentation to see how quickly I can grab pictures without making them blurry.

I'm extremely pleased with this phone after 24 hours, I also can't deny that the honeymoon period is in full effect. I will continue to post my thoughts here and on Google+ as I get more experience with it. If there's anything in particular you'd like to know, about the phone or the new OS, I'll be happy to share.