Hands-on with Google’s Nexus S

Also new to the device – new to any device, in fact – is Near Field Communication technology, a new technology that has the potential to replace credit cards by putting the payment technology in your phone.

While we’ve yet to see NFC surface in any cash register in Australia, give it a few years and you could be pointing your phone at the cashier to pay for a hi-fi system.

Most of the changes outside of Gingerbread and Near Field Communications technology are pretty minor with an oil and fingerprint resistant coating over the screen, textured rear plastic so the phone doesn’t slip out of your hands, 16GB of storage, and a headphone port on the bottom of the handset. The lack of a microSD slot is a surprise, going against the trend of including expandable memory on an Android phone.

Unlike any other phone, the screen isn’t actually flat.
Despite all of this, the Nexus S isn’t for everyone, lacking much of the custom interface options and social networking integration other Android devices have. First time users will probably miss the ease of use devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Desire HD bring to the table.

That said, it’s still an impressive device, setting the benchmark for Android phones, at least until the new batch of high-end Samsung, LG, and Sony devices roll in.

The Nexus S is available exclusively through Vodafone starting March 9 for current customers and March 16 for new customers.