Nexus S 4G rolled out by Sprint

Sprint will soon begin selling its own version of the Samsung-built, Google-powered Nexus S – the first Nexus S to include a CDMA antenna, and the first Nexus S to include 4G capability. Other than that, the Spring Nexus S 4G is very similar to the Nexus S rolled out by Google and T-Mobile late last year. Witness the 4-inch Super AMOLED display, the 1GHz Hummingbird processor, the pair of cameras, an NFC reader, and the 16GB of internal memory.

There are some changes, of course. Among them: Google Voice integration and that little old 4G connectivity thing, which – assuming you live in an area with 4G service – could mean a big bump in download and browsing speed. "Adding 4G capabilities takes this iconic device to the next level,” Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile, said in a statement. Which is pretty much true.

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The Nexus S 4G runs Android Gingerbread OS; Sprint says the device will cost $200 with a two-year contract. Release date? "Sometime soon." Of course, the Nexus S news comes in the shadow of major telecom deal announced this morning. (More on that here.)

"Now that AT&T is purchasing T-Mobile for $39 billion in cash and stock," writes GigaOM's Kevin C. Tofel, "Sprint is on the outside looking in as a distant third carrier. And Google may be losing a key Android partner in T-Mobile; a carrier that has arguably supported Google’s Android strategy more than any other." Tofel goes on to speculate that Google might be interested in purchasing T-Mobile – a speculation worth reading in full.

In the meantime, check out our Nexus S review roundup. And if you haven't done so already, sign up for the free Innovation newsletter, which is emailed out every Wednesday morning.