Huh? Galaxy Nexus still listed in Best Buy ads as 'Nexus Prime'
All the confusion over the release of the first Ice Cream Sandwich Android phone does make one thing clear--it's coming very soon.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
It looks like the new Google phone from Samsung running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich might be showing up very soon, but it seems to be suffering from an identity crisis.
This morning the Best Buy subsite on ShopLocal--the arm of the Gannett company responsible for all those newspaper advertising circulars--listed the "Verizon Wireless Samsung Nexus Prime 4G LTE" for $299.99.
There are a few interesting things in the ad: One--the phone, which is clearly what we've been referring to as the Galaxy Nexus for several weeks now, is dubbed the Nexus Prime, which was the rumored name of the first Ice Cream Sandwich phone before Google and Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Nexus. Two--a note in the ad reads "Prices effective Sunday, Nov. 27th - Saturday, Dec. 31st."
This could be a continuation of an earlier goof by Best Buy. Last week, an ad on the back cover of a Best Buy catalog also prominently displayed the "Samsung Nexus Prime." Then yesterday, AndroidCentral began circulating a photo of an apparent correction from Best Buy stating that the correct name is in fact the "Galaxy Nexus by Samsung" and that its status is still "coming soon."
But there's some weirdness with that purported correction, too. It looks like a simple printout that anyone could have done on Word, and Best Buy doesn't seem to have made any attempt to distribute it itself. Searches for "Galaxy Nexus," "Nexus Prime," and the SKU number listed in the ads and correction all return no results on Best Buy's Web site this morning.
While all this doesn't help us know with complete certainty when an Ice Cream Sandwich phone will hit stores--or what it will be called--it does make one thing clear: it's coming very soon. The most recent reports say preorders could begin as soon as tomorrow, with the phone actually hitting shelves on December 8. It also looks as though it will cost $199 with a two-year contract.