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Samsung Galaxy NexusIt's rare that a phone reaches the level of excitement generated by a new iPhone, but the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus came close. That's thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich, the tastily-named new version of Google's Android software for mobile phones. It's the most dramatic overhaul to the Android experience yet, and the Galaxy Nexus is the first to show it off.Google makes the software, which controls how you interact with the phone, while Samsung makes the physical phone itself. Let's take a look at the hardware first.Hard to beat hardwareThe first thing you notice about the Nexus is the enormous 4.65-inch screen, taking up most of the face of the phone and surrounded by only the thinnest of borders. The phone itself is seductively svelte, and the whole thing is pleasingly light. The curved back is textured to mimic the refined feeling of devices like the BlackBerry Bold 9900, but unfortunately the flimsy plastic back cover isn't fooling anyone.Wake the phone and you can instantly see how crisp the screen is. The resolution is an eye-scorching 720x1280-pixels, which is comparable to the sharpness of a high definition television.The Nexus has some impressive numbers under the bonnet, too: a formidable 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM ensures that Web browsing, game playing and switching between apps is lightning fast.All the way AndroidThe physical phone is built by Samsung, but everything that happens on the screen and behind the scenes is Android software, designed by Google. Samsung and other phone-makers often add their own bits and bobs to the Android experience - with decidedly mixed results - but the Galaxy Nexus is pure 'droid.That gives it massive geek appeal, but if you're not a phone nerd all you need to know is that the Nexus offers the most advanced and streamlined version of Android yet.Android lets you download apps to your phone to perform useful tasks, from accessing Facebook in a form that fits a phone's smaller screen to altering the look of the onscreen keyboard, or just playing a game.The best thing about Android is that you can completely customise your phone with apps and widgets so it looks and works exactly the way you want it. It's based around home screens, which you fill with shortcuts to the things you use.A widget is a large icon that updates automatically with the latest information right there on the home screen, without having to open the app. They can show just about anything, from the news headlines to the latest Twitter and Facebook updates from your friends -- and they can look really cool doing it, like the weather widget that shows animated clouds or rain alongside the temperature.The shortcuts waiting for you when you first turn on the phone are the Dialer, Contacts, Texts, Internet and All Programs. All Programs shows all your apps and widgets, with nifty previews. Choose which apps and widgets you want on your home screens and where you want them, just by pressing the app or widget you want and dragging it with your fingertip to your chosen home screen.The Nexus has three permanent buttons: Home, Back, and a Multitasking button that shows you all the apps currently running. New to Android, the Multitasking button is a very useful addition, showing up to 16 apps and letting you switch instantly to the one you want - a bit like pressing Alt and Tab on a computer.This version of Android ditches the fourth button seen on previous phones, which called up the options of a features menu in whatever app you were using. Without it, finding an app's options and settings can require some searching.The downside of this unadorned Android experience is that it doesn't hold your hand when you're setting the phone up. Unlike the iPhone, say, which is designed to be ready to go with the minimum of tinkering, you won't get the most from the Galaxy Nexus unless you're prepared to roll your sleeves up and play about with the settings.The Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich have also suffered a few teething problems, so it's worth keeping an eye for updates that fix problems like the volume buttons behaving weirdly.We have contactsThe Nexus recognises that there are many different ways to contact people. So instead of storing email addresses in the email app, phone numbers in the phone book and Twitter names in the Twitter app, it pulls all these together into contact cards called 'People Chips'. They even include a person's contact details for apps like Facebook and Skype or free instant messenger WhatsApp. And so you can find the right friend quickly, each People Chip has a photo of your friend's face, either a portrait you've taken with your camera phone or their profile picture from Facebook.Text messages are laid out in order, showing both sides of the conversation. By tapping on your friend's name at the top of the conversation, you can quickly call them.Gmail, email, and surfing the WebGoogle makes Androi