Verizon Wireless has reportedly passed on the chance to release its own version of Samsung"s Galaxy S II smartphone. Now there"s word from Boy Genius Report that Verizon may be getting a pretty major exclusive release from Samsung after all. The story, which cites unnamed sources, claims that Verizon will be selling the Samsung Droid Prime and that the launch date for the phone will be sometime in October. There"s no word at all of the smartphone"s hardware specs nor its price. So far neither Verizon nor Samsung have commented on this report.
The story does claim that the Droid Prime will reportedly be the first smartphone that will have the Android 4.0 operating system installed. This version of the OS, also known as "Ice Cream Sandwich", will be used both in future smartphones as well as Android-powered tablets. Currently Android has two versions; Android 2.2-2.3 for smartphones and a few tablets and Android 3.0 which is exclusively used by tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Meanwhile, as we reported this weekend, Samsung will still be launching its Galaxy S II smartphone here in the US this week, starting with a press event in New York City to be held on Tuesday. Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile are all expected to be selling their own versions of the Galaxy S II, some under different names. The smartphone has already been a big hit for Sansumg, selling a total of over 5 million units in other parts of the world.