Verizon Galaxy Nexus: New Clues for Dec.15 Release Date

There's still nothing official spinning in the Galaxy Nexus rumor Mill, but Verizon has launched a simulator on their Website that takes an in-depth look at the phone's features, which suggests the carrier is gearing up for an official release.

While Verizon is only offering their customers a tentative coming soon timeline, a second- party Verizon retailer, who claim to have spoken to the company, have revealed that the phone will be released on Dec.15, according to Android Community.

We stress that this is not a solid, confirmed date - its information acquired second-hand from someone who'd like to sell the Galaxy Nexus just as much as you'd like to buy it. But this new date jives the reports from other sites and we've now heard it from multiple sources, Android Community warned their readers.

Engadget obtained an internal pricing document from Costco that also indicates the phone will be released on Dec.15 priced at $290. But as an authorized Verizon retailer, Costco may also have to delay the phone if they are instructed to do so by the carrier.

The Verizon Galaxy Nexus has already had four rumored release dates in the U.S and all have resulted in a no-show. The phone came out in Europe some three weeks ago and on Wednesday made its debut in Australia, but the hold up in the U.S continues.

Verizon hasn't revealed the reason for the delay, but one of the greatest speculations is that it has something to do with a dispute over the Google Wallet.

As far as the rumors go people believe Verizon wants to block the wallet feature because they see it as a competitor to a new joint venture with AT&T, T-Mobile and Isis that also supplies a digital payment service, similar to that of the Google wallet.

Verizon have denied such allegations. In a press release they said while Verizon does not block applications, Google Waller is a unique exception because it requires a new, secure, proprietary hardware element found in the Nexus, in order to function.

This proprietary chip where the payment info is stored is separate from the main hardware and OS on the Nexus and reportedly has strict access control. Google, not Verizon, ultimately decides which apps can access this hardware element for transactions. Verizon would obviously prefer the payment vehicle to reside on an alternative NFC hardware element that they control and grant (or restrict) access to apps like Google Wallet and not the other way around, Verizon said in a press release.

Amidst the Galaxy Nexus rumor chaos, some lucky Best Buy customers managed to get their hands on the phone. Last week. It appears some stores didn't get the memo and the phone was readily on display for customers to buy and flaunt all over the Web.

Photos sent in by customers can be found on Droid Life. The screen shots indicate that the phone comes with three different pre-loaded Verizon apps including: My Verizon Mobile account management tool, Verizon Login, and VZ Backup Assistant.

For those who can't wait any longer for the phone, it might be an idea to take a trip to Canada. The HSPA+ version of the phone is available on Mobile Canada and Bell Canada, but an unlocked version on sale for $649.99 can be used with any sim-card, including AT&T, T-Mobile.

The phone comes with AMOLED 4.65 inch screen with 720p resolution. Its 8.94mm thinness gives the phone a sleek finish and weighs only 135g. Despite being so slender and light, the phone comes with 16.30 GB or 32GB of storage and 1GB of RAM, giving it twice the memory of the iPhone 4S.

Other features:

5-megapixel camera: LED flash

Front-facing camera: 1.3MP unit

Video: 1080p

Connectivity: Bluetooth 3.0, WLAN, 3G.

Wi-Fi-802.11n

HSDPA speed: 21 Mbps