Samsung Galaxy Nexus pre-orders start tomorrow, Nov. 29: report [Update: Nope]

Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the first handset to come loaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, will be available for pre-order starting tomorrow, November 29, according to a Verizon customer service representative.

Update: Well, November 29 is here, and the Galaxy Nexus LTE is nowhere to be seen. The day is far from over, of course, but it’s now highly unlikely that Verizon will announce the device today. Sorry folks. We’ll keep you updated if we hear anything more.

Original text:

Google’s newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, will be available for pre-order from Verizon Wireless starting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29, reports Richi Jennings at Computerworld. The device will reportedly be released on December 8.

The pre-order and shipment dates come straight from a Verizon customer service representative, who told a disgruntled customer upset about the way Verizon has “handled the launch of the Galaxy Nexus” that “preorders are set to start Tuesday [November 29]. And the phone will be released December 8th.”

Short of a press release, you don’t a more solid confirmation than that.

The Galaxy Nexus, which will reportedly cost $199 with a new contract, is the first handset to ship with Google’s new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) operating system. In addition to ICS, the Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen with 1280×720 resolution that nearly equals the Retina display of the iPhone 4/4S in terms of pixel density (316ppi vs the iPhone’s 326ppi). Powering the device is a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4 processor with 1GB of RAM.

Verizon’s version of the Galaxy Nexus can connect to a LTE signal, giving it access to the fastest network available in the US. Other models support a HSPA+ connection, which is still faster than standard 3G, but nothing close to Verizon’s 4G LTE speeds.

Other features include a 5-megapixel rear camera (the biggest downside to this otherwise critically-acclaimed device) and a 1.3-MP front-facing camera, facial recognition screen unlock (which has its downsides, too), dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC mobile wallet capabilities.