Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics are finally unveiling days from now their "next big thing", i.e. the Samsung Nexus Prime and Google's newest platform that will unify Android tablets and smartphones.

In deference to the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Samsung didn't push through with an Oct. 11 launch of the Nexus Prime (also known as the Galaxy Nexus), first smartphone to run on Google's newest operating system dubbed as the Ice Cream Sandwich.

Google and Samsung have released today new invites, "Calling All First-to-knowers" for an event Oct. 19, at 10:00 a.m. in Wanchai, Hong Kong, indicating that Google's newest platform and Samsung's latest Phone 4S killer wannabe will finally be shown to the public. Live streaming of the event (which starts 10:00 p.m. EST Oct. 18 for those in the U.S.) will be available at youtube.com/android.

"While the event doesn't specifically mention the focus of the event will be 'Ice Cream Sandwich,' the next version of Google's mobile OS, the invite itself features the iconic Android character in the form of an ice cream sandwich. You do the math," Tech site Mashable said.

Unveiling for new OS and Nexus Prime

Samsung is poised to surpass Nokia as the year's top seller of mobile phones. But Apple's iPhone 4 is the year's best-seller among high-end phones. Samsung's most popular smartphone, the Galaxy S2 to date, still trailed iPhone 4 sales by a ratio of 1:5.

Already engaged in stiff competition, the two device makers are involved in expensive courtroom battles across three continents. Apple has sued Samsung on claims that the Galaxy devices are "slavishly" imitating the design and functionality of the iPad and iPhone. On Thursday, an Australian federal court judge granted Apple's bid to continue an injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Injunctions were earlier issued against the Galaxy S2 and/or the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the Netherlands and Germany. As sales have been hit by the ban, Samsung has said it will no longer allow Apple and others to have a "free ride" of its technology. Samsung early this month countered with a lawsuit seeking a ban on the sales of iPhone 4S in Italy and France on grounds that it violates Samsung's wireless patents. But courts have not issued rulings on Samsung's claims so far.

Another showdown looms between the two later this month as Samsung finally releases the Nexus Prime (release date expected Nov. 1) against Apple's newest smartphone, the iPhone 4S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled Oct. 4 the iPhone 4S, which has an upgraded processor, camera, software, and features as virtual assistant. While having improved specs and new features, fans have been expecting that an iPhone with an overhauled design, i.e., the iPhone 5, would be launched.

With fans disappointed about the absence of a newly designed iPhone, the hype surrounding the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and the Nexus' specs, Samsung hopes to provide stiffer competition to Apple this time.

Boy Genius Report, citing a trusted source, and GSMArena, citing a tipster inside Google, has said that the Galaxy Nexus will have these specs:

* OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

* thickness: 9mm (BGR)

* screen size: 4.65-inch 1280 x 720-pixel Super AMOLED HD with curved glass (BGR) /

* processor: TI OMAP 4460 dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.2GHz (BGR) / 1.5GHz dual-core Exynos processor PowerVR SGX543MP2 dual-core GPU from Imagination (GSMArena)

* RAM: 1GB (BGR)

* Storage: 32GB built-in (BGR)

* Camera: 1080p HD video capture support 5-megapixel camera on the back, 1.3-megapixel in the front (BGR) / 8-megapixel camera with new improved sensor and 1,080p HD video recording (GSMArena)

* Connectivity: LTE/HSPA depending on carrier plus Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (BGR) / LTE with dual-mode CDMA/GSM radios (GSMArena)

* NFC Capabilty (BGR)

* Battery: 1,750 mAh (BGR) / 2050 mAh battery (GSMArena)

iPhone 4S on the other hand sports a 3.5-inch screen; an 8-megapixel, 1080p high-definition camera; an A5 dual-core chip processor that is seven times faster than the graphics processor in the iPhone 4; 512 MB of RAM; two antennae to transmit and receive data; CDMA and GSM connectivity; 8 hours of 3G talk-time, and new applications like Siri and Find My Friends. Siri is a voice-recognition system Siri that turns the device into a hands-free personal assistant.

iPhone 4S will use the iOS 5 platform, which boasts of 200 new features, which Apple says takes "a mobile operating system that was already years ahead of anything else and moving it even further ahead." Among others, the new features for iOS 5 include a revamp on its notification system; integration with iCloud, the new storage service of Apple; and a new messaging service for i-gadgets; full integration to Twitter.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first Android phone to use the Ice Cream Sandwich platform. The new OS is a combination of the best elements of Android's Gingerbread and Honeycomb systems. According to Russell Holly of Geek.com, the new OS will have a new unlock screen, virtual buttons, new launchers, resizable widgets and added functionality for NFC.

Here's a leaked video of the Nexus Prime, courtesy of Mobilissimo.ro

iPhone 4S received pre-orders of 1 million units in the first 24 hours, the largest ever for an iPhone. Apple Stores and retailers opened its doors to long queues starting on Oct. 14.

Samsung doesn't have Apple's marketing prowess and likely would not have people camping outside stores for the Galaxy Nexus, which is expected to be available Nov. 1. But if the new device finds more success than the Galaxy S 2, then it indicates that Samsung is slowly but surely chipping away Apple's dominance.