UPDATE: Deal alert for those looking for a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We just found out you can score it on Amazon for only $199.

The big question has finally been answered (and this time our prediction proved correct). Samsung Galaxy Nexus has launched. It’s official. The flagship Android smartphone everyone has been talking about arrives at Verizon and Costco locations starting tomorrow, December 15.

Many in the comments from this morning’s post, Samsung Galaxy Nexus: To launch or not to launch?, started to receive phone calls mid-afternoon (Pacific) and indicated Verizon reps were telling them to head into their local Verizon store to pick up Nexus. Merry Christmas!

It’s official – “Who’s taking a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwich?”

Samsung Mobile USA posted on Facebook the official announcement. At least I think it’s legit. Either that or the biggest conspiracy history in Android history (and I’m not referring to the unsavory Microsoft tactic of giving away free Windows phones to get us off these so-called malware infested Droids. Really?!) will continue with another non-launch.

Now, the only question is: Verizon or Costco?

If Costco stocks it in quantity (and I expect they will) it will be my first choice tomorrow AM. The rumored price is $289. And given their liberal return policy, there’s a certain confidence in buying from Costco. Maybe too much confidence as I’ve discovered over the past few weeks; Holiday shopping anyone?!

It will be interesting to see if there are major league crowds and line-ups. If the Droid faithful have already given up on Nexus, and upgraded to the Motorola Droid RAZR or HTC Rezound then maybe there won’t be much of a scene. As I recall in November 2009 there was not much drama at one of the local Verizon stores here in Silicon Valley when I picked up my trusty Droid (and never looked back).

Oh… and one more question, though I feel this one has already been answered:

Will my unlimited Verizon 3G data plan on my OG Moto Droid be grandfathered to the Nexus?

GALAXY™ NEXUS™ BY SAMSUNG NOW AVAILABLE ON
THE VERIZON WIRELESS 4G LTE NETWORK

First Smartphone to Combine Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the
Power of America’s Fastest, Most Reliable 4G Network

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless, Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) and Google™ announced Galaxy™ Nexus™ is available starting today in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

Customers can browse the Web, stream music and more at blazing speeds using the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. Galaxy Nexus customers can enjoy access to the 4G LTE network in 190 markets covering over 200 million people across the United States, and fly through the Web with fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps within the 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage area.

Galaxy Nexus runs Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, which brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. Galaxy Nexus offers customers a redesigned user experience with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Near Field Communications (NFC) sharing with Android Beam™ and a full Web-browsing experience. The lock screen, home screen, phone app and everything in between have been rethought and redesigned to make Android simple, beautiful and useful. Galaxy Nexus also features an ultra-thin 9.47mm design with a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ Contour Display to watch movies, view pictures and play games that come to life in 720p (1280×720) resolution.

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) features:
• Redesigned user interface – software navigation buttons, a first for Android smartphones, and a dedicated recent apps button to make multi-tasking easy
• Face Unlock – use state-of-the-art facial recognition to unlock Galaxy Nexus
• Android Beam™ – quickly share Web pages, apps, contacts and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping two compatible phones together
• Redesigned Camera – introduces panorama mode, 1080p video capture, zero-shutter lag for instant photo capturing, and effects such as silly faces and background replacement
• People Application – browse friends, family and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution and check their latest status updates from Google+ and other social networks
• Cloud Services – keep email, contacts, photos, music, browser bookmarks and other data synced to the cloud, available across multiple devices so customers never lose important data
• Google Music – upload up to 20,000 songs to the cloud, discover and buy new music from Android Market™, and stream it instantly on Galaxy Nexus and from the Web for free
• Google+ – Create a Google+ account right from the phone and check status updates, manage circles, quickly share updates and photos, video chat with up to ten friends with Mobile Hangouts, and chat with groups of friends with Google+ Messenger
• Support for Google Mobile™ Services – Gmail™, Google Maps™ with 3D maps and free turn-by-turn navigation, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube, syncing with Google Calendar™, a redesigned Google+ app and access to more than 300,000 apps, millions of eBooks, thousands of movies to rent, and millions of songs available to download from Android Market

Additional features:
• Dual-core 1.2 GHz application processor and HTML5 Web browser – optimized dual-core processing with Android 4.0 combined with lightning fast 4G LTE connectivity for fast downloading of graphics, applications processing and Web browsing
• Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G LTE or 3G connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with zero-shutter lag for instant photo capturing, autofocus and LED flash with full 1080p recording
• Front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat
• Textured soft-touch back cover – enhances the ergonomic feel and makes the phone slip-resistant
• Bluetooth® 3.0 technology – support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, human interface device (HID) and object push for vCard and vCalendar
• 1 GB RAM and 32 GB on-board memory (actual formatted capacity will be less)

Pricing and data packages:
• Galaxy Nexus is available now in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
• Customers that purchase a Galaxy Nexus by Samsung will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.