Android Serves Up Its Ice Cream Sandwich

[Karthik R 246]

ASUS has confirmed that its complete line of Eee Pad tablets will receive the Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” update.

Android 4.0 will also come preloaded on the new Transformer 2 tablet device, which ASUS recently showcased featuring a new Tegra 3 quad-core NVIDIA processor and carrying 32GB of flash storage.

In a statement released by the Taiwanese hardware manufacturer it confirmed that it doesn’t yet have a release date planned for the update.

"Are you waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich?” reads the press release. “Good news for ASUS customers. Google recently announced the latest update for Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, which brings some exciting new features and capabilities. We're delighted to confirm support for Ice Cream Sandwich on the ASUS Eee Pad Family - our aim is to bring the latest Android update to the Eee Pad Series, but at this time we are unable to set a date for its release. Please stay tuned for more news on our Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans."

The Eee Pad series currently consists of the Transformer and the Slider tablets.

Edited October 25, 2011 by Karthik R

[Karthik R 246]

Google Nexus One won't be getting official ICS update

The information comes from Google’s Director of Android Product Management, Hugo Barra. He told the Telegraph that the Nexus One’s hardware is simply too old to run the new OS version.

[Karthik R 246]

Moto has dropped word on its update plans for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. On its official software update page, Motorola has confirmed that the DROID RAZR , BIONIC and XOOM will all be updated to ICS. Don't own one of those three products? Don't worry just yet, as Moto has said on its Twitter account that it'll announce other devices that'll be seeing ICS "within 6 weeks of Google's public push" of the operating system.

[mujeebrehman 78]

Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that Motorola photon to gets it!

[@Akash 23]

Deleting a notification with swipe is webOS feature.

Viewing recently used app in vertical card stack. It seems webOS cards are 90 degree inverted in ICS.

ICS's UI is greatly influenced ( in stronger term copied from) by webOS. Matias Duarte's (former head of User experience at Palm webOS who is now head of user experience at google android) influence is clearly visible.

Edited October 28, 2011 by @Akash

[Karthik R 246]

After Nexus One the latest device to be denied ICS shows that not even dual-core handsets are immune, with LG posting that it will not distribute an Ice Cream Sandwich update to the less-than-a-year-old Optimus 2X. Now, admittedly, LG hasn't had a stellar reputation for getting updates to the 2X, but it's hard to get past hearing that a dual-core Android will be soon be left behind. When the Optimus 2X first arrived in a world of single-core phones, it probably seemed like a great way to future-proof: "sure, I don't really need that kind of processing power now, but you never know what next year's software will need; better just make the investment now."

LG revealed the 2X's fate on Facebook, responding to a user's direct question about the phone's future with Ice Cream Sandwich. It stated, "we will not be introducing Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich updates on LG Optimus 2X P990."

Edit : LG now backtracks and denies the statement, calling them "rumors".

Edited November 2, 2011 by Karthik R

[Karthik R 246]

New reports, quoting a Samsung Italy statement, have confirmed that Samsung tablets and smartphones are expected to get Android 4.0 operating system upgrade or the so-called Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Some of the mentioned devices that will soon get the much-anticipated platform update are Samsung Galaxy S II or S2, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note, as well as new Samsung tablets like Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 7 Plus, Galaxy Tab 7.7, and Galaxy Tab 8.9.

No word on the exact release dates of the ICS for the mentioned Samsung devices.

[Karthik R 246]

In a surprising move, Google India has released the official Galaxy Nexus sign-up page. In other words, India is now a part of selected countries, where buyers can now register and get notification about the smartphone’s availability in their respective country

Edited October 31, 2011 by Karthik R

[omk4r 2]

Signed up for Nexus Updates. Hope to see it within < 30K bucks.

[Karthik R 246]

This should come as no suprise, HTC Rezound to get Ice Cream Sandwich early 2012.

[Karthik R 246]

New Android seen easing OS fragmentation

Handset makers praised Ice Cream Sandwich and Google's bid to buy Motorola Mobility

IDG News Service - Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android, is likely to ease the fragmentation of the operating system, some device executives said on Thursday. Google unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich last month in the Galaxy Nexus, set to go on sale this month in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The new OS achieves much of what device makers have been trying to achieve by augmenting earlier Android releases on their own, which has created differences among versions on the market, according to some speakers on a panel at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco. Device makers and carriers have customized Android for their own purposes since it was introduced in 2007.

The new OS takes Android "dramatically forward," said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product innovation at Samsung. Among other things, it requires no physical buttons and includes a feature for swiping applications off the screen.

"There has been some fragmentation with Android, since it's been on such a quick development pace ... now that, I think, a lot of those baseline capabilities are available, that that fragmentation will continue to diminish over time," Packingham said.

Samsung and Google co-developed the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich side-by-side in the same building. But another Android handset maker also praised the new OS.

"They totally renovated their user experience," said Jinsung Choi, a senior vice president at LG. "Probably that will make our life a lot easier ... we don't need to make any modifications."

Also Thursday, all the executives on the panel, who represented Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, ZTE and Sony Ericsson, said they don't expect any ill effects from Google's planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Some even expect it to benefit the Android device ecosystem.

The deal, which is expected to close by early 2012, would give the creator of Android control over a key competitor for handsets using the OS. But none of the executives voiced concern when asked his view of the deal.

"By having their own development shop with Motorola, I think it really benefits all of us," said Samsung's Packingham, who works for the biggest Android device maker. With a handset maker under its ownership, Google will be able to give third-party Android developers access to important hardware features as they developed for future Motorola phones and tablets, Packingham said. Developers want to be able to use features such as improved cameras and location capabilities, he said.

"It's tough to get behind the scenes and really figure out how to expose those new, innovative technologies to developers," because doing so would reveal Samsung's future hardware specifications to its competitors, Packingham said.

Google is only buying Motorola to acquire its patents and protect the Android ecosystem from intellectual-property lawsuits, said Jan Uddenfeldt, chief technology officer of Sony Ericsson. It won't merge the Motorola and Android organizations and give the handset business an inside track, Uddenfeldt said. "The last thing in they would like to happen is to create a vertical. ... that would only destroy the market share for Android."

Asked about the future of feature phones, the less capable and less expensive handsets that preceded smartphones, most of the panelists said there will remain a market for them. While smartphones make up 30% to 40% of unit sales for ZTE, feature phones still make up about 60%, said Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE USA. For one thing, they are popular with consumers who prefer a physical keypad to a touchscreen, he said.

ZTE is developing a "feature phone with a smartphone-like experience" that will go on sale from a U.S. carrier before Black Friday, Cheng said. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional first day of the holiday shopping season in the U.S., falling on Nov. 25 this year.

"The so-called feature phone and smartphone is always relative," Cheng said, pointing out that there are phones now in development being called "superphones." "The smartphone today could be a feature phone tomorrow."

Via : computerworld

Edited November 5, 2011 by Karthik R

[Karthik R 246]

Edited opening post with the list of devices which will be seeing ICS, as their manufacturers stated. I'll update the list as the word gets out. You may want to keep a close eye on them.

[Karthik R 246]

HTC has announced through an official Facebook post that eight devices that will be eligible for ICS upgrades opening post updated.

[mujeebrehman 78]

Ice Cream Sandwich source code now being pushed to git servers.

It's a great day to be an Android geek -- the Ice Cream Sandwich source code is now being pushed to Google's git servers! This is the full release of Android 4.0.1, which is the version that will ship on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Most readers won't need to do anything here except wait for their favorite developer to get things rolling (hi, Beezy!), but those who are technically inclined and feel like cooking up a bit of their own ICS can find new build instructions here at Android's source project pages.

Two things worth noting here -- the code is huge, and it's going to take a couple hours to transfer over. If you try to sync now, you'll get something that is never going to build. As Jean-Baptiste Queru points out, it's best to wait for word from Google that it's finished pushing out. Also, as-is the code will only build for the Galaxy Nexus, and it's going to take some tinkering to get it to build for other phones. Builds for other products will be coming from Google shortly. We're excited, and as soon as the code is done pushing, we'll be at work to get a version built for the Nexus S.

Source androidcentral.com

[csmart 472]

check out this video on ICS.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57325419-251/android-4.0-ice-cream-sandwich-review-cool-confident-chaotic/

[Karthik R 246]

Google Confirms There’s No Flash In Ice Cream Sandwich, But Promises It’s Coming

Early adopters of the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, have already discovered that Google’s latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system does not come with Adobe Flash Player. No, this isn’t a mistake, or another incomplete Google release, it was meant to be that way.

Google has confirmed that Flash isn’t yet available for Ice Cream Sandwich, but promises those who are using it that support is coming from Adobe. “Flash hasn’t been released for ICS yet so as far as we know,” it said but “Adobe will support Flash for ICS.”

Of course, following Adobe’s recent decision to kill Flash Player for mobile devices, you would have been forgiven for thinking that Ice Cream Sandwich was destined to live a life without Flash altogether. But those of you who aren’t quite ready to give it up just yet will be pleased by Google’s latest promise.

Neither company has given Flash for Ice Cream Sandwich a release date yet, however, you will have to wait for the latest release. Previous versions of Flash Player for Android simply will not run under the latest OS, according to Pocket-lint.

[Karthik R 246]

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime running ICS

[deepv84 2]

Hoping ICS for lg optimus one

Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Highlights - Video

[Karthik R 246]

SlashGear recently did an extensive review of ICS update. Read it here.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Sony Ericsson has come out with a detailed blog post explaining what steps it takes for them to release Ice Cream Sandwich Update for their phones.

Ice Cream Sandwich – from source code release to software upgrade >> http://developer.son...oftware-upgrade

Motorola too.. Motorola Update on Ice Cream Sandwich >> http://www.motorola....cream-sandwich/

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Step aside Samsungs, HTCs or Sony Ericsson's of this world.

None has got the Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4 Update for any of their phones.

Huawei Honor has the honor: >> Huawei first to offer Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade

Less than one month after the source code release.

[KanagaDeepan 1,084]

^^^^^

Hmmm... Advantage of doing less customisation over the stock UI...

[Karthik R 246]

Great news HTC Desire owners – it looks like you’ll soon be able to enjoy the all the goodness of the latest version of Android on your aging handset. Developers have been working on an Ice Cream Sandwich port for the phone and it looks like they’ve had a breakthrough recently. The folks over at XDA-developers have announced the beta release of the Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for the phone and have posted it online for the public.

As usual, not every single function of the phone is working (camera, USB tethering etc) but there are quite a number of things that do work i.e. WiFi, SMS, GPS, Sound, Calling, Touchscreen, Stable 3G, Gmail sync + calendar, SD read/write, all sensors, Bluetooth, Hardware acceleration, WiFi tether, Market with paid apps and more so it’s safe to say you can use it as a daily phone (assuming you have no use for the camera or USB tethering).

Judging by the video demonstration, it’s safe to say Ice Cream Sandwich can run pretty well on this 21 month old phone. Sure it’s not as smooth as the Galaxy Nexus, but this definitely gives hope to all the other Android users out there without dual-core phones and looking forward to having Ice Cream Sandwich on their devices. Now, if only phone manufacturers would spend as much effort as the developer community when it comes to updates.

[Karthik R 246]

Check out some tips and shortcuts for Android 2.3 users Google has posted to help you navigate the many changes you'll see on your device.

Google announced that last year’s Nexus S handset will start to get the new software; the GSM models first over the coming month. Sprint Nexus S is a CDMA model and won’t see Android 4.0 in this round of announced updates, but it’s likely to follow soon.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Karthik R