Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich

Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich

      We've in conclusion got our hands on the inexperienced Samsung Galaxy Nexus, so we've taken an in-depth look by Google's hottest OS: Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich to its acquaintances.

Google has told us with the aim of this is lone of the biggest overhauls of the operating systems since it unleashed the Android project three years before - and there's certainly a allotment to plough through.

From enhanced write to menus to improved keyboards and NFC capabilities, even the the largest part ardent Android users will say to fritter a few occasion getting used to the inexperienced OS - so let's dive in.

Interface

The the largest part noticeable adjustment with Ice Cream Sandwich is the interface - it might keep to the same values as the Android of old, but the way it's used is radically separate in a amount of ways.

Firstly, Android 4.0 is designed to run with no buttons. That's not to say your Galaxy S2's keys won't run once the revise happens, but up for grabs to the fore, it's up for grabs to be pristine bezels all the way.

Ice cream sandwich study

Now to navigate around, you're open three softkeys: Back, Home and Multi-tasking (or Recent Apps). The latter is particularly inexperienced used for phones, and comes from the Honeycomb UI - basically a regular of thumbnails with the aim of put on view recently opened apps.

Here's the inexperienced part: Rob sideways to close the shutters down an appliance, which will greatly help reduce the battery consumption of your phone if there's something silently updating in the background.

The Home and Back buttons are the same as they've for ever and a day been, but rebuff longer say a 'long press' function attached... So you can't unthinkingly call up the baby grand, used for insistence.

If you move into something media-ish, such as watching a show or browsing the muddle like a pro, these three buttons reduce in size down to tiny dots, so you've got more of the screen to look by. However, remember what did you say? Both dot does, as burning it will take you home/open the topical apps and the rest and you might not require to.

For Android fans, this presents something of an give out: With the menu button passed on, you'll say to hunt around the screen used for three vertical dots which say taken its place. However, these can be anywhere, so every now and then you'll pick up distracted wearisome to run banned how on earth to adjust settings.

The multi-tasking pane besides seems an strange well-chosen used for lone of three buttons - it used to be you may well access this functionality by long-pressing the national source, and it makes more feeling to keep this and afterward say the multi-tasking slot taken up by a menu source.

However, despite the strange placement, the multi-tasking pane is cool - simply rob horizontally on whichever unlocked app to close the shutters it down, in a parallel way to the Cards arrangement on webOS - it certainly helps keep unlocked applications under control.

The national screens are on one occasion again narrow to five, but this occasion there's rebuff option to pick up relieve of folks you don't require. It's not a mammoth give out to a few inhabitants, but with the expandable widgets and masses of apps you'll be looking to download, we'd say likely more.

However, we wouldn't anxiety too much vis-а-vis with the aim of - the Nexus S solitary had a narrow amount of homescreens, but as soon as the lay of the industry got its hands on the OS near were millions of the things on the wing around.

There's a embarrassment of tiny tweaks and changes to the Android OS with the aim of we were impressed with, ranging from the Tron-like blue theme with the aim of pervades all through the OS to the facility to unlock the phone simply by using your stand in front of.

The latter security option is more novelty than whatever thing to boot, with Google outlining by the start with the aim of it's not doomed to be 100% secure.

We besides found a the minority issues with getting it to recognise our stand in front of in anecdotal light levels, or even working banned which crumb of the picture was a stand in front of - not the the largest part actual used for unlocking your handset, but once it machinery it's a prodigious event trick.

The notifications shaft has been known a functionality overhaul to at this moment include bigger in a row slots - if it's a write to that's distribution you a message or a missed call, their write to photo will at this moment appear too, which is a good dash.

And every now and then you require to pick up relieve of a few notifications, but not others - this has been taken carefulness of by allowing you to rob away the updates vis-а-vis apps and messages you don't carefulness vis-а-vis, making it effortless to preserve your info shaft.

Settings has besides been known a tad in the notifications pane, import rebuff material someplace you are in the OS you can for ever and a day duck banned and tinker with the phone - this is superb news used for a few applications with the aim of need GPS or Wi-Fi enabled suddenly.

 

However, we would say though Google would say banal the likes of Samsung or HTC at this time and open one-tap switching to these elements - it machinery really well on the largest part phones, so we're surprised by its omission.

The other inexperienced addition is the crop by the bed of the screen - this stays on each national screen, and like iOS can be altered to contain the applications you like to tap away by the the largest part.

Folders are more iOS-like too, with users known the facility to drag and seep icons on top of lone an extra from the national screen to create bundles of apps which you can simply rename. Given Apple's bile vis-а-vis Google 'stealing' certified elements of its UI, we can't help but think this will create a little more torment down on Infinite Loop.

Google is noticeably besides thinking vis-а-vis giving users more facility to get pleasure from apps than endlessly ahead of by putting a link to the Market in the top totally hired hand corner of the menu screen, which we really liked as it doomed we for ever and a day knew we may well quickly revise our app catalogue once desired.

The other gigantic adjustment is widgets say been brought to the forefront: You can at this moment look by both lone on the menu screen with no having to in point of fact cliquey it - this really helps once a inexperienced appliance you've downloaded has an associated widget and you're wondering whether to leftover occasion popping it on the national screen.

Overall, we love what did you say? Google has ended with the Ice Cream Sandwich UI. It's nothing mind-blowing, but the little touches at this time and near will add to user delight, and that's what's desired to mark away by folks with the aim of are dyed-in-the-wool iPhone users.