Android Ice Cream Sandwich: The 13 Biggest Changes To Version 4.0 Of Google's Mobile OS (PICTURES, VIDEO)

On October 19 in Hong Kong, Google took the wraps off Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich), the biggest update to the company's popular mobile operating system since the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 (aka "Honeycomb") debuted in early 2011.

The Ice Cream Sandwich release brings a new focus on ease-of-use and aesthetics. While Android 3.0 focused solely on large-screen mobile devices, Android 4.0 improves many of those features and scales them down for use on mobile phones, too. “We tried to create a palette and a language and a sense of being that’s clean and modern and graphic, but isn’t a straightjacket.” Matias Duarte, who head Android's user experience team, told This Is My Next. “We’ve taken what Honeycomb has done and pumped up the snooty design quotient, and we’ve toned down the geeky nerd quotient. We’ve made it a lot more accessible. But we haven’t taken it in a new direction.”

See the biggest new features Google's Android 4.0 has to offer (below), then check out Samung's Galaxy Nexus, the first device built specifically for Ice Cream Sandwich. For a look at Android's biggest U.S. competitor, take a look through our slideshow of the most important things you need to know about Apple's iOS 5.

What do you think of Android 4.0? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Comments

[Steven Travis]

12:54 PM on 10/21/2011

This is interesting. An article on the new Android OS is released and 24hrs later there are less than 250 comments on it (virtually no hater posts). When an Apple article is posted the haters file in like crazy. Makes one wonder who the real malakes are.

[Rivetjester]

05:29 PM on 10/21/2011

Posting about how there are "(virtually no hater posts)" in the comments and THEN round-a-bout insulting people seems to be your posts message. Becoming a hater in the comments doesn't exactly help you with your "who the real malakes are" comment as you make yourself an eligible candidate for that category.

[tonrunner]

05:49 AM on 10/21/2011

I got an HTC Evo3d a few weeks ago. Does this mean its out of date already? dam.

[MyTake]

09:00 PM on 10/20/2011

I don't ask for much in life, but I am hugely disappointed that this Dairy Queen Sandwich OS doesn't have FAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS technology!

Google Labs promised this technology whereby the front facing camera would analyze your DNA from the fingerprint smudges spread all over the Gorilla Glass.

Then, from that DNA, this smart phone would process and build an exact hologram of the caller's image, send it to whomever is being called and output your hologram through the rear facing camera of the smart phone being held by the receiver.

Then as you speak, the holographic image mimics your facial expressions and body language.

It was to have given new meaning to that old communication adage of "reach out and scare someone"

Now we will have to wait until next Halloween to use this technology.

[nobodyzhome]

06:52 PM on 10/20/2011

Why do people expect unlimited OS upgrades?
If you buy a PC with Vista and six months later Windows 7 comes out, do you think the manufacturer is going to ship you a DVD with Windows 7 on it? How about when Windows 8 comes out? You going to be sitting by the mail box waiting for that DVD?

Why are phone manufacturers held to a different standard?

[hungrypilot]

08:17 PM on 10/20/2011

Happy to be your first fan. People are fanatical about their phones, make rash and impulsive decisions when buying them, and then expect the world in return.

[RattleCat]

10:05 AM on 10/21/2011

There is a difference between free upgrades and no upgrades.  For many phone manufacturers., you don't even have the option of paying.

[Steven Travis]

12:58 PM on 10/21/2011

It's actually kind of funny that you have to spell that out to some people. If you had told me years ago that people wou,d be on a 1 yr (or less) cycle on their phone, I would have said you're crazy....but it seems that they have been conditionned to get a new phone with every new OS release (or so it seems).

[Omnix]

01:32 PM on 10/20/2011

Android is an amazing platform, and I'm glad to see it is getting the support it deserves. Like all of it's competitors, it has it's faults and issues. But, overall, it is the strongest competitor against Apple's Ios in the market. In the past, they have been neck-and-neck (each with slight advantages in certain areas), but 4.0 may be a turning point. The robustness of features, being platform agnostic, heavy integration with Google's online services (which Apple is just starting to mimic), lower cost to play, flexible market places, and open source may just put it out in front. As long as the manufacturers don't make any major mistakes, I look for Android to start moving toward market dominance.

[Mister Grumpy]

10:59 AM on 10/20/2011

I have to admit that I am seriously annoyed with Samsung and their release and forget additude regarding upgrading the OS on their Droid phones that are less than six months old......... For this reason alone I won't be buying another Samsung Phone.........

[Steven Travis]

04:22 PM on 10/20/2011

The plan between the hardware manufacturers and Google is to get you to buy a new phone every year....personally, I have no desire to do that.

[hungrypilot]

08:20 PM on 10/20/2011

Wait, so you're angry at Samsung for releasing a phone... which you have the choice of using a new operating system on? Sorry, but I don't think I follow...

[shockwave rider]

09:47 AM on 10/20/2011

As Android incorporates more of the look, feel and function of WebOS, it becomes a better product. I may only have to nurse my Pre through for another couple of years until Android becomes a suitable replacement.

[bring in swat]

10:13 AM on 10/20/2011

wow..my wife and i had the pre's...i loved the webOs, we had so many manufacturing flaws with ours it became ridiculous to deal with all of the returns and trips to the Sprint store. we eventually left when sprint refused to let us switch to a comparable phone. i was using a pixi for a while to and actually preferred that over the pre...always thought they should have just made the pixi about 30% bigger instead of the slider on the pre...oh well

[TJ Egan]

08:53 AM on 10/20/2011

Can't wait to pick up my Galaxy Nexus!! My OG Droid is on it's last legs...

[Pectin]

10:12 AM on 10/20/2011

Do you know where you can jam your spam?

[bring in swat]

10:14 AM on 10/20/2011

wow it's a kiosk..genius, itroll.

[Nancy Daniel]

07:12 AM on 10/20/2011

Most of what’s gone into Ice Cream Sandwich is polish, making Android slicker, easier to use, and (finally) more consistent across the board. It’s mostly filled with small improvements and tweaks that Google rattled off pretty quickly
http://www.thegeekwork.com/mobile/android-mobile/first-look-at-the-highly-polished-android-4-0-ice-cream-sandwich

[Steven Travis]

06:49 AM on 10/20/2011

And of course, you'll need a new phone ( or one less than 6 mths old with heavy processing power and patience while your respective manufacturer decides on when to release the update) to take advantage of any of these new features. This is nothing like Apple, RIM, or even the PC industry. Android ecosystem is a mess, plain and simple.

[PhillyKing]

10:15 AM on 10/20/2011

umm... really??? a new os needing newer hardware is nothing like ANY other manufacturer??? which rock do u live under... please list all RIM phones that will run the latest BB os?? and while ur at it hows that ios5 on iphone and iphone3g working for ya??? even the iphone 3gs users are complaining that ios5 cripples their device... PC??? well i cant even begin that one without calling u an I.D.10.T

[RattleCat]

10:21 AM on 10/20/2011

I believe you missed his point.  For many phones, the next Android release must come from the phone manufacturer.  Who, at least to date, are slow (if ever) to upgrade.  Unfortunately, the trend from the Nokias, HTCs, and LGs of the word have been to sell you this years product, and pretty much forget about maintaining last year.

[hungrypilot]

10:28 AM on 10/20/2011

My iPhone 3GS runs like slickened dog-doo on iOS 5. Won't matter in a few weeks though, when I switch to a real mobile OS...

[Steven Travis]

04:14 PM on 10/20/2011

On the plus side you got to try it. Android users will most likely need to upgrade phones to try out the new OS, as their phone manufacturers have no insentive to port the new OS to the old hardware.

[Ankur Moulik]

05:20 AM on 10/20/2011

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich,The whole new thing from Android is cool !

[mashud]

06:05 AM on 10/20/2011

more like Rasberry Strudel.

[NielsH]

06:53 AM on 10/20/2011

No that's the code name for Android 5.

[Angilena Christopher]

01:54 AM on 10/20/2011

I am Great Fan of Android and Ones Again Ice Cream thing make me laugh about Siri Users ....... http://www.1socialmediaagency.com/ ...... What a go Android.....!!! I a am Loving it...!!!

[hungrypilot]

10:29 AM on 10/20/2011

I a am Hating your blog spam...!!!

[calmly2]

12:12 AM on 10/20/2011

Before I read this, I had no idea that there was such a competition between iphone users and android users! I guess I don't get out enough, lol.

I have an android (HTC Incredible) and like it very much.

[mairs]

01:27 AM on 10/20/2011

I've researched other electronics over the years when I've wanted to get something, and google lands me on tech forums. It's often all about... "Yours sux, mine rules". I doubt you'd see that among the general public!

[TJ Egan]

09:11 AM on 10/20/2011

Yeah, no way the general public would possibly be stubborn and ignorant to other peoples views.... :]

[Pectin]

09:47 AM on 10/20/2011

I actually experienced it the real world once. The "I can change my battery/Oh yeah, well I don't ever need to" thing. I was surprise, as I'm used to seeing it in print.

[MrGovtCheese]

12:08 AM on 10/20/2011

Why do Android and Apple users fight with each other all the time? If it weren't for the competition both devices would be crap.

[RattleCat]

08:08 AM on 10/20/2011

Too many people measure their own superiority by the toys they possess.

[PhillyKing]

10:21 AM on 10/20/2011

for some it's like pc vs mac... just android vs ios.... for others it's because there are too many fanbois (on both sides) talking out their azzes... i get on their case all day cause it's fun, but fans on both sides hate when u use facts to prove them wrong... i'm in the tech industry so i enjoy it, but some are just rabid...