Android Ice Cream Sandwich demoed on ASUS Transformer Prime Tegra 3 tablet (video)

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  • November 22, 2011 at 4:26 pm

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ASUS Transformer Prime running Android Ice Cream Sandwich

If you’ve been wondering how Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) looks like on a tablet, then wonder no more. Once Google made the source code of ICS available, Nvidia and ASUS rushed to the challenge and got the new operating system working on the ASUS Transformer Prime tablet. As a reminder the Transformer Prime is the first device to run on Nvidia’s brand new quad-core Tegra 3 chip. We’ve covered the Tegra 3 here, and it’s an impressive piece of silicon, which promises not only awesome processing and graphics power, but also longer battery life through aggressive throttling and a frugal 500MHz companion fifth-core.

We would easily guess that pairing such a chip with the latest and greatest version of Android would result in some smooth performance and now we’ve got the evidence to prove it. Nvidia has published a video of Android Ice Cream Sandwich running super smoothly on the Transformer Prime. If you would enjoy watching cool transitions, smooth 1080p playback and a demo of a quad-core optimized game called Riptide GP, head on after the break.
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Adobe confirms Flash support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich by end-2011

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  • November 21, 2011 at 9:20 am

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on Galaxy Nexus

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich currently ships without support for Adobe Flash. Although a ‘Flash-less’ future is in the horizon, since Adobe has declared that it will stop developing Flash for mobile devices, it has been officially confirmed that Adobe will provide a final Android 4.0 ICS Flash release before the end of 2011.

Apple has long declared its discontent with Flash and all iOS devices don’t currently offer support for the format. Google, on the other hand, has been touting that Android offers the “full web experience” since support for Flash had been continuously available on the platform since Android 2.2 arrived on the Nexus One. It’s ironic then that the latest Nexus, won’t support Flash, for a while.

Nevertheless, the Flash support argument has become much less relevant nowadays, since technologies such as HTML5 have been gaining popularity and adoption in mobile platforms.
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Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus arrive in the UK, first handset is a dud

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  • November 17, 2011 at 9:36 am

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus in box on UK launch

It’s the 17th of November and that means the official release of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first device to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. As expected, the phone has launched in the UK first, unfortunately the release is not as far-reaching as we would have hoped, as Phones4U managed to get a few days of exclusivity. The Galaxy Nexus has been on sale from the UK retailer since 8am this morning, and you can grab one with a new contract or unlocked for £530. Phones4U has been celebrating the launch by offering, what else, ice cream sandwiches.

The Galaxy Nexus will be arriving directly from three UK mobile carriers, O2, Three and Vodafone, in the coming days. Those who would rather get their phone sim-free from an online retailer, should also be treated to some frozen dessert next week as well.

Just a reminder for anyone that hasn’t been paying attention, that the Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65-inch 720p Super AMOLED (PenTile) display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel front-facing cameras.
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CyanogenMod team promises CM9 in 2 months, could be getting you to eat Ice Cream Sandwich in the dead of winter

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  • November 15, 2011 at 12:03 pm

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Cyanogen CM9 Android Ice Cream Sandwich tweet

You might know of the team over at CyanogenMod (CM), which creates and publishes for free its own streamlined Android ROMs for over 50 devices. As manufacturers and mobile carriers linger on old versions of Android, CM was the best way for many to update their devices to the latest Android version.

As promised Google made the source code of Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich open yesterday. This means that developers can download the code and start tinkering.

Of course, the CyanogenMod team has followed suit and has announced via Twitter that we should be seeing an Ice Cream Sandwich infused CM9 in two months, more or less. This is great news, since most manufacturers will only start to officially update Android devices in the beginning of 2012, with attention placed on 2011 devices first, while some older devices might not be upgraded at all.
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Android 4.0 Face Unlock fooled by a photo, we’re not surprised (video)

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  • November 12, 2011 at 4:17 am

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Android 4.0 Face unlock fooled by photo

If are familiar with the new features of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, you’ll probably know that now there is a new way of unlocking a device using its front-facing camera, and well, your face.

So, the question posed was whether the new Face unlock feature could be fooled by a photo, rather than the real thing. Unsurprisingly it can. Those of you that have used the Visidon AppLock Android app already know that it’s possible since the technology only relies in recognizing features. A more advanced implementation could wait for you to blink first, but that’s not the case with Face unlock, yet.

If you have sensitive information on your device, and someone can get to it and your photo, then just don’t use Face unlock. We would see this feature only being used by people who don’t bother to have a passcode/unlock pattern anyway, and well, this is just for putting anyone that wants your data to go through a couple of hoops first, and of course for showing off to your friends.

In any case you needn’t worry about which unlock option you’ll use with your Android 4.0 device yet, unless you’re planning to grab a Galaxy Nexus, once it’s finally released this month — hopefully.

Video of the escapade is after the break.
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HTC confirms Vivid, Sensation, Rezound, EVO 3D and others to get Android Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades in early 2012

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  • November 7, 2011 at 6:13 am

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HTC Sensation

Aren’t software upgrades a wonderful thing? One day your smartphone is sporting a lowly Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, and the next, it receives a free update to the shiny, new, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). If you don’t know why you would want ICS on your phone, check out our Android basics column, and our complete guide of all the new features and improvements in ICS.

With all that on the table, it’s pretty normal that any current Android user, would want to get the Android 4.0 update, while HTC had been quiet on its update schedule since ICS was revealed.

Well, the company has now confirmed its upgrade plans on the company’s Facebook page. Obviously HTC’s latest handsets will be getting the upgrade, with the HTC Vivid, HTC Rezound and the HTC Sensation, Sensation XL and Sensation XE all getting Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012. The HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G and HTC Amaze 4G are also getting ICS. HTC will continue to assess its current line for upgradability, so don’t despair if your device isn’t included in this first wave of upgrades.

There is also no mention of any of the company’s tablets, like the Flyer or the Jetsream yet.

You can find HTC’s statement after the break.
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Samsung confirms November 17 release date for Galaxy Nexus in the UK and Europe

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  • October 27, 2011 at 4:04 pm

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus event

Samsung has officially confirmed, at its Galaxy Note event in London, that the Android 4.0 bearing Galaxy Nexus will be available in the UK and the rest of Europe come Thursday November 17.

Amazon UK already has the Galaxy Nexus up for pre-order for £549 without a commitment, and as we’ve found in these cases, it’s good to get ahead in line. As far as UK carriers go the Galaxy Nexus is expected to be available on Vodafone, O2 and Three, but you might want to check directly with them for availability.

Note that in the U.S., Verizon has already has confirmed that it will carry the smartphone and has put up a registration page, where you can ask to be notified when the Galaxy Nexus becomes available. Other carriers have yet confirm availability.

Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich ported to the Nexus One

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  • October 25, 2011 at 2:36 am

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Nexus One received Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich port

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices and its source code are not out yet, but the software development kit (SDK) is. And so, endearing developers work tirelessly in porting the Android 4.0 SDK to a host of current smartphones; just to give us a peek on how ICS would look on a device. First lucky device to get such a port was the Nexus S and now the Nexus One joins in the fun.

A developer, going by the name dr1337md, has posted a video on YouTube showing-off his Ice Cream Sandwich port on the Nexus One. As far as ports go, things are mostly working but there is some lag, while it lacks audio and Wi-Fi.

Google has said that any Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone should be able to run Android 4.0, although when and if that it will be upgraded depends on the manufacturer and carrier. While you wait for your device to get the update, which might take months, you can checkout the video after the break.
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Android basics: What is Ice Cream Sandwich and why would I want it on my phone or tablet?

Guides

  • October 22, 2011 at 4:54 am

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Google employee putting up the Android Ice Cream Sandwich mascot

Having just had a discussion with a non-‘techie’ friend who owns an Android phone, I received the very logical question: what is Ice Cream Sandwich? My response was followed with the equally valid inquisitive look on why would Google name its mobile operating system after a frozen desert.

Our attention is caught up with new gadgets and technology that we simply skip past all the basic concepts. Well today is the inauguration of a new column, appropriately titled ‘basics’, which will go over fundamental terms and provide beginners with (hopefully) easy to follow and clear how-tos. After all we are claiming that our opinions and advice should reach real people.

First, a background on Android. Android is a mobile operating system, it runs on mobile phones and tablets and provides all the basic functionally needed, such as connectivity (to connect to a Wi-Fi network or your mobile carrier), multi-touch recognition, a phone dialer and some built-in applications, like an internet browser and email. It’s like Windows or Mac OS but for your phone or tablet. Competing mobile operating systems are Apple’s iOS, Microsoft’s Windows Phone and also BlackBerry OS and the now-defunct webOS.
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The hottest Ice Cream Sandwich you will ever get: the complete guide to all the major new features of Android 4.0

FeaturedNews

  • October 20, 2011 at 5:10 pm

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Google has advanced its mobile operating system by leaps and bounds in just three years and Android is finally maturing. The latest version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which was announced this week, brings a host of usability improvements, new features and a lot of polish.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) is a major upgrade, particularly for mobile phones, as it also brings Android Honeycomb functionality to smartphones. ICS will run on both smartphones and tablets. If you are new to Android, you might want to check out our beginners’ guide on what is Android ICS.

The changes in ICS are numerous and it’s easy to get lost in the details. We’ve compiled all the major improvements and new features of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in a simple, compact list. Head over the break, for your large dose of piping-hot Ice Cream Sandwich goodness.
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You can now watch, again, the entire Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus event

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  • October 19, 2011 at 11:13 am

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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus event

If you missed the Google and Samsung event, when was it streaming live, you can now watch the entire event below. The event covered most of the basics of what’s new in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and of course unveiled Samsung’s new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus.

If you are a fan of little green robots, you will find the video after the break.
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus announced with Android 4.0, 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD screen (pictures, video)

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  • October 19, 2011 at 1:10 am

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus views

So it’s now official, both the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich have just been announced. If you had watched the online live stream from Hong Kong you already know the meat. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is one handsome phone with killer specs.

We had already gotten most of the specs in previous rumors but here is the official recap. The new Nexus will be a very large screened device, with a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD (1280×720 resolution) display. It will run on a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 processor, with 1GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of built-in storage. It has LTE/HSPA+ radios, Bluetooth 3.0 (no 4.0 like the iPhone 4S and Motorola RAZR), NFC, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor and a barometer (say what!). The Galaxy Nexus only got a 5 megapixel back and 1.3 megapixel front-facing cameras but will be able to do 1080p video and motion panoramic photos.

All these are contained in a 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94mm (5.33 x 2.67 x 0.35 inch) curved body — the LTE version will be a bit thicker — weighing 135 grams (4.76 ounces). The battery is 1750mAh.

The bigger news is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which has a new universal design (merging tablets with smartphones), new typography, a built-in photo editor, better multitasking interface with previews, notifications that can now be individually dismissed, face unlock, Android Beam to quickly share things with other NFC devices, resizable widgets and a host of other changes.

Head over after the break for more photos of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and a video showing-off the goodies.
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus last minute leak reveals detailed specs

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  • October 18, 2011 at 7:45 am

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Japanese document

We’re only hours away from the official unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (or Nexus Prime) and we just go our most comprehensive spec list yet. The leaks come from a number of Asian websites and the source is supposed to be Japan’s NTT DoCoMo mobile operator. The phone is expected to be released on November 20th in Japan.

The leaked specs are the same to the ones we’ve already reported, though we are still a bit surprised of the choice for a Texas Instruments processor over Samsung’s homegrown Exynos. Head across the break for the full list of specs, and be sure to also check out our rumor roundup for the Galaxy Nexus, HTC Vigor (Rezound) and Motorola Droid RAZR (Spyder)
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