Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich

Zascar

Annonced Yesterday, here is a pretty thorough review of the new features: http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-4.0-highlights.html#UserFeatures

Looks pretty impressive - a lot of very new an innovative features - can't wait to see some proper video reviews - and see it on a tablet too!

Should blow iOS out of the water too which is encouraging.

More links:
http://gizmodo.com/5851181/first-look-at-the-highly-polished-android-40-ice-cream-sandwich
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/android-40-ice-cream-sandwich-is-enchanting-easy-and-makes-you-feel-special/6764
http://gizmodo.com/5851169/what-is-ice-cream-sandwich

Full press demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-AZ08wCwJA

Also, new Google Phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus:
http://gizmodo.com/5851133/samsung-galaxy-nexus-the-greatest-androids-got-a-720p-super-amoled-display

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_ke3rxopc

Spud83

The big question for me is will handset developers such as HTC still continue with their Sense UI. Or will they start breaking out into a more app / widget package and leave the actually overlying interface the same.

Bluefoam

Spud83 wrote: »

The big question for me is will handset developers such as HTC still continue with their Sense UI. Or will they start breaking out into a more app / widget package and leave the actually overlying interface the same.

I'm a big fan of the HTC UI & hope they can continue to offer a better version of Android. Most of the key UI updates Android has recieved have originated in Sense...

DjFlin

I wont go near Android again until they solve the fragmentation problems. I want to see a minimum spec sheet, like Windows Phone 7 has.

dulpit

DjFlin wrote: »

I wont go near Android again until they solve the fragmentation problems. I want to see a minimum spec sheet, like Windows Phone 7 has.

How does the fragmentation problem affect you directly though? (genuinely curious on this). All it results in is multiple handsets that have different flavours and specs, as long as you pick a handset with the specs you want, what's the issue?

Mitch Connor

dulpit wrote: »

How does the fragmentation problem affect you directly though? (genuinely curious on this). All it results in is multiple handsets that have different flavours and specs, as long as you pick a handset with the specs you want, what's the issue?

High end apps/games are tough to develop for it as the fragmentation of phone specs is massive. If people develop for iPhone, they know the majority of users can make use of their app.

Atomic Pineapple

Mitch Connor wrote: »

High end apps/games are tough to develop for it as the fragmentation of phone specs is massive. If people develop for iPhone, they know the majority of users can make use of their app.

Then because each manufacturer changes Android in more ways than just skinning it developers also have to deal with many different issues on different devices.

Some manufacturers even manage to break the public API's.
Then audio drivers are different etc....

Google need to define a minimum hardware spec (high) and defined guidelines on what drivers are to be used etc... so that developers know what to expect and dont have to qualify hundreds of devices or lock down Android like Honeycomb so that it can't be changed.

Slaanesh

The facial recognition unlock didn't work for him in the demo, haha!

Professey Chin

DjFlin wrote: »

I wont go near Android again until they solve the fragmentation problems. I want to see a minimum spec sheet, like Windows Phone 7 has.

Cause thats been such a success....
A lot of Androids success has come from there not being a miniumum spec sheet.
This allows lower end handsets to released with the vast majority of the benefits the OS has but not be released at a high price point and as newer components get released the cheaper older parts filter into the lower priced handsets.
Theres very few apps out atm (especially non-game ones) that would really push say a single 1ghz processor but with the speed things are coming on these are now in pretty mid priced devices like the Xperia Neo.

IMO the problem was a lot bigger with the 1st 2 generations of devices due to faults with both manufacturer customisations & rapid OS development. People are forgetting that in phone terms, with 4.0, Android is on its 7th major release in less then 3 years. Although a few stages of that have been catchup its not an easy thing for phone manufacturers or devs to keep up with that rate since a lot of these things have to be planned long in advance.

Zagato

Was just reading this in a summary of ICS features:

Engadget wrote:

Don't like some of those preloaded carrier apps? Disable 'em. Android Engineer Dan Morrill mentions that, among other new features, any app can be disabled, and while it will still take up space in ROM, it won't be snatching any of your precious resources or clock cycles again if you don't want it to.

Will remove the need to root for some people and reduce the advantage of buying sim-unlocked phones

Venom

Some really cool features in ICS but damm Google need to work on there presentation as way to many people were on stage during it.

vicM

Venom wrote: »

Some really cool features in ICS but damm Google need to work on there presentation as way to many people were on stage during it.

thats because it was a joint Samsung/google presentation. I saw about 5 different people take the stage.
Usually about 3 people take the stage for Apple events

vicM

I was kind of hoping for more of the Honeycomb UI on ICS but its overall look still more or less resembles gingerbread.
By the way during the demo for the voice text-input after he says 'smiley face' a smiley appears, then the crowd goes ahhhh, and I think this promts a 'yahoo' to be inserted! anybody notice this

Dave147

vicM wrote: »

I was kind of hoping for more of the Honeycomb UI on ICS but its overall look still more or less resembles gingerbread.
By the way during the demo for the voice text-input after he says 'smiley face' a smiley appears, then the crowd goes ahhhh, and I think this promts a 'yahoo' to be inserted! anybody notice this

Yeah I saw this, I also noticed that when he said "man" it came up as "map".. that won't help us though, with our Irish accents God knows what the voice recognition will think we're saying!

Professey Chin

Dave147 wrote: »

Yeah I saw this, I also noticed that when he said "man" it came up as "map".. that won't help us though, with our Irish accents God knows what the voice recognition will think we're saying!

Pinapple will hoover be match to yes

Looks fine to me..... >_>

vicM wrote: »

I was kind of hoping for more of the Honeycomb UI on ICS but its overall look still more or less resembles gingerbread.

With the exception of the favourites dock I see more honeycomb then gingerbread. The app drawer, widget menu, icon design, widgets and a lot of the UI changes like the change to blue tones & the action bar are all honeycomb.
The only gingerbread im really seeing is the notification icons and drawer which seem to have stayed the same compared to the honeycomb popup

vicM

[QUOTE/]
The only gingerbread im really seeing is the notification icons and drawer which seem to have stayed the same compared to the honeycomb popup[/QUOTE]

Mhh..probably its the drawer jumping out at me. The Icons also look more gingerbread to me. And I kinda like the native green theme of Gingerbread, blue looks good but coming from a AMOLED sceen the green just pops out

Ste-

Mega Chin wrote: »

Pinapple will hoover be match to yes

Looks fine to me..... >_>

Sponsored by Rowntrees Randoms.

Heroditas

For those of you who do not have the time to watch the whole video, here's a more impromptu one on TECHCRUNCH with one of the main developers.

Professey Chin

Huge interview with Matias Duarte about it here aswell

Id quote it all but it really is huge

DjFlin

dulpit wrote: »

How does the fragmentation problem affect you directly though? (genuinely curious on this). All it results in is multiple handsets that have different flavours and specs, as long as you pick a handset with the specs you want, what's the issue?

Not all Apps run properly on all phones. Dont get my wrong, I LOVED my first Android, up until the next one came out, and suddenly my phone was too slow, or the resolution was too low.
On top of that, As soon as Froyo arrived, I was left out in the cold, along with a load of others folks. I rooted it and got a Froyo ROM running, but users shouldn't have to do that just to get the latest version of a product their phone can support.
I know Google have written up a plan with manufacturers that says they HAVE to release new updates, so hopefully this will help.

Android is a great platform, and offers the more freedom than any other Mobile OS out there. I'm optimistic about it.

Mega Chin wrote: »

Cause thats been such a success....
A lot of Androids success has come from there not being a miniumum spec sheet.

Well, I want an Appstore that lets me download any of the apps there, so yeah, it has been a huge success on that front. I can play angry birds without my phone having a seizure now.

As it is, Android reminds me of Windows. You can stick it on any old machine you've got, and it'll run. Doesn't mean it'll run well. But it'll run.