android 4.0

Android Ice Cream Sandwich versus iOS 5: Killer features

What I'm about to attempt--comparing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Apple iOS 5--is a little like tiptoeing through a minefield. Most of you won't be happy and somebody could get hurt. (Read: me.)

Yet, this comparison must be done. For one thing, Google and Apple have both recently unveiled huge changes that respectively make their mobile operating systems far more powerful, and in some ways more similar to each other. For another thing, weighing the pros and cons of each platform against the other is a scenario that's played out daily among many people who are deciding which phone to buy.

Just a few parameters before diving in. First, I'm overwhelmingly looking at software, not hardware, but I'll point out where hardware does factor in. iOS 5 runs on multiple devices, but is the most powerful right now on the iPhone 4S. Ditto Ice Cream Sandwich. The unreleased Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the one phone that can currently show off the OS update's full spectrum of features, since it was purpose-built to be compatible with them all. That will change for both operating systems as additional future devices are built with the hardware to support the new software.

Second, I'm not just talking about new additions, but trying to look at the OS in its entirety.

Third, I'm looking at what each OS can do natively. Yes, there are scores of third-party apps you can download to do just about anything to satisfy something that one OS lacks that another has, but what we're looking at here is what Apple and Google have decided to bestow, not clever external developers. And I'm not talking about anything you can achieve only by jailbreaking or rooting. Official, but optional apps created by Apple and Google are OK--like Find My Friends and Google Voice.

Third, I'm throwing in two "fun" features for each (these will be the last two). I wouldn't recommend buying an iOS 5 or Ice Cream Sandwich device solely because of them, but they're pleasantly show-offy conversation pieces unique to each platform.

Got all that? Let's go.… Read more

Sony Ericsson to dish Ice Cream Sandwich for 2011 phones

While some handset makers are looking into Android 4.0 and evaluating the potential for updates, others are already making promises.

Such is the case with Sony Ericsson, which said this week that its entire 2011 product line will see Ice Cream Sandwich. Although the company hasn't outlined a specific time frame or soft expectation, it should go a long way to putting its consumer base at ease.

If the promise holds up, then Ice Cream Sandwich could arrive on smartphones like the Xperia Ray, the Xperia Play, the Xperia Play 4G, and the Xperia Arc. Updates for those … Read more

Ice Cream Sandwich: Say goodbye to bloatware

Android fans, say goodbye to bloatware.

CNET has recently confirmed with Google that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update will let users disable any application, even those apps that the manufacturer and carrier preinstall as part of their business deals.

The ability to shut down unwanted apps also extends to the browser and Gmail.

For years, Android users have been harassed by the presence of apps that were locked into the phone and impossible to uninstall. Users who didn't want any of these preinstalled apps had to lump it, and turn an unseeing eye to the offending … Read more

What humanizing Siri, Ice Cream Sandwich says about us

commentary Like it or not, chances are that one of your most prized relationships is with your smartphone.

You love a phone design or you viscerally hate it; you can't stand this wallpaper, so you add that one. Your phone's design or color is a statement of your identity. Like all products it says something about you: you're hip and edgy, you're a top-notch professional, you're more subtle and value utility. If you invest in custom cases or stickers, is it only for protection, or also an act of self-expression?

Then there's the wallpaper you choose, the ringtones and alarms you set, the apps you download, that all create an environment uniquely shaped by and descriptive of you.

All this is a good thing, at least if you make or sell smartphones, and it's a tacit principle that the mobile industry thrives on. People don't just like their phones, we need them. And if you lose or leave behind your phone, you mourn every minute it's outside of your possession. Have you ever thought: my life is on my phone?

Yep, it's not for nothing that cell phones are called the most personal of consumer electronics.… Read more

HTC addresses Ice Cream Sandwich update

As we've learned today, Google expects that the first Ice Cream Sandwich updates will begin rolling out a few weeks after the Galaxy Nexus arrives.

Although HTC has yet to confirm my assumption, I assume that the Nexus S, which debuted with Gingerbread, will be among the first to receive the Android 4.0 upgrade.

But beyond the "Pure Google" phones, it's hard to forecast which handsets will see Ice Cream Sandwich. HTC, for its part, is already looking into the new release and is working to come up with a plan for updates.

Shortly after … Read more

Ice Cream Sandwich to follow Galaxy Nexus release

Now that the dust has started to settle on the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich unveiling, it's time to address the update elephant in the room.

I don't blame you if your first question following the event was, "When am I getting Android 4.0 on my phone? Let's face it, there are potentially millions of users with new or semi-new handsets who really want to have that Ice Cream Sandwich experience. In other words, you love the 4.0 stuff but aren't ready to commit to a new phone all over again.

Google'… Read more

The 404 928: Where Jill feeds us an ice cream sandwich (podcast)

CBS MoneyWatch's Jill Schlesinger helps us understand why Wall Street is disappointed with Apple's fourth-quarter results despite year-over-year growth across its iPhone, iPad, and Mac properties.

We return the favor by telling Jill why she should care about Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich updates, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and why babies under 2 years old shouldn't live in front of digital screens.

Also, stay tuned after the break for news about Sony PlayStation Vita launch delays, and Jeff chimes in with a surprising pitch for the future of portable gaming. Heads up, Sony and Nintendo!… Read more

Unlock Android 4.0 with your face?

The PlayStation Vita won't be out for the holidays, Apple stores are closing during a memorial for Steve Jobs, and Android's Ice Cream Sandwich version comes with several new camera features.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Google and Samsung electrify Android (video)

An hour-long event in Hong Kong yesterday revealed a brave new world for Android smartphones.

Yesterday's launch of the Samsung Nexus smartphone and new details about Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has the tech community buzzing. Executives from both companies detailed the most cohesive strategy yet for the smartphone platform, which you can fully watch in the embedded video above.… Read more

Samsung Galaxy Nexus first impressions: Ice Cream Sandwich makes it sparkle

It's been a wild day in Android land. Earlier this morning, Motorola and Verizon pulled back the curtain on the sleek, gorgeous, and positively anorexic Motorola Droid Razr, only to have the spotlight stolen by the double-whammy of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. (Compare the specs here.)

The phone is bound for the U.S. and parts of Asia and Europe, starting in November.

Now, Samsung spent most of the day tripping over its own leaks with regards to the looks and specs of the phone, but that didn't dampen our admiration any. It's a phone that any carrier would be proud to offer, from the HD screen and 1.2GHz dual-core processor to the 1080p HD video capture and playback, to the barometer and NFC chip embedded within.

We'll know more when we get our hands on the device in due time, both in Hong Kong with CNET Asia and here in our San Francisco headquarters. For now, here's what we think.… Read more