ics - 25/26 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

ICS Has Completely Revamped Your Contacts Into The "People" app

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Applications, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

In an age where a "contact" is more than a mere phone number and email address, contact management has become a tedious process. So, I was pleased to see Google taking a step in the right direction with ICS and updating the contact manager into the new and improved "People" app. During the ICS live blog Hugo Barra, Product Management Director for Android at Google, demoed the new People app by showing off how it seamlessly integrated all the contact's basic information together with the person's different social profiles.

The user interface has also been completely revamped and viewing contacts has now become a much more visual experience.

Oct

[Updated] Galaxy Nexus And Ice Cream Sandwich Launch Live Blog

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy Nexus, Google, News, Samsung

Welcome to the home of the Ice Cream Sandwich launch live coverage. Come back to this page about 30 minutes before Google and Samsung start the event in Hong Kong and join us in the chat. The official start times in various time zones are below:

Oct 18 4PM HAST
Oct 18 7PM PDT
Oct 18 8PM MDT
Oct 18 9PM CDT
Oct 18 10PM EDT
Oct 19 2AM GMT
Oct 19 3AM BST
Oct 19 4AM CEST/IST
Oct 19 5AM EEST
Oct 19 6AM MSK
Oct 19 10AM HKT
Oct 19 11AM JST

Remember, the whole event will be broadcast live at youtube.com/android - don't forget to tune in.

Oct

Confirmed: Ice Cream Sandwich/Galaxy Nexus Announcement Rescheduled To October 18 10PM EST (October 19 10AM HKT) In Hong Kong

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy Nexus, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Samsung

We can finally stop guessing when Ice Cream Sandwich will be revealed to the world in all its glory as Google and Samsung just announced the event would be happening in Hong Kong, October 19th at 10 a.m. HKT, which corresponds to 10 p.m. October 18th EST. As before, the live stream will be available at http://www.youtube.com/Android.

And to that we say, "Bring it!"

Oct

Exclusive: Details Of The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Ice Cream Sandwich Phone (Sorry, "Prime" Is Not Likely)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Exclusives, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

At this point, it's pretty clear that we've all been knee deep in Ice Cream Sandwich goodies all week long. We've already given you the Music 4.0.1, Google+ 2.0, and ICS Clock widget APKs, but that's not all - now we have some details regarding the CDMA Verizon Nexus Prime. At least that's what we thought it was called before Google and Samsung decided on the Galaxy Nexus as the final name, according to our reliable source who goes by Geek Vundotra (remember the leaked apps above?).

A few days ago, we heard two variations of very different specs for the Prime: one from BGR, which stated that it should have a 1.2Ghz OMAP processor, LTE, and be exclusive to Verizon; the other came from GSMarena, which stated that the next Nexus (should we call it "Nextus" as one of our readers suggested?) would be packing a monstrous 1.5GHz Exynos and a Power PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU.

Oct

[Exclusive Download] Google+ 2.0 From ICS - Offers New, More Polished Interface

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Exclusives, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Earlier today we gave you a quick look at Chords from the new Google Plus 2.0 app that should be included in ICS. Now, let's take a closer look and compare the updated Google+ app to the current release, shall we?

What's New

^{Left: Old, Right: New}

First off, the notification bar has been moved from the bottom to the top. Other than that, nothing really to see here (aside form Chord, but we've already talked about that).

Much like the Music 4.0.1 app, this update seems to be all about polish. Everything looks cleaner and more intuitive. The overall organization and layout has been improved.

Oct

Exclusive: Google Plus Messenger And Conversations Will Become "Chords" According To Google Plus v2.0 App Found In ICS [Screenshots]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Exclusives, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Get ready, folks - the next few days are going to get really interesting. We've already started seeing Ice Cream Sandwich leaks, so why don't we join the fun as well?

This tidbit comes from the Google Plus app found on the Verizon Ice Cream Sandwich device (thanks for dropping some goodies at our porch, Geek Vundotra!). The Google Plus app found on this device is no ordinary app - it's marked as v2.0 and contains numerous UI changes from the v1.0.x that is in the Market right now. But we'll dedicate a separate post to that - right now I wanted to point out something that immediately jumped at me as soon as I installed and opened Google Plus 2.0 on my EVO (yes, it's compatible).

Oct

Nexus Prime Screenshots And Videos Emerge, Gives Us A Good Look At Polished Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

The Prime leaks are rolling out in full force now, and we're really starting to get a good look at what Ice Cream Sandwich is all about. While Google and Samsung decided to cancel the Unpacked event -- originally set for October 11th -- where the Prime and ICS were to be announced, at least we have something to look at while we wait for the date to be rescheduled.

First off, the crew over at MyDroidWorld have gotten their hands on the Prime boot animation, threw it on a Droid Bionic, and shot a video for all to see. It's sleek, fast, and overall looks pretty cool.

Sep

Sony Ericsson: No Decision Has Been Made To Bring Ice Cream Sandwich To Xperia Devices

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Sony Ericsson

Earlier today we reported, with great skepticism, that Sony Ericsson would be bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to all of its Xperia devices. It looks like our doubts were dead on, as SE told Slashgear that "no such decision has been made."

When it comes to future platforms of the Android OS, we will make them available to consumers in a timely manner as long as they improve the user experience and are viable from a hardware point of view.

Like we pointed out earlier, some of SE's devices have been upgraded to Gingerbread in the past several months, while others were left behind long ago, suggesting that there's no clear plan of any kind where OS update are concerned.

Sep

[Updated] Sony Ericsson Promises 2011 XPERIA Line Will Get Ice Cream Sandwich, We Try To Act Skeptical

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Sony Ericsson

Update: We knew it was too good to be true, and Sony Ericsson has released an official statement on the matter. Let's just say that Xperia devices may not be seeing ICS after all.

It seems Sony-Ericsson's PR arm has found its way straight to the heart of Android fanboys: by promising major OS updates. There really is no better feeling for an Android phone owner than knowing that, at some point, their phone will be getting the bump to the latest version of the Android operating system - and not left to die on the streets of software obsolescence.

Aug

[Rumor] Samsung Nexus Prime Will Feature 1.5GHz Processor And 4.5-Inch Display, Will Launch In October

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Samsung

The wait has been long for those eager to find out more about Ice Cream Sandwich (i.e. everyone in the Android community), but it appears that the date is finally drawing near, as more and more details are starting to leak out. Last week we got our first look at the next version of Android, and today Electronic Times published some details on the first device that will run it - the Nexus Prime.

The info jives well with what we've heard previously: the Prime will be built by Samsung, and will feature a 4.5-inch "HD" AMOLED display as well as a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU.