Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Features

Now we have a new Android on our hands and a promising one for that matter.Google launched the latest iteration of the Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich, alongside the Samsung announcement of the Galaxy Nexus. Ice Cream Sandwich is designed for use with both phones and tablets.

While Google offered a terrific demonstration of many of the impressive features in Ice Cream Sandwich.

 

Here’s the feature list for Android 4.0:

•  Multitasking


•  Face unlock


•  Voice typing


•  Panorama mode for camera


•  Direct Android screenshot


•  Upgraded Notifications


•  New Gmail, contacts, calendar, app interface, as well as new widgets and photo gallery


•  Android Beam – NFC  file transfer


•  Virtual keys instead of the physical ones, in Honeycomb fashion

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich multitasking:

Multi-tasking has also been given a boost and with ICS it's easier to see which apps you've been using recently. If you decide you're done with using one, you can easily flick it away to close.

Google says it has made multitasking "even easier and more visual" on Android 4.0. The Recent Apps button lets users jump instantly from one task to another using the list in the System Bar. The list pops up to show thumbnail images of apps used recently — tapping a thumbnail switches to the app.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Face Unlock

The Galaxy Nexus features built-in facial recognition technology that is put to good use in a cool feature called Face Unlock. As the name suggests, it allows users, or their evil twins, to unlock the device simply by staring into the camera. In theory, at least. The technology was balky during a live demo in Hong Kong.

Voice typing

For users who live in one of the 34 states that have banned texting while driving, or for users with certain disabilities, the Galaxy Nexus' Voice Typing feature offers a convenient way to send texts without having to use the keyboard. Users simply need to touch the phone's microphone icon and begin speaking. The device will automatically convert the oral input to text, which can be sent through email, SMS, or IM.

 Panorama mode for camera

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich also brings some much-needed improvements to Google's camera UI, which the company says it has been working on with Samsung.

ICS devices, and the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Nexus in particular, will have 1080p video, zero shutter lag, a new picture-stitching panorama mode, easier sharing and Instagram-esque filters.

In the panorama mode, you can start taking the picture and then move the camera. The phone assembles the full range of continuous imagery into a single panoramic photo.

"When taking pictures, continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure, and decreased shot-to-shot speed help capture clear, precise images," says Google. "Stabilized image zoom lets users compose photos and video in the way they want, including while video is recording. For new flexibility and convenience while shooting video, users can now take snapshots at full video resolution just by tapping the screen as video continues to record."

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich notifications

Notifications have also been improved. On larger devices - tablets - the updates appear in the System Bar, while on phones the notifications roll down from the top of the screen as before.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich favorites tray

On phones and other "smaller screen devices" (that's Google speak), there's now a customisable favorites tray. You can put anything you want here - apps, folders, shortcuts - whatever you want - check out this screen:

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich widgets

As in Honeycomb, you can now resize widgets on phones too. As in that OS, the widgets in 4.0 are designed to be far more interactive, enabling you to flick through appointments, play music and more.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich data

Android 4.0 includes new graphical displays so you can see how much data you're using and how much you've used over Wi-Fi or cellular. You can also see the amount of data used by each running application.

Warning levels can also be specified, as well as determining how much background data apps can use.

 Android Beam – NFC  file transfer

You can't teleport to the nearest Class M planet with Android Beam, but you can wirelessly send videos, photos, apps, links, and other content to other NFC-enabled Android phones simply by holding the devices within close proximity of each other and hitting send.