James Blog

Icecream Sandwich Anyone?

    If you are wondering why I am talking about an Icecream Sandwich, it's because this is the latest Operating System (OS) for all things Android.

    Icecream Sandwich (or Android 4.0) has been designed for the latest Smart Phones and Tablets running the Android OS and improves on the Gingerbread and Honeycomb OS for Android.

    Gingerbread (Android 2.3) was the previous OS for Smart Phones, while most later tablets such as theSamsung Galaxy 10.1 and Optus Dell Streak 7 use Honeycomb (Android 3.0 - 3.2)

    I installed the new Icecream Sandwich on my much loved Samsung Galaxy SII mobile phone last night, thanks to Optus being the first Australian carrier to make the new OS available for the very popular Samsung Galaxy SII via Samsung Keis. This is the software loaded to your PC to sync all your music, photos, videos, etc and for software updates. A little like iTunes for Apple iPhone.

    So, what's new in the latest OS from Android? Quite a lot behind the scenes I believe, that brings faster web browsing and better mutli-tasking, with a slicker and easier to navigate menu system. Considering I only loaded this new OS last night, it's too early for me to comment on how I am finding using Icecream Sandwich on my phone, but I am looking forward to testing some of the things I have read about... like the faster web browsing and mult-tasking. However, most important to me is the improvement in battery life I have heard of, mainly due to smarter bedhind the scenes control of my Smart Phone.

    Time will tell, and I will give you an update in a week or so to let you know how I am getting on.