Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich This is The Very New Latest Version

Cellphones, Software, Tablet PCs
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich review

The next version of each smartphone's operating system is always the best. We impatiently wait for the latest and greatest firmware to come around, expecting it to liberate us from the shackles of last year's code and features that haven't shown up yet. This happens incessantly with Google's Android OS, and version 4.0 -- unveiled at this year's I/O conference in May -- is no different. Known as Ice Cream Sandwich (referred to henceforth as ICS), the last word in the title indicates the merging of Gingerbread, the most recent phone platform, and Honeycomb, the version optimized for use on tablets. We knew this much, but were otherwise left with conjecture as to how the company planned to accomplish such a feat -- and what else the new iteration had in store.


Which devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich?
Hands-on screenshot gallery
Galaxy Nexus and ICS roundup
But now the time of reckoning is upon us, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- Android 4.0's mother ship -- is slowly spreading across the globe, its users being treated to this year's smartphone dessert. ICS is one of the largest and most important upgrades we've witnessed from Android since its humble beginnings, making a huge change in user experience as well as a massive number of bullet points on the list of features. Now that we've had the opportunity to take it for a spin, where does it stand in the ranks of mobile operating systems? Follow us beneath as we dig into the layers of this sweet sandwich.

CIO — Earlier this week, Google officially announced the latest version of its popular Android mobile OS, v4.0, a.k.a., "Ice Cream Sandwich," along with a brand new device that runs Android 4.0: The Samsung Galaxy Nexus--formerly referred to as the "Nexus Prime."
Though Google is really targeting consumers with Android 4.0, the new OS packs a handful of new features and functionality that could be valuable to businesspeople and the IT administrators who support them. The following list spotlights eight of the most noteworthy business features in Android 4.0, which should become available on a variety of new devices in addition to the Galaxy Nexus, and via software updates for some existing handhelds, in the coming weeks and months.
1) Android 4.0 Supports On-Device Encryption

The latest version of Android, 4.0, supports full on-device data encryption, according to Dan Morrill, a Google engineer who works on the Android OS. Past versions of the Android handheld OS could connect to Microsoft Exchange Servers for access to corporate e-mail, calendars, contacts and more, but only if those Exchange Servers did not have a device-encryption IT policy enabled. (Microsoft's brand new Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" OS does not support on-device encryption, and as such, I recently dubbed it unsuitable for business use.)

Android Ice Cream Sandwich device encryption means any corporate data stored on users' devices is "scrambled" to protect the info if the handheld is lost or stolen.

Google's latest tablet OS, Android 3.0 "Honeycomb," already supports on-device encryption, according to Morrill.
2) Voice Typing Enhancements in Android 4.0

Android's talk-to-talk engine got a lot "smarter" with Ice Cream Sandwich, according to Google. Text should instantly appear on screen as you speak. You simply touch the microphone on your Android 4.0 device's keyboard and use your voice to instantly type your emails, SMS, or anywhere you want to enter text.

These enhancements should make the feature a much more viable option for business users.
3) Improved Copy and Paste in Android 4.0

The copy and paste function in Android Ice Cream Sandwich also got an upgrade, according to TechCrunch. Selecting, copying and replacing content should be significantly easier. And users can now move around full blocks of text. Enterprise users who send lots of e-mail and other messages are sure to appreciate this enhancement.
4) New Calendar Features in Android 4.0

The Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS has a revamped calendar UI that makes navigating calendar pages easier and more intuitive. And a new pinch-to-zoom feature makes precise zooming in on calendar items much simpler.