It feels great if we get more than what we ask for and when it is in context of technology than that blend speaks for itself by making a mark in the market. Google initiated and took a step forward to amalgamate Gingerbread, the most recent phone platform, and Honeycomb, the version optimized for use on tablets. This amalgamation gave way to latest version of the Android operating system, the Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0.
The concept behind the Ice Cream Sandwich was to create an OS that had all the good qualities of previous versions of Android operating system which were functional on both mobile phones as well as tablets. As the facts say, the Android operating system being quite fragmented, some of its versions work better than other versions in one way or another. Therefore, with the Ice Cream Sandwich, Google hopes to give customers an all in one package that will not disappoint in any way. Not only this, another unique factor about the Ice Cream Sandwich is that this is the first time that an Android operating system can be used on both mobile phones as well as tablets. This indeed has brought in many new features in Ice Cream Sandwich.
Elimination of capacitive buttons
It has eliminated the capacitive buttons on Android phones; there are 4 permanent capacitive buttons at the bottom of every Android phone. With the Ice Cream Sandwich, these 4 buttons will become 3 virtual buttons that will be integrated into the UI, giving it a cleaner look.
New tabs for widgets
The new Android operating system will list widgets in a separate tab, like how applications are listed on a separate tab on the current day Android phones.
New facial recognition technology
This is considered as the most exciting technology on the Ice Cream Sandwich, its ability to unlock the phone.
Widgets can be resized
This feature was already prevailing in Android tablets but with Ice Cream Sandwich, coming first time on cell phones.
Enhanced Camera application
The new camera app will feature very little shutter lag, the time it takes for the camera to ready itself after it has taken a picture. The camera app also introduces several time lapse capture modes as well as several special capture modes such as panoramic mode, smart shot mode etc. Also it will also allow the user to zoom in an out during a recording.
All new People app
It will offer better integration with Facebook and Twitter, allowing for more convenient access to status updates and tweets from favorite friends.
Powerful tabbed browsing
This works best for the people who use their mobile to surf the web a lot as Ice Cream Sandwich now allow up to 16 tabs.
New & improved error connection on the keyboard
BlindType is a total surprise although it didn't make it to gather much buzz around it. For text lovers who type something in a hurry and hit the characters next to the key that you want to actually type, the BlindType software will predict your mistake and correct it accordingly.
The changes brought in by Ice Cream Sandwich are enough to take the breath away. It's modern and refreshing, and the user experience is more polished than its predecessors. Android 4.0 appears to do exactly what it set out to do: merge the better of two worlds into an attractive package. It's a gorgeous OS that offers great performance and -- for the most part -- doesn't feel like a half-baked effort.
