Five months after the release of Ice Cream Sandwich, users will start seeing a roll out of the official ICS upgrade for their Samsung Galaxy S II device.
The update will be available in stages and will arrive first to Samsung's home country Korea. The first European countries that will receive the update are: Poland, Sweden and Hungary. Samsung confirmed that the UK rollout will begin next week.
"Samsung UK can confirm that the roll out of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on Galaxy S II will be available from week commencing 19th March, however the availability of software upgrades in the UK will be dependent upon each networks own software approvals process."
Samsung have informed users that Android 4.0 updates for the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy R, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, 7.7, 8.9, 8.9 LTE and 10.1 will be released soon, Owners of the Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab 7, Galaxy S Plus, Galaxy S Super Clear LCD and Galaxy W can all expect an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread at the end of this month.
Now the question is, what to expect on this new ICS upgrade? The following lists are included in these updates:
Gmail
Gmail in ICS now have has two-line previews, an action bar atthe bottom, offline search and gesture support which lets the user view different emails by swiping accross the screen.
Interface
ICs comes with a look and UI that is very streamlined and polished.
Mobile Browsing Enhancements
The default browser in ICS now supports up to 16 tabs. Chrome bookmarks are now automatically synced while web pages can be saved offline for later viewing.
Data Usage and Management
ICS enables users to better manage their device's resources, letting them view the most resource-intensive app and features as well as set a certain data usage limit.
Improved Voice Recognition
ICS has a powerful new voice input engine that offers a continous open microphone experience and streaming voice recognition.
Easy Screenshots
With ICS, you can take screenshots by simply holing down the power and volume down buttons simultaneously.
Widgets Tab
Widgets are now placed neatly in a new tab and they're listed in a similar way to apps.
Improved Error Correction and Copy-Paste
ICS now has improved error checking and copy-paste capabilities.
Android Beam
ICS users can share different kinds of information via Android Beam which uses the device's NFC capability.
Camera Enhancements
ICS offers image stabilization, improved autofocus, integration with other apps, instant upload to Google+, face detection, panorama, time lapse modes and built-in quick editing tools.
Face Unlock
And finally, ICS users can unlock their devices by simply looking at the front-facing camera.
The update will be available in stages and will arrive first to Samsung's home country Korea. The first European countries that will receive the update are: Poland, Sweden and Hungary. Samsung confirmed that the UK rollout will begin next week.
"Samsung UK can confirm that the roll out of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on Galaxy S II will be available from week commencing 19th March, however the availability of software upgrades in the UK will be dependent upon each networks own software approvals process."
Samsung have informed users that Android 4.0 updates for the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy R, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, 7.7, 8.9, 8.9 LTE and 10.1 will be released soon, Owners of the Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab 7, Galaxy S Plus, Galaxy S Super Clear LCD and Galaxy W can all expect an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread at the end of this month.
Now the question is, what to expect on this new ICS upgrade? The following lists are included in these updates:
Gmail
Gmail in ICS now have has two-line previews, an action bar atthe bottom, offline search and gesture support which lets the user view different emails by swiping accross the screen.
Interface
ICs comes with a look and UI that is very streamlined and polished.
Mobile Browsing Enhancements
The default browser in ICS now supports up to 16 tabs. Chrome bookmarks are now automatically synced while web pages can be saved offline for later viewing.
Data Usage and Management
ICS enables users to better manage their device's resources, letting them view the most resource-intensive app and features as well as set a certain data usage limit.
Improved Voice Recognition
ICS has a powerful new voice input engine that offers a continous open microphone experience and streaming voice recognition.
Easy Screenshots
With ICS, you can take screenshots by simply holing down the power and volume down buttons simultaneously.
Widgets Tab
Widgets are now placed neatly in a new tab and they're listed in a similar way to apps.
Improved Error Correction and Copy-Paste
ICS now has improved error checking and copy-paste capabilities.
Android Beam
ICS users can share different kinds of information via Android Beam which uses the device's NFC capability.
Camera Enhancements
ICS offers image stabilization, improved autofocus, integration with other apps, instant upload to Google+, face detection, panorama, time lapse modes and built-in quick editing tools.
Face Unlock
And finally, ICS users can unlock their devices by simply looking at the front-facing camera.