At 10pm last night, Google and Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). We’ve been hearing about the new operating system since it was announced at Google’s I/O conference some months ago as the OS that would unify Android smartphones with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which has only run on tablets so far. Like every major version of Android before it, Ice Cream Sandwich will debut on a piece of hardware co-designed and co-branded by Google. The first Android 4.0 device will be called the Galaxy Nexus (Read about it here) and will be coming out this November, though we don’t yet know what day, for what price, or on which carriers it will arrive.
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Below are all of the new features of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) that we know about.
New features
Feb 22, 2012 - How to Install Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich' on the Samsung Galaxy Tab. By Eugene Kim. Download the Files You'll Need.
While Google cherry picked many of the best features from other operating systems to develop Android, its engineers dreamed up quite a few original ideas in Android 4.0 too. Here are a few of them.
- Quick response texts: People often call at a bad time, but with this feature, you can write some pre-canned messages and as soon as someone calls, instead of answering or denying the call, you can choose to text them a busy message instead.
- In-line spell checking: It was wonderful when browsers started correcting text and now your phone will start doing it too.
- Complete data network control: If you care to, you can now monitor exactly what apps are using data, when they are using data, and shut them off accordingly. Google’s controls are so refined that you could search back a few hours or days to find an app that drained your battery or used a ton of data, identify it, and then shut off its ability to transmit background data.
- Instant voice-to-text: Apple may have Siri, but Android has had voice recognition for a while. Google has improved this functionality by letting you dictate a text without waiting for the voice dialog to come up.
- Explore-by-touch mode: Sounds play as you move your fingers across the screen. This is for blind users.
- Photo and video editing: Androids Camera and Gallery apps now have a built in photo editor. You can also add “Live Effects” to video–things like weird face contortions, beams of sunlight, etc.
- Better Camera app: The Camera app also has a very cool panorama mode that makes it easy to stitch together a big picture as well as take stop-motion photography. You can also finally tap to focus on something.
- Screenshots: By holding a couple buttons, you can snap a screenshot of your phone.
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Really cool new features
Believe it or not, there are some innovative new features coming to Ice Cream Sandwich as well. Here are three of them.
- Android Beam: Since all Ice Cream Sandwich phones have NFC, if you tap the backs of two of them together, you can instantly share whatever you’re doing with another Android handset. If you’re playing a game, your friend’s Android will open up the Android Market to the page where they can download the game. If you’re on a Web page, their phone will open up that same page. It’s fast and easy looking. Now all we need is an army of phones with Android 4.0 and NFC.
- Face unlock: Instead of the standard lock screen, now Android will supposedly (the demo didn’t work in the presentation) be able to recognize your face and unlock your phone for you. We’re hesitant about this feature, but if it works as advertised, it could be very cool.
- Unified phone and tablet apps: Supposedly, Android 4.0 will be able to hot swap between tablet and phone orientations, making things like Motorola’s Lapdock sound much more appealing. It also is the first platform that will allow a single app to be written for both tablets and phones. This may not make much of a difference now, but down the line it could mean broader support for Android. Both Apple and Microsoft require separate apps from developers for phones and tablets.
Features borrowed from Android Honeycomb
In addition to looking a lot more like Windows Phone, Google has brought many of the features from Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) from the tablet to the phone. This is good, considering Ice Cream Sandwich is supposed to work equally well on a tablet or phone.
- Unlock screen: The unlock screen has you drag a circle to the edge of another circle, though Google has enhanced its functionality, allowing you to open up the camera or notification tray from the unlock screen.
- Resizable widgets: Widgets can now be resized and can scroll, among other things. Very cool.
- On-screen navigation buttons: Android phones have always had four separate buttons (sometimes haptic, sometimes actual buttons) for Home, Search, Back, and Menu functions. Well, not anymore. Like Android tablets, all of the navigation has been moved onscreen. There are now three navigation controls: Back, Home, and Recent Apps. The Search and Menu buttons have been removed entirely, though they’ll show up if an app requires them. Apps now have a menu tray that appears and changes as needed.
- Recent Apps: By clicking on this new navigation button, you can bring up a list of recently used applications and exit them, enter them, or do whatever you like.
- Redesigned app drawer: The new app drawer has a tab for browsing widgets and now scrolls through apps side-to-side in a page format instead of a downward scroll, like in previous versions.
- Improved copy and paste: Copy and paste now has little bars to help select text and an easier menu to do with it what you wish.
- Tabbed Web browsing & shared bookmarks: Google isn’t calling the new Android browser “Chrome” but it’s starting to communicate and look more like Google’s notable desktop browser. The new browser lets you scroll through tabs (swipe them to delete), save pages for offline reading, request a desktop version of a mobile Website, and share bookmarks with your PC.
- Enhanced email: Google has reworked the Gmail app to show more messages and support nested mail subfolders, etc.
- Improved notifications: Music can now be paused or fast forwarded in the notification tray and app makers will have greater control over the notifications that are sent out.
Features borrowed from Windows Phone, webOS, and iOS
This isn’t a bad thing, but it should be acknowledged. Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform may be struggling to compete, but those who use it, love it. In its presentation last night, Google acknowledged that “people don’t love Android.” It was a startling admission, but helps to explain why Google’s new approach is much cleaner and looks a lot more like Windows Phone.
Below are new traits of Android:
- Roboto font: For the first time, maybe ever, Google went into detail on its new font named Roboto. The font does look very nice on small screen, but we have to say, it looks a lot like the Windows Phone font with thin lines and no serif.
- Solid backgrounds and 1-color icons: Android 4.0 is full of white, black, and very simple, one-color icons and backgrounds. This is an attempt by Google to unclutter the OS, but it’s also unmistakably borrowed from Windows Phone, which is full of solid colors.
- Grids and big pictures: Borrowing from the old Zune interface, WP7 has always had large-full screen pictures. Android 4.0 borrows this idea for its new phone app. In addition, Google has redesigned the Gallery app and a number of other sections of Android to have a gridded interface, with big pictures…a staple of WP7.
- Swiping and gestures: Finally, we’re happy that Google is finally adopting more swipes and gestures, but it’s very clear that many of these gestures are pulled from Windows Phone and webOS. Previous versions of Android were full of touches and taps, making for a very static experience. Now you can swipe away notifications or running apps with a flick of the finger.
- Home tray: This idea doesn’t come from WP7, but it is borrowed from iOS. Google has finally integrated a home tray into Android. You can move any app shortcuts into this area, which will make them show up no matter which homescreen you’re on.
- Homescreen folders: By holding one app icon over another, you can easily create a folder of icons on the homescreen. This has been in modded versions of Android for some time, so it’s good to see Google integrating the feature.
- Keyboard: The new on-screen Android keyboard looks almost identical to Windows Phone. This is good, since WP7 has the best keyboard, by far.
- People App: Google has renamed the contacts page as a “People” page with an entry for “Me.” You can browse through updated profiles and see your friends recent social networking updates, among other things. This is borrowed directly from WP7, though we like how Android brings together entries from a myriad of different services — more than iOS and WP7.
- Visual voicemail integration: Voicemail sucks. It’s slow to listen to and difficult to navigate. Android 4.0 integrates visual voicemail directly into the OS, allowing you to see the picture of who left a message, and then fast forward, rewind, and delete the messages as you see fit.
How do you get it?
This is the big question. We think Android 4.0 is definitely a worthwhile update that changes a number of things about Android, but getting it may be a difficult task. We don’t know when Google will release the code for it so that all phone manufacturers can begin adopting it, but because of its lack of navigation buttons and what sounds like requirements for NFC and a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, no other phones on the market may be able to run it currently. The only phone that might have Ice Cream Sandwich this holiday season is the Galaxy Nexus, and we don’t know when it will be available (they say November), which carriers it will be available on (Verizon is rumored), or what it will cost. It’s all up in the air right now, but we’re hoping U.S. carriers embrace this new phone.
Update (March 24, 2012): This firmware, XXKP8, is pretty old now. Rather a new firmware, which is an official update too from Samsung Kies software is available, dubbed as XXLPQ. We would recommend you to install XXLPQ firmware to upgrade your Galaxy S2 i9100 to Ice Cream Sandwich.
Okay this is the best new year present you could get for yourself and your beloved S2 — a brand new leak of an Android 4.0.3 firmware, XXKP8. Celebrating already? Lets see the installation and other stuff below.
Well, I’m installing it on my Galaxy S2 (i9100) and I hope this time Ice Cream Sandwich really has come to stay in my beloved S2. The Galaxy S already has a cool custom rom out for it but for S2, ICS has been a bad joke till now, even though we do have a decent enough ICS rom for S2, too.
I’ll update with how’s everything is inside the rom, like what’s good and what’s not so good and all that. So, check back again.
Btw, you can install from Android 2.3.x to XXKP8’s Android 4.0.3 directly without problem. And to go back to Android 2.3.5, download and install XXKH3 on your Galaxy S2.
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Now, without bugging you much lets see the links and instructions now — after we’re done with usual warning and compatibility stuff, that is.
Warning!
The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to you or your device, we won’t be held liable — you only will be responsible, you’ve been warned!!!
Compatibility
This rom and the guide below is compatible only and only with Galaxy S2, model number i9100. It’s not compatible with any other device. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About phone.
Pre-Installation tips:
- Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
- If you have Samsung’s PC software Kies installed, un-install it first because it may interrupt the flashing process.
- Drivers! — it’s important you’ve the proper drivers installed. Download links below: 32 bit (x86) Windows | 64-bit (x64) Windows
Installation video (of older Android 2.3.6 firmware XXKG1, just to help out newbies)
If you’re new to Odin, see this video first to get an idea of how firmware is installed using Odin. It’s of one old firmware (XXKG1) but very helpful to newbies, and you’ll definitely be more comfortable installing XXKP8 after watching this video. Then, follow the guide below.
[youtube video_id=”DenoU04sEMo” width=”620″ height=”400″ /]Install XXKP8 Firmware on Galaxy S2 to get Android 4.0 ICS
- Download XXKP8 firmware. Filename: I9100XXKP8_I9100OXAKP8.rar. Size: 313 MB → Download Link. [password: samfirmware.com]
- Extract the downloaded file ‘I9100XXKP8_I9100OXAKP8.rar’ of XXKP8 firmware to get these 7 files:
- GT-I9100-MULTI-CSC-OXAKP8.tar.md5
- I9100_CODE_I9100XXKP8_CL42141_REV02_user_low_ship.tar.md5
- I9100_EFS_I9100XXKP8_CL42141_REV02_user_low_ship.tar.md5 [not to be used]
- I9100_KERNEL_I9100XXKP8_CL42141_REV02_user_low_ship.tar.md5 [not to be used]
- MODEM_I9100XXKP8_REV_02_CL1092599.tar.md5
- Odin3 v1.83.exe [For windows only. Double click to run this file when asked in step 5 below. Admin privileges will be required!]
- u1_02_20110310_emmc_EXT4.pit
- Disconnect your phone if it’s connected to PC. Switch Off your phone. Wait for vibration to confirm complete switch off.
- Now, put the Galaxy S2 in Download Mode — press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Home + Power. You’ll get an options screen. Press Volume Up now to go to download mode (which is also called Odin mode). This is required to install the XXKP8 (or any other firmware) using Odin PC Software.
- Open Odin (from step 3) — double click the Odin3 v1.83.exe.
- Connect your phone to PC now. You should get the message “Added! !” under the Odin’s message box in the bottom left. If you don’t get this message, then probably there is a problem with drivers. Make sure you’ve proper drivers installed. See point 3 above under pre-installation tips.
- Select these files in Odin at respective tabs:
- Click the PDA Tab, and select I9100_CODE_I9100XXKP8_CL42141_REV02_user_low_ship.tar.md5 (from step 2.2)
- Click the Phone Tab, and select MODEM_I9100XXKP8_REV_02_CL1092599.tar.md5 (from step 2.5)
- Click the CSC Tab, and select GT-I9100-MULTI-CSC-OXAKP8.tar.md5 (from step 2.1)
- Click the PIT tab, and select u1_02_20110310_emmc_EXT4.pit (from step 2.7)
- Important! On Odin, make sure Re-Partition, Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time checkboxes are selected. Do not touch any other checkbox or tab or anything, except as was required in step 8 above.
- Double check everything said in step 8 and 9 above. [And, do not use the files in step 2.3 and 2.4 anywhere in Odin]. This is my Odin’s screen while I flashed the XXKP8 on my Galaxy S2 — your Odin’s window should look real similar to this:
- Now, hit the START button to start flashing of XXKP8 Android 4.0 firmware on your Galaxy S2. Flashing of XXKP8 would take some 3 mins 30 seconds and booting up of phone would take around 3 mins too. Your mileage may wary, btw. When the ICS has been installed by Odin on your phone, your phone will automatically reboot — and when you see the Samsung logo, you can safely unplug the cable. Plus, you’ll get a PASS (with green background) message in the left-most box at the very top of the Odin. If it’s red and with FAIL written over it, the process flashing process wasn’t successful. In case of FAIL, try everything again from step 4, making sure that you don’t break the process. On successful flashing you’ll get his sort of screen:
- When it has restarted, your Galaxy S2 will be running Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) with version being Android 4.0.3, build being XXKP8 and Samsung’s custom UI TouchWiz 4 atop it. Check out your Galaxy S2’s android version here: Settings » About Phone.
- (Optional, of course) If you found this guide useful, share it with others too on webpages, forums, your Facebook/twitter/Google+ pages, etc. That would be helping us grow too!
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Share your thoughts, observations, complaints, problems (if any), etc in comments below. We’ll be glad to help you out. And do let us know if you spot anything too good so that we all know it.