Hasta La Gadget!

Is there such a thing as too much Ice Cream Sandwich? We didn’t think so either, and booted up Google’s own Android Emulator to play around with version four-point-oh — in tablet proportions. We don’t know whether manufacturers will end up slathering their own interpretation of Ice Cream Sandwich on top of the vanilla original, but this is probably very close to what we’ll be dealing with when it arrives on tablets sometime this quarter. Scrollable, resizeable widgets are here, as is a tabbed, synchronizing web browser.

There are some minor niggles; we hope they’ll make some adjustments to the comically over-sized native keyboard, but the main thing we took away from this stuttering simulation is that the UI is nigh-on identical to what we were using on the Galaxy Nexus. Android looks like it has any future convergence issues in order — this version will feel at home on both your phone and tablet. Android Beam has never sounded better. If you can forgive the low-performance emulation, check out the video after the break for more Ice Cream Sandwich, king-size.

Continue reading Android Ice Cream Sandwich: What will it look like on a tablet? (video)

Android Ice Cream Sandwich: What will it look like on a tablet? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus gets official: Android 4.0, 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display (video)
• Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus launches in November on NTT Docomo, Verizon, and more
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Droid RAZR by Motorola: the tale of the tape
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on (video)
• Google confirms Nexus S will get Ice Cream Sandwich — for real this time (Gingerbread devices, too)
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Galaxy S II, Nexus One and Nexus S (macro hands-on)
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus camera and 1080p video samples
• Samsung: the LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus will be ‘a little’ thicker

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now official, includes revamped design, enhancements galore
• Roboto font and the new design philosophy of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich adds Face Unlock feature
• Ice Cream Sandwich revamps Android camera and gallery features
• Google announces NFC-based Android Beam for sharing between phones (video)
• Google Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0): a hands-on screenshot gallery
• HTC: We’re reviewing Ice Cream Sandwich and determining our plans
• Ice Cream Sandwich face unlock demo (video)
• Android Beam takes us to the future of close-proximity data exchange (video)
• Google’s ‘very close’ to launching a digital download store with ‘a little twist’

Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich roundup: specs, details and insight, oh my! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thought today’s festivities were over from Hong Kong? Think again. While Samsung and Google tag-teamed the morning with the introduction of the Galaxy Nexus, the first-ever AsiaD conference is kicking off as the sun sets over Victoria Harbour. The opening keynote is quite the impressive one, with Google’s own Senior Vice President of Mobile, Andy Rubin, on the docket. Mr. Rubin’s no stranger to these events — in fact, we’ve liveblogged his interviews twice from All Things D events — and we’re expecting quite the talk tonight following the official unveiling of Ice Cream Sandwich. Join us after the break for the liveblog!

Continue reading Liveblog from AsiaD: Andy Rubin, SVP of Mobile at Google

Liveblog from AsiaD: Andy Rubin, SVP of Mobile at Google originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got it straight from the horse’s mouth here at Samsung and Google’s Galaxy Nexus launch event that the future LTE edition of the Galaxy Nexus will indeed be thicker than the HSPA+ model showcased today (and above). How much thicker? “A little,” according to a company representative, but he wouldn’t go so far as to talk millimeters. When asked if the additional size was there to hold the LTE package or just a larger battery, he also failed to elaborate. We’d be shocked if the LTE variant doesn’t pack at least a bit more juice — we’ve covered the damage that LTE does to a battery in great detail here — but frankly, we’d rather have something a wee bit thicker than a phone that dies after four hours of use.

Samsung: the LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus will be ‘a little’ thicker originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 02:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung was awarded a precious head start in its upgrade path to Android 4.0, but how will its competition respond? HTC may have one of the most difficult jobs ahead, since it has integrated its Sense UI so deeply into the core Android user experience, but that doesn’t mean the OEM isn’t determining the best road it should take to get to the land of Ice Cream Sandwiches. The company released an official statement following this evening’s announcement to confirm that it’s looking over the update’s new features and functionality, figuring out how to make it happen without forcing sacrifices to the usability and performance of each HTC product. We’ll be interested to see what it comes up with, as many of the UI elements popular in Sense appear to now be a part of the stock ICS functionality. The company was careful not to commit to the new Android, nor did it give any particular timeframe or roadmap in the process. Check out the full statement below:

We are excited about the latest update for Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and are currently reviewing its features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans. Our goal for Android updates is to give every customer an improved user experience, which means balancing each phone’s unique hardware, HTC Sense experience and the Android kernel. While our goal is to upgrade as many of our recent devices as possible, we are committed to maintaining every phone’s performance and usability first. Please stay tuned for more updates on specific device upgrade plans.

HTC: We’re reviewing Ice Cream Sandwich and determining our plans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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