[Zack06]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/13/s...on-october-19/

They've confirmed the date is now the 19th for ICS and the Nexus Prime launch...excited

[spendleb]

Hope so, waiting for the Nexus Prime, just hoping it's not set at a ridiculous price!

[Pretinama]

How cool. I wonder how many existing Android users will be able to upgrade their existing phones?

I rather like the idea of Android but don't want to spend heaps on a phone (and to be honest rather like my iPhone anyhow) but would like to give Android a go. Here's hoping there will be an entry level phone that can run the latest version

[Mozitski]

Ice Cream Sandwiches all around? Count me in!

[Roush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pretinama

How cool. I wonder how many existing Android users will be able to upgrade their existing phones?

Probably none. It's clear from the invite and time scheduling that it's primarily a Samsung event, so it looks like they will be the only people shipping Android 4.0 for the time being. There's a slim chance they may offer upgrades to their current range of Android products, but I wouldn't hold your breath. It would be a fair amount of engineering effort for no gain.

Not a chance for non-Samsung products though, at least for the time being. You'll probably have to wait for hacked ROMs to appear if you want it.

[Esot-eric]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pretinama

How cool. I wonder how many existing Android users will be able to upgrade their existing phones?

Anyone with a phone capable of running CyanogenMod will probably see it within a few weeks ICS being open-sourced.

For a cheap phone check out the Orange San Francisco. It's a PAYG phone available for around £90 and is easily unlocked, rooted and there's a CyanogenMod port available for it. I'm running CM7.1 (containing Android 2.3.7) on mine and it's great.

To be honest i'm not sure what new features Android needs. The only thing i can think of is something like Whatsapp or iMessage built-in, using the Google Talk infrastructure where possible (so i can also receive/send through an IM client on the computer) falling back to SMS when not.

I'm also hoping that there will be an announcement of the expansion of Google Voice outside the US with direct SIP access so i can connect with my hardware SIP phone, but that's directly Android related.

[Roush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esot-eric

Anyone with a phone capable of running CyanogenMod will probably see it within a few weeks ICS being open-sourced.

It's just a shame that's unlikely to happen any time soon.

[Zack06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Probably none. It's clear from the invite and time scheduling that it's primarily a Samsung event, so it looks like they will be the only people shipping Android 4.0 for the time being. There's a slim chance they may offer upgrades to their current range of Android products, but I wouldn't hold your breath. It would be a fair amount of engineering effort for no gain.

Not a chance for non-Samsung products though, at least for the time being. You'll probably have to wait for hacked ROMs to appear if you want it.

ICS has been seen running on a Nexus S so its pretty likely that that device will get it. I'm sure the Nexus One will get a look in as well seeing as though the specs are pretty much the same as the Nexus S'

The SGS2 may have to wait until Samsung have Touchwizified ICS before they get an update, but I'd say that it's pretty likely that it will get it...

I can't say anything for existing HTC, Motorola, LG or Sony Ericsson Android devices though...

[paulbrock]

I would be very surprised if their flagship model that they are advertising the hell out of doesn't get the latest software, particularly with Apple waving their new version of iOS around.

[swordman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Probably none. It's clear from the invite and time scheduling that it's primarily a Samsung event, so it looks like they will be the only people shipping Android 4.0 for the time being. There's a slim chance they may offer upgrades to their current range of Android products, but I wouldn't hold your breath. It would be a fair amount of engineering effort for no gain.

Not a chance for non-Samsung products though, at least for the time being. You'll probably have to wait for hacked ROMs to appear if you want it.

You clearly have not idea about this do you, so why say anything?

[Esot-eric]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swordman

You clearly have not idea about this do you, so why say anything?

To be fair, none of us have any idea.

I do disagree with Roush though. Google used the excuse that they didn't want anyone putting Android 3.x on phones to keep it closed source, but that excuse wont fly with 4.0.

My personal opinion is that we'll see the open source version out by the end of November, and CyanogenMod nightlies containing it by mid-December.

[finbaar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Probably none. It's clear from the invite and time scheduling that it's primarily a Samsung event, so it looks like they will be the only people shipping Android 4.0 for the time being. There's a slim chance they may offer upgrades to their current range of Android products, but I wouldn't hold your breath. It would be a fair amount of engineering effort for no gain.

Not a chance for non-Samsung products though, at least for the time being. You'll probably have to wait for hacked ROMs to appear if you want it.

Hahaha, have you any idea about custom ROMs? The Free Xperia Project will have ICS rocking on the Arc within weeks.

[swordman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esot-eric

To be fair, none of us have any idea.

I do disagree with Roush though. Google used the excuse that they didn't want anyone putting Android 3.x on phones to keep it closed source, but that excuse wont fly with 4.0.

My personal opinion is that we'll see the open source version out by the end of November, and CyanogenMod nightlies containing it by mid-December.

Well more idea than the previous nonsense. A samsung event!! samsung made the phone for google as did HTC previously still a launch of the new google android phone with the new version of the android operating system.

ICS is available for any manufacturer to place on any of their phones post event if they wanted to use vanilla android. Granted they won't do that but it is nothing about giving samsung first option or making this a samsung event utter rubbish.

don't forget android is open source so no one is going to get a preference.

[Roush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swordman

don't forget android is open source so no one is going to get a preference.

Not it isn't. Android is released under the terms of the Apache License which gives Google the choice as to whether to release source code or not.

If you want to prove me wrong and assert that it is open source then point me to a source code distribution for Android 3.x

As for it being predominately (not entirely, I said predominately) a Samsung event, I came to this conclusion by an examination of the facts. It's happening in Asia when most of the western world is either asleep or going to bed. Does that sound like a major product launch from a US company?

As for Android 4.0 not appearing soon for non-Samsung / Google devices I still think this will be the case, certainly outside the big three.

I may be wrong, Google my indeed release the 4.0 source code soon and let people have at it, but my personal belief is that they will treat it exactly the same as 3.x and hand pick hardware partners.

In fact, I hope I am wrong about this, as it would be exciting to see what innovations others can add to the mix, but I don't believe I will be wrong.

[swordman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Not it isn't. Android is released under the terms of the Apache License which gives Google the choice as to whether to release source code or not.

If you want to prove me wrong and assert that it is open source then point me to a source code distribution for Android 3.x

As for it being predominately (not entirely, I said predominately) a Samsung event, I came to this conclusion by an examination of the facts. It's happening in Asia when most of the western world is either asleep or going to bed. Does that sound like a major product launch from a US company?

As for Android 4.0 not appearing soon for non-Samsung / Google devices I still think this will be the case, certainly outside the big three.

I may be wrong, Google my indeed release the 4.0 source code soon and let people have at it, but my personal belief is that they will treat it exactly the same as 3.x and hand pick hardware partners.

In fact, I hope I am wrong about this, as it would be exciting to see what innovations others can add to the mix, but I don't believe I will be wrong.

Sorry which phones are running on honeycomb exactly

Google will not give any one preference they would not wish to fragment the market that way, the more on board the better. There is already rumoured discontent about there purchase of Motorola and fears of being sidelined.

and what has Hong kong got to do with samsung then? or are you saying asia is just one place? google is a world brand they dont have to be usa centric like apple and seeing as the major android manufacturers are in asia cant see an issue with it being in asia don't see what that has to do with sammi really.

[mmace]

HTC and Motorola are also revealing ICS phones before the year is out, they will be stock ICS too without their rubbish over the top so will be easily upgradable when Android is updated.
http://www.talkandroid.com/66803-sam...le+Feedfetcher

The Nexus will be my next phone next month, I got the SII, sold it for the Optimus 3D, LG have thoroughly let me down though so I will be getting rid of the phone ASAP

[unklesam]

The Nexus prime is going to be a silly price. Its always the most expensive android phone and to me pure android just looks horrible, needs some type of skin like sense.

[Zack06]

I must say that I'll be disappointed if they call it the Galaxy Nexus. Google Nexus Prime sounds awesome and clever, but Samsung Galaxy Nexus just makes it sound like a bog standard Samsung device...

I've heard rumours that there could be 2 variants of the device with one being called the Nexus Prime and one being called the Galaxy Nexus though I think Nexus Prime is a waaay better name.

[pi r squared]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unklesam

The Nexus prime is going to be a silly price. Its always the most expensive android phone and to me pure android just looks horrible, needs some type of skin like sense.

Have you seen the leaked ICS video? The UI has been given an overhaul and actually looks pretty neat.

[TelevisionUser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roush

Probably none. It's clear from the invite and time scheduling that it's primarily a Samsung event, so it looks like they will be the only people shipping Android 4.0 for the time being. There's a slim chance they may offer upgrades to their current range of Android products, but I wouldn't hold your breath. It would be a fair amount of engineering effort for no gain.

Not a chance for non-Samsung products though, at least for the time being. You'll probably have to wait for hacked ROMs to appear if you want it.

Ah but, Roush, will that bug-ridden pile of trash that is Samsung Kies actually allow Samsung owners to upgrade even when their phones are compatible?

[Dai13371]

Kies is dreadful isn't it. Pretty sure I read Google will release source code for ICS. They did get into trouble with making elements of Honeycomb closed, but there is a beta 3 of honeycomb out for the 7" Galaxy tab (ported from the 10.1) in progress at the moment.

[Dai13371]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unklesam

The Nexus prime is going to be a silly price. Its always the most expensive android phone and to me pure android just looks horrible, needs some type of skin like sense.

Stock android looks and works great in my view. Used to use sense 3 on a Desire S but came to conclusion it was pretty to look at but got boring quickly. Cyanogen mod 7 runs on it now and it looks like stock Gingerbread and runs so slickly now Sense doesn't hog resources.

[darkjedimaster]

Ice Cream Sandwich will be open source

From TechRadar UK

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is open source

We also know that Google is intending to make Ice Cream Sandwich fully open source. It didn't do this with Android 3.0 Honeycomb in an attempt to make things more consistent.

"It's more manageable to start small and get bigger," says Andy Rubin, senior vice president of Mobile at Google.

"It's an open invitation; there's no reason not to have everybody in [The Open Handset Alliance] - but I want to hit the ground running, I don't want to take a lot of time on building a list of names."

Really looking forward to this

[pi r squared]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkjedimaster

Ice Cream Sandwich will be open source

Really looking forward to this

Indeed!

In addition to this, Larry Page has stated that "you won't believe what we manage to get done in this release". Are we expecting some major, Siri/iCloud-esque features to drop with ICS? The only thing I've really seen mentioned is the supposed face-tracking software, which is fairly useless, even if (as some have suggested) it may lead to facial-recognition unlocking of the phone. Be interesting to see what comes on the 19th!

[alanwarwic]

I can't quite agree that the Nexus Prime will be prohibitively expensive.

Most reflect the build costs with the Super AMOLED Plus ones obviously costing the most.
Even LG's next gen Nova Black with its 40% brighter IPS screen phone is sensibly priced.