18 November 2011
Ice Cream Sandwiches for everyone; at least for UK consumers in the market for the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
The hotly anticipated device hit shelves in the UK yesterday, and will be available in other markets around the world by the end of the month.
Google's Ice Cream Sandwich software is the biggest selling point for the smartphone. The multi-platform OS release completely redesigns the Android user interface and offers a wide range of new features - including Android Beam, a NFC-driven application for exchanging content, and facial recognition to unlock the phone.
Many existing Android users are wondering when or if their smartphones will get the new software, but manufacturers have been vague about the roll out and it's unclear what devices will benefit and when it will happen.
The uncertainty about which devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich is part of the larger market confusion that surrounds the rapid evolution of the Android operating system.
In the three years since the Google OS has been on the market, there have been dozens of hardware options for Android phones, six major software releases excluding Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as several minor updates.
Google, aware of the problems inherent in having different versions of software and hardware on the market, sees Ice Cream Sandwich as an OS that will unify the Android platform.
Aside from wondering when they'll get it; however, many Android users seem to be unsure whether they even want the new OS upgrade. Previous software releases have reportedly wreaked havoc on older versions of Android smartphones, with subscribers complaining of lost contacts, erased calendar information and other glitches.
Android users are certainly not the only ones who face upgrade problems, but the smartphone's manufacturers acknowledge that upgrades as a result of their growth can be troubling for some consumers.
"It's an interesting problem because the market is moving so fast," said Ryan Bidan of Samsung in a recent interview, and added that some of the stability issues "are a by-product of how fast the Android ecosystem is evolving."
Google Android is currently the fastest selling smartphone OS in the world and new stats from Garter suggest that Android has more than 52 per cent of the global smartphone market share.
Consumers excited and confused by Ice Cream Sandwich
Ice Cream Sandwiches for everyone; at least for UK consumers in the market for the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The hotly anticipated device hit shelves in the UK yesterday, and will be available in other markets around the world by the end of the month.
Google's Ice Cream Sandwich software is the biggest selling point for the smartphone. The multi-platform OS release completely redesigns the Android user interface and offers a wide range of new features - including Android Beam, a NFC-driven application for exchanging content, and facial recognition to unlock the phone.
Many existing Android users are wondering when or if their smartphones will get the new software, but manufacturers have been vague about the roll out and it's unclear what devices will benefit and when it will happen.
The uncertainty about which devices will get Ice Cream Sandwich is part of the larger market confusion that surrounds the rapid evolution of the Android operating system.
In the three years since the Google OS has been on the market, there have been dozens of hardware options for Android phones, six major software releases excluding Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as several minor updates.
Google, aware of the problems inherent in having different versions of software and hardware on the market, sees Ice Cream Sandwich as an OS that will unify the Android platform.
Aside from wondering when they'll get it; however, many Android users seem to be unsure whether they even want the new OS upgrade. Previous software releases have reportedly wreaked havoc on older versions of Android smartphones, with subscribers complaining of lost contacts, erased calendar information and other glitches.
Android users are certainly not the only ones who face upgrade problems, but the smartphone's manufacturers acknowledge that upgrades as a result of their growth can be troubling for some consumers.
"It's an interesting problem because the market is moving so fast," said Ryan Bidan of Samsung in a recent interview, and added that some of the stability issues "are a by-product of how fast the Android ecosystem is evolving."
Google Android is currently the fastest selling smartphone OS in the world and new stats from Garter suggest that Android has more than 52 per cent of the global smartphone market share.
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