Android 4.0 : Calling all Ice Cream Sandwich Lovers (pt 2)

Ice Cream Sandwich is more than just a combination  of the smartphone and tablet versions of Android. It brings a number of new changes and features to the OS that unify the best of Gingerbread (2.3) and Honeycomb (3.0), while adding some new features along the way, such as the improved lock and notification screen, new camera app, new Peoples app and an improved browser, just to name a few.
Many of the features of the new OS UI have been already implemented by samsung in their touchWiz 4.0 running on SGS2, for example resizable widgets, media player controls in the notification area etc.

New notifications screen

The notifications screen now shows you icons next to the notification, such as the picture of the person who tried to call or message you.

Notifications can now be removed from the screen one at a time and all you have to do is swipe on them to remove them from the list.

Lastly, the notifications screen can now be accessed from the lock screen as well, so you can see your notifications without having to unlock your phone

Multitasking

Ice Cream Sandwich borrows heavily from Honeycomb when it comes to the new multitasking UI. You press the dedicated Recent Apps button at the bottom of the screen, which brings a vertical stack of thumbnails for the recently opened apps. The thumbnails show actual screenshots of the app in realtime, instead of just their icons, which makes them easier to identify and see the state you left them in. Apps can be closed simply by swiping them off the screen.

Face Unlock

A new feature in Ice Cream Sandwich lets you unlock your phone using your face. Once the phone knows what you look like, all you have to do is point the phone at your face for it to recognize and unlock the phone for you. This saves the hassle of remembering passwords and is more secure than a simple lock screen. It did not work as intended during the demo but we hope it does better in real life usage.

Folders:

Although Android had folder support before, creating and managing folders wasn’t as simple and intuitive as it is in iOS. This changes with Ice Cream Sandwich because the folders are now vastly improved. You can drag and drop application icons on the homescreen on one another to create a new folder or directly drag an app into an existing folder. Tapping a folder shows you the contents within and you can even drag the icons around inside the folder.

Resizable widgets:

 Resizable widgets make a lot more sense on a smartphone than a tablet due to the relatively small screen. Also, in Ice Cream Sandwich, the widgets now appear in a separate section in the application drawer and you can preview them before applying. Another carryover feature from Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich allows you to resize widgets on your screen, which lets you mangage space better.

Contacts or People ?

Contacts in Android Ice Cream Sandwich have been completely redesigned from the previous version of the OS and are now called just People. The look and feel of the application feels more dynamic and social than before, showing you the status of your friends from GTalk and their status message.

The social element is deeply integrated in the People's app, allowing you to add different connections to any contact, like for instance including them in a circle on Google+. In a single contact view, there's a large profile picture, which should make the experience of viewing contacts more engaging.

Speech to text revamped:

One of the most improved features is speech to text, which now converts your dictations in real time into intelligent text outputs.It will keep on recording and transforming alongside your continuous speech.  After you are done, the voice engine automatically underlines words it thinks might have come out wrong so that you can fix them if necessary Camera App:

New Camera App:

Ice Cream Sandwich features a new camera application. Other than the new user interface, it adds some useful features, such as

• continuous focus,
• face detection,
• image stabilization
• Incredible panorama mode.
• There is also a new zero shutter lag exposure, which reduces the shot to shot time considerably .

The video recorder also gets some useful features such as

• continuous focus while recording,
• ability to zoom
• take a snapshot while recording
• a new time lapse feature.
• Image stabilization also works during video recording.
• The camera app can now be quickly launched from the lock screen.

Data Usage Monitoring:

In Android 4.0, users can see how much network data their running apps are using. They can also set limits on data usage by network type and disable background data usage for specific applications. In this context, developers need to design their apps to run efficiently and follow best practices for checking the network connection. Android 4.0 provides network APIs to let applications meet those goals.
As users move between networks or set limits on network data, the platform lets applications query for connection type and availability. Developers can use this information to dynamically manage network requests to ensure the best experience for users. Developers can also build custom network and data-usage options into their apps, then expose them to users directly from Settings by means of a new system Intent.

Bluetooth HDP :

Android 4.0 also introduces built-in support for connecting to Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP) devices. With support from third-party apps, users can connect to wireless medical devices and sensors in hospitals, fitness centers, homes, and elsewhere. In addition, for connecting to higher quality Bluetooth audio devices, Android 4.0 adds support for Bluetooth Hands Free Profile (HFP) 1.6.

Here's a summary of the whole affair:

·         Optimized for smartphone and tablet use

·         New user interface, with a new typeface called 'Roboto', updated animations, transition effects, multi-touch gestures and live wallpapers

·         Improved multitasking with much improved task manager, swipe to close.

·         New homescreen folders and favorites tray

·         Improved lock screen with face recognition to unlock

·         Improved notification menu

·         Resizable widgets, viewable through the application menu

·         Improved text input and spell-checking

·         Improved voice input

·         Ability to monitor and control data usage

·         New Peoples app

·         Improved Gmail and Calendar app

·         Improved web browser with ability to save web pages and incognito mode

·         Visual voicemail

·         Improved camera app with face detection and panorama mode

·        Improved video recorder, continuous focus, ability to take a snapshot while recording

·         Redesigned Gallery app with photo editor

·         Android Beam for transferring data using NFC

·         Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth HDP support