Whether you love or loathe Google's mobile operating platform, one of the great positives of Android is that, since it's open-source, literally everything can be customized and tweaked to the nth degree.
The level of interest and passion that is associated with mobile devices, especially those running the iOS and Android operating systems, is something that has skyrocketed over the last couple of years. With the imminent release of the new iPad and Google making some noise about future versions of the Android OS, it seems that consumer interest is only going to increase in the near future.The release of the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android was made public in the final quarter of 2011, but due to the way Google handles allowing manufacturers to update their firmware, it has seen a relatively tiny uptake, with approximately 1% of Android devices in existence running version 4.0.
Sometimes limitations are good. Digitally speaking, if a carrier limits download speeds to prevent excess costs, we're grateful. But if a hardware or software vendor imposes limits we cannot change, this can be of extreme annoyance.
HTC recently unveiled it’s One series of smartphones based on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Hardware specifications and advanced, next-gen optics aside, these devices come with Sense 4.0 - the latest version of HTC’s custom skin - which looks absolutely stunning and a vast improvement over Sense 3.5 and older which were very bloated.
One of Android’s strongest features that isn’t found anywhere on iOS is how you can share an item inside an app with any other supported app on your phone. Saw an interesting link through Reddit News Free? Share it via Twitter, Bluetooth, NFC, Facebook, Dropbox, Email, Read It Later etc. etc.
Sure, these pocket computers we call “smartphones” act as our camera, music player, internet communications device, portable gaming console (of sorts) and, of course, a phone but don’t you wish they had longer battery life? This is especially the case with Android smartphones which come with huge, battery-hogging displays and 4G LTE radios.
It has hardly been a secret that Apple Inc. have been fighting a patent war on multiple fronts against multiple companies, which most notably include the soon to be Google-owned Motorola Mobility Holdings, as well as the Korean based Samsung Electronics. Motorola and Samsung are arguably two of the largest producers of Android-powered handsets, and with Apple believing both companies are heavily infringing upon company owned patents, they have been relentless in their pursuit of justice through the European legal system.
Every now and again, a game releases for mobile devices which simply takes over - engaging nearly every user it encounters and becoming a cult favorite in the process.
Android has its fair share of Twitter apps but, as of yet, no single app follows Google’s guidelines on an Ice Cream Sandwich-ready user-interface. If you’re the type who likes Ice Cream Sandwich’s “Holo UI” and are an avid mobile Twitter user, you should definitely check out Boid for Android - a Twitter app designed for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Check it out after the jump!
The Galaxy Nexus comes with a 4.65” Super AMOLED HD 720p display that is considered to be among the best in its class. It produces crisp and vivid images; a little too vivid for some, actually, as it turns out that the display isn’t set at best Gamma, Color Balance and Color Temperature values. Over on XDA-Developers, mumchristmas has found a way to correct these values and we’ve got a simple-to-follow (at least for those of who you are familiar with flashing ROMs/kernels) step-by-step guide ready after the break.
