I will start with this, because I know that is probably what you're wondering: I don't think ice cream sandwich is better than iOS. Despite the fact that I am getting a bit bored with iOS and looking for a change, Android simply not at the same level.
But it's getting really damn close, close enough that I anticipate after another year of improvements to Google, I will be making the switch.
Means that the ice cream sandwich is awful and should not buy Galaxy Nexus or any other future phone that will run it?
in any event. Compare the two operating systems, it is not that black and white. Just because I (or you) I think one is better, doesn't mean the other is total crap.
Since I have Nexus Galaxy a few days ago, I haven't touched my iPhone. And apart from the expensive default Instagram, there is nothing I can not do on ICS that can make in iOS. Anything. Keep reading for my full review of ice cream sandwich.
A Whole New Look
Gingerbread launch last year was just a minor update to Froyo, the previous version. On the surface, I didn't notice much difference, and it didn't take long for manufacturers to gingerbread skin to look like Froyo devices anyway.
Ice cream sandwich has a brand spanking new look. It's like all the best parts of honeycomb (not many) got together with all the best parts of gingerbread and spit out the perfect hybrid of the two. Plus we fo Roboto
NT and give your theme a look high-tech Is nowhere near as. Welcoming interface iOS ', but at least it is something new and fresh.
Animations are smooth and unique. When browsing through multitasking or notifications, you can close the stuff with a swipe satisfactory. Compare that clunky method by double tapping iOS home key, and then hold an app till it wiggles and then compensation in each app individually. Android has always been best at handling multitasking and notifications and ICS do even better.
Menus app and widget got a nice refresh too. Instead of scrolling up and down, you swipe through the apps and widgets from left to right. It feels even better, and it is much easier to find the app you're looking for since everything is sorted in alphabetical order. The animation is pretty slick too.
The Best Android Interface So Far
Let's start from the bottom of the screen.
Image: Screenshot
On top of the navigation bar is based doc where you can store your favorite most used apps. Yes, that is a blatant rip off of iOS, but one that was supposed to happen. In gingerbread, you had to hope that producers would skin Android and add a doc. Many did, but if you use a Nexus Nexus one with S or stock gingerbread (like me), you could get a doc.
One thing though is that separate the dock button which opens the complete list of applications. It really helps you get more control over what appears on your home screen, because you can keep hidden apps you don't use often.
Finally, there is a now a clear ubiquitous Google search bar at the top of each screen. Honeycomb users probably are used for this, and is the best alternative to Google search bar widget that could live on only one screen in gingerbread. Search bar functions a lot like Apple's Spotlight on iOS: you can search for phone apps, contacts, music, etc., but you get the added bonus of searching the web.
Google Apps And Tweaks
With Ice Cream Sandwich, Google updated many of its signature apps to match the OS' new look. Gmail got a nice makeover that finally includes snippets of email conversations and a handy floating taskbar for archiving, deleting, and tagging messages. I'm still annoyed that you can't get a unified inbox if you have multiple Gmail accounts. It's a pain to switch back and forth.There's no question that the new Google Calendar is my favorite new app that comes loaded with ICS. I manage three different calendars, and the new Calendar makes it easier than ever to keep track of what I have to do each day. For example, in "month" view, each event shows up as a colored bar that coincides with the calendar you posted it to. Those bars show up at a different vertical level in the day so you can get a general idea when you're busy and when your free. Pretty cool.
Image: Screenshot
The new application of people is very great. Pull in all your phone contacts and synchronize them with profiles Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and Google +. You can view social updates from all your contacts from this an app. is not a new concept (Windows Phone 7 has a similar feature), but I think the ICS is not better. The only downside: there's Facebook integration. The two companies are still at war during contact synchronization between their networks, so until that gets resolved, you will have to reckon with the Facebook app.
I also like the ICS internal data monitor. At a time when carriers are getting increasingly petty with data plans, it's great to have an app that tells you how much you use each month and what apps or are using the most resources. With ICS, you can set a limit to the amount of data to use each month. If you exceed the, the phone will automatically turn off cellular data unless you give it permission to continue. Easily which will help ensure that you do not get beaten with an extra cost of their bearers without having to download an extra application. Yes, there are a lot of third-party applications that do the same thing, but it is a wonderful resource to have built the phone's settings. It should be a new standard.
Aside from the apps, Google made some tweaking of standard features such as voice transcription and copy and paste. Voice control is clear and precise. I rarely had a problem getting it to spell out what he was saying. It is perfect? No But it does the job. Copy and paste has a good upgrade as well. Now you can tap and drag words or phrase around with your finger.
Remember that the facial recognition feature unlock Google showed off when we first announced the Galaxy Nexus and ICS? The demo worked then but had decent luck with him. I'm not sure is the safest way to block your phone-can be fooled with a photo after all-but it's still cool to try. I wouldn't suggest enabling this feature if you really want to keep your phone locked.
A Few Major Complaints
I just said a lot of good things about Ice Cream Sandwich, so by now you're probably wondering why I opened this review by saying I still think iOS is better.It's because I still have the same old complaints about Android that I (and many others) have had for years now. Things are getting better, but they're still there.
Image: Screenshot
Let's start with touch gestures. If you go to use an iPhone for a few days to use an Android phone, you'll notice touch controls are not so perfect on Android. There is a lag of weensie of teensie that is just barely noticeable, but it's there. As a result, Android feels slow and unstable compared to iOS. Ice cream sandwich does not fix this problem.
Selection of Android app is still nowhere near as good as what you'll find on Apple's app store. Even though you can still get all the big name applications like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Evernote, dropbox, etc. about Android, they all seem to crap compared with their counterparts of the iOS. This has always been a problem with Android, therefore, should not come as a surprise.
In addition, many apps that I tried had problems playing nice with ice cream sandwich. This just highlights the problem of fragmentation that we keep hearing about. Developers aren't exactly in a rush to get their applications compatible with ICS, so I tried a lot of crashes and weird failures with some of my favorites. (MOG was the worst offender). Other apps simply refuse to download the Android market because they are not compatible.
Finally, as I suggested above, ICS is still not nearly as friendly as iOS. You can't just pick it up and start doing what you need to do. There is a learning curve, and that can be difficult for some technophobes there looking to adopt its first smartphone. It's getting better? Yes, the ICS is a huge leap forward as far as usability goes. But there is still much work to be done here.
Breakdown
Good stuff:- Great new native apps from Google
- Buttonless navigation is a game changer
- Unique new design
- App selection not as good as iOS, apps look crappier than their iOS counterparts
- Not as user friendly as iOS
- Touch gestures still sluggish
Bottom Line
| Ice cream sandwich has all the good things that many people love about Android: customization, openness and deeper control. He also has a lot of things that people hate about Android. But ICS is the largest leap forward to Android, as far as the specifications, features, and design goes. I'm excited to see how it evolves. You should be too. |
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