Holy cow; we are not talking about your favorite dessert item but the current version of Google’s mobile operating system Android OS 4.0, creatively called ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’! Although initially tested on Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it will soon be running on a wide range of smartphones.Following the creation of individual operating system (each for smartphones and tablets) Google had felt the need for a common version of Android that could be used on both types of devices. Even though in practice, users hardly felt the difference between Gingerbread (Android OS 2.3 meant for smartphones) and Honeycomb (Android OS 3.x meant for tablets), it was pain in the neck for most third party developers. Google has now resolved the issue by releasing Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich that has brought  an unified interface, as also a unified API for all developers.

User Interface

Lager images, slim lines and higher contrasts in relation to objects like icons, letters and miscellaneous markings on the screen are some of the principal features of the new Android OS design. However, the Ice Cream Sandwich seems to be more akin to Honeycomb than Gingerbread and as a result, those who had been working with tablets will readily go for it.Google, incidentally,  has also paid more attention to the level of legibility of the type font used in earlier versions and have replaced it with a new face called ‘ROBOTO’ that is credited with very thin lines but wider letters and digits, thus making it look more like Windows phone.

Multitasking Manipulation

It appears that Google has borrowed the technique of multitasking manipulation from the earlier tablet edition. When you press a key, now located at the bottom of the screen, a thumbnail toolbar of the recently opened application will appear. Surprisingly enough, this will unveil a small image of whatever was on the display when the app was active earlier. So far as background apps are concerned, these could be closed by dragging ‘off the display’ with a solo finger flick to the side.

Lock Screen

Another amazing Ice Cream Sandwich feature of Google is the option of unlocking the phone with the image of its owner’s face! The device can literally remember how the owner looks like and unlock itself by ‘asking’ the camera to check if it is the real owner. The lock screen also gives you direct access to the home screen or the camera application by a simple method – by dragging an icon with a padlock to a requisite position to select any of the above two options.

Homescreen & Apps

With Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich, you can change the size of desktop widgets, which was possible only with Samsung’s TouchWiz 4.0. A common set of widgets that comes with operating system (analogue clock, weather, messages panel, calendar, etc are presently grouped in a special tab inside the applications drawer, while the applications are characterized in the form of matrix with icons.

Also, these applications can be grouped in folders in an easy manner – in the same way as that of the Apple and so can be dragged and dropped on the homescreen , one on top of the other to form a folder. With a touch on the folder, its contents will appear, while the icons can be rearranged or pulled out.However, it seems that Google has not only been influenced by Samsung user interface but has also been swayed by Apple which may give rise to the following disagreeable development.

Patent war Imminent

It goes without saying that lawyers belonging to Apple and Microsoft camp would not take these matters lightly. Google, for instance, has dropped the Contacts application in Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) and replaced it with People application, something that resembles the way contacts are kept on Windows phone. Samsung also may join in the fray soon, giving rise to a costly patent war.