Ice Cream Sandwich screenshots put in an appearance
Google’s next big step in its OS evolution, Ice Cream Sandwich, was pictured running on a Nexus S recently. The screenshots, as you can see above, reveal quite a few changes to the UI and at the same time similarities to previous versions, which has been attributed to it being a test build that still has a long way to go. The major changes evident are the notification bar icons, which are colored teal now and the dock, which pushes the application tray to the extreme left. There’s also a mysterious “app stack” icon on the extreme right, the utility of which is currently unknown. Those who have used Honeycomb devices will also notice the newer Google Search, barely visible in the top left corner of the display. The second screenshot shows that the device is indeed a Nexus S with the Android version displayed as “IceCreamSandwich” instead of the actual version number – may be Google is undecided on a proper number to start off with yet? Some more features, according to the sites which leaked these screenshots, are:
- Updated icons for some apps (they are mostly blue now)
- Panorama mode in camera
- Redesigned Gmail app
- Application tray now lets you switch between apps and widgets
The changes are majorly cosmetic right now, but as said earlier, the build is is still in its nascent changes and Google will definitely give its users more than eye candy. Also, this update will be compatible with devices no more than a year old, which should finally reduce the fragmentation that is currently rife in the Android realm. According to GSMArena, the first device to come with IceCreamSandwich will be the fabled Nexus Prime, the third iteration of the Nexus One, with the currently available Nexus S getting a taste right after that.
There’s a little task switcher icon on the bottom right in the dockbar too =)