Samsung Nexus S Android 4.0 update officially rolling out today

We heard a rumor about this last week that never went very far but today it’s officially official. Google has started the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Google Samsung Nexus S. We are assuming this will be Android 4.0.3 that was detailed earlier today — This was confirmed by Google over on Twitter this afternoon.

A few weeks ago a couple Google employee’s received the OTA update and were commenting on Google+ but those were all quickly removed. It looks like the testing phase has been completed as Google themselves have confirmed to be started today and rolling out over the next few weeks.

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Android 4.0.3 Update: Better social integration, camera capabilities, and tons of fixes

Whoa that sure was fast. Google isn’t wasting any time and have already announced the next incremental update for the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform. We just received 4.0.2 on our Verizon Galaxy Nexus phones yesterday and it looks like 4.0.3 will be here very shortly. That is the wonderful part of owning a Nexus — it gets all the updates right away. All the details are after the break on the new update.

Soon we’ll be saying hello to Android 4.0.3 as it should rollout in the coming weeks. Along with the changes are plenty of API updates and tweaks for developers to take advantage of. Some of those include access to social integration like how Google+ and Gtalk have now and more. Here is the list right from the Android Developer Blog.

— Social stream API in Contacts provider: Applications that use social stream data such as status updates and check-ins can now sync that data with each of the user’s contacts, providing items in a stream along with photos for each. This new API lets apps show users what the people they know are doing or saying, in addition to their photos and contact information.

— Calendar provider enhancements. Apps can now add color to events, for easier tracking, and new attendee types and states are now available.

— New camera capabilities. Apps can now check and manage video stabilization and use QVGA resolution profiles where needed.

— Accessibility refinements. Improved content access for screen readers and new status and error reporting for text-to-speech engines.

— Incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and more.
It looks like the API changes will give developers and applications more access to the camera and calendar, improve tons of access for screen readers and text-to-speech engines and more.

Then at the end it mentions improvements to graphics and even spell-checking — I’m excited to see what more they bring to that area as it’s already quite excellent.

Bring on the Ice Cream Sandwiches Google, we’ll take them all.

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Android upgrade for Google Nexus S ‘in weeks’

Google has confirmed that it will update the existing Nexus S handset to new Ice Cream Sandwich Android software in the next few weeks, but has also said that its original Nexus One is ‘too old’ for the upgrade.

                        Google launched its Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade with the new Galaxy Nexus 

Google’s Hugo Barra confirmed that the latest version of Android will be delivered as a free upgrade to the existing Nexus S handset “within weeks”. He said the search giant was aiming to get the software to owners of the previous flagship phone shortly after the release of the new Galaxy Nexus handset next month, well in time for Christmas.

Owners of the first official Google phone, the Nexus One, will not be getting the upgrade, however. Barra said the hardware was simply too old to run the new operating system.

Google launched the Nexus One, which was made by HTC, in January 2010, and closed the phone’s support forum on 1 November last year. Some fans, however, had hoped that aspects of the latest version of the Android software would still be compatible with the phone.

Barra also responded to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s attacks on Android phones. He had said that users “needed a computer science degree” to use Android.

Barra retorted that “Android, especially this new version 4.0, is an incredibly intuitive platform – the best one we’ve ever built. There are power user features, but there is no need for an instruction manual or a computer science degree”, he said.

Barra added that criticisms in some reviews about slowness of the operating system were based on one faulty device at the launch event in Hong Kong. Barra said the new Galaxy Nexus offered 60 frames per second and was “buttersilk smooth”.

“The operating system is thought through with the needs of the next three years in mind; it’s a wholesale revamp of the way people interact with the phone,” he said. “It’s something we’ve designed for the masses; it continues to cater for power users really well but the entry level users will be able to use it really well too and make the phone their own.”

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