Samsung Galaxy S2 Ice Cream Sandwich changes power, not user experience

Have you seen a Samsung Galaxy S2 running Android Ice Cream Sandwich? Well, it looks the same but hides new features.

Some Samsung Galaxy S2 owners are now using Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, the latest and greatest version of Google’s mobile operating system yet — and yes, I can definitely confirm that ICS is the best version yet especially the Chrome for Android, the revamped YouTube app and the dedicated Gmail app supports.

However, one of the best features of Android Ice Cream Sandwich is not available on the Samsung Galaxy S2 — the intuitive and attractive user interface.

For starters, the S2 running ICS flaunts Samsung’s Touchwiz user interface which is one of the most colorful Android skins in the market right now.

Don’t get me wrong, TouchWiz is nice, but not as nice as the default Ice Cream Sandwich UI. See the new Galaxy S2 with ICS in the video posted below this article.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 running Ice Cream Sandwich now features Android 4.0 native apps and features compatibility and the slightly updated user interface including the attractive transition effects.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is the most popular phone of Samsung last year, and unsurprisingly, it is one of the first Android smartphones that migrated from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich. It is worth noting though that some carrier-based Galaxy S2 phones are still running Gingerbread due to unavailability of the software update from Samsung.

After the slight upgrade last week, Samsung released the source code of its latest update this week to the public, and the files will allow developers to create custom builds and ROM and more compatibility with the device with its new operating system.

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Samsung Galaxy S2 Ice Cream Sandwich focuses on homescreen, multitasking

Posted on March 17, 2012, 6:53 A.M New York City Time, filed under Samsung Galaxy S2, Android 4.0 Categories.

Lucky you if you own a Samsung Galaxy S2 with the updated operating system running Ice Cream Sandwich or ICS 4.0.

The new report posted by CNET revealed that the most popular phone of Samsung running the latest version of Android is “sleeker and slicker” than the previous version running Gingerbread, apparently, it is better than last year’s ROM.

According to the new post, Samsung’s Galaxy S2 running ICS will support new lock screen that will include weather, yup sort of HTC-like. The device with the new OS will also support the Face Unlock feature.

The new operating system will also introduce a new multitasking, adopting the original swipe-to-dismiss, and glide-through recent apps for easy access to running applications.

CNET’s Crave UK site also confirmed that the Galaxy S2 with ICS will also support Chrome for Android, the latest browser of Google with sync to PC support, but does not support Adobe Flash. Similar to the Galaxy Nexus, the Chrome for Android running on the Galaxy S2 also brings fancy tabs with pre-caching feature that will allow faster web surfing. Galaxy S2's native Android browser is also included in case you want a Flash fix.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 Ice Cream Sandwich update is already available in some European countries, and more Galaxy S2 variant in other countries are expected to follow suit later this month and next quarter. If you hate waiting, you can “manually” update your phone’s operating system, but that would require advanced knowledge and with risks of bricking your phone, or in layman’s term — destroying your phone altogether.

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