HTC, in addition to its previous list of smartphones upgradable to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 have made some new additions to its portfolio and we expect even more to come in future as confirmed from HTC USA Facebook Page. The HTC Rhyme, HTC Thunderbolt, and HTC Droid 2 Incredible get added to the update list for Verizon Wireless users alongside previously announced HTC Rezound.
Canadian users with Bell and Rogers have HTC Raider to receive Android ICS 4.0.We expect HTC to share sweeter buzz on ICS, this one is becoming really bigger. 🙂
Samsung is continuing to evolve in the tablet and smartphone arena with new devices being popped day on day. Today Samsung introduces the Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch tablet that is a successor to the highly acclaimed Galaxy Tab and Tab Plus handhelds. Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 comes pre-installed, which makes it Samsung’s first tablet to be manufactured with ICS 4.0. On the hardware front the tablet seems similar to its predecessors or you may even call it a downgrade, as the processor on the Tab 2 is a 1GHz while the Tab Plus features uses a 1.2 GHz CPU.  We will find both the 3G and Wi-Fi variants to be made available upon product release.
Software enhancements to be shipped include Chat On, Samsung Hub that comprises of Music Hub, Video Hub and Readers providing users with a massive database of e-books, music, movies and videos at a flick of a finger. Android ICS 4.0 would help users to access and download a wide variety of apps with close to 400,000 Android Market apps with a new UI. Samsung will also introduce its new service called “AllShare Play“ allowing playback, streaming, and data transfers on to the Tab 2 via PC’s, Samsung Devices, and other third party online storage providers.
The tablet is first to be rolled out in the UK arriving March this year followed by a worldwide release. Specific release dates are yet to be revealed. We will keep you posted with further buzz and news for the newly launched gizmo.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) Quick Specs:
7-inch WSVGA PLS TFT display (1024 x 600 pixels)
1GHz Dual Core Processor
Samsung Touch Wiz UI
Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 pre-installed
1GB RAM
3MP rear camera (supports HD Video recoring)
VGA front camera for video calls.
8/16/32 GB internal memory with support for Micro SD card up to 32GB
Samsung apps including Social Hub, Chat On, S Suggest, AllShare Ready
Google Chrome for Android is finally here although the app just works on Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 based devices. The browser seamlessly integrates speed and simplicity inherited from its desktop duo. Google Chrome for desktop has gained popularity by topping charts and exceeding downloads in comparison to competitors like Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. The sad part of the story is that the browser only supports ICS 4.0 that hardly accounts for just one percent of the total devices presently active.
Chrome for Android adds single Sign-In that allows access to open tabs throughout various platforms i.e. Desktop-Smartphone-Tablets etc. Users may also get website suggestions based upon the most frequently visited destinations with the feature to sync bookmarks for quicker and faster access.
Since the app is still in its beta phase with the possibility of testing it first to limited devices we hope that it should be available across all flavors of Android including Froyo and Gingerbread variants as these are still being shipped with new smartphones while being actively used on existing devices.
The Chrome Beta download is limited to specific regions that include U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
Download Google Chrome Beta for ICS 4.0 : Android Market
Lenovo recently announced its plans to release the Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update for its ThinkPad and IdeaPad tablets. The update is expected to arrive by Q2. However the company as not given any specific date for the release. The tablets would showcase better UI and added capabilities with ICS 4.0 that act as key enhancements considering the pre-installed Android Honeycomb 3.1 OS.
Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi and Asus Transformer Prime were among the early implementers to provide Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 to its users.
