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Inside Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (screenshots)

Thanks to Android 4.0's newfound ability to take screenshots, we can bring you the inside look at Google's enormous Ice Cream Sandwich effort.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Hands-on with Ice Cream Sandwich

Google's latest operating system is nothing short of overwhelming, once you take in changes large and small. Debuting with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we used the new built-in screenshots feature to walk you through some of the more prominent additions and enhancements. There are many more that you'll discover in these photos, and others that we've also explored in the full review.
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2 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Hail to Honeycomb

Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS for short), splices Honeycomb with redesigned elements that are familiar to Android's smartphone users, like this navigation control to pull up most recently accessed programs. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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3 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Notification bar

Google's redesigned notification bar is gorgeous and sleek. You wouldn't know by looking at it, but you can use gestures to swipe away alerts when you're done. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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4 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Apps and widgets

The app tray resembles the old, with the exception of a few details, like the horizontal rather than vertical sliding, some graphical transitions, and the addition of a new content type to drag to the home screens: widgets. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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5 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Widgets

These widgets used to live in a hidden menu you got by long-pressing the home screens. This is a better home for them, but the layout looks cluttered. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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6 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Resizeable

Most widgets are resizable on all ICS phones. Press and hold to select them, then grab and drag the handles. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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7 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Now, big

Here's the same widget, enlarged. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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8 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

The road to Face Unlock

Using facial recognition software to unlock the phone is one of the most buzzed-about features in ICS. You access it from the Settings menu. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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9 of 28 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Unlock

Stick your face in front to set it up, and also to unlock. Yes, a photo will unlock it too, or your doppelganger, so other measures are better for your actual security from peeping eyes. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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10 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Backup

If your face fails you, you can select either a pin or traceable pattern as backup. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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11 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

PIN lock

Some companies' IT departments require a PIN, which will disable Face Unlock. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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12 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Call screen

It's new, it's pleasantly blocky, and it makes use of photos--if you've got 'em. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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13 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Incoming call

Here's what the screen looks like when someone calls. Drag the glowing icon to answer, hang up, or text the caller. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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14 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

More than calling

Tap a contact's image to quickly send messages, an e-mail, or launch a phone call. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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15 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Texting

Easily dial, attach things, or access the menu (the three dots) from the text composition screen. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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16 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Attach stuff

A closer look at some of the things you can now very effortlessly attach to a text. Similar context menus also apply to e-mail. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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17 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Sharing photos

Tap a pic after you've taken it to easily share in a ton of ways. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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18 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Editing tools

In the Gallery, tap again to crop, straighten, adjust color, and add effects. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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19 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Panorama

The new panorama mode is cool, but it isn't novel and we're not sure it needs to be called out as a mode. Still, it worked pretty well. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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20 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Panorama menu

Tap the "share" menu for more options. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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21 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Video mode

Videos work about the same way, but there are new "fun" features that add seriously wacky effects. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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22 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

E-mail

One of my favorite new Gmail features makes adding contacts to the address line much more interactive. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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23 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

E-mail menu

Add more to your e-mail through the new menu button. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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24 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Spell check

Google went all out safeguarding your grammar and spelling. Tap a word in the predictive text ticker to get more options if you don't see the one you want. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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25 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Word replacement

ICS will still replace words for you, but you can also tap an unknown word to correct a misspelling or add a word to the dictionary. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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26 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Easter egg time

Repeatedly press the Android version number in the settings for a reward--of sorts. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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27 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Data usage

Google has added an entire section to the Settings menu to help you monitor data usage. Before, you'd need a third-party app to track this level of detail. (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)
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28 of 28 Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Android Beam

You'll use Beam, which relies on the radio frequency standard NFC, to share things like maps, contacts, and an app page in the Android Market (for instance, use Beam to "share" a game or app). NFC and Android Beam both need to be enabled. Find them in the Wi-Fi settings menu under "More".) (Read the full Samsung Galaxy Nexus review.)

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