As you know we’ve been discussing this week’s Google announcement of the new and improved Android OS ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’. But what we don’t know is what does this mean for current Android users who don’t have, or who aren’t planning on getting, the new Galaxy Nexus phone.
Will they get the new OS for older Android phones?
Andy Rubin, head of Google and Android, spoke at the AsiaD conference, and did try to allay some of the concerns by saying that Ice Cream Sandwich would roll out to other devices a couple of weeks after the launch of the Galaxy Nexus next month, but he didn’t specify which handsets.
Motorola has stated that Android 4.0 will indeed hit its recently announced Droid RAZR, which is expected at the beginning of 2012.
HTC users should be able to breathe a sigh of relief as it looks like they’ll be getting Ice Cream Sandwich too, but for which exact models is unclear. The company sent out as statement saying:
“We are excited about the latest update for Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and are currently reviewing its features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans.” Representatives continued, stating “While our goal is to upgrade as many of our recent devices as possible, we are committed to maintaining every phone’s performance and usability first.”
Sony Ericsson are also making the right sort of noises with regards to possible updates for their Xperia smartphones. In their statement, they explained that they will be “planning to upgrade our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio to the next Android platform, following Gingerbread 2.3.4.”
If you have recently purchased high-end phones like Samsung Galaxy S2 or the DROID Bionic, you’ll likely be seeing the update as some point in the near future, but as with anything Android it’s going to be coming in drips and drabs.
For older phones, the potential for upgrades seems to be on a case-by-case basis, which isn’t really what you want to hear and does sound like the fragmentation of Android, ironically, could worsen before it starts to improve.
Are you hoping to get your smartphone updated to Android 4.0? Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.