So Google have announced the Nexus One will not be getting an update to ICS, for all the die-hard fans of the handset who just cannot bear to part with their beloved device, this news will not be good news.
The thing is, thanks to the efforts over at XDA, the Nexus One already has a partially working SDK port of Ice Cream Sandwich. So what does this mean? It means that like other versions of Android, handsets are going to get unofficial ports of the ICS software update the same way they did with Gingerbread and Froyo.
Infact, the ICS SDK (Software Developer Kit) has produced a particularly good port for the Nexus S, Google’s last developer handset, and almost everything is working to the point that this software ROM can be used as a daily driver.
Ports are being worked on for a range of different handsets, including the Galaxy S II, the HTC HD2, The HTC Desire Z and a few more.
This is why I love Android, as even if the manufacturers aren’t willing to support a handset anymore, there are some brilliant communities that will, XDA being one of them.
You can find out some more info on the SDK port for the Nexus One here, and the Nexus S here. But just remember, the SDK ports tend to be unstable as it is using software that is primarily meant to be an emulator for a computer, not an actual handset OS.
However, if you are patient and don’t jump in with two feet right now, Google are likely to release the full source code for ICS not long after the Galaxy Nexus is released. This is when the fun will begin. Why you ask? Well, once the source code is released, it won’t be emulators ported to handsets – we will be getting the full shebang, and you can bet the Cyanogen and MIUI Dev teams will be hard at work bringing the next incarnation of their softwares to as many handsets as possible.
So even if Google say no, we say yes! Yes, yes, yes! So let’s all sing “I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ICE CREAM (Sandwich)”.
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