Ice Cream Sandwich

[The Chief]

Well, got an update notice from N2A (http://n2acards.com/), that I could update the N2A card in my Nook Tablet from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich for $9.99 US.  So I did.

Somewhat tedious - they only offered a Windows re-programmer, which took more than 3 hours to burn the new image, and it apparently reformatted the card, as I lost all the apps and media I had on it.  They can all be recovered, but it's a pain in the you-know-what.

It's also a very different looking animal now - so I'll be spending an inordinate amount of time trying to figure things out.  It is considerably more responsive, however, so once I get it in hand, maybe I'll be happy.

Anyone else have any experience with Android 4.x?  Tips?  Things to look out for?

[tschommer]

Well, a couple of things I've gotten used to (I have a Sony Xperia P with ICS since September):

A long press on the home button shows the last apps used. From there you can either tap on an app to bring it up or swipe it away so that it's not active anymore.

You can get to the settings by pressing on the button in the notification bar instead of using the menu button.

In the settings, you either activate wifi or bluetooth by pressing on the switch on the right. You reach details for each by pressing on the left.

Overall I find the system settings layout much cleaner.

There's lots more, and, as you mentioned, everything is snappier. I haven't come across any snags up 'til now, but I've rooted my phone and am using Cyanogenmod 9.1 since Tuesday 

Maybe a search for "ICS nook tablet" on youtube can give you more insight, there should be some videos for that around  

Torsten

[ZX80Man]

I got ICS soon after it came out for my Motorola Xoom.  I do like it.  A lot of apps are becoming more available for the android.
Keep in mind, installing most apps, the permissions you agree to...
In my case, I have little or no contact or personal info to share.  Phones typically might carry more sell-able information.
And most of my apps keep doing upgrades and often change the permissions or request to.
Hope this helps & have fun, Dan

[herpy]

Gingerbread and Ice creme sandwhiches. I'm hungry now 

[timeth]

Gingerbread and Ice creme sandwhiches. I'm hungry now 

LOL

Well, a couple of things I've gotten used to (I have a Sony Xperia P with ICS since September):

A long press on the home button shows the last apps used. From there you can either tap on an app to bring it up or swipe it away so that it's not active anymore.

You can get to the settings by pressing on the button in the notification bar instead of using the menu button.

In the settings, you either activate wifi or bluetooth by pressing on the switch on the right. You reach details for each by pressing on the left.

Overall I find the system settings layout much cleaner.

There's lots more, and, as you mentioned, everything is snappier. I haven't come across any snags up 'til now, but I've rooted my phone and am using Cyanogenmod 9.1 since Tuesday 

Good to hear about all that. I'm trying to decide which mod to use. Probably I'll use Cyanogenmod too. They seem to have a good reputation and lots of support on various forums.

I'm going to update my Galaxy NOTE this weekend from 2.3.6 to 4.0.4 so I'll report back after I'm done. Hopefully it all goes smoothly.   

[OldGuy]

I just got a cheap china import pad and it had Ice Cream Sandwich on it.  Took me a day or two to get use to the ways of using the pad.  Only sorry it can't play NetFlix as that was one of the reasons for purchasing it.  Guess I should have researched more.  But, it's a fun device and I can watch YouTube and my Comcast TV (well some shows) on the little 10.2" screen.  But, boy do I miss PCLinuxOS every time I use it.

[The Chief]

I just got a cheap china import pad and it had Ice Cream Sandwich on it.  Took me a day or two to get use to the ways of using the pad.  Only sorry it can't play NetFlix as that was one of the reasons for purchasing it.  Guess I should have researched more.  But, it's a fun device and I can watch YouTube and my Comcast TV (well some shows) on the little 10.2" screen.  But, boy do I miss PCLinuxOS every time I use it.

Why can't you play Netflix?  It's a free app in the Google Play store...  I don't have a Netflix subscription, so I haven't tried it.

[OldGuy]

I just got a cheap china import pad and it had Ice Cream Sandwich on it.  Took me a day or two to get use to the ways of using the pad.  Only sorry it can't play NetFlix as that was one of the reasons for purchasing it.  Guess I should have researched more.  But, it's a fun device and I can watch YouTube and my Comcast TV (well some shows) on the little 10.2" screen.  But, boy do I miss PCLinuxOS every time I use it.

Why can't you play Netflix?  It's a free app in the Google Play store...  I don't have a Netflix subscription, so I haven't tried it.

Wished I knew why, when tapping on the button, it starts, then nothing happens.  I have youtube and comcast both open just fine.  Hulu tells me they are still working on a solution for my device (I assume android) but lets me browse.  Having fun trying different things, so haven't bothered to call Netfix yet.

Update:  Just called them, the rep said they are working on fixing it.  He didn't know if it was an ice cream sandwich os problem, just that some androids were having problems.

[timeth]

I'm going to update my Galaxy NOTE this weekend from 2.3.6 to 4.0.4 so I'll report back after I'm done. Hopefully it all goes smoothly.   

Ok, reporting back for anyone interested in rooting and upgrading your Android device.

So, I rooted my Samsung Galaxy NOTE GT-N7000 (International version) (1 - not 2)  by flashing the kernel with a safe CUSTOM kernel. I say 'safe kernel' because there is a kernel bug in all the STOCK kernels that can brick your device if you use the wrong one to flash it.

After I got root access, I started looking around for custom ROMS of Android Ice-Cream Sandwich (4.0.4). I found a lot of them over at www.xda-developers.com. The forums and support there seem really great and they have forum sections for nearly every kind of Android device. A very active and helpful community. I have now installed a couple of different custom versions of Android (ROMS) and have finally settled on one which has everything I could possibly need. Amazing! It even has some software taken from the new Galaxy NOTE 2 included in the ROM.

I've played around with a lot of different Open Source free software from the schmoogle play store too and have found apps for all my back-up needs without backing anything up to the scmoogle servers. (I have also switched off all capability for the phone to backup and report to schmoogle) I can backup all my contacts, emails, calendar and to-do lists to my own server via FTP as well as backing up the whole OS to the SD Card. All of this with free software provided by the open source community.

Now it's my turn to try and get involved with some app developers and help them out if I can. I'd like to give back 

Please ask if you have any questions about rooting your device or installing custom ROMS. I'm not an expert but I've learned a lot already.

[The Chief]

Turns  out my update was really Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.2)... I guess I just have trouble keeping up.

[timeth]

Turns  out my update was really Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.2)... I guess I just have trouble keeping up.

Oh right. Jelly Bean. Hope the new software is going well for you. Like I said, I've just updated to Ice-Cream Sandwich but I guess it won't be long before I'm updating again to Jelly Bean. 

[smileeb]

Here are some names that might help.

http://www.technobaboy.com/2012/03/05/android-jelly-bean-key-lime-pie/

[horusfalcon]

If I might suggest it as a good tool to have in your kit for Android, Advanced Task Killer Free Edition is a nice app for freeing up memory on an Android device - easy to use and gets it done without too much fuss.

I had Jelly Bean on my Nexus 7 when it arrived in late August.  Overall, I like it a lot.

Later On,
D

[chilly]

Ohh well,i just had a jelly bean ice cream sandwich with gingerbread snaps.
Beats messing about with burgers

[horusfalcon]

Ohh well,i just had a jelly bean ice cream sandwich with gingerbread snaps.
Beats messing about with burgers

Now you've done it!  The next Android upgrade will probably be something like 4.2.0:  Baby Back Ribs or something equally silly.  (And here I thought Red Hat was at least being honest when they tagged their 5.0 as "Cartman".  You know, fat and snappy at the same time? )

Later On,
D