By Though everybody expected Ice Cream Sandwhich to come with Google Nexus on the date release established (that is November 17th), Google decided to reveal the ICS source code before this date. The source code of Android 4.0 has been released through Android Open Air Project (AOPS) taking everybody by surprise.
The availability of the Android 4.0 source code is an important step in making Ice Cream Sandwhich ports for every device existing. This version of the operating system is one that will be used for both tablets and smartphones which is also the reason why people make such a big fuss around it.
If Honeycomb was especially designed for tablets and Gingerbread for smartphones, now Android 4.0 will be available for both types of devices. The Honeycomb source code has never been released to public, so this makes Android 4.0 be Google’s first source open tablet operating system.
The Google+ post that announces the release makes it clear that the source code is the one of the version that will come with Google Nexus, that is Android 4.0.1. Still, if you’re not a developer this piece of news might not be of great use or interest.
You may wonder when you will be able to enjoy Android 4.0. Well, things here get a little complicated. That’s because, the announcement addresses to developers who will now have the possibility to see what ICS is capable of. This way, they will start to create applications to run on this software.
The source code released will not allow users to update their phones to this version of Android OS, though. Still, this will not only help developers but big companies as well. HTC, Motorola and Samsung now have the possibility to start working on their versions of ICS. Important companies will thus have time to get ready and prepare for this update.
Not only developers will be happy with this release but hackers as well. It is expected that unofficial Android 4.0 versions will run on different devices in a couple of weeks. Still, the pressure is on the phone makers. They are expected to get Ice Cream Sandwhich on as many phones as possible and as quickly as possible.
