<s>
Android	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
(	O
or	O
Android	B-Application
4.0	I-Application
)	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
major	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
mobile	I-Application
operating	O
system	O
developed	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Unveiled	O
on	O
October	O
19	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Android	B-Application
4.0	I-Application
builds	O
upon	O
the	O
significant	O
changes	O
made	O
by	O
the	O
tablet-only	O
release	O
Android	B-Application
Honeycomb	I-Application
,	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
unified	O
platform	O
for	O
both	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
phone	O
with	O
Android	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
was	O
Samsung	B-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
Nexus	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0	O
was	O
focused	O
on	O
simplifying	O
and	O
modernizing	O
the	O
overall	O
Android	B-Application
experience	O
around	O
a	O
new	O
set	O
of	O
human	B-Application
interface	I-Application
guidelines	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
introduced	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
other	O
new	O
features	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
refreshed	O
home	O
screen	O
,	O
near-field	O
communication	O
(	O
NFC	O
)	O
support	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
"	O
beam	O
"	O
content	O
to	O
another	O
user	O
using	O
the	O
technology	O
,	O
an	O
updated	O
web	O
browser	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
contacts	O
manager	O
with	O
social	O
network	O
integration	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
camera	O
and	O
control	O
music	O
playback	O
from	O
the	O
lock	O
screen	O
,	O
visual	O
voicemail	O
support	O
,	O
face	O
recognition	O
for	O
device	O
unlocking	O
(	O
"	O
Face	O
Unlock	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
monitor	O
and	O
limit	O
mobile	B-Application
data	O
usage	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
internal	O
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
statistics	O
issued	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
indicate	O
that	O
0.15	O
%	O
of	O
all	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
accessing	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
run	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
tablet-only	O
release	O
"	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
"	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
2011	O
that	O
the	O
next	O
version	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
code	O
named	O
"	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
"	O
(	O
ICS	O
)	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
emphasized	O
providing	O
a	O
unified	O
user	O
experience	O
between	O
both	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
details	O
also	O
began	O
to	O
surface	O
surrounding	O
a	O
then-new	B-Application
Nexus	I-Application
phone	I-Application
by	O
Samsung	O
to	O
accompany	O
ICS	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
notably	O
exclude	O
hardware	O
navigation	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
blog	O
RootzWiki	O
released	O
photos	O
in	O
August	O
2011	O
showing	O
a	O
Nexus	B-Device
S	I-Device
running	O
a	O
build	O
of	O
ICS	O
,	O
depicting	O
a	O
new	O
application	O
menu	O
layout	O
resembling	O
that	O
of	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
interface	O
with	O
blue-colored	O
accenting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
out	O
of	O
respect	O
for	O
the	O
death	O
of	O
Apple	O
co-founder	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
Samsung	O
postponed	O
the	O
event	O
to	O
October	O
19	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0	O
and	O
its	O
launch	O
device	O
,	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Nexus	I-Application
,	O
were	O
officially	O
unveiled	O
on	O
October	O
19	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andy	O
Rubin	O
explained	O
that	O
4.0	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
"	O
enticing	O
and	O
intuitive	O
"	O
user	O
experience	O
across	O
both	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matias	O
Duarte	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
vice	O
president	O
of	O
design	O
,	O
explained	O
that	O
development	O
of	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
was	O
based	O
around	O
the	O
question	O
"	O
What	O
is	O
the	O
soul	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
machine	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
;	O
user	O
studies	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
existing	O
Android	B-Application
interface	O
was	O
too	O
complicated	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
prevented	O
users	O
from	O
being	O
"	O
empowered	O
"	O
by	O
their	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
overall	O
visual	O
appearance	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
was	O
streamlined	O
for	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
,	O
building	O
upon	O
the	O
changes	O
made	O
on	O
the	O
tablet-oriented	O
Android	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
,	O
his	O
first	O
project	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
;	O
Duarte	O
admitted	O
that	O
his	O
team	O
had	O
cut	O
back	O
support	O
for	O
smaller	O
screens	O
on	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
to	O
prioritize	O
sufficient	O
tablet	B-Device
support	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
wanted	O
Android	B-Application
OEMs	O
to	O
"	O
stop	O
doing	O
silly	O
things	O
like	O
taking	O
a	O
phone	O
UI	O
and	O
stretching	O
it	O
out	O
to	O
a	O
10-inch	O
tablet.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Judging	O
Android	B-Application
's	O
major	O
competitors	O
,	O
Duarte	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
interface	O
of	O
iOS	B-Application
was	O
too	O
skeuomorphic	O
and	O
kitschy	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
's	O
Metro	O
design	O
language	O
looked	O
too	O
much	O
like	O
"	O
airport	O
lavatory	O
signage	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
both	O
operating	O
systems	O
tried	O
too	O
hard	O
to	O
enforce	O
conformity	O
,	O
"[without]	O
leaving	O
any	O
room	O
for	O
the	O
content	O
to	O
express	O
itself.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
,	O
his	O
team	O
aimed	O
to	O
provide	O
interface	O
design	O
guidelines	O
which	O
would	O
evoke	O
a	O
modern	O
appearance	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
allowing	O
flexibility	O
for	O
application	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
characterized	O
the	O
revised	O
look	O
of	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
as	O
having	O
"	O
toned	O
down	O
the	O
geeky	O
nerd	O
quotient	O
"	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
,	O
which	O
carried	O
a	O
more	O
futuristic	O
appearance	O
that	O
was	O
compared	O
by	O
critics	O
to	O
the	O
aesthetics	O
of	O
Tron	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
official	O
launch	O
of	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
,	O
Duarte	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
launched	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
Design	O
portal	O
,	O
which	O
features	O
human	B-Application
interface	I-Application
guidelines	I-Application
,	O
best	O
practices	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
resources	O
for	O
developers	O
building	O
Android	B-Application
applications	I-Application
designed	O
for	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Nexus	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
to	O
ship	O
with	O
Android4.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0.3	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
16	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
providing	O
bug	O
fixes	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
social	O
stream	O
API	B-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
internal	O
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
day	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
began	O
a	O
rollout	O
of	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
to	O
the	O
predecessor	O
of	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Nexus	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
S	I-Device
.	O
However	O
,	O
on	O
December	O
20	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
Nexus	B-Device
S	I-Device
roll-out	O
was	O
"	O
paused	O
"	O
so	O
the	O
company	O
could	O
"	O
monitor	O
feedback	O
"	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
support	O
for	O
4.0	O
ended	O
in	O
February	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
interface	O
of	O
Android4.0	O
represents	O
an	O
evolution	O
of	O
the	O
design	O
introduced	O
by	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
,	O
although	O
the	O
futuristic	O
aesthetics	O
of	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
were	O
scaled	O
back	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
flat	B-Application
design	I-Application
with	O
neon	O
blue	O
accenting	O
,	O
hard	O
edges	O
,	O
and	O
drop	O
shadows	O
for	O
depth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
also	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
default	O
system	O
font	O
,	O
Roboto	O
;	O
designed	O
in-house	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
Droid	O
font	O
family	O
,	O
Roboto	O
is	O
primarily	O
optimized	O
for	O
use	O
on	O
high-resolution	O
mobile	B-Application
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
visual	O
appearance	O
of	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
is	O
implemented	O
by	O
a	O
widget	B-Library
toolkit	I-Library
known	O
as	O
"	O
Holo	O
"	O
;	O
to	O
ensure	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
Holo	O
style	O
across	O
all	O
devices	O
—	O
even	O
if	O
they	O
use	O
a	O
customized	O
interface	O
skin	O
elsewhere	O
,	O
all	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
certified	O
to	O
ship	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Store	I-Application
(	O
formerly	O
Android	B-Application
Market	I-Application
)	O
must	O
provide	O
the	O
capability	O
for	O
apps	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
unmodified	O
Holo	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
,	O
devices	O
can	O
now	O
render	O
navigation	O
buttons	O
—	O
"	O
Back	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Home	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Recent	O
apps	O
"	O
—	O
on	O
a	O
"	O
system	O
bar	O
"	O
across	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
removing	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
physical	O
equivalents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Menu	O
"	O
button	O
that	O
was	O
present	O
on	O
previous	O
generations	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
is	O
deprecated	O
,	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
presenting	O
buttons	O
for	O
actions	O
within	O
apps	O
on	O
"	O
action	O
bars	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
menu	O
items	O
which	O
do	O
not	O
fit	O
on	O
the	O
bar	O
in	O
"	O
action	O
overflow	O
"	O
menus	O
,	O
designated	O
by	O
three	O
vertical	O
dots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
default	O
home	O
screen	O
of	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
that	O
displays	O
a	O
persistent	O
Google	B-Application
Search	O
bar	O
across	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
a	O
dock	O
across	O
the	O
bottom	O
containing	O
the	O
app	O
drawer	O
button	O
in	O
the	O
middle	O
,	O
and	O
four	O
slots	O
for	O
app	O
shortcuts	O
alongside	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
drawer	O
is	O
split	O
into	O
two	O
tabs	O
;	O
one	O
for	O
apps	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
latter	O
holding	O
widgets	B-Application
to	O
be	O
placed	O
on	O
home	O
screen	O
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Widgets	B-Application
themselves	O
can	O
be	O
resizable	O
and	O
contain	O
scrolling	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0	O
contains	O
an	O
increased	O
use	O
of	O
swiping	O
gestures	O
;	O
apps	O
and	O
notifications	O
can	O
now	O
be	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
recent	O
apps	O
menu	O
and	O
dismissed	O
from	O
the	O
notifications	O
area	O
by	O
sliding	O
them	O
away	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
stock	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
apps	O
now	O
use	O
a	O
new	O
form	O
of	O
tabs	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
users	O
can	O
navigate	O
between	O
different	O
panes	O
by	O
either	O
tapping	O
their	O
name	O
on	O
a	O
strip	O
,	O
or	O
swiping	O
left	O
and	O
right	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
web	O
browser	O
app	O
incorporates	O
updated	O
versions	O
of	O
WebKit	B-Language
and	O
V8	B-Language
,	O
supports	O
syncing	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
,	O
has	O
an	O
override	O
mode	O
for	O
loading	O
a	O
desktop-oriented	O
version	O
of	O
a	O
website	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
mobile-oriented	O
version	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
offline	B-Protocol
browsing	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Contacts	O
"	O
section	O
of	O
the	O
phone	O
app	O
was	O
split	O
off	O
into	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
People	O
"	O
app	O
,	O
which	O
offers	O
integration	O
with	O
social	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
Google+	B-Application
to	O
display	O
recent	O
posts	O
and	O
synchronize	O
contacts	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
Me	O
"	O
profile	O
for	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
camera	O
app	O
was	O
redesigned	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
reduction	O
in	O
shutter	O
lag	O
,	O
face	O
detection	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
panorama	B-Application
mode	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
take	O
still	O
photos	O
from	O
a	O
video	O
being	O
recorded	O
in	O
camcorder	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
take	O
screenshots	B-Application
by	O
holding	O
down	O
the	O
power	O
and	O
"	O
Volume	O
down	O
"	O
buttons	O
together	O
was	O
also	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
devices	O
supporting	O
near-field	O
communication	O
(	O
NFC	O
)	O
,	O
"	O
Android	B-Application
Beam	O
"	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
links	O
to	O
content	O
from	O
compatible	O
apps	O
by	O
holding	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
their	O
device	O
up	O
against	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
another	O
NFC-equipped	O
Android	B-Application
device	O
,	O
and	O
tapping	O
the	O
screen	O
when	O
prompted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
"	O
System	O
"	O
apps	O
(	O
particularly	O
those	O
pre-loaded	B-Application
by	I-Application
carriers	I-Application
)	O
that	O
cannot	O
be	O
uninstalled	O
can	O
now	O
be	O
disabled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0	O
introduced	O
features	O
for	O
managing	O
data	O
usage	O
over	O
mobile	B-Application
networks	O
;	O
users	O
can	O
display	O
the	O
total	O
amount	O
of	O
data	O
they	O
have	O
used	O
over	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
display	O
data	O
usage	O
per	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0	O
inherits	O
platform	O
additions	O
from	O
Honeycomb	B-Application
,	O
and	O
also	O
adds	O
support	O
for	O
ambient	O
temperature	O
and	O
humidity	O
sensors	O
,	O
Bluetooth	O
Health	O
Device	O
Profile	O
,	O
near-field	O
communication	O
(	O
NFC	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Wi-Fi	O
Direct	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operating	O
system	O
also	O
provides	O
improved	O
support	O
for	O
stylus	O
and	O
mouse	B-Device
input	I-Device
,	O
along	O
with	O
new	O
accessibility	O
,	O
calendar	B-Application
,	O
keychain	O
,	O
spell	B-Application
checking	I-Application
,	O
social	O
networking	O
,	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
private	I-Application
network	I-Application
APIs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
multimedia	O
support	O
,	O
Android4.0	O
also	O
adds	O
support	O
for	O
ADTS	B-Application
AAC	I-Application
,	O
Matroska	O
containers	O
for	O
Vorbis	B-Algorithm
and	O
VP8	B-Algorithm
,	O
WebP	O
,	O
streaming	O
of	O
VP8	B-Algorithm
,	O
OpenMAX	B-Application
AL	I-Application
,	O
and	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
Streaming	I-Protocol
3.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android4.0	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
positive	O
reception	O
:	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
praised	O
the	O
Holo	O
user	O
interface	O
for	O
having	O
a	O
"	O
sense	O
of	O
identity	O
and	O
visual	O
coherence	O
that	O
were	O
previously	O
lacking	O
"	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
also	O
believing	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
interface	O
style	O
could	O
help	O
improve	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
third-party	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
features	O
were	O
noted	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
improvements	O
to	O
text	O
and	O
voice	O
input	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
data	O
usage	O
controls	O
(	O
especially	O
given	O
the	O
increasing	O
use	O
of	O
metered	O
data	O
plans	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
overall	O
performance	O
improvements	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
Gingerbread	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
Face	O
Unlock	O
feature	O
was	O
panned	O
for	O
being	O
an	O
insecure	O
gimmick	O
,	O
and	O
although	O
providing	O
an	O
improved	O
experience	O
over	O
the	O
previous	O
version	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
stock	O
applications	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
its	O
email	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
)	O
were	O
panned	O
for	O
still	O
being	O
inferior	O
to	O
third-party	O
alternatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Engadget	B-Application
also	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
maturing	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
experience	O
on	O
Ice	B-Application
Cream	I-Application
Sandwich	I-Application
,	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
modern	O
feel	O
of	O
its	O
new	O
interface	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
2.3	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
provided	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
stock	O
apps	O
and	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
conclusion	O
,	O
Engadget	B-Application
felt	O
that	O
Android4.0	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
gorgeous	O
OS	O
that	O
offers	O
great	O
performance	O
and	O
—	O
for	O
the	O
most	O
does	O
n't	O
feel	O
like	O
a	O
half-baked	O
effort.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Engadget	B-Application
still	O
felt	O
that	O
some	O
of	O
Android4.0	O
'	O
s	O
new	O
features	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Face	O
Unlock	O
)	O
had	O
a	O
"	O
beta	O
feel	O
"	O
to	O
them	O
,	O
noted	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
integration	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
People	O
app	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
was	O
still	O
not	O
as	O
intuitive	O
for	O
new	O
users	O
as	O
its	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Magazine	O
acknowledged	O
influence	O
from	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
7	O
in	O
the	O
new	O
"	O
People	O
"	O
app	O
and	O
improved	O
benchmark	O
performance	O
on	O
the	O
web	O
browser	O
,	O
but	O
considered	O
both	O
Android	B-Application
Beam	O
and	O
Face	O
Unlock	O
to	O
be	O
gimmicks	O
,	O
and	O
criticized	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
support	O
for	O
certain	O
apps	O
and	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
on	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
