In this article, I give you my quick comparison between Android Gingerbread vs Ice Cream Sandwich. Android is a hit and it has been clear to all of us for a long time. Its flexibility, intuitive interface, and very great adaptability to the user and his requirements have made him in a very short time what he is today – one of the best operating systems for mobile devices.
A very big role in its popularity is played by the fact that every few months it receives an update of the system, bringing with it a handful of novelties. Each of the upgrades corrects the flaws of the previous version and allows the Android device to be up to date for a longer period of time and to benefit its owner.
However, more and more people, mostly those who do not follow the development of Android long enough and in detail, cannot be sure what everything brings them, say Android 2.3 compared to Android 2.2.2 or 4.0.
If you also have a dilemma about what is best to take from Android, then read the following lines. And you know, if you choose Android Gingerbread mobile now, there is every chance that it will be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich, as version 4.0 is officially called.
Also, you should know that Honeycomb, ie Android 3.0 and later versions are specially created for Tablets, such as Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices or Tab 7.o and will probably not appear on “ordinary” smartphones, so we will immediately from Gingerbread (v2 .3 and above) move on to comparison with ICS (4.0).
Gingerbread has brought a number of improvements over version 2.2.2 (Froyo) and later, most notably better integration with social networks, an enriched Web browsing experience, and support for more powerful and faster hardware devices.
Android hardware has never been in question – it was the software “limitations” that Android versions carry with them. For example, the camera interface is required to be the same on your Android device, regardless of who produces it.
Because of that and other software options, which were “locked”, we still haven’t seen an Android phone with a phenomenal camera or a powerful music player. But that will change, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming.
On Android ICS (Android 4.0), the notification list got a new look, is more interactive, and now contains controls for the music player, and is available to touch even when the phone is locked (only when the screen is lit and the lock screen is visible).
Unlocking the phone is possible by “recognizing the owner’s face”, but this feature has not yet been described in detail, and at the premiere of ICS it was not enabled for display.
The browser has been further improved. Bookmark data can now be linked and shared with the desktop version of the owner’s Chrome browser, and new icons have been added for easier navigation.
Mobile versions of Web sites are displayed automatically, if possible due to savings and costs, but they can be switched to the classic Web view with one click. The Incognito search option has been added, as well as the recording or storage of complete Web pages so that they can be viewed later Offline.
The integrated mail application can now search for emails in offline mode, and the calendar has received support for multitouch and “pinching” zoom.
The internet menu also integrates a counter of consumed data, remaining MB, and a monitor with a list of applications and information on how much each application “ate”.
One of the more significant improvements was the camera. Panoramic photography and face and smile recognition are supported. The video got continuous zoom, zoom during shooting, Full HD resolution, capturing display thumbnails during shooting, and frame stabilization.
The phonebook got easier synchronization with computers and other devices, as well as the ability to attach a high-resolution photo to the caller’s image, which is displayed on full screen during the incoming call.
Video chat, standby menu, social networks, and socialization applications, as well as the Gallery, have also been improved. A great novelty is NFC support, which exchanges the desired files on one tap with adequate devices that have the same function.
Ice Cream Sandwich has a beautiful lock screen, as well as a simpler but better home screen with a completely new type of font and graphics. Menu animations were a trademark of Android, and now there are even more and they look much better.
Working with icons is simplified, so it is enough to drag one icon to another, create a folder, and immediately insert them into it. You can also drag the icon to the bottom of the display, in line with the active shortcuts, and “nest” there to make it easier and faster to access.
Although Gingerbread Android in all its versions (from 2.3 to 2.3.5) has great features, it is clear to you that Android 4.0 has overtaken it in every sense of the word. The first mobile from this family is the Samsung Google Nexus, which is already on sale, and as time goes on we expect many new and upgraded phones, which now have a Gingerbread update and matching hardware.