What is ICS going to mean for the masses

[sinned6915]

With the impending ICS doom coming, what is it going to mean to those us who are simple phone users or power users?

What are the major differences that we are going to have to learn and adjust to?

I have not seen anything like 'ICS for GB dummies' or 'migrating to ICS from GB'

Not knowing what the ICS future holds is a little disconcerting. My hacking days are over and I almost dread being forced into an upgrade because I need my phone to be stable and productive.

 

[Paraflier]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history

Not "for dummies" but a good summary of the changes between versions.

 

[lewwill]

Great source paraflier, thank you. I started with my DX on Eclair and I understand sinned6915s concern. The first month or two was like learning a new language after a windows background. Eventually it all came together and it has been a great ride. If you are OK on GB you will be happy with ICS. I have it on my Xoom and it is great. Some features like NFC will not be available on the Bionic due to hardware limitations (no nfc chip) but most will be great improvements and there are tutorials available on the VZ site and your phone. I am an old guy, 71, and I love Android.
Lew

 

[Thom]

What I (and many others) are looking forward to ...

The correction of a lot of bugs. The most important being the elimination of 4G data drops.

The ability to freeze some unwanted pre-installed apps (A.K.A. bloatware) without being forced to be root-ed.

Gingerbread only used one core. Some applications took advantage of both. ICS uses both.

Improved user interface? I haven't seen it yet so I don't know.
​

... Thom

 

[stridermt2k]

When I first encountered ICS the differences threw me for a little bit until I googled the subject.
While it handles a little differently it is definitely better than Gingerbread.

Good thinking to ask ahead of time!

 

[acejavelin]

The HTC Rezound just went through this over the last couple months... here are the main things from Gingerbread to ICS that people were concerned with:

1) You can't set a different volume level for notification sounds and incoming calls. A call ringing and notification sound will be at the same volume level. This is the biggest issue people complained about. It is an ICS thing.
2) Layout of the settings is different and can be confusing to the non-power user in ICS since when you press settings it appears to only have a toggle for the WiFi, BT, and Mobile Network. People don't immediately get they can tap on the left side to open more settings.
3) App Associations and link opening. (Not sure how this will effect Motorola) Due to the various lawsuits with Apple, a lot of links in webpages and emails will not open the associated apps, but will open the web browser and not the associated app, stuff like Youtube and Maps are the most common ones.
4) The "Developers" menu, confusing to many users who think that this was something "special"... it is, sort of, but mostly it just caused issues by people thinking if they just turn on random stuff, it will make massive changes. Generally incorrect and should normally be left alone for the average user.

Now, on the positive side there are lots of improvement:

- Swipe away notifications
- Greatly improved multitasking
- Multi-core processor support (GB only supported ONE core in a processor)
- Better UI responsiveness
- Better battery performance (in general)
- Data usage meter and control
- Re-sizable widgets
- Face Unlock (if you like that sort of thing, never used it)
- Lockscreen actions - you can pull down the notification menu or open the camera without unlocking the screen
- WiFi Direct support
- Disable (Freeze) embedded firmware apps!!! (Best Feature EVER!!!)

It's kinda like going from Windows XP to Windows 7, most people like it, some don't, but people generally do the same stuff with either one.

 

[PowerBomb]

First world problems lol. Not the end of the world. If you're a casual user, you'll just have to adjust to the different menu layouts and a few other changes. If you're a power user, you'll probably appreciate some of the features that GB didn't have. We'll all live.

For the average masses it means nothing more than "oh look, my phone says there's an update" and then "ooh look the icons changed from Android green to this nice blue color".

 

[PowerBomb]

The HTC Rezound just went through this over the last couple months... here are the main things from Gingerbread to ICS that people were concerned with:

1) You can't set a different volume level for notification sounds and incoming calls. A call ringing and notification sound will be at the same volume level. This is the biggest issue people complained about. It is an ICS thing.

Not true at all. The setting is certainly available. There are 4 sliders in the "volumes" menu, music/video/games, ringtone, notifications, alarms. Unless what you are saying is that despite there being a separate slider, there's a bug that makes the ringtone and notification still alert at the same level. I haven't experienced that. But if you're saying it's an "ICS thing" that you can't control them separately, yes you can. Maybe it was different on the Rezound but as of build .247 for the Bionic, separate settings are certainly there.

 

[Paraflier]

Great source paraflier, thank you.
Lew

Someone else had posted the wiki link in another thread.... I can't find or remember to give them proper credit.... but it seemed like a good idea to pass it along.

Don't forget in ICS.....native screen shots! No special app, or root, or witchcraft needed!

Volume Down plus Power.

 

[marine one]

Not true at all. The setting is certainly available. There are 4 sliders in the "volumes" menu, music/video/games, ringtone, notifications, alarms. Unless what you are saying is that despite there being a separate slider, there's a bug that makes the ringtone and notification still alert at the same level. I haven't experienced that. But if you're saying it's an "ICS thing" that you can't control them separately, yes you can. Maybe it was different on the Rezound but as of build .247 for the Bionic, separate settings are certainly there.

I've been using a free app called Suppressor. It has slide bars that allow customization of volume levels for the following settings:
System Volume
Media Volume
In-Call Volume
Ringer Volume
Alarm Volume
Notifications Volume

 

[Thom]

Don't forget in ICS.....native screen shots! No special app, or root, or witchcraft needed!

Volume Down plus Power.

For clarity. You can take screenshots with Screen Grabber on the Bionic under Gingerbread and you do not have to be root-ed.

You need to load the Screen Grabber app from the Add Drawer and make sure ... Advanced Options | Require root access ... is not checked.

... Thom

 

[doogald]

Native screen shots is still better...

 

[acejavelin]

I forgot about the native screen shots... HTC and Samsung had them in Gingerbread too, forgot the Motorola's didn't.

Perhaps Moto implemented the volume different, but I was under the impression that a almost all builds of ICS had only a single volume settings for ringtone and notification volume... over in the Rezound section we have gone round and round with tons of utilities to try to "seperate" these settings, every free one tried appears to work, but doesn't actually change anything and the ringer volume always took precedence no matter what the sliders showed. There was one that someone found that was like $1.99 that worked, but it seems to me it worked because it stayed resident in memory and it wasn't just a "setting".

 

[BigRedGonzo]

Another thing worth noting is the ICS way of placing widgets on the home screen. Instead of long tapping and choosing widgets from the pop-up menu, now you tap the apps menu shortcut and there is a tab for widgets. You find the widget you want, press and hold and drop it on the home screen where ever you like. I was frustrated with it at first, but when I got used to it I liked it.

BigRedGonzo

 

[sinned6915]

thanks folks!

when i posted originally, i neglected to disclose that gingerbread was my first exposure to android, so this is my first upgrade. the wiki pages helped a lot as well as the posts by ace and pb. Thanks!

so all we have to do now is sit and wait patiently.

 

[stridermt2k]

Webtop 3.0 will also bring a tablet-like interface that brings a ton more functionality.

From what I've seen online in my research, simply plugging in an HDMI cable will activate Webtop without the need for special adapters or hacks as well.

All in all it looks pretty darn exciting for Bionic owners!

 

[Thom]

Does 6.7.246 contain "Let's Golf 2" or "Let's Golf 3"?

... Thom

 

[DanDroide]

Does 6.7.246 contain "Let's Golf 2" or "Let's Golf 3"?

... Thom

Let's Golf 2

 

[Thom]

I am looking forward to ICS ... whenever ...

It is my understanding that on an un-root-ed Bionic I will finally be able to disable and delete "NFL Mobile" and "Let's Golf 2" and still get future system updates.

Is this correct or will I need to disable them and not delete them to get the next system update?

Are there any safeguards that prevent you from deleting an app that is required for system jpdates?

... Thom

 

[DanDroide]

I am looking forward to ICS ... whenever ...

It is my understanding that on an un-root-ed Bionic I will finally be able to disable and delete "NFL Mobile" and "Let's Golf 2" and still get future system updates.

Is this correct or will I need to disable them and not delete them to get the next system update?

Are there any safeguards that prevent you from deleting an app that is required for system jpdates?

... Thom

From Manage Apps:

I was able to UNINSTALL Let's Golf 2

I was only able to DISABLE Nfl Mobile

Don't know your last question.

 

[Thom]

There was a capability in the past that was only possible if you were root-ed ... you could freeze and application.

The technique was to freeze it and then un-freeze it at a future date so a future OTA could be installed.

It is my understanding that an un-root-ed Bionic running ICS can disable and delete applications.

Is there a safeguard that prevents you from accidentally deleting an app that must be present for a future system upgrade?

Will there be a problem because you deleted "Lets Golf 2"?

... Thom

 

[the dmg]

From Manage Apps:

I was able to UNINSTALL Let's Golf 2

I was only able to DISABLE Nfl Mobile

Don't know your last question.

I still find it annoying that certain bloat can't be deleted.

 

[Thom]

Impacts I have seen from 6.7.246 ...

• "Quadrant Advanced" now reports a maximum clock speed of 1.2GHz.
• Both cores are now used - it is snapier.
• Never been root-ed - I disabled "NFL Mobile" and "Let's Golf 2" removing them from the app drawer.
• "Lapdock 100" is much mucn more professional and useful with the new 6.7.246 webtop.

... Thom

 

[wildkitten]

Impacts I have seen from 6.7.246 ...

• "Quadrant Advanced" now reports a maximum clock speed of 1.2GHz.
• Both cores are now used - it is snapier.
• Never been root-ed - I disabled "NFL Mobile" and "Let's Golf 2" removing them from the app drawer.
• "Lapdock 100" is much mucn more professional and useful with the new 6.7.246 webtop.

... Thom

I was able to uninstall Let's Golf 2 when I bought the phone. When we had an upgrade and I thin put on Let's Golf 3, that as well gave me an uninstall option.

 

[Thom]

I was able to uninstall Let's Golf 2 when I bought the phone. When we had an upgrade and I thin put on Let's Golf 3, that as well gave me an uninstall option.

I installed and then totally deleted "NFL Mobile" and "Let's Golf 2" and since these were pre-installed I did not know if this would prevent me from getting the OTA that is released after this one.

The working hypothesis is that if Manage Apps allows you to delete it then it is safe to do so. I haven't seen that stated anywhere.

... Thom