Ice Cream Sandwich Revealed with Refined Multitasking, UI

Google's Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" looks to be the best version yet whether it's installed on a smartphone or tablet.

Tuesday night Google finally unveiled Android 4.0 aka "Ice Cream Sandwich," the latest version of its OS which now sports an "evolved" UI that's actually similar to the company's tablet-oriented build, Android 3.x "Honeycomb." This new version will reportedly also make it easier on developers to write apps for both smartphones and tablets, possibly preventing much of the fragmentation that currently plagues the Android platform across the board.

To be honest, Ice Cream Sandwich is the best-looking build of Android to date.

The list of changes and improvements implemented into the new OS is impressive. New features include revamped home screen folders to group apps and shortcuts together by dragging one onto another, resizable widgets, new lock screen actions allowing users to take pictures or pull down the notifications window without unlocking the device, and improved text input and spell-checking (cough). There's also a "powerful" new voice input engine that offers a continuous "open microphone" experience and streaming voice recognition, and new swipe actions for dismissing browser tabs, tasks and notifications.

According to Google, Ice Cream Sandwich will also let users have control over their network data for those stuck with tiered or metered data plans. "In the Settings app, colorful charts show the total data usage on each network type (mobile or Wi-Fi), as well as amount of data used by each running application," the company said Tuesday. "Based on their data plans, users can optionally set warning levels or hard limits on data usage or disable mobile data altogether. Users can also manage the background data used by individual applications as needed."

On the communications and sharing front, Android 4.0 will introduce a "People" app which seems to be a local social hub on the device that offers richer profile information than the standard Contacts app, including a large profile picture, phone numbers, addresses and accounts, status updates, and a new button for connecting on integrated social networks -- users will also be able to set up their own profile on the device (seemingly like you do with a console or Facebook). The calendar will be updated with the ability to let other applications mark the calendar, and users will even have access to visual voicemail.

Here's more good news: Google has improved the camera on the software side. The new Camera app supposedly features continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure, decreased shot-to-shot speeds, stabilized image zoom, and the ability to take snapshots at full video resolution. Built-in face detection will locate faces in the frame and automatically set focus, and for even more control, users will be able to tap to focus anywhere in the preview image. For capturing larger scenes, the Camera app will also introduce a single-motion panorama mode.

Ice Cream Sandwich will also introduce a revamped Gallery, an improved Picture Gallery widget, and a native photo editor. Users can crop and rotate pictures, set levels, remove red eyes, add effects, and much more. Even better, Google has added tools to alter video captured by the Camera app. Users can change the background behind them to any stock or custom image, or use a set of morphing effects called Silly Faces that will reduce the size of eyes, create big mouths, big noses, squeeze faces and more.

Tuesday Google said that Android 4.0 will also bring changes like the ability to request the full-blown desktop version of a website inside the revamped stock browser (what, still no Chrome?), improved email, Android Beam for NFC-based sharing, Face Unlock for unlocking the Android device simply by using your face, support for Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth HDP.

For more detailed information about Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich," head here. As previously reported, the new OS will appear on the just-revealed Galaxy Nexus first, and will reportedly begin to roll out on additional devices weeks later. Actual arrival will depend on all wireless carriers involved, but unlike previous versions in the Android 2.x family and below, the new Android 4.0 build will supposedly work on any mobile device.