Samsung Epic 4G Touch Owners Get a Taste of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Epic 4G Touch users have something to celebrate today, as Sprint has just announced it will begin rolling out an over-the-air update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for this device, which is Sprint's version of the Galaxy S II.

With the maintenance release started, all users should receive the upgrade in the next month. The Epic 4G Touch will automatically download the update once eligible, though the handset will be disabled during the installation process, which should only take a few minutes.

New and Improved

Once complete, users will finally get a taste of Android 4.0, including enhanced elements and new features such as Face Unlock, which allows owners to unlock their phones with a smile, web browser sync with Google Chrome that allows users to store pages for offline reading, and a new calendar app that syncs with Google Calendar or Microsoft Exchange.

Additionally, those who have an Epic 4G Touch will experience a refined user interface, redesigned camera with panorama mode, a powerful photo editor and background replacement effects, as well as a new Gmail app that allows them to swipe between conversations and search for emails without a data connection. Keyboard improvements and Google+ integration are also included in the upgrade.

A Slow Process

While Android 4.0 launched late last year, only 11% of Android smartphones are running the upgrade, according to Google. The company cites a few reasons for the slow adoption of ICS, pointing out that the latest version of the Android OS is significantly different than Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), the previous version for smartphones, so upgrades are taking longer to develop due to these differences. Wireless carriers must also approve each upgrade that is released, which they only do after extensive testing, a process that takes quite some time.

The result of this is fragmentation -- there are varying versions currently running on different smarthphones and tablets. According to the most recent figures from Google, the majority of devices are on OS 2.3, with the older version, OS 2.2, ranking in second. This division makes it extremely difficult for developers to test their software with every version of Android before an app is released.