Ice Cream Sandwich Tips– Get The Look And Feel Of ICS On Your Android Early
It hardly needs to be said that the hottest thing in the Android community is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. But while everyone else has been busy trying to figure out when their device is going to get the official update, real code heads have been trying to get ICS loaded up on their phones instead of relying on their providers for their first taste of Android Ice Cream. But getting a working solution for the ICS problem is no easy task but it looks like the more dedicated Android fans out there just may have been to get Android 4.0 early.
For those of you looking to get Android 4.0 on your phone there are currently two solutions making their way around the web. One is purely cosmetic, but still gives you a good sense of Android's new fall look.
[Text from German User Mirko]
While most are waiting on coals for the latest Android Version– Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) – to make an appearance on their smartphone or tablet PC, the XDA Developers have been working on a theme, which gives your older smartphone a dose of the 4.0 look.
I'm probably not the only one, who thinks that the new look of ICS is killer. So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw a working theme in the XDA forum. But there is a slight problem: you need to have a rooted device and the custom ROM “Cyanogemnmod7” for the method to work. But since that is one of the most popular custom ROMs in the Android world, there should be more then a few of your, who would be interested in slapping a new coat of ICS-goodness on your smartphone.
- 1) You need to download the ICS .apk files from the Android Market and install them.
- 2) Then you need to open the Design app and select the ICS theme.
- 3) But if you want the real ICS feel you need the ICS Extras files, which include wallpapers and icons from the new Android OS. The ICSMorph app takes the Ice Cream Sandwich transformation a step further by changing the appearance of several apps but you'll need MetaMorph to get it to run properly. To complete the transformation, download the Android 4.0 audio files and you're done!
Personally, I like the theme and think they did a really good job of capturing the feel of ICS before the official release.
[Thanks Mirko!]
But for those of you, who don't just want the ICS look but what to know what the new Android 4.0 has to offer, there is hope. XDA Developers Forum also hacked together a port of the new Ice Cream Sandwich distribution for the Nexus S. But like with the theme above you have to have a rooted phone and a bit of computer skills to get the port loaded onto your phone.
While it does offer most of the functionality of ICS, the XDA port had to accept a few cutbacks, including missing icons, no face unlock, and reported data issues. But if you don't mind a few bugs, the XDA port of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is available for download.
If you still don't know when ICS will be released for your phone, check out this list of all Android 4.0 release dates. We're updating it as fast as we can so check back often if you haven't seen your device yet!
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Source: XDA Developers
