Android Engineer, Dan Morrill, Sounds Off On Unannounced Android 4.0/ICS Features

[dgstorm]

If you have had a chance to peruse our article from last night's Galaxy Nexus/Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich launch, then you will know that ICS comes with a massive amount of new features. However, apparently, not all the features were shared during the event last night. One of the lead engineer's over at Google, Dan Morrill, decided to rectify that. He shared his personal favorite features of ICS that were not revealed in the Hong Kong presentation. Here they are below:

• Updated Settings – We’ve seriously revamped the Settings screen organization. Items are arranged much better now, and it’s easier and usually fewer actions to find what you are looking for.
• Disabling Apps – ICS adds the ability to disable an app outright. Don’t like an app that came preinstalled? Disable it! Its resources never run and its launcher icon is gone until you re-enable it. (This doesn’t free up any space — it can’t, since pre-installed apps are included in the read-only system storage. But it does put them “out of sight, out of mind.”)
• Camera Controls – The camera controls have been redesigned and are easier to find and mess around with.
• Improved Download Manager – It looks better and is easier to find and use, and to see and clear any downloads you might have.
• Support for Encryption for Phones – Honeycomb added full-device encryption, but ICS brings it to phones.
• Audio Effects – There’s a new audio effects API. Nuff said, really.

It was also made clear that there are still more amazing new features built into the new generation of 'Andy.' The SDK should be released soon so that developers can dive in to find them all.

Source: DroidMatters and Dan Morrill - Google+

 

[johnomaz]

Full phone encryption is nice.

 

[James9109]

Disabling preinstalled apps and out of sight? omg sounds amazing

 

[sparty569]

Full phone encryption is nice.

I wonder if that would stop snooping cops, who try to say they need to scan your phone, without a warrant.

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

I wonder if that would stop snooping cops, who try to say they need to scan your phone, without a warrant.

Lol, nice. in my state all you have to do is take the battery out of your phone and they cant put it in your phone to review your contacts. I saw that on my Border wars show.

 

[NoBloatware]

Disabling preinstalled apps and out of sight? omg sounds amazing

It's about time! Still, I wonder if this feature will make it past Verizon.

 

[jntdroid]

nice - a non-root app freezer!

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

It's about time! Still, I wonder if this feature will make it past Verizon.

I really like the feature but i kind of dont get it. Why make in non uninstallable if you can just leave it out of sight? Kind of defeats the purpose in my mind. Wouldnt it make more sense instead to just make so everything can be uninstalled? If it is a system app i dont want to be locked out of my own device and not able to uninstall it....give me a warning that it is a system app and that it can have undesired consequences if uninstalled. "Click next to continue to uninstall" lol can you imagine how mad the nerds would be if windows decided to block access to system files. I want the ability to screw up my device just like a computer. It is a computer. Do you know how backwards the phones seem to be? its like computers like windows formed out of the need and were programmed to be as helpful as possible. Bill gates never blocked anyone from the system files. But yet these mobile computers we all apparently aren't very wise so we need the smart OEMs to force us to have certain apps and block us out of places on our own devices because we dont have the sense enough not to do with it what they want us to do.

 

[kptphalkon]

Uninstalling a bloatware system app makes it so that you cannot receive ota's.. a built in app freezer? Damn I almost feel like I wasted money on TiBu. The only thing I use it for nowadays is to backup my apps so when I reflash CM7 I don't havet to remember everthing I installed.

I really really do hope that ICS is meant for 2nd generation phones as well, and that google holds true to its statement of no more fragmentation. I just may have to deal with Blur to have it on my D2G

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

Uninstalling a bloatware system app makes it so that you cannot receive ota's.. a built in app freezer? Damn I almost feel like I wasted money on TiBu. The only thing I use it for nowadays is to backup my apps so when I reflash CM7 I don't havet to remember everthing I installed.
I really really do hope that ICS is meant for 2nd generation phones as well, and that google holds true to its statement of no more fragmentation. I just may have to deal with Blur to have it on my D2G

Lol, Fragmentation is inevitable when you have OEMs dabbling in their own versions.

 

[C3-PO]

What is the significance of the Audio API?

 

[pyro6128]

Uninstalling a bloatware system app makes it so that you cannot receive ota's.. a built in app freezer? Damn I almost feel like I wasted money on TiBu. The only thing I use it for nowadays is to backup my apps so when I reflash CM7 I don't havet to remember everthing I installed.

I really really do hope that ICS is meant for 2nd generation phones as well, and that google holds true to its statement of no more fragmentation. I just may have to deal with Blur to have it on my D2G

haha you almost feel like you wasted your money on titanium backup because the only thing you use it for is to...back up? :blink: jk

 

[kptphalkon]

Shhhhhhhhhh lol

I actually bought it to freeze bloatware and blur services because I was totally green when I first rooted and was scared to flash a ROM.