LG And Sony Reveal Ice Cream Sandwich Dates

Tech vendors are increasingly turning to Facebook to revealed when they plan to upgrade their devices to Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) operating system.

LG and Sony Ericsson both announced via the world’s most popular social network, the timelines for when their Android smartphones will get the bump to ICS.

ICS Timelines

ICS, which appeared first on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus in the UK, borrows some of the holographic user interface characteristics from the Honeycomb tablet operating system. Verizon is expected to launch its own Galaxy Nexus in the United States 8 December in time for the holiday sales season.

LG said that it will make ICS available for such high-end LG smartphones as the Optimus 2X, the Optimus Black, the Optimus 3D and the Optimus LTE, none of which are available in the US. However, as GigaOm noted, the Optimus 2X is sold in the US as T-Mobile’s G2X.

No word yet on whether handsets such as Verizon Wireless’ LG Revolution, which is certainly a high-end smartphone currently running Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” will be added to that mix.

“We are also continuing to evaluate the ICS OS to determine whether it is compatible with the functionality, features and performance of other LG smartphones to make the ICS OS available on as many LG smartphones as possible,” said on its LG Mobile Global Facebook page 28 November.

LG said it post its ICS upgrade schedule and additional specific models for the upgrade on its LG Mobile Global Facebook page and on its local LG websites.

A Sony marketing executive in Italy meanwhile pre-announced that the company’s Xperia Android line would get the ICS upgrade.

Responding on Sony Ericsson Italy’s Facebook page to a question about potential updates, Sony’s Maurizio De Palma said that the Xperia line of phones should see ICS in March.

Race For ICS

That report comes one month after the Dutch division of Sony Ericsson said via Facebook that Xperia phones will get Ice Cream Sandwich someday.

What these reports highlight is that the race to upgrade phones to ICS is well underway. Major Android upgrades have long been a source of contention for consumers who feel they wait too long for phone makers and carriers to support new platform versions.

For example, Samsung’s first Galaxy line took a notoriously long time to get the Android 2.2 “Froyo” bump in 2011. HTC has been among the quicker OEMs to ensure its Android phones received timely upgrades.