Verizon Lists Ice Cream Sandwich Candidates

American operator Verizon has released a list of Android smartphones and tablets which will receive an Ice Cream Sandwich update this year.

Although the list is US-specific and some of the devices have already been confirmed as candidates for the upgrade, it raises hopes for Android users in the UK that the new version of Google’s mobile operating system isn’t too far away.

Ice cream for some

According to Verizon, a number of devices from HTC, Motorola, Samsung and LG will be updated. The HTC Thunderbolt, Droid Incredible 2 by HTC, HTC Rhyme and HTC Rezound are on the list as are the Motorola DROID Bionic, Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, Droid 4, Droid Xyboard 8.2, Droid Xyboard 10.1 and the previously-confirmed Motorola Xoom tablet.

The LG Spectrum is also on the list, as are the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.7. Samsung confirmed last December that the Galaxy SII, Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy Note would receive the update in early 2012, with its tablets following suit over the course of the year.

The news is likely to increase optimism among Android users that their smartphone or tablet will receive Ice Cream Sandwich, which is currently installed on just one percent of all Android devices since it made its debut on Google’s latest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in November.

HTC, ZTE and Samsung were among the manufacturers who announced new devices running the software at Mobile World Congress at Barcelona, but the delays in updating current smartphones and tablets had led to speculation that a new version, Jelly Bean, could be around the corner. Asus appears to have confirmed the existence of Jelly Bean, while the version after that has reportedly already been dubbed Key Lime Pie.

Ice Cream Sandwich aims to unify the elements of the smartphone-focussed 2.3 Gingerbread and the tablet oriented 3.0 Honeycomb branches of the Android platform. The software features improved camera controls, multi-tasking, data counters, support for Near Field Communications (NFC), a redesigned interface, a brand new contacts system and a number of new security features.

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