I used to be first in line to get a new OS. We're talking running UD Alpha for Gingerbread on the OG Droid. Now? I'm excited for ICS, but I don't know that it will really add to my day to day. To whit:
Google Beam – Basically, NFC technology, ala Nokia Just Tap. Pair two NFC devices just by touching them and send across files wirelessly.
I know NFC is coming in the form of MicroSD cards, but even so I don't see this feature being very useful. It's cool, to be sure; I just can't imagine a usage scenario for me, personally.
Works on both tablets and phones. That was the basic premise for Ice Cream Sandwich.
This is nice and all, but again, not something that affects my daily usage. Might make app coding easier for people coding for phones and tablets both, but I already have more apps than I know what to do with.
– Made specially for HD displays, the Roboto font enhances readability, obviously.
It would be nice to have a new font, but I can't get very excited about it.
Resizable widgets, better Notifications and KeyboardNew People app. Ala People Hub on Windows Phone, just not as good, though New Data Usage app, so you know how much data you’ve used and have control over it.
I already have dismissable notifications through Blur on my RAZR. I always run a homescreen replacement, so I've had resizable widgets since my OG Droid.
New Homescreen. Open Camera and Phone right from the shortcuts here. Roboto font definitely looks sweet here.
I think this was supposed to say "new lockscreen." I can already go to the camera straight from the lockscreen via Blur. I'm still not doing backflips over a new font.
Zero shutter lag in Camera, and response time of just 0.01 ms (the touchscreen/UI)
The laggy camera was one of my main complaints with Android, so I was really excited to see this feature. However, the stock camera on my RAZR is super fast, and only got better with the recent update. I hear GNex owners saying the "zero shutter lag" isn't that useful because the camera still has to focus. If you're not in focus, you'll just get an out of focus shot.
For some objectivity (I'm a shameless Google fan), my wife HATES the camera on Android. She constantly says, "why can't it be like the iPhone?" It made me cry. She hated the camera on her OG Droid, hates the one on her Galaxy Tab 7. That said, she absolutely loves the camera on my RAZR. She said it's as good as the iPhone one on her friend's iPhone (my wife couldn't care less about Android vs. iOS; she just wants something that works; the camera is the only thing she liked better on the iPhone over her Android).
Native Screenshots capability
This is cool. I don't want to have to root and (technically) void my warranty to take a screenshot. Not sure how much I would use this (had it on my OG Droid and used it infrequently, but I did use it), but it'll be nice to have the feature.
Face Unlock = More security
This is a totally cool feature. That said, I will use this for 15 minutes to play with it and never use it again. I should disclose, though, I don't even have a passcode for my device. I just don't feel I need the security.
New Browser – Incognito Mode, offline page viewing etc.
I don't need "porn mode" for my browser. I'm looking forward to Chrome for Android, but that'll come to GB in time and it isn't technically a feature of ICS, anyway. I also don't really need offline viewing (and Dolphin already does this, I believe).
New Gmail and Calendar apps
These look cool, but the ones I have now work fine. I'll welcome the changes, but I don't think it'll affect my daily usage.
So, to sum up, I really am looking forward to ICS on my RAZR; but I don't NEED it like I needed previous updates. I honestly don't know what it will improve for me other than some nice UI tweaks. While I welcome those, it's not like they'll change how I interface with my device.
