Android v4.0.4 Release: Why the Update is Generating So Much Buzz And Which Devices Will be Getting It?

Google has confirmed that an updated version of Ice Cream Sandwich - Android 4.0.4 - is coming to the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Nexus S. Lots of Gingerbread devices will be staying behind, though.

Over on Google+, the company confirms that Android 4.0.4 is heading to the Galaxy Nexus and GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus S.

The update includes bugfixes, stability improvements, faster camera launch ... and better performance in some areas, AnandTech adds.

Google also said the devices getting the update would be the UMTS/GSM versions of the Nexus S, the Motorola Xoom (Wi-Fi only) and the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus devices.

This news comes nearly two weeks after we learned from our sources that the Nexus S update was nigh at hand, and only hours after the AOSP became available, Engadget report. During that time, the update did roll out to some Nexus S devices, but was quickly pulled by Google to gain feedback.

There's no specific timeframe for when the update will come out, though some are receiving the update already.

[S]ome users are already receiving the update on their Nexus, The Verge claims, so it seems that the update is rolling out now for some devices.

The update isn't just bringing tweaks to Ice Cream Sandwich devices as there is also support for the modding community.

ICS [Ice Cream Sandwich] has also been merged with the AOSP source tree. This means developers like CyanogenMod and everyone else has full access to the official tweaks, Android Community reveals. This means all of the improvements can be integrated into ROMs, ensuring they're as recent as the updates themselves.

Google has also said the Sprint Galaxy Nexus 4G, Verizon Galaxy Nexus and Verizon Motorola Xoom 4G will be getting the update soon.

Coming in at just under 18MB ... there's a good reason 4.0.4 be available as an over-the-air update sooner rather than later, AndroidandMe suggests.

The update means that the Motorola Xoom, which has lagged behind devices such as the iPad, will receive the update. Despite this, the 3G version seems to be excluded.

[T]he Android 4.0.4 update is targeting Xoom Wi-Fi models only, says CNET. This means users will continue to pay monthly bills for a tablet that is getting overshadowed by opposition, despite being a flagship device for the Honeycomb operating system when it launched.

Your device needs to be running on the stock build of 4.0.3 or Gingerbread, NDTVGadgets notes.

(reported by Jonathan Charles, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)

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