Ice Cream Sandwich ported to older devices

A working version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has been ported to the credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer, allowing the $25 device to perform many of the functions of a modern smartphone or tablet, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. According to a post on the project's official blog, the build supports hardware-accelerated video and graphics, but is not yet able to play sound due to problems with porting Android's AudioFlinger system.

As Eurogamer points out, it's not the first attempt to get Android up and running on the device — the Raspberry Pi community has been working on ports of CyanogenMod 7.2 (based on Android 2.3) and CyanogenMod 9 (based on Android 4.0) for some time. Still, it's the first time the mobile operating system has been anywhere close to usable for everyday tasks, providing a real alternative to the various stripped-down Linux distributions currently available for the Pi platform.

HTC Desire S and HD owners won't need to buy a new phone to experience the Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4 goodness of HTC's latest offerings. Xda-developers forum member proxuser has ported the One V's ROM to the two phones, giving users the (almost) complete One V software experience. The initial port was posted several weeks ago, and proxuser has been steadily updating it since. Despite having gone through several rounds of bug fixes, there are still a few things that don't work: you won't be able to use the camera on either the S or HD, and the S doesn't support USB tethering or use as a wi-fi hotspot.

The custom ROM does, however, include Android 4.0.3 with the latest version of the Sense UI, along with up-to-date apps and even 25GB of free space on Dropbox. The response so far has been very positive, but you'll still want to make sure you're comfortable installing custom firmware and have a backup on hand. If you're interested in installing it, you can head over to the Desire S or Desire HD forum threads to pick up the necessary files.

We were teased with a video of Android 4.0 running on a Nokia N9 last month, and now an unofficial public alpha release of the OS for the N9 is available over at NITDroid. The 3.9-inch handset is a good match for ICS considering its lack of capacitive front buttons and its enduring style, which inspired the slick design of the Lumia 800 and 900. Except for some of the sensors, Wi-Fi, and the accelerometer, it appears that many of the phone's core functions are available and functioning properly, including the mobile network and 3D acceleration. If you're still carrying an N9, you can grab the release right now from NITDroid, along with the typical hassle of an unofficial installation process.

The project to bring Ice Cream Sandwich to the N9 is clearly advancing, therefore, and we couldn't be any more excited to see the fruit that it bears. It doesn't yet look terribly close to completion, though there's no doubt that the effort will be worth it. Among all the phones that could do with an OS upgrade out there, the N9 is perhaps the prettiest, and as a bonus, it already lacks any physical or capacitive front buttons, making it a perfect match for ICS.

Oh, and don't despair if you still like MeeGo, Alexey has also noted that he's working to create a dual-boot setup, allowing you to alternate between Harmattan and ICS to your heart's content. To compare the N9 to Google's Galaxy Nexus and the other phones in Nokia's Maemo / MeeGo range, check out our comparison tool.

We haven't spent much time dwelling on the canceled Dell Streak 7 as of late, but if you bought one of the the seven-inch Android 2.2 tablets, you might be happy to hear that the community is working to bring you an Ice Cream Sandwich for sticking with the slate. DJ_Steve and Giveen over at TabletRoms have a beta build of Android 4.0.3 running on the device, although the word "beta" is capitalized and underlined for good reason — as always, a host of important features (like cellular connectivity) aren't ready for primetime, and forumgoers are reporting other interesting little bugs as well. Still, if the Streak 7 isn't your daily driver, what do you have to lose? You're not going to be getting any Honeycomb from T-Mobile, after all. Find a ZIP file with the ROM and a friendly forum thread at our source link.

And here we go. The enterprising hackers at xda-developers have put together an "pre-alpha" version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Kindle Fire, marking the first time we've seen Amazon's budget tablet running the latest and greatest version of Android. (And the first time we've seen it run a proper tablet OS and not a variant of Gingerbread for phones, actually.) Things seem to be working fairly well for an early build, which is based on CyanogenMod 9, but audio doesn't work consistently and there are some video glitches as well. Still, there's bound to be a lot of interest in making the $199 tablet run the most recent version of Android, so we expect to see a lot of rapid progress -- we'll keep you updated.

The video below, by another forum member, shows an updated Droid successfully performing a few basic tasks like browsing the web on Wi-Fi. We wouldn't recommend making this your primary OS just yet, but curious users can try it out for themselves with the latest build.

If Ice Cream Sandwich is able to run on a Windows 6.5 phone, it's no surprise that it is also up and running on the HTC Evo 4G. Once again, the Android hackers at xda-developers have managed to get Android 4.0 functioning on an older device, and while this is definitely an alpha build, the Evo 4G with Ice Cream Sandwich has touchscreen functionality, carrier service, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and audio output — there doesn't seem to be any mention of Android Market, so that might still be on the fritz. This handset has historically been kept fairly up to date by HTC, though considering how HTC failed to mention it when outlining its ICS upgrade plans, users might have to rely on xda-developers to have the latest version of Android.

Is it fast? Not really. Is it functional? Probably not fair to call it that. Is it something you should consider using it as your daily phone? Absolutely not. Is it awesome? Yes.

Check out a video of the ROM in action below and hit up xda-developers for more info. Thanks for the tip, jcarrz1!

The Android community seems to have been working on Ice Cream Sandwich ports from the very moment the source code was released, and now it appears someone has managed to make the Asus Eee Pad Transformer the first tablet to run Android 4.0. The YouTube video below shows a working touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a fairly zippy web browser. GPS and other sensors are also functioning, but the system doesn't yet respond to them with actions like screen rotation. This is still an early build with graphical glitches and non-functioning audio, so it probably won't be ready as a daily driver just yet. For now, you'll have to be satisfied with pining as you watch the video below.

The Android modding community has already taken advantage of the release of the Ice Cream Sandwich source code by delivering unofficial ports for the Samsung Galaxy S II and the LG Optimus 3D. Now we can add the original Samsung Galaxy S to the list. The ported ROM works only with the international version of Samsung's phone — owners of US variants like the Captivate and Vibrant will have to wait — and is clearly still in the early stages. Calling, SMS, and Wi-Fi are all functional, but other basics like 3G data, the camera, and GPS are still a no-go. Given the dedication of Android developers, it's no doubt just a matter of time before these obstacles are hurdled, and with Samsung silent on the status of an official ICS update, this may be the only option for Galaxy S lovers. If the port sounds like it might be for you, check out the source link below for instructions on how to upgrade.

Check out the demo video below, and hit the source to get the keyboard for yourself. Keep your eyes peeled, too — now that the Android 4.0 source code is open source, we expect to see hackers bring more of its best features to other phones.

Thanks, Randy!

Update: The LG Optimus 3D got a similar helping of ICS. And yep, it's on YouTube too — check it out below. 

Thanks to Steve Troughton-Smith for the image!