Things become even more appealing if you have a phone, tablet and PC that all run the same OS and apps. As Android is Google's one-size-fits-all operating system, it needs to have a broader and slightly more ambitious focus than iOS otherwise it risks losing the race in the long run.

Apple is in a different position. The two OSes may converge or at least borrow heavily from one another, but in the interim they can remain independent.

Google Play Services ends supports for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

If you need more of a computing experience Apple is happy to sell you a Mac. ICS isn't a step towards iOS. If anything it proves that Google is committed to its own trajectory.

Android is an OS that, although more closed than many would like, still allows more flexibility than iOS. You can sideload apps not purchased in the Market. The file system isn't completely hidden from you. You can even override the default zoom level on web pages. Apple and Google both pour tons of time and research into figuring out the best way to do something.

Android upgrade list: Is your device getting Ice Cream Sandwich?

And, to be honest, I feel like Apple generally does a better job of "getting it" for the very mainstream consumer. Settings has also been given a spot in the notifications pane, meaning no matter where you are in the OS you can always duck out and tinker with the phone - this is excellent news for some applications that need GPS or Wi-Fi enabled swiftly. However, we would have though Google would have copied the likes of Samsung here and offered one-tap switching to these elements - it works really well on most phones, so we're surprised by its omission.

The other new addition is the dock at the bottom of the screen - this stays on every home screen, and like iOS can be altered to contain the applications you like to tap away at the most.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich review

Folders are more iOS-like too, with users given the ability to drag and drop icons on top of one another from the home screen to create bundles of apps which you can simply rename. Given Apple's ire about Google 'stealing' certain elements of its UI, we can't help but think this created a little more angst down on Infinite Loop. Google is clearly also thinking about giving users more ability to enjoy apps than ever before by putting a link to the Market in the top right hand corner of the menu screen, which we really liked as it meant we always knew we could quickly update our app catalogue when needed.

The other big change is widgets have been brought to the fore: you can now look at each one on the menu screen without having to actually select it - this really helps when a new application you've downloaded has an associated widget and you're wondering whether to waste time popping it on the home screen. It's nothing mind-blowing, but the little touches here and there will add to user delight, and that's what's needed to chip away at those that are dyed-in-the-wool iPhone users.

Current page: Interface.

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich review: Cool, confident, chaotic.
• countries quiz iphone theme 2!
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
• samsung galaxy y dual sim mobile phone price in india.
• About the Author?
• Twitter is displaying China-made ads attacking Hong Kong protesters.
• 5 best task manager apps for Android!;

Back to School Our Verdict A very good update to the current Android OS, and one that should cement Google's position in the mobile and tablet space. Against Odd choice of buttons Overly-simplistic video player Too few home screens.

If you move into something media-ish, such as watching a movie or browsing the web like a pro, these three buttons shrink down to tiny dots, so you've got more of the screen to look at. For Android fans, this presents something of an issue: with the menu button gone, you'll have to hunt around the screen for three vertical dots which have taken its place.

How Verizon Media and our partners bring you better ad experiences

However, these can be anywhere, so sometimes you'll get distracted trying to work out how on earth to alter settings. The multi-tasking pane also seems an odd choice for one of three buttons - it used to be you could access this functionality by long-pressing the home key, and it makes more sense to keep this and then have the multi-tasking slot taken up by a menu key.

However, despite the odd placement, the multi-tasking pane is cool - simply swipe horizontally on any open app to shut it down, in a similar way to the Cards system on webOS - it certainly helps keep open applications under control. The home screens are once again limited to five, but this time there's no option to get rid of those you don't want.

It's not a huge issue to some people, but with the expandable widgets and loads of apps you'll be looking to download, we'd have expected more. This isn't the case with most other phones, which will extend it to at least seven screen, but Google likes to be stingy. There's a plethora of tiny tweaks and changes to the Android OS that we were impressed with, ranging from the Tron-like blue theme that pervades throughout the OS to the ability to unlock the phone simply by using your face.

Ice Cream Sandwich Features

We also found a few issues with getting it to recognise our face in varying light levels, or even working out which bit of the picture was a face - not the most effective for unlocking your handset, but when it works it's a great party trick. This has been updated in Android Jelly Bean to include blink detection, but you sadly won't have this option if you're stuck on Ice Cream Sandwich.

The notifications bar has been given a functionality overhaul to now include larger information slots - if it's a contact that's sending you a message or a missed call, their contact photo will now appear too, which is a nice touch.