Ice Cream Sandwich SDK now available

By Jerry Hildenbrand
last updated

We're all waiting for news about the release date for both the Galaxy Nexus as well as the Ice Cream Sandwich update for our existing phones, but in the meantime Google has already released the Ice Cream Sandwich SDK for those of us who like to tinker around.  Of course the website is slow, and so is the SDK manager to get the files, but keep at it -- Google has lots and lots of bandwidth.

You can update your existing Android SDK installation via the SDK manager program, and hit the source link to read a bit more.  Here, hand me your phone and I'll Beam it to you.

Source: Android Developers

Jerry Hildenbrand
Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.

17 Comments
  • NICE!!
  • hmmm do i smell custom roms coming?
  • HURRY! to the emulator!
  • Woot Woot
  • Anyway to check if ics brings hardware acceleration?
  • There's a setting to "Force GPU rendering" in the emulator. It's supposed to "Use 2D hardware acceleration in applications."
  • Wow, I'm almost blown away by what wasn't said. Who's going to get it? When? How much? I know there are several rumors, but I was hoping Google would settle more of the rumors.
  • Playing with the SDK now. The emulator seems to load up relatively quickly and runs pretty smoothly. Much better than the Honeycomb emulator ran when it first came out. I'm absolutely in love with the data usage details in the settings. Also there's a LOT of cool little things in the "Developer options" in settings. Show touches, CPU usage, force GPU rendering, etc. Loving it so far!
  • What about the source code, eh Google?
  • Does that mean that we will see an open sourced ICS? Better question, are we going to see cyanogenmod version of ICS soon?
  • Oh Yes! Cyanogenmod will be out soon for ICS!
  • Well, we will see if that is going to happen. Andy Rudin already stiffed us when they were not going to release the source code for honeycomb and Jerry went nuts over it. I think that is one of the major reasons why honeycomb tablets was a failure. Let's hope that they won't do the same for ice cream Sandwich.
  • Data usage setting is native? A sad realization that unlimited is leaving us not just here in America, but worldwide. And is anyone else whose avoided phones that didn't include HTC Sense now feeling like it's a new, wide open ballgame? Until I see what HTC can do with this (and at this point what really could they improve on?) my next phone is really truly going to be whoever makes the best device, not just who has the best custom skin. As long as it's on Sprint. LOL!! Vive le unlimited!!
  • I was wondering if I could get the ICS SDK on the HTC Merge from U.S. Cellular. And if so how?
  • I think you're asking the wrong question. What you really wanna know is if there will be a custom rom made for your device. That answer lies in a development community like XDA. The SDK referenced here is a tool that enables app developers to make apps for Ice Cream Sandwich and give them a dry run on their PC before making it available for sale. A phone like yours, commonly referred to as "last years tech" coupled with a lack of popularity, is not likely to get an ICS port.
  • Maybe I am asking the Wrong question. This is my seconed Android device after upgrading from the Acclaim. I am still new to this whole Android movement LOL. after all I am getting old and and I grew up where the flip phones were the in thing LOL.
    Even if it is "last years tech" I am still happy with it. But I know once I upgrade again my new device will still be "last years tech".
  • Folks, sdk != source code
    source will be released in november most likely, which will then be integrated into aosp platform. I hope that along with sd card mount r/w (lacking in honeycomb) that usb host support is enabled.