Android 4.0's Best New Features

Google released Android 4.0, its latest update to the operating system that will now be used on tablets and smartphones.

Android 4.0 is bigger and better now, and could rival the iPhone's iOS 5 in terms of new innovative functions. Along with the new OS launch, Google debuted the Nexus, and combined, they are a powerful pair, the most powerful yet to challenge the iPhone. Android 4.0's best new feature is the

Android Beam, and it uses Near Field Communication technology to allow Android users to transfer data from one phone to another. Just hold the two devices together, and instantly share your favorite cat video from YouTube to friends who have Android 4.0 on their phones. Another great update is to the stock browser that gives you off-line productivity and tab support. It's a faster browser too and can handle up to 16 open tabs. Tabs can now be closed by flicking them off the screen and you can now automatically sync with desktop Chrome browsers.

Furthermore, Android 4.0, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich, now lets users take screenshots of their phones by simply pressing both the power and volume down buttons on their phone. Now you can upload screenshots of your phone to your favorite social media network.

Social media is now also better integrated in the new OS, with a new app called People that can pull contact information from your address book and sync it with your social media network. The app will update contact information if your contact changes it in that network.

Many people like to track their data usage, and Android has provided a new feature to satisfy that need. In the settings, a data control center shows you how much data you've consumed and what apps are using the most data. If you're on a limited plan, the data center will warn you if you're going above your limit or even stop using 3G/4G data past the limit.