First Official Android 4.0 [Ice Cream Sandwich] Screenshots Leaked [Photos]

The first official screenshots of Google’s upcoming Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) have been revealed after a long period of silence since the company revealed the development of the Android Operating System's new version.

The new screenshots have revealed the elements of Ice Cream Sandwich running on Nexus S, which suggest that the new Android OS version will have a refurbished notification bar, a new application drawer and blue-themed skin. Other features include a camera with built-in panorama mode, a re-themed Gmail, app launcher and drawer.

The new changes made to the Ice Cream Sandwich are mostly related to User Interface of the OS and it is confirmed that Nexus Prime will be the first smartphone to receive its update.

Ice Cream Sandwich has combined the features of Android Gingerbread and Honeycomb. The new OS’ look and feel is expected to be based on Honeycomb's UI. Google has tried to address the fragmentation issue faced by Android by merging the two operating systems.

Ice Cream Sandwich is also expected to bring in features like flexibility to resize widgets and apps, and detection with the camera. It will also allow Android devices to be used as USB hosts to enable keyboards and Xbox controllers to be plugged in.

Android 4.0, if it arrives by Thanksgiving, may be a formidable competitor to iPhone 5’s iOS 5, which is rumored to be released in September.

Click here to see the Ice Cream Sandwich screenshots.