Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich rolled out for the ASUS Transformer Prime January 10th
If you own (or are planning to buy) an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 then you should know that on January 10th the tablet received a much anticipated upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (v9.4.2.7).
So what exactly is new with the latest variant of the Google Android OS? Let’s find out:
1. Swipe to close tasks or notifications
You can now swipe to close tasks or notifications instead of clicking to close each one
For a more natural-feeling user experience Ice Cream Sandwich does away with click-to-close and instead lets you swipe to dismiss tasks or notifications. This isn’t a huge change by any means but it makes the OS feel much more fluid and consistent feeling overall.
2. Grouping App shortcuts into folders on the Home Screen
Similar Apps can now be grouped into custom-named folders on the Home Screen
To help you keep your Home Screen looking clean and easy to navigate you will now be able to group similar Apps into folders. Simply drag an App onto another one that you’d like to group it with to create a folder. You can create a custom name for your folder or leave it unnamed.
3. Quickly launch the camera from the Lock Screen
A camera shortcut has been added to the Lock Screen
You can now jump directly to the camera from the Lock Screen via a new shortcut. This helps to eliminate a few steps and may just help you snap that critical photo just in time.
4. Capture screenshots by holding “Power” and the “Volume Down” key together
You can now take screenshots on your Transformer Prime without having to pay for a screenshot App! While you could always use the screencap Hot Key on the keyboard docking station you will now also be able to take instant screenshots by holding down the “Power” and “Volume Down” buttons simultaneously.
5. Added browser functionality
Added browser functionality includes quick desktop-mode selection and offline saving
A more fluid browsing experience with Ice Cream Sandwich is complemented with additional functionality. There is now a quick shortcut in the menu to switch between Desktop and Mobile-mode for any website so you won’t have to go hunting for a link. You will also be able to save pages for offline viewing if you are going to be away from a WiFi connection.
6. Special Camera Effects
New camera functions include silly faces in video mode and additional effects
The camera function gets a few noticeable updates on top of a recent firmware update (v0x9900) to the Transformer Prime’s auto-focus. The biggest addition is a group of video effects that include silly faces (like small mouth, big nose, big mouth, etc) and scenery effects like sunset and outer space that will place you, real-time, in different surroundings.
You will also benefit from new options like time-lapse recording, torch-mode, and a range of scene-modes in snapshot mode that range from “Night” to “Snow”.
7. Revised menus for easier navigation
Revised menus bring frequent selections to the forefront
A revised menu brings notifications and frequently accessed shortcuts like WiFi, power modes, brightness, and Bluetooth to the forefront. As with the current-App manager you will be able to swipe away notifications here and also get quick access to current battery status for both the Tablet and the Keyboard Docking Station (also available via a new widget seen here).
8. Widget Menu
While previously you could only browse your current Apps with the program manager you will now also be able to browse through your full list of installed Widgets and manage them instantly.
What’s your favourite thing about Ice Cream Sandwich? Let us know in the comments below!
Follow the author on Twitter:
Follow @RobCifarelli
Where do i download ics? Anyone can show me ? Thanks.
[...] You Need an Ultrabook Student Review: New Republic of Gamers Backpack What is an Ultrabook? What's New for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich New ASUS N6 Series Previewed at CES 2012 PCMag.com Best Tablet of CES 2012: Transformer TF700 [...]
Can you disable system apps with ics on the transformer?
That’s a wise answer to a tricky quetsion
Watching this page, I noticed the Dock + Pad Battery status icon in the Quick setting panel on the notification area, and the ASUS Battery widget. Both have Transformer and Keyboard dock battery information. I downloaded PDF manual for the TF201, and that two things still appear (and manual is for Android 3.2).
My question: The icon in the Quick Setting panel is in the ICS update for TF101? I’m not happy with unknown of dock battery status, or using third party apps for that.
How about reoginal stereotyping here in the Philippines? I’ll be a hypocrite if I didn’t heard of any reoginal stereotyping usually referring from one region or one ethno-linguistic group or a local from a certain place .
Is the transformer prime pretty good for school (writing papers, powerpoint, spreadsheets etc.?)
I love how it looks and the 12+ hour battery life is a huge plus for me, but i need something that i can do school work on. also i beleive i heard that it was running windows 8? so im guessing it does have word? if someone that has the transformer prime can check the different windows application (word, power point etc.) i would be very grateful please contact me at das.baer@yahoo.com and again thank you.
I’d just love for the next batch of 64GB to ship. Been waiting for far too long now. Amazon states it’ll ship at the end of the month…but how am I to believe them now?
I’m loving the update! My favorite feature is the ability to disable “System” (Pre-Loaded) apps from the Settings -> Apps menu.
I received mine 10 days ago from office depot in NYC and I loved it.. for the first 2 hour… then when I plugged in the charger the unit refused to charge.. tried to connect to desktop via USB cable to no avail… then next day on phone with ASUS support and decided to RMA it since Office Depot said it would take them a few weeks to ship replacement.. been with Asus for a week now.. not what i expected after having had 4 ASUS ROG laptops, 2 monitors and 1 GPS unit from ASUS over last 3 years.
My tf201, i am holding in my hands right now, is at the moment with 3.2.1, no ics in sight here in europe. The keydock i’ve ordered is still 1 week to a month away from me! So from placeing the order at amazon (22.11.2011) has passed nearly two to three months till all ordered products will arive here. Thats very bad for a company like asus.
But in the meanwhile, i’m playing with it to test the tab…
I received my Transformer Prime yesterday afternoon and retuned it to BB today. Contrary to all the hoopla about marginal WIFI and missing GPS, mine un it functioned flawlessly. Good range on the WIFI – walked all over our house as well as out into the front yard and back yard. While the signal strength went down with distance, I never lost connection. As far as GPS goes the Prime found and locked on to sats without any problems. Of course you have to be outside or by a window that allows the unit to “see” the sats. I wonder how many people who complain about GPS are trying to use the Prime’s GPS while sitting on their living room couch watching DISH or DIRECTV – which have their dishes “outside” of the home.
Everything on my Prime worked great, ICS loaded right away as did upgrades to camera and something else that I don’t remember right off. Apps were easy to get, internet was fast. A real pleasure to play with.
That’s the good. The bad was the screen. While the resolution was phenom and NETFLIX played smoothly, the screen went white when the lower right quadrant of the screen was “pushed” even just a little. Also affected was the lower right area (from the connector to the right edge) that frames the screen such as where you would hold it with your right hand. Flexing the unit just slightly also caused the screen to flare. As much as it pained me to do so, back it went. I guess now I’ll be waiting once again, only this time for the 700. I hope ASUS will take their time and give us the quality that this great product deserves.
wrong…GPS is a supported feature, prior to the removing it as a supported feature in January. The Prime is excellent, barring this one issue. Hopefully ASUS will take responsiblity for this major problem. It is like selling you a car, and then saying the engine is not supported.
its not ltmiied.. there all like that now for the original 499. or you can get it cheaper without the keyboard just bought mine, waiting for the full charge. very happy with the hardware though!
It would be better to find it in stores first! When is it coming out in the New York? I’ve been waiting for this tablet for a month now… Love Asus, but this is absurd.
Wait, are you saying that you haven’t seen it in the US yet? I am in Australia and we usually get stuff last, okay? That said, we have recieved brushed silver (no purple or gold, just silver) in 64GB and 32GB as of yesterday when I was browsing. The ONLY reasons I can think of as to why you haven’t seen this tablet yet is:
a) The retailers are trying to distribute them to all of their storefronts across the country so that they can do a same-day release.
b) They are trying to work out all the kinks by sending it to Australia and the UK so that the US gets a flawless “out-of-the-box” experience.
If it is any consolation, the 64GB Prime is going to cost me $900AUD (a little bit more than the States, eh?)
Richard, where is the TF201 available in Australia? Is TF201 a newer version than TF101?.
How about for those who have been waiting even longer with the TF101?
nevermind, i saw your response below. Thanks.
There is an easier way to perform the screen capture, and that is to just press and hold the “recent apps” icon in the lower left of the screen.
I’ve recently sttraed a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.VA:F [1.9.14_1148]please wait…VA:F [1.9.14_1148](from 0 votes)
Can you please add the user agent option to the browse? I usually have my browser set to Desktop compatibility all the time. I don’t want to remember to toggle the option on every site I visit.
Will Asus add their own little spice to ICS and have a couple of unique Customizations like what Acer did to the lock screen? They made it into a ring format with the ability to easily go to 4 different apps. I would like Asus to create such a cool feature as well
How about some of my grifes with ICS…..
1. I feel a customization option should be added for two features, the app drawer and the home screen because the transparent appdrawer from honeycomb was beautiful and the dots at the top of the homescreen are highly unecessary
2. The new way of switching between mobile and desktop view in the browser is more of an inconvenience than a benefit. I’m someone who prefers the desktop version of site, so everytime I go to a site I have go to the menu and request the desktop version rather than it just automatically loading…It should be a shortcut method rather than the only means of switching between the two.
3. This isn’t too bad but still somewhat an inconvenience, why was it removed that you could access the widgets from the home screen?
Alex said it best.
How about actually releasing the ICS update for the original TF101, or at least anounce a concrete date for release.
All I see are conflicting release schedules from different branches of ASUS via facebook, none of which seem to able to stick to the same story with release dates ranging from a day after the TF201 update to late Feb/early March.
Xoom got an update, what’s the holdup for the original TF101 owners? After all the president of Asus stated back in Oct there would be an update before end of year (which didn’t happen), I appreciate delays but pushing the release back while promoting the TF201 update seems like marketing tactics to me.
If not for the success of the TF101 there would be no TF201 to promote right now, keep that in mind.
The current release is mid-February for the Transformer. The reason we cannot provide a concrete date is that it depends on outside factors i.e. Google’s approval before we can proceed with the update.
how about fixes for GPS and WiFi?
GPS is not a supported feature on the Prime but you will find that it does find a signal if you face the tablet with the screen upwards with an unobstructed view.
The WiFi issue affects only a small number of initial units and the problem is being looked at currently. We will notify users when a fix is available.