Hands On With Android 4.0 for the Samsung Galaxy Note

So here's what's wrong with Android. Right now the tech world is talking about Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which brings a smoother interface, better responsiveness, and the potentially radical Google Now search function to the world's top smartphone platform. But as of July 10, AT&T is beginning to push Android 4.0 out to its popular Samsung Galaxy Note phablet.

That said, you shouldn't look a free software update in the opcodes. Many Android phones are still stuck on version 2.3 or earlier, so Samsung deserves some kudos for making it this far. Android 4.0 is a distinct update to the Galaxy Note's earlier Android 2.3, with better handling of multitasking and access to the superior Chrome browser. Those two features alone make the upgrade worth the time to install, but Samsung has also added in some entertaining frills.

Touchwizzing All Over The Place Android 4.0 on the Galaxy Note doesn't look anything like stock Android 4.0, with its minimalist black backgrounds. In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the UI here and the earlier Android 2.3 UI. Samsung's TouchWiz overlay is so heavy and complete, touching every major app, that there's little new in many of the core apps.

Hold down the Home button, though, and you get a scrolling list of thumbnails of running apps - that's a new Ice Cream Sandwich feature. The new software also supports NFC (but not Google Wallet) and Google's gimmicky face-unlock feature.

Web-browsing performance has really improved, too. The Antutu and Nenamark system and graphics benchmarks didn't show any change, but the Android 4.0 browser shows dramatically better results on the Browsermark browser benchmark, jumping from 48260 under Android 2.3 to 67380 under Android 4.0. That's still far short of the fastest scores we've seen, though, because the Galaxy Note's 1.5-GHz Qualcomm S3 processor isn't as powerful as the Qualcomm S4 we're seeing in leading devices like the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Android 4.0 also gives you access to the Chrome browser, which I consider a killer app for Ice Cream Sandwich; it's fast and smooth and clean and you'll never go back. Chrome hit a 71702 on Browsermark, and its tab management is much quicker than the standard Android browser.

Some owners of foreign Galaxy Notes have complained about stability issues after their updates, but I didn't run into any such issues after running a range of apps on our unit.

Samsung also brought a few new apps along to showcase its pressure-sensitive, Wacom-powered S Pen technology. S Note is a note-taking app with various templates and a neat trick of solving mathematical formulas using Wolfram Alpha. My Story lets you create and send little handwritten cards made up of a collage of images and ink.

Thanks to a tweet from Samsung spokesman Phil Berne, I also discovered the new software supports Share Shot, a camera mode that automatically shares out your photos to nearby friends via Wi-Fi Direct.

I didn't see any responsiveness problems in Samsung's own apps, but Autodesk Sketchbook Pro sometimes wouldn't recognize light pen touches. That's disappointing, and it's also something Google specifically said it was addressing in Jelly Bean.

It's Not Just Jelly Bean Samsung won't commit to bringing Jelly Bean to the Galaxy Note yet. "Samsung will soon announce which additional devices are eligible for the Jelly Bean update," the company told me in an email. But my disappointment here doesn't just have to do with Jelly Bean.

Android 4.0 on the Galaxy Note now lacks important Samsung-specific features, too - the features that came with the new Galaxy S III. The S Voice personal assistant, S Beam file transfer, and more camera features all set Samsung's new flagship phone apart, but they aren't coming to the Galaxy Note with this update.

This leaves the Galaxy Note in an odd position. Already, rumors are whizzing around the Internet about a "Galaxy Note II" coming out in August with a newer processor and the Galaxy S III software extensions. Will that one have Jelly Bean? That's anyone's guess.

The new software doesn't change the Galaxy Note's basic value proposition, though. This is still the handheld for people who want to play games, watch videos, or read text without squinting at a tiny screen, who don't make a lot of voice calls and do spend a lot of time tapping at their devices. Right now, it's unique in the market. The Android 4.0 upgrade is a nice perk, but it doesn't change the game here.