If you own an HTC Sensation XE and you are a customer of a UK network like Vodafone or O2, chances are that you have recently downloaded the new Android ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ update for your device. In this article I will take a look at some of the changes this software has made to the previous ‘Gingerbread’ platform.
In order to get the new version of Android, you will need to check that the update is available, or in some cases you may have been prompted about the update via the notifications bar. In order to check that the update is available, go to the ‘all apps’ menu, and select ‘Settings’. From here, select the ‘About Phone’ icon. Finally, select the ‘Software Updates’ option. Tap the ‘Check Now’ button at the bottom, and the phone will than see if there is a software update available. If it is, you will be advised to connect to a Wi-Fi network or computer (via USB) as the update requires some considerable data download which could be very costly if using a 3G connection with a limited data tariff.
When you have followed all the steps on the screen, the update will begin downloading. This should take around an hour over Wi-Fi. When the download is finished, the phone will reboot, and you will then have the brand new Android ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ software as found on the likes of HTC’s latest flagship, the HTC One X.
When using your HTC Sensation XE for the first time after the software update, the first thing you are likely to notice is the addition of a new bar at the bottom of the homescreen. This provides shortcuts to the phone, messages, email and camera apps. This bar remains at the bottom of the screen even when you are scrolling through all your homescreens, allowing easy access to these commonly used apps. Previously, there was a large phone icon here, along with ‘all apps’ and ‘customisation’ shortcuts.
The whole look and feel o the interface is different to the previous version, with a new aesthetic and layout within various apps and menus. This gives the HTC Sensation the same look and feel as the newer ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ devices. The notifications bar, which is part of the HTC Sense UI, has also been given a facelift. In order to dismiss notifications, you now simply swipe then to the left or right, and they will be deleted from the notifications list.
Of course, the HTC Sensation XE has many more upgrades which come as part of the ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ update, such as Face Unlock, which I will cover in more detail in another article.
If you own an HTC Sensation XE, I recommend that you take advantage of the new Android upgrade. It is free of charge and brings your handset up to date with some of the most cutting edge phones available.