Android ICS Hangover

So it has been two weeks now since I upgraded the Galaxy Note to the Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich. Yes I am still using it. I found a workaround to the huge battery drain problem. It helps to turn off screen click sounds. There is a bug in the kernel (Samsung, I suppose) that prevents the CPU going to deep sleep mode when the screen click sounds are enabled.

After implementing the workaround the phone is usable, but my mixed feelings remain. It still looks like the ICS has been rushed out of the door. And as it often is the case, the rush has been a bad decision. Frustrated users (the overall experience after upgrade is worse) and bad opinion about products. The Galaxy Note has been a fantastic phone. Almost ideal. Now it is not so ideal anymore.

I experience occasional lockups or applications not responding. The same applications were working flawlessly on the Gingerbread (Android 2.3). And despite the implemented workaround the battery life is 20%-30% shorter, meaning the phone may not survive the day.

The ISC Galaxy Note is just another example why vendors should never rush with new versions before they are really ready. Do you remember Windows Vista? Samsung ICS is similar. Promised to be much better, ended up with mixed feelings and most users regretting the upgrade.

On the bright side there is the Google Chrome Beta web browser. It works only on Android 4. And it is the only thing keeping me from going back. Actually I agree to live with all the pains of the ICS just to have the Chrome. Which is phenomenal. Synced bookmarks and tabs. Perfect page rendering. Awesome features like auto-magnify (it is no longer an issue to click tiny links with big fingers).

The irony is the Chrome is Beta and the ICS is not. It should be the other way around. Hope Samsung will release a fix soon, as most of the problems I experience on the Note are frustrating Nexus and Galaxy users.