Andy Rubin: Android 4.0 to be open source in the "coming weeks"

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Andy Rubin
(Credit: AllThingsD.com)
AsiaD 2011
Speaking at the AsiaD conference today was Andy Rubin, SVP of Mobile at Google. He told participants and journalists that the just announced Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), will be coming pretty soon to other smartphones and tablets.

Rubin also mentioned that Google will be making Ice Cream Sandwich open source "in a couple of weeks" when the Galaxy Nexus ships, and it will be up to manufacturers to push the update to current devices.

Google has already said that the Nexus S will be receiving the ICS update, though no date has yet been given. Going open source means manufacturers will be able to put Android 4.0 into their own devices and hackers can easily "cook" their own ROMs for existing products.

Honeycomb, the current tablet-only Android OS, remains closed sourced and available only to select partners and manufacturers. Things look to change when ICS and the Galaxy Nexus smartphone ship sometime this November.

Aloysius Low
About the author

Aloysius Low is a Senior Writer at CNET Asia and covers all things mobile. A former World of Warcraft addict, he now dabbles in social media to stave off the withdrawal symptoms. As a lover of all things furry, he's also the unfortunate slave/minion of two adorable cats.

Aloysius Low, Senior Writer

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