Sprint owners of the pure Android experience that is the Nexus S 4G are advised to keep their eyes on the notification bar over the next few days and weeks.  The carrier issued an announcement yesterday letting everyone know that the latest version of Android is on its way out the door.

Beginning immediately and rolling out over the next few weeks, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will be hitting the Sprint Nexus S 4G.  Users will be notified that the update is ready to go and will be automatically downloaded over the air.  The whole process should only take a few minutes from start to finish and will be ready to use immediately.

We’ve pasted the press announcement below for those of you who aren’t hip on the Ice Cream Sandwich features.  You’d be forgiven if you actually forgot over the last six months as it’s been a long wait for the software update.

 

Nexus S 4G Gets Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, Update Starting Today

Nexus S™ 4G from Google will be the first Android™-powered smartphone available on Sprint to get Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. The over-the-air update will begin rolling out to users today, and all users should receive the update in the next month.

When your Nexus S 4G is eligible for the update, it will automatically download. Once the download is complete, you will be prompted to install the update. Installation will take a few minutes, and your device will be disabled during the installation process. It will be ready to use when the process is complete.

Android 4.0 adds numerous enhancements and new features, including:

• A refined, evolved user interface that is simple, beautiful and useful
• Android Beam™: quickly share web pages, apps, contacts and YouTube™ videos with your friends by simply tapping two Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled phones together
• Redesigned camera, which introduces panorama mode, effects like silly faces and background replacement and a powerful photo editor
• Data Usage helps you avoid data overage charges by allowing you to instantly see your data usage for any period of time or any app – and get notified before reaching your limit; you can even restrict background data for individual apps
• Web browser now lets you sync Google Chrome™ bookmarks, request full desktop versions of sites, see your open tabs in a new layout and even store web pages for offline reading
• People: browse friends, family and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution and check their latest status updates from Google+ and other social networks
• Improved keyboard with incredibly accurate typing, an inline spell checker and improved copy and paste support
• New Calendar app that lets you add events quickly, sync with Google Calendar™ or Microsoft Exchange and even pinch to adjust your calendar display
• Redesigned Gmail™ app that now lets you swipe between conversations to catch up quickly, and search for emails even without a data connection
• Google+ integration that lets you hangout and video chat with up to 10 friends using your front-facing camera

 

If you have questions about the update, please visit our discussion thread, where we can provide answers.

Manufactured by Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), a leading global mobile phone provider and the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States¹, Nexus S 4G is the only Nexus S smartphone with 4G and provides a pure Google experience.

Related Links:

http://community.sprint.com/baw/community/sprintblogs/announcements/blog/2011/07/22/software-update-roll-out-begins-on-july-25-to-boost-nexus-s-4g-data-speeds

http://newsroom.sprint.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1831

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news/nexus-s-4g-from-google-and-samsung-fact-sheet.htm

http://newsroom.sprint.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1832