Lenovo releases Ice Cream Sandwich for the IdeaPad K1

[Master Devwi]

Lenovo has released an update for its IdeaPad K1 tablet, allowing you to slip the shackles of Android Honeycomb 3.1 and 3.2 and jump straight to a stock version Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s no Jelly Bean, but it’s a marked improvement over what was previously available.

Unlike your standard software updates, this one isn’t being pushed out to everyone. If you want Ice Cream Sandwhich on your IdeaPad K1, you’ll have to visit Lenovo’s community website and download it for yourself. Unfortunately, this means that Lenovo cannot provide support if you happen to run into any issues.

The process of updating the device can be somewhat complicated, so it isn’t recommended for casual or mainstream users. This region-independent update will return your IdeaPad K1 to a clean slate state, so apps, music, pictures, and anything else you might have on the device will be lost. Since it’s a stock version of Android, it also won’t come with any of Lenovo’s enhancements like pre-installed apps, the Lenovo app store and launcher, and the underlying framework.

But if you’re really looking forward to Ice Cream Sandwhich, these caveats might not seem so bad at all. Which you do you prefer, vanilla Android or an OS which has been customized to the manufacturer’s liking?

[Lenovo via Engadget]

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