Jobs' death delays Android Ice Cream Sandwich launch

Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest flavor of Google's Android operating system for smartphones, tablets and mobile devices, may have to stay in the freezer a while longer. Google and Samsung pulled the plug on the expected release this coming week of Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), several tech sites reported. “Samsung and Google decide(d) to postpone the new product announcement at CTIA Fall. We agree that it is just not the right time to announce a new product. New date and venue will be shortly announced," Engadget quoted the companies as saying in a statement. Engadget also quoted a Google spokesperson who said the event was canceled out of respect for Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs' passing. "We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs's passing," the spokesperson said. A separate article on PC World said the new release of Android is highly anticipated because it is expected to tie the smartphone and tablet versions together. Presently, Android has a Gingerbread flavor for smartphones and a Honeycomb flavor for tablets. Earlier, Google and Samsung were working on an event billed as "Samsung Mobile Unpacked" for October 11 at the CTIA show in San Diego. But even with the postponement, the companies still have plenty of time to fulfill Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's promise that ICS will be released in the October/November time frame, PC World said. On the other hand, the companies' announcement coincides with release of a video purportedly showing the new Samsung ICS phone in action. The phone, referred to by some Android watchers as the Nexus Prime or Galaxy Nexus, does not have any physical or capacitive buttons. Instead, the phone has on-screen icons and widgets. — TJD, GMA News