It's been a couple of weeks since we first got wind of the Motorola Atrix 2's Ice Cream Sandwich update, but it looks like owners of the middle child in the Atrix family can finally download the new software starting today. AT&T has announced on its official Consumer Blog that the Atrix 2's ICS update can be installed today by going into Settings > About phone > System updates. Along with a bump to Android 4.0, Atrix 2 owners can expect to find an improved browser, Face Unlock, a People app and the ability to monitor data usage.
While the Atrix 2 was originally slated to be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the third quarter, a recent refresh of Motorola's upgrade schedule showed that the device had had its status changed to "Further plans coming soon." Unlike the original Atrix, though, the Atrix 2 is receiving a bump up to Android 4.0, it's just that the update is coming later than first anticipated. If you've got an Atrix 2, hop onto the nearest Wi-Fi connection and fire up that software update functionality. You can find a changelog for the update that was unearthed a couple of weeks ago below.
Enhancements:
New User Interface
- Look and Feel: Updated colors, font, icons, and animations. Added adjustable text size.
- Lockscreen: Enhanced lockscreen to include quick access to dialer, text messaging, camera, and homescreen.
- Folders: Added new homescreen folders that let users group apps and shortcuts by dragging one onto another.
- All Apps Screen: Updated All Apps screen to include access to both Apps and Widgets.
- Notifications: Enhanced notifications window to include access to settings menu and new swipe to dismiss functionality for individual notifications.
- Settings: Created a reorganized and easier to navigate settings menu, including toggles for airplane mode, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth®.
- Keyboard: Redesigned keyboard for faster input with improved error correction and word suggestion.
Improved Features
- Email: Enhanced Email app with address auto-completion, quick response emails, and searching across folders and subfolders.
- Camera: Improved the camera with time-lapse video, snapshots during video recording, ability to use volume keys as shutter button, updated zoom control look and feel, and flash-assisted low light focus.
- Voice Action: Upgraded voice input engine to allow for continuous dictation, pausing, and inclusion of punctuation.
- Webtop: Updated webtop interface to an Android 4.0 tablet-like experience with key apps optimized for the resolution and screen size of external monitors.
- New and Updated Apps: Added latest versions of AT&T apps, Pre Loaded apps and Google apps.
New Features
- SMARTACTIONS™: Added SMARTACTIONS™ app that intelligently automates routine, everyday tasks and suggests ways to personalize your phone and make your life easier. This app can help you extend your battery life and do things like automatically send a text to certain missed callers.
- Face Unlock: Added facial recognition technology for a new way to unlock the user's phone.
- People App: Replaced the contacts app with the new People app, which includes larger pictures and rich profile information.
- Screenshot: Added capability to take screenshots by holding both the power and volume down keys for a few seconds.
Important Changes:
- Adobe® Flash®: Due to Adobe's discontinuation of Flash development, Flash Player is no longer Pre loaded to this device. Existing installations of Flash Player may or may not play Flash video properly. Alternatively, the new HTML5 standard is supported for Web video.
- Social Networking: Social Status widget and the Social Networking Apps & Widgets have been removed in favor of 3rd party apps and widgets available from Google Play Some 3rd party social networking apps and widgets may be preloaded with this upgrade.
- Widgets: News/RSS Feed, Date & Time, IM Presence, Latitude, Airplane Toggle, Bluetooth Toggle, GPS, Toggle, and Wi-Fi Toggle widgets have been removed. Other preloaded widgets, settings options, and 3rd party downloadable widgets are available as alternatives.
- Universal Inbox: Universal Inbox app has been removed with the Email app allowing consolidation of messages from various email accounts.
