Android “Ice Cream” will feature Honeycomb goodies

Android engineering director Dave Burke just revealed some things we should expect from the Android version to come after Honeycomb. First off, they referred to the upcoming version simply as the “I” version (after Honeycomb). They didn’t exactly roll off the “Ice Cream” name just yet, but we expect it to be called that anyway. Now for the new stuff: according to Burke, the new version will include some of Android 3.0’s UI elements and features, bringing some of the tablet operating system’s good stuff to smarphones.

Among the additions, the “I” version will feature 3.0’s action bar that brings context-sensitive, app-specific buttons to running apps to replace the “press and hold” feature. The system bar found on Android 3.0 tablets won’t be crossing over to phones though, but “I” will bring Honeycomb’s Hologram visuals and thumbnail-based interface for multitasking.

Release dates for the new “I” version of Android wasn’t given, but it’s expected to turn up  during the Google I/O conference on May 10. It might not be released yet though, since Android 2.4 (a minor update to 2.3) is set for a release around that time.