Android's latest operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, is tech's top trending topic and it promises to offer new and unique features.

The new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) requires no physical buttons. However, if your device has a physical keyboard, will ICS work on your devices once they are upgraded to the new OS?

Considering that the Samsung-Google Galaxy Nexus -- the first phone specifically designed to support Ice Cream Sandwich -- has no buttons. Will the new mobile OS with normal Android devices?

According to a spokesperson from Google in a correspondence with Gizmodo, "ICS does have onscreen buttons but not always. If there's a device with hardware buttons the onscreen buttons won't be there, and the hardware buttons will act and function as you'd expect them to.... back and home will function as you'd expect, the search button will query the search bar (as you'd expect), and the menu button will query the menu overflow in the action bar."

The Ice Cream Sandwich appears to be Google's game changer and could help Android distance itself against Apple and Microsoft in the mobile devices market. One of its advantages over its competitors is its USB peripheral compatibility. The Ice Cream Sandwich update (also known as Android 4.0) retains Honeycomb's USB game controller compatibility. This means you can play your Android with a PS3, Xbox 360, or whatever USB controller you have with little more than a USB-to-micro-USB bridge adapter. Moreover, ICS also supports HDMI playback, meaning that you can plug your Android device into your TV and have an instant gaming console experience.

Ice Cream Sandwich OS include everything that people love about Android. However, the ICS is a big leap from the previous version, Gingerbread. The ICS will have easy multitasking features, rich notifications, and a home screen that can be customized. Also, it features new ways of communicating and sharing.

It is reported that Ice Cream Sandwich may not be available for Android devices that are older than two years old. Google has not announced yet what phones will not work with the new Android OS. Google confirmed that there are no specific hardware requirements to run ICS. However, it is speculated that the ICS will be offered to most Android devices just like its predecessor, Gingerbread.

It is expected that a lot of devices will give a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich such as Motorola's upcoming Droid Razr, Samsung's Galaxy S2 and the XOOM tablet. Motorola announced that it will launch ICS devices six weeks after its final version.

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