Reports of Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0 update for the Galaxy Tab 8.9 emerged early this week but checks on numerous Android forums seem to suggest that the patch deployment was selective at the moment.

For now the Tab 8.9, which Samsung unveiled in 2011, is stuck with Honeycomb Android 3.2 but for owners longing to taste the higher levels of the Google mobile platform on the ageing but still decent tablet, upgrading is entirely possible, according to Android experts.

In fact, brave Tab 8.9 owners can even skip the ICS and route over to JellyBean in the form of CyanogenMod 10 (CM10) custom ROM, which is attested by Android hardcore lovers as the next best thing to the official JellyBean from Google.

CM10, according to Android Authority, will work smoothly on these following Tab 8.9 variants: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi + 3G variant (GT-P7300) and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi-only variant (GT-P7310).

Barring any glitches during the upgrade process, users will surely enjoy "combining Jelly Bean's features with the smoother and faster performance of CM10 ROMs . . . (plus) the number of customisations you can do with it," Android Authority added.

If you have the heart, Android experts strongly recommend flashing this ROM on your Tab 8.9 despite the risks that comes with the procedure, chief of which is 'bricking' the tablet or rendering it unusable.

But these risks are outweighed by the benefits of better Android experience on your Samsung slate with the notion that following the alteration, you'll be in total control of your device.

Here are the requirements to consider for the CM10 installation as listed by Android Authority:

  • A Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 with ClockworkMod Recovery installed.
  • A Windows PC
  • Your tablet's USB cable
  • Download one of the following ROMs to your computer ensuring that you get the right file for your Tab 8.9 model. Refer below:
    1. CM10 ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 GT-P7300 (cm-10-20120804-UNOFFICIAL-p5.zip, 139.83 MB)
    2. CM10 ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 839 GT-P7310 (cm-10-20120804-UNOFFICIAL-p5wifi.zip, 138.83 MB)
  • Download the GApps (Google Apps) package (gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip, 83.1 MB)
  • Battery charge of 75 per cent is normally sufficient during installation but for issue-free procedure, work on a fully charged tablet.
  • Backup all important data on your tablet and keep a copy for later recovery.

With all these things right on your checklist, you're good to go for the main event, and the first thing to do is connect your Tab 8.9 to a PC and paste the CM10 and GApps files to your tablet's internal memory.

Then power down the device and turn it on again, this time holding down on the Volume Down and Power buttons to prompt for the ClockworkMod Recovery. On the screen menu, pick the Recovery Mode by pressing the Volume Down key. To confirm the command, press Volume Up next.

Next step is selecting Wipe Data/Factory Reset then affirm the instruction. Upon completion, you can proceed in installing CM10, which you can do by selecting Install ZIP from SD Card then Choose ZIP from SD Card. Located the ROM file, click it then confirm your action.

Once CM10 installation is completed, install the GApps package next. Refer to the above instruction on this and after the procedure is done, reboot your Tab 8.9.

Take note that the initial Galaxy Tab 8.9 reboot on JellyBean 4.1 CM10 will take at least five minutes or more. The moment the ROM is fully loaded, a new Android world awaits you.