Motorola opens up a bit on Android ICS plan for Xoom, Droid

Motorola began delivering the much anticipated Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich update to WiFi only Xoom tablets mid last month and appears to be opening up to more planned over-the-air deliverables for existing devices.

"Motorola Mobility is able to provide the following guidance on Android 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich, abbreviated as "ICS") upgrade availability based on where each product is in the Motorola Mobility Development Cycle described above," according to a posting on the Motorola Mobility web site dated Feb 15, 2012.

The Department of Justice and European Commission approved Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility just this week. Google is the developer of Android. The merger of the Google software and Motorola hardware operations could make Android more competitive against Apple's iPad, though it's not clear how Samsung and other OEMs will react over time.

The ICS rollout for the Xoom tablet -- WiFi only -- began in January.

One reader who contacted me by email said he's happy with it. "My Motorola Xoom got the ICS update several weeks ago. It is a big improvement," wrote Tim Saettele, who contacted me yesterday and followed up today. "ICS 4.0.3 started rolling out on Jan. 18 for Xoom wireless. I don't know if 4g Xoom was updated yet or not."

[Editor's note: the e-mailer does not wish to identify himself, his company or city of origin).

In the chart linked above, Motorola indicated that the ICS rollout for Xyboard 8.2 and xyBoard 10.1 should start in the third quarter of 2012 in the U.S.

Dates of release of ICS for Xoom and Droid RAZR outside of the U.S. will begin in the second quarter but the update releases for most Android-based tablets and devices in the U.S. are still not defined, except for the Xoom Family Edition.

Check out the ICS chart linked above.