Just in time for an Easter surprise - a Sprint press note bears great news for Samsung Nexus S 4G owners: the wireless carrier has finally started rolling out the much-anticipated Android 4.0 updates. A little more patience may be necessary, but Sprint pledges that all users will have had a chance to install Google's most recent operating system, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, by the end of the month.

The update was expected for a while now, but the delay was partly due to Google's decision not to support CDMA development. In order to use CDMA, a phone or tablet requires a unique software key, different for every carrier. Due to this authentication quirk, open source is out of the question. For this reason, the CDMA Galaxy Nexus and XOOM were scraped off the list of official developers devices.

What to Expect from the New Update

Now, Sprint's update rollout will upgrade the device's operating system to Android 4.0 ICS, and will include several enhancements/ fixes, according to the press note. The Contacts application has been replaced with a People application, providing better integration with Gmail, Email, Google+ and other apps, and the customizable Favorites tray will be visible on all five home screens, just above the hard keys. Through multitasking, users will be able to tap and hold the Home key to easily switch between recently used applications. Also, users can drag and drop one app onto another to create folders on the home screen.

Lock Screen Actions, Camera Enhancements, NFC and More

The update also includes new lock screen actions, allowing users to access the camera or notifications without having to unlock the device. A simple swipe from left to right can close browser tabs, dismiss individual notifications, or close apps from the recent apps list. The data usage controls enable users to easily monitor and manage their network data usage.

There are some camera enhancements as well, such as capturing panoramic photos, zero shutter lag exposure, continuous focus, stabilized image zoom, and decreased shot-to-shot speed. Moreover, through Android Beam, two NFC-enabled devices can exchange apps, contacts, music and other.

Sprint will also support Google Wallet for NFC payments, as opposed to the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. This update is expected to be the last major update for the Nexus S 4G before the newest model, the Galaxy Nexus with LTE, is released.

(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)