Galaxy Nexus: Ice Cream Sandwich Data Usage App Helps Monitor Usage

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Google and Samsung have just finished announcing their latest flagship phone, the Galaxy Nexus. We’ve been covering the big social networking, connectivity and user-experience features. But a small app that heavy Internet users might find useful is the built-in Data Usage app within Settings.

“People are going to be using a lot of data. That’s just a fact,” says Google’s Hugo Barra at the recently-concluded Samsung Galaxy Nexus launch event in Hong Kong. With the device supporting either HSPA+ and LTE (depending on market) and 1080p videos, users are going to consume much more bandwidth than ever.

For most users, data usage is a given fact. But excess usage often leads to headaches and broken wallets when you get your bill. Not everyone is on an unlimited data plan, after all. But the new Data Usage feature in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich’s settings will help keep track of bandwidth consumption.

The app will have the following features:

• Chart showing the smartphone’s data usage for the current billing period (customizable);
• This shows a projected estimate at the end of the billing period based on your usual data consumption patterns;
• You can set alerts and cutoff points so you know when you’re nearing your bandwidth limit;
• You can limit the selection to a few days, and you can get a detailed breakdown of applications and how much bandwidth they consume;
• You can split analysis between foreground and background usage.

Android is said to consume the most foreground and background data among smartphone platforms. This new app will hopefully help users with limited-bandwidth plans save money by altering and fine-tuning data consumption patterns.