[BigAls87Z28]

*deep breath*

ICS is short for Ice Cream Sandwich.

Let's rewind a bit and see if we can explain the Android Operating System.

Android is the name of Google's mobile electronic operating system. Think of it like Windows.

There are different versions of Android, and they all have version numbers and names. Each new version brings better features and easier functionality.

There are four major Android versions running right now.
First is Android 2.2, better known as Froyo.
Then there is Android 2.3, or Gingerbread
Android 3.0-3.2 is called Honeycomb
The latest Android version is 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.

There were versions before 2.2 and they also had names. These names go in alphabetical order and all are named after a dessert.

Your old LG phone was probably running 2.2 or 2.3.

NOW, here is where things get odd.
Apple makes the iPhone as well as the operating system that runs on the phone. They make the whole package, like GM makes a whole car from top to bottom. That means they have full control over what goes into making it.

Google is like an engine builder, and Android is their engine. Companies like LG, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, Sony, and a few others make the phones. Think of the phones like cars. Now, in order to improve on the "engine", each of the phone companies tweak the engine by adding skins.

These improvements were deemed nessesary when Android was just starting out. Each brand added or altered the Android software in their own way to make it different than the next phone maker. Maybe it was a better way to list contacts, maybe it was different ways to display weather, news, etc etc. Each one had their own widgets as well.
This is why if you pick up a Motorola phone that runs Android 2.3 and a HTC phone that runs 2.3, they will be similar in some aspects and different in others.

Then the phone companies, Verizon, Spring, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc are like the dealers. They load the phone up with dealer specific parts (branding, certain software, etc etc). This is sometimes referred to as "bloatware" and it can slow the phone down or just get in the way.

Now, Google sometimes wants to make a phone to their specs to have a pure Android experience. These phones are referred to as Nexus devices. There have been 3-4 Nexus devices, and they have been made by various phone makers. Google usually brings out a Nexus device to showcase brand new software. In this case, the Galaxy Nexus was the first device to showcase Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich.

Rooting your phone basically brings the phone back to stock and removes the add ons from the phone company and the phone makers. From there, you can install your own add ons called ROMs. It's like reflashing your PCM to get rid of the factory tune and uploading a new tune to the PCM.

This should cover most of Android. Let me know what is going on.