To further placate customers that opt-in for the handset, as well as to make up for the glaring lack of Android 4.0, elements of that more advanced system have been incorporated into the Ion: a screenshot shortcut (visible on the power menu) and audio controls on its lockscreen (accessible by swiping the time display to the left).

ENGADGET: Sony Xperia Ion review: an Android handset with a split personality

Gone is Android 2.x's ability to toggle ringer mute from here, a nice touch considering that you need to unlock, press power, and select a menu option otherwise.

ENGADGET: Epic 4G review

"I think the Fed has established a menu of things that will give them much more power than they've ever had before, " says Peter Wallison, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former general counsel to the U.S. Treasury Department.

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