Although Google’s planned event this Monday had to be postponed due to Hurricane Sandy, yet Google wasn’t deterred with it’s plans to announce the devices, along with an updated Android Version. On its official blog, Google made official the long time rumored Nexus 10 tablet, which is surely going to give iPad a good competition. An update to the the 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, which was rumored to be named Key Lime Pie, takes the version count to 4.2 but the name still remains the same, Key Lime Pie, as the updates are only incremental and nothing major. Nexus 7 32 GB also appears on the announced list, and gives you one more reason to buy this positively reviewed tablet: You guessed it right, Increased storage!Let’s put down the announced things in an ordered way:
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- Nexus 10
- Nexus 4
- Nexus 7 32 GB with and without HSPA+ support
As there’s a lot of stuff we are going to talk about, I plan to write a series on this. (As I am the only author here, you have to wait for the full series too roll out.) The first part of the series is based on the Android update.
Our cute Android Is Maturing!
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Although it’s not Key Lime Pie, but with a lot of added features, I can say that it's a bigger jump than Android made from 4.0.4 to 4.1
- Let’s see what’s new in Android 4.2:
- Faster and Smoother than ever:We shouldn’t tag this as new, because with every Android update, of course the OS is becoming more and more polished, giving you an even snappier response from your Android device. Jelly Bean 4.2 is no exception. The CPU is more responsive when you are interacting with the screen (like when you are touching it!) and is clocked down when you aren’t, to ensure that the battery lasts longer. Let’s see what Android team has to see about this update:
”With buttery graphics and silky transitions, moving between home screens and switching between apps is effortless, like turning pages in a book.”
And I dare not disagree, as my experience with Jelly Bean was incredibly smooth. (Though I doubt it could get better than that.) - Updated Google Now and revamped Google Search:Google Now has been updated to show you you upcoming movies, photo spots near your location and a whole bunch of other things for you to explore. Google Search now includes Knowledge Graph, a feature introduced to the desktop version a while back, which allows you to get to trusted facts in a snap.
- Wireless stream to HDTV:
Now that's Innovative: Wireless Display - Multiple Profiles for Tablets:
Multiple users can use a single Tablet - Gesture Keyboard:
Android has finally added swype-like gesture typing to its default keyboard. If you have used Swype, you know what that means. If you haven’t, it basically changes the way you type, instead of tapping each key, you glide your finger (or thumb) over the character you want to type, and an algorithm quickly types up what you were trying to type, saving you an awful lot of time. Being a long time Swype User, I would love to give it a go. The keyboard also comes with predictive input, meaning you would have to type even more with the intelligent keyboard reading your mind and popping up suggestions on what might be the next word you are going to type.
Gesture Typing in Jelly Bean 4.2 - Photo Sphere:Last but not the least, this one is my favorite of the lot and is Google’s most advertised feature for the new announcements too. Like street view on Google Maps, you can capture everything around you in a 360 degree panorama. Check out some of the nicest panoramas shot using Android 4.2’s Camera app here.
I’m loving the new features. I would love to know if you loved it or not!
