Back in September Google announced that the next version of Android would be called KitKat following their history of using desert-esque names to go with each iteration of Android. Prior to that announcement, many thought that Google would go with the name Key Lime Pie and that the version number would be 5.0. KitKat is the first time Google has gone with a brand name desert, the brand belonging to Nestle’s chocolate company which partnered with Google for the naming release complete with an gigantic Android figure for the building 44 lawn on the Google campus adorning the KitKat logo found on every one of the popular chocolate bars.
Google’s desert names all began with the debut version of Android , Android 1.5 “Cupcake”, and continued through the alphabet via Android 1.6 “Donut”, Android 2.0 “Eclair”, Android 2.2 “Froyo” (frozen yoghurt), Android 2.3 “Gingerbread”, Android 3.0 “Honeycomb”, Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” and most recently Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean”.
It was officially reported on Thursday at a Gooogle press event that KitKat would actually be Android version 4.4. and has pretty significant features and upgrades. They also announced that the first official device with Android 4.4 KitKat will be the Google Nexus 5 designed and manufactured in conjunction with LG. The phone went on sale Thursday.
Google’s Android and Chrome lead, Sundar Pichai talked up one valuable feature that early adopters and techno-fiends may not think is all that hot. Android 4.4 has been designed to fit on a 512mb of RAM footprint. This will allow manufacturers to fit the newest version of Android on their lower end handsets which are popular in emerging countries. It’s those emerging countries and international regions that are driving Android’s growth.
Prior to this manufacturers have been forced to resort to Android 3.0 Gingerbread, a version that’s three years old, even on lower end Android devices released this year. Google made KitKat with a smaller footprint as part of an initiative to reach the “next billion people”. It’s also an attempt to curb Android “fragmentation”
Time Magazine’s Harry McCracken reported that much to the dismay of rumor mongers there was no mention at the Google press event of a new tablet or official Google smart watch.
As for the Nexus 5 it’s available on Google’s website for $349 fora 16gb version and $399 for a 32gb off contract.
KitKat promises “a more polished design, improved performance and new features”:
Just say “Ok Google”
You don’t need to touch the screen to get things done. When on your home screen* or in Google Now, just say “Ok Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song
A work of art
While listening to music on your device, or while projecting movies to Chromecast, you’ll see beautiful full-screen album and movie art when your device is locked. You can play, pause, or seek to a specific moment.
The book you’re reading, the game you’re playing, or the movie you’re watching — now all of these take center stage with the new immersive mode, which automatically hides everything except what you really want to see. Just swipe the edge of the screen to bring back your status bar and navigation buttons.
Faster multitasking
Android 4.4 takes system performance to an all-time high by optimizing memory and improving your touchscreen so that it responds faster and more accurately than ever before. This means that you can listen to music while browsing the web, or race down the highway with the latest hit game, all without a hitch.
A smarter caller ID
Whenever you get a call from a phone number not in your contacts, your phone will look for matches from businesses with a local listing on Google Maps.
All your messages in the same place
Never miss a message, no matter how your friend sends it. With the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same app, alongside your other conversations and video calls. And with the new Hangouts, you can even share your location and send animated GIFs.
Emoji everywhere
Sometimes words can’t express how you feel. For that, there’s Emoji, the colorful Japanese characters, now available on Google Keyboard.
Print wherever, whenever
Now you can print photos, documents, and web pages from your phone or tablet. You can print to any printer connected to Google Cloud Print, to HP ePrint printers, and to other printers that have apps in the Google Play Store.
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