Google's latest version of the Android operating system is here.
Though you may argue that unlike the last iteration, Android 4.1
Jelly Bean is more about refinement than revolution. But I think a
few new and enhanced features have the potential to push our
current smartphones to the next level.
(Photo: GearLive.com) Hugo Barra, director of product
management of Google, unveils Android 4.1 Jelly Bean mobile
operating system during Google I/O 2012.
Google showed off the newest Android
4.1, code-named Jelly Bean, at this year's Google I/O (see my
previous posts Google I/O Download Part I
and Part II). If
you ask me, is the vastly improved performance delivered through
new notification features, better voice dictation and search,
integration with a better looking and working Google + and the new
Google Now and so on really all that exciting? Well, after spending
nearly a week with Nexus 7, I'll say, yes, they
really, really are. And here is a detailed list of worth noting
features packed in the new Jelly Bean.
- Butter - a new UI rendering framework capable of delivering
stunning looking UIs at 60 fps.
- Auto clean up of home screen icons and widgets
- An updated gallery application for view and managing
images
- New gesture model and swipe commands
- Support for offline voice typing
- 18 new languages further increasing the platform's global
reach
- Enhancements to Android beam focused on media sharing
- A radically updated notification experience with auto expanding
notifications, embedded and customisable commands within the
notification for faster user interaction.
- A new look and feel for Google's social network
Google+
- Improved voice search including card based responses and spoken
feedback
- Google Now taking location based
services to a new level linking what you're doing or will be doing
with information and the world around you
- An updated Google Play experience
with more content including TV Shows and the ability to buy movies
and store them off line.
- Support for encrypted applications
- New application update features enabling developers to just
push the updated components as opposed to the whole
application.
- Offline support for Google Maps
I expect that in the following months, we will see more and more
interest from device manufactures and wireless operators for Jelly
Bean - UK's
Vodafone and O2 for example have already put out plans to work with
manufactures that will be developing Jelly Bean devices.
In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a white paper
"Upgrading to Jelly Bean" for free download. In it
you will find detailed information about the new Android as well as
solutions to quickly upgrade your product and capture the
market.
About the Author
Andrew Till is the SVP and Head of Mobile and Media Devices
within the Mobile & Connected Devices Division at Symphony
Teleca. He's a frequent speaker on mobile device, the mobile
industry and technology. Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
or leave a comment below.
