Android 4.2 is now a reality just four
months after version 4.1 was announced. While this is a version number
increase, the OS keeps the Jelly Bean moniker in the same way Android 2.0 and 2.1 were both Eclair variants; this is not Key Lime Pie.
Because of the last minute change in
plans, Google’s message has been somewhat scatter-shot when it comes to
the new Android software. So let’s go over everything we know.
There are a few new features coming to
the way Android deals with images and video, and the first will take
advantage of that new higher-resolution camera in the Nexus 4. Photo
Sphere is the natural evolution of Google’s panorama mode first
introduced a year ago in Android 4.0. Instead of just rotating your
phone along one axis, you can point it anywhere to build an immersive 3D
view.
You will center the phone to start a
Photo Sphere, then just start moving your viewfinder around and the
phone will automatically capture the images it needs to build a full
picture. It feels a little like Google Maps Street View where you can
pan side to side, as well as up and down. These files are simple JPEGs,
so you can save, modify, and share them as you like. XML metadata within
the file stores data that allows Photo Spheres shared to Google+ to be
manipulated in real time like a Street View frame.
The other innovation in this area is
support for Miracast wireless display technology. You could be forgiven
for not being familiar with Miracast — it’s essentially an open
alternative to Apple’s AirPlay. It’s based on Wi-Fi Direct, an ad-hoc
wireless standard. Basically, anything on your screen can be beamed to a
TV, assuming you have compatible hardware. All you need is a display of
some sort (like TV) that supports Miracast, or an HDMI adapter that
does. You’re more than likely going to have to go with the additional
box because Miracast-ready TVs are still rare.
A new keyboard
Swype is a popular alternative keyboard
for Android that allows users to just drag a path from one key to the
next in order to spell out words. Swype figures out what word you’re
probably spelling, and inserts it. The company has worked long and hard
to make this technological voodoo work, and it’s right an astounding
amount of the time. Google’s new stock keyboard promises the same
functionality, but calls it Gesture Typing.
You will be able to drag your finger
around, and the keyboard should figure out what you’re typing, complete
with spaces. We won’t know if Google has beaten Swype at its own game
until we get some hands-on time, but it’s possible.
Multi-user tablets
The problem with sharing tablets often
seems to be that each user has to work around everyone else’s junk.
Security is also a concern as all users have access to each other’s
files, web history, and email. Starting with Android 4.2, all tablets
will finally have multi-user support.
You will be able to switch profiles on
the fly from the Android settings. Each user has their own home screens,
widgets, apps, and data. This really makes it feasible to share that
spiffy new Nexus 10 tablet with your family.
This feature is a big deal not just
because it effectively fixes a feature gap in existing tablets, but
because Google beat everyone else to the punch. Plenty of iPad users
would love to have this feature. Some pages are listing this as a
tablet-only feature, which would make sense. However, there are a few
screenshots of the Nexus 4 showing a profile menu. Time will tell how
this is implemented.
Notifications and lock screen
Google added expandable notifications to
Android 4.1, and now the notification area has gotten better still. A
new secondary panel in the notification shade allows users to access
common settings like WiFi, brightness, Bluetooth, and Profiles from
anywhere on the device.
These settings can be accessed in two
ways: by tapping the quick settings button in the open notification
shade, or by swiping down with two fingers when the shade is closed. A
number of popular ROMs and OEM skins like TouchWiz have implemented
power bars embedded in the notification panel, but Google’s new
implementation keeps those buttons out of the way until you need them.
The lock screen has been tweaked in
Android 4.2, but this is one of the changes Google is being less
forthcoming about. Some widgets will be allowed to live on the lock
screen so you can perform simple functions and view data without
unlocking the device. You access most of these widgets by swiping left
and right from the main lock screen. We don’t have any firm details on
this yet, but stay tuned. Users have been asking for this since the
early days of Android.
Google Now
Let’s face the cold, hard truth of
things: it’s going to be a while before Android 4.2 reaches your device.
Most of the features included in Android 4.2 will be off-limits, but
one bit might offer you some hope. If you have Android 4.1 on your
phone, the newest improvements to Google Now are coming your way.
Google Now is part of the Google Search
app, which is in the Play Store. This won’t deliver Google Now to all
devices with Play Store access, but new Google Now features can be added
to Jelly Bean devices. Pulling up Now will henceforth include
information about hotels, flights, popular photo spots, calendar
integration, and concerts.
Google Now also goes deeper into your
account, finding tracking data for packages in your email, meeting
locations, and more. All this data is integrated into your cards, but
can be disabled if you don’t like the creep-factor.
Google has worked to make Android 4.2
more user-friendly, faster, and even more feature-complete than 4.1 was.
There’s a lot to like, but OEMs have barely gotten Android 4.1 updates
going and here Google comes with even better software. If you want to
enjoy all that the new Jelly Bean has to offer, a Nexus device is
probably the way to go. Fortunately, Google released a new Nexus 4
smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet yesterday, too.
Copyright © 2010 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc