14 DAY TRIAL // Mountain View-based Internet giant Google has finally made the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system flavor official on Monday, announcing a nice range of new features and capabilities meant to make all Android users rejoice.
Although still in the Jelly Bean branch, the new platform release comes with various performance enhancements and with a series of UI changes, as well as new features and improvements for some of the existing ones.
First of all, there is a new camera experience available in Android 4.2, with Photo Sphere, so that users can easily snap wider, spherical panorama shots.
The keyboard in Android has been enhanced as well, now enabling users to write messages faster than before courtesy of Gesture Typing, so that they can simply glide the fingers from a letter to another.
“The keyboard can anticipate and predict the next word, so you can finish entire sentences just by selecting suggested words. Power through your messages like never before,” Google notes, adding that dictionaries have been improved as well, now being more accurate and relevant.
Android 4.2 also brings forth support for multiple users on tablet PCs, so that more than one person could enjoy the same device. Furthermore, the platform will offer support for easy switching between users, without the need to log out.
Sharing of movies, YouTube videos and more with an HDTV is even simpler in Android 4.2. There’s a wireless display adapter that can be connected to any HDMI-enabled TV and all that is on the phone can be seen on the big screen.
The new platform also brings information at user’s fingertips even when locked (via the new Daydream feature), while providing them with new, expandable notifications. Action can be taken right from the notification shade as well.
Google Now has been improved as well in the new platform release, the same as Google Search, which features a new look, enabling users to access answers and search results faster than before.
Content can be easily shared with other devices through Android Beam on Jelly Bean, and there are also new widgets for users to take advantage of.
“With Jelly Bean it's now even easier to personalize your home screen. As you place widgets on the screen, everything else automatically moves to make room. When they're too big, widgets resize on their own. Interacting with your favorite apps and customizing your home screen has never been easier,” Google explains.
