[Android] Android 4.2

[Arthur]

The new version of Jelly Bean looks fantastic. MiraCast and multi-user support are the top two features. I can see both being very useful in schools.

www.android.com/whatsnew/

Source: The Verge

The new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 aren't just new Android devices — they're showcases for a new version of Android. Google's calling Android 4.2 "a new flavor of Jelly Bean" to reflect its essential similarity to Android 4.1, but there are some major new features in the mix.

The highlight is support for Miracast, an industry-standard Wi-Fi display sharing protocol that allows new devices like the Nexus 4 to stream audio and video to TVs. (Think AirPlay with broad industry support.) Miracast boxes for existing TVs are expected to go on sale from a variety of companies soon, and Google expects them to cost well under $99. And Miracast will soon be built directly into TVs, which is pretty exciting — LG's already committed to building it into all of its 2013 smart TVs. The technology worked quite well in our demo of Android 4.2 on a Nexus 4, and Google says developers can use each screen independently for big-screen gaming and other apps.

Android 4.2 also includes a new gesture typing keyboard — you just slide your finger between each letter in a word and the keyboard figures out what you're trying to type. It's a lot like Swype, but it seemed a little bit faster and more accurate in our brief demo, and words are displayed above your finger as you move, so it's a little easier to know what's going on. The feature works well with Google's SwiftKey-like auto-prediction, which provides a list of words it thinks you might type next has you type — simply swiping "good" automatically predicts "morning," for example. It all makes one-handed typing extremely easy, although we're sure SwiftKey and Swype won't be too pleased.

Android 4.2 also adds multiple user support on tablets for easier sharing — each user gets their own apps and data. It's cleverly done: if one user has already downloaded an app, the other users don't have to redownload anything to install it. Google showed us Bad Piggies running on one user account with saved levels and scores; when the other user installed the app, it appeared instantly in a completely fresh state. Apps are backgrounded when you switch away from an account — they can complete certain tasks like downloads but are otherwise mostly shut down. You can't have a music player running in the background from one account while using another account, for example. Overall, it's a well thought-out solution to the problem of sharing a single tablet with multiple people.

Here's the full list of new features:

• Photo Sphere panorama photos
• Gesture typing on the keyboard
• Lockscreen improvements, including widget support and the ability to swipe directly to camera
• Expandable notifications with that let you take actions directly
• Message zooming in Gmail with the ability to reflow text automatically
• Daydream screensavers
• Accessibility improvements: triple-tap to magnify the entire screen, pan and zoom with two fingers. Speech output and Gesture Mode navigation for blind users.
• Miracast support for wireless display sharing
• Google Now can use Gmail as a data source for new cards, including improved flight tracker, hotel and restaurant reservations, movie and music recommendations. Photo Spot card recommends interesting places to take photos based on your location.

Android 4.2 will obviously ship with the Nexus 4 and 10, and we're assuming other Nexus devices like the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 will receive the update in the next few weeks as well.

Inside Android's next wave: Building the Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Android 4.2

[aerospacemango]

Wonder how long that'll take to come to the SGSI!!!

Couple of months? By Xmas?

Nice!

[arwen]

I am so tempted to go buy the N4. Mazzuma mobile are offering £150 for a working GS2. So £130 for a new shiny, up to date phone...

[aerospacemango]

I am so tempted to go buy the N4. Mazzuma mobile are offering £150 for a working GS2. So £130 for a new shiny, up to date phone...

This is a big temptation....but I can only upgrade in April/May time....so I'll see what looks best, then!

[Theblacksheep]

n4 is very tempting...... great price too!

hold on, no expansion microsd?

[Arthur]

hold on, no expansion microsd?

Google says microSD card slots confuse users...

On the subject of the decision to leave out micro SD cards on Nexus devices:

"Everybody likes the idea of having an SD card, but in reality it's just confusing for users.

If you're saving photos, videos or music, where does it go? Is it on your phone? Or on your card? Should there be a setting? Prompt every time? What happens to the experience when you swap out the card? It’s just too complicated.

We take a different approach. Your Nexus has a fixed amount of space and your apps just seamlessly use it for you without you ever having to worry about files or volumes or any of that techy nonsense left over from the paleolithic era of computing.

With a Nexus you know exactly how much storage you get upfront and you can decide what’s the right size for you. That’s simple and good for users." (Source)

[Theblacksheep]

Google says microSD card slots confuse users...

paleolithic era of computing = instant access to files.

modern era of computing = have to stream / download from slow / costly antiquated phone networks.


Seems they made the battery non removable on Nexus4 too. Very handy on the GS2 to have a spare when it dies 1/2 way though the day. SG2 is 1650mah, n4 is quite a bit better 2200mah, but I think it'll still be an issue unless the screen is more efficient.


FYI the 4.2 camera app (inc photosphere) works on 4.1

[SchoolsBroadband]

I've just upgraded and for day to day usage I haven't seen that much difference. Still there's plenty of time to take a looksy.

Dave

[OutLawTorn]

I am so tempted to go buy the N4. Mazzuma mobile are offering £150 for a working GS2. So £130 for a new shiny, up to date phone...

Is the Nexus4 available directly through the play store? How much is it in £ (It only shows me the price in AU$ when i try to view the play store...)? I might be in the UK early next year, so i'm trying to decide if i buy it here in Aus before i go, or wait until i get there....

[Arthur]

Is the Nexus 4 available directly through the Play Store? How much is it in £

Here are the UK prices for all of the Nexus devices.

Nexus 4: 8GB = £239 / 16GB = £279
Nexus 7: 16GB = £159 / 32GB = £199 / 32GB with 3G = £239
Nexus 10: 16GB = £319 / 32GB = £389

[Arthur]

WTH! Carphone Warehouse are selling the Nexus 4 on a £31 per month for 24 months contract with no data. That's £744 in total! Are they mad?

[hardtailstar]

my upgrade is due in may, Im tempted tp buy this and just stick my sim card in it and when my contract finishes look for cheaper contract/pay as you go.

[Arthur]

The photo sphere feature is really cool...

plus.google.com/photos/105046045700292924505/albums/5805569422944253569/5805569421458305522

^ That's Times Square in New York.

[Arthur]

Have Google changed mobile phone pricing forever? « MoDaCo

LG and Google's pricing of the Nexus 4 at £239 for 8gb and £279 for 16gb is breathtaking value for consumers and has frankly blown me away, but it begs the question; why can't other manufacturers hit this price point?

Google may well be selling this whole Nexus line at cost, but when you consider both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X had RRPs of closer to £500 at launch you have to ask the question why? Especially as the spec of the Nexus 4 is near as damn it the same as those two flagships?

Has the price of components come down that much in 12 months? Or have Samsung and HTC been walking away with £200 of profit on each phone for the last year? And mugs like us have been boosting their balance sheets?

This time last year, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was another £499 phone, I know because I bought one at that. But Google are now somehow able to sell the Nexus 4 at half the price.

So what is the fallout from Google's new pricing? Will everyone else have to follow suit?

Have LG shot themselves in the foot? Who is going to buy the Optimus G now? 1) at a price more than the N4 and 2) with a bunch of LG bloatware/skin on it? Or any other LG phone for that matter?

Where does this leave the likes of ZTE and Huawei? They have been trying their damndest to produce cheap, but high end specs with the likes of the Grand X and Ascend D quad XL, but now those devices are right in the Nexus 4 price range. Surely a no brainer to go for the N4?

If other manufacturers follow Google's lead, that can only be a good thing for consumers.

[Arthur]

The reviews for the Nexus 4 and 10 are out! Obviously the lack of LTE on the N4 is not a huge problem for most people living in the UK.

Nexus 4: Engadget, The Verge, Gizmodo, SlashGear, Wired
Nexus 10: Engadget, The Verge, Gizmodo, SlashGear, Wired

Android has a new champion. The Nexus 4, built by LG in collaboration with Google, is the best overall Android handset currently available, and it’s one of the best phones to be released this year.

It’s a truly exemplary piece of hardware that showcases the best of what Google can offer in a smartphone when crufty user interface skins from hardware makers and bloatware from carriers are cut out of the equation.

Living with the Nexus 4 and using it over the last week has been a joy. The first thing you notice when you pick up the handset is just how sturdy and luxurious it feels. The front and back of the device are coated in Gorilla Glass 2. I took a set of keys, a fork and a pocket knife to the front and back glass panels of the Nexus 4 and couldn't get a scratch to show up anywhere.

^ The Engadget video above (bottom right) briefly shows the multi-user feature.



The biggest issue that a lot of reviews mention is the fact that there are hardly any tablet-optimized apps for the Nexus 10. The iPad and Surface RT are much better in that regard.