Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

When To Expect Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) on Your Smartphone

Although the next version of Google's mobile operating system, Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), is expected to go live later this month, there will be a lag, as usual, between release time and when you might see the OS on your Android device.

 

That's because the handset makers, not Google, determine when to allow upgrades to their smartphones. The arrangement is supposed to foster innovation, but it also fosters frustration among users who can't get the latest version of Android in a timely manner--or in some cases, at all. It has also fostered a fragmented ecosystem that's vulnerable to attacks by hackers.

Aware of the "instant gratification" problem with Android, Google made a move to address it at last week's I/O developers conference with the release of a Platform Development Kit (PDK) for its OEMs. The kit does for hardware makers what a Software Development Kit (SDK) does for software writers.

Which Phones Will Get Android 4.1?

Nevertheless, some Android devices will have Jelly Bean out of the gate. Google-branded phones--the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus--will have it, as will the company's new tablet, the Nexus 7, made by Asus.

Motorola's Xoom tablet will have the new version of the OS, too. The company hasn't made any statements about when Jelly Bean might arrive on its smartphones, such as the Razr; but now that the company's mobile division is part of Google, it is likely to adopt Jelly Bean sooner rather than later. Google completed its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola's mobile business in May.

Samsung, which makes the Nexus phones for Google, will probably be quick to bring Jelly Bean to some of its phone models, especially its hot new Galaxy S III. In a statement to Pocket-lint, the Korean handset maker said that it will "soon" announce devices that it deems suitable for Jelly Bean.
As for handset makers HTC, Sony Mobile (formerly Sony Ericsson), and LG, Pocket-lint predicts that Jelly Bean will not arrive on their hardware anytime soon. LG acknowledged to the website that it is too busy trying to implement Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) to put much emphasis on Jelly Bean.

Google Nexus 7 Tablet Review

The Google Nexus 7 tablet resets expectations of what an inexpensive tablet can and should be. Starting at $199, the Nexus 7 clearly guns for Amazon's same-priced but lesser-quality Kindle Fire, which runs Amazon's limited flavor of Android.
Make no mistake: Of today's 7-inch Android tablets, the Nexus 7 is the one to beat, and it is handily one of the best-executed Android tablets of any size you can buy. In some ways, that's not saying much; for as much as it does well--it has a tremendous 10-plus-hour battery life, and it produces reasonably clear text and accurate colors--the Nexus 7 stumbles by leaving out an expansion slot.
You need to step up to the 16GB $249 version for the Nexus 7 to make a sensible purchase, and even then you'll be settling for something short of the ideal tablet.
The lack of a memory card slot hobbles Google's shiny new tablet before you can even get moved in and set up.
Android has always held a big advantage over Apple's iOS in its ability to expand on-board storage via a memory card; in fact, this is something that every tablet competing with the Nexus 7 except the Amazon Kindle Fire (and Apple's iPad, natch) has. The Kindle Fire has taken lots of flack for providing a baseline model with only 8GB of storage and no room to grow.

Motorola Motorola Xoom

   Nevertheless, some Android devices will have Jelly Bean out of the gate. Google-branded phones--the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus--will have it, as will the company's new tablet, the Nexus 7, made by Asus

Motorola's Xoom tablet will have the new version of the OS, too. Although the company hasn't made any statements about when Jelly Bean might arrive on its smartphones, like its Razr model, odds are that now that the company's mobile division is part of Google, it will be adopting Jelly Bean sooner rather than later. Google's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola's mobile business was completed in May.  

 

Buttery Experience
To start with, Google has focused on the Android experience using better graphics and silky transition that feels smooth like butter. This would include fast transition between homescreen and apps. Jelly Bean will also make Android device responsive by boosting the device's CPU instantly when the screen is touched, and will turn it down when not in use. This will help in improving the battery life as well.

Widget
Jelly Bean will make personalising the home screen much easier as adding a widget to the homescreen will make space for itself by automatically moving the rest. In case the widget will be too big, it will resize it on its own.

Keyboard & Voice Typing
The typing experience on the Android 4.1 has been improved. Google has added a predictive algorithm and added keyboard support for 18 other languages including Hindi and Arabic. Interestingly, Jelly Bean also supports Braille. With Android 4.1, voice typing now works in offline mode. This means one can type with voice, without worrying about the data consumption.



Camera
The camera has been further improved as snapping images and browsing through the gallery will be fast. Swiping hand over the camera will turn into filmstrip view for the images captured at the moment and a simple swipe will delete the unwanted one. Notification
The lovely notification bar will do more than just informing about the pending events. One will now be able to respond to the notifications without launching the app, directly from the notification bar itself.

Android Beam
Sharing videos and images will just be a tap away with the Android Beam. Tapping two NFC enabled phones back to back will enable sharing contacts, web pages, YouTube videos, directions and apps.  

Google Now
A new look has been awarded to Google Search with the Jelly Bean. Google has also introduced Knowledge Graph inside the search for the card based results. It will be much faster with support for a natural voice search. In addition, Google has also introduced Google Now that will use search history, location and calendar to come up with more accurate information. Somewhat like iPhone's Siri and Samsung's S Voice.

Update
The first few devices to receive the Jelly Bean update in mid-July will be Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom tablet. For the rest of the devices, users will have to wait for the manufacturer to roll out the update.