On October 29, Google is all set to hold the much awaited Android event, where the software giant will reportedly unveil few Nexus devices including LG Nexus 4, Samsung Nexus 10-inch tablet along with 32GB Asus Nexus 7 and Android 4.2 OS.
Apart from these hotly anticipated launches, the Android creator is also in spotlight for the launch of the new operating system. Report are rife that the Mountain View Valley company will announce the next version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS – Android 4.2.
Analysts are anticipating that Google will unveil the next Android version to compete directly with the likes of Windows Phone 8 OS, which is also confirmed by Microsoft to be officially launched on the same day, however, in a different event.
While, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean came with many new features, however, the Project Butter for a faster, smoother and more responsive performance is a notable one, similarly, Android 4.2 is also rumored to have many new features as listed below.
Though, it is not confirmed if Google will announce an incremental update to the existing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or the next version rumored as Key Lime Pie, several reports have come up with numerous reports suggesting expected features of the new OS. Let’s take a look at them.
Project Roadrunner
Project Roadrunner is the most rumored and expected feature of Android 4.2. Project Butter in Jelly Bean made the UI transitions smoother and improved battery lifeup to a certain level, while the main objective of Project Roadrunner is to make Android platform energy efficient.
Most of the Android based handsets are bigger and employ powerful battery of over 2,000 mAh capacity, hence, making the handsets heavier and bulkier. With the Project Roadrunner feature, the manufacturers can come up with lighter handsets with smaller battery that can offer a decent backup of one day.
Quick Settings
When it comes to Android OS, the pull down notification bar is an exclusive feature that is being adopted by other platforms as well. With the smarter quick settings feature, there will be two pull downs – one for notification bar and one for quick settings panel.
Quick settings menu will overlap your main notifications menu, giving you access to toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode and more.
Extended Security
Security is a major issue in when it comes to any device and Android developers are highly concerned on the same as the platform is quite often prone to vulnerabilities.
In terms of security, Android 4.2 will come with three main features including SELinux, VPN Lockdown and Premium SMS conformation. According to an Android Police report, subtitled “The Super-Serious Security Edition”, a teardown of Android 4.2 has confirmed the presence of the above mentioned security features.
The kernel add-ons makes it so that apps don’t have access to all files. You can pick from three options from SELinux: Disabled, Permissive and Enforcing to enable difference app settings for added security.
Secondly, the code mentions VPN lockdown, which is a change from the current model that allows data to be sent over regular connection when users sign out of a VPN network.
Finally, Android gets rid of SMS scam schemes effectively. Some apps work undercover sending paid text messages to select numbers without letting usrs know about it. However, users will have to pay hefty sums for those texts. Now, Google will simply detect whenever an app sends such a message and send a SMS confirmation to warn users.
Multiple User Accounts
The ability to add multiple user accounts will let consumers create multiple accounts for each person who is using the device. This way, every user will have a name, photo, access to all the features including Google Play Store. However, the Play Store will have a customized app list based on the corresponding user’s list of chosen apps. Users can also create or delete user accounts as per requirement.
Also, parental controls can be set according to specific accounts like locking Play Store purchases, downloading content based on rating and more. However, for this feature to come on Android 4.2 devices, there must be some kind of lockscreen interface and it would be nice to have features like face unlock.
New Gmail
Gmail app for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is good, but, it lacks pinch to zoom gesture. Hence, when there is a huge image or HTML attachment along with the mail, scrolling over will be a painful task. Android 4.2 seems to have a solution for this as it is rumored to come with a native Gmail app with pinch to zoom, swipe on a conversation to either delete or archive and more to make inbox management easier. Users can also report a message as phishing, which helps Google improve security.
Gallery
Gallery app is being redesigned to more closely resemble the photostream of Google+, bringing a more unified look to Google’s various software products.
There will be white strip down the album where it can display album name and some more information. Other than the UI alterations, entire operations would be same as before.
Google Play Store
Google Play Store could also be updated in the new Android 4.2 to feature personalized search, promotional campaigns with notification center integration, more billing options, and easier in-app micro-transactions. Source: AndroidPolice
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