Android 4.2 Still 'Jelly Bean' Gets Miracast, Photo Spheres
Google unveiled two completely new devices yesterday—the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet—and upgraded the existing Nexus 7's storage capacity and wireless connectivity. But lost somewhere in the churning waves of Hurricane Sandy news coverage, not to mention Google's owncanceled press event for these devices, was Android 4.2, a new version of the company's mobile operating system.
Unfortunately, few people will get to experience Android 4.2's awesomeness for quite some time, if history is any indication.
First, let's look at the OS itself. Android 4.2 is an evolutionary update, as the point designation implies. In an unusual move given the OS's development history, Google is still referring to the OS as "Jelly Bean," just like Android 4.1. That's in contrast to prior point upgrades like Android 2.1 "Eclair," Android 2.2 "Froyo," Android 2.3 "Gingerbread," and Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich."
Photo Sphere, Wireless Displays, and Google Now
But enough about Android monikers, because that just makes us hungry for delicious desserts. First up in Android 4.2 is Photo Sphere, a panoramic photo-like feature that lets you spin around and snap pictures in every direction. But unlike a regular panorama, Photo Sphere puts you inside the result, kind of like those old 360-degree interactive QuickTime and Flash movies in which you could move around. Once you create a photo sphere, you can view it on the phone, share it on Google+, or post it to Google Maps.
But enough about Android monikers, because that just makes us hungry for delicious desserts. First up in Android 4.2 is Photo Sphere, a panoramic photo-like feature that lets you spin around and snap pictures in every direction. But unlike a regular panorama, Photo Sphere puts you inside the result, kind of like those old 360-degree interactive QuickTime and Flash movies in which you could move around. Once you create a photo sphere, you can view it on the phone, share it on Google+, or post it to Google Maps.
Miracast, the wireless display standard, makes its first appearance in Android. On supported devices running Android 4.2, you can broadcast the contents of your phone or tablet screen to an HDTV with a Miracast-compatible wireless HDMI adapter attached. We'll be looking at this further as we begin to review Android 4.2-equipped devices, since testing external display capability is part of our standard review process for mobile products.
Google Search and Google Now get boosts, with Knowledge Graph-powered results that attempt to answer queries directly before delivering traditional results. Google Now, a promising but still somewhat flaky feature introduced in Android 4.1, adds upcoming movies, package tracking, flight schedules, restaurant and hotel reservations, and nearby photo-friendly spots to its localized, automatic search results.
A new keyboard feature called Gesture Typing lets you draw words by gliding your finger over to each letter, Swype-style. The difference here is that Google claims to have upgraded the predictive text engine to the point where it can add spaces between words for you automatically—and Google also said it has upgraded the predictive dictionary in general, for both typing and voice dictation.
Other Features and One Big Question
Other small upgrades: Daydream is a kind of glorified screensaver for lock screens. It lets you display Google Currents news, scrolling widget information, and photos whenever the device is sitting idle or in a dock. We're seeing more of this sort of thing lately, as Windows Phone 8 and some modified Android UI layers have demonstrated, and it's really nice to have.
Other small upgrades: Daydream is a kind of glorified screensaver for lock screens. It lets you display Google Currents news, scrolling widget information, and photos whenever the device is sitting idle or in a dock. We're seeing more of this sort of thing lately, as Windows Phone 8 and some modified Android UI layers have demonstrated, and it's really nice to have.
Google had already improved notifications considerably for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and seems to have expanded it slightly in Android 4.2, with more actionable items in the notification pull-down window. Finally, Android tablets now get multiple users for the first time. That means each person can have their own home screen, widgets, apps, wallpaper, and games, the latter with individual high scores and level support.
These are all pretty nice upgrades. But they beg a question—how significant will Android 4.2 be, given how few devices even run the five-month-old Android 4.1 OS? We're only just now beginning to see the first carrier-subsidized phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note II come with Jelly Bean. And new phones are still hitting carriers all the time running Android 4.0, which is more than a year old. Some brand-new phones like the ZTE Anthem 4G come with Android 2.3, which is downright ridiculous.
Unfortunately, the Android OS upgrade situation remains grim. There's just not enough incentive; wireless carriers and phone vendors would rather sell you a brand-new phone and make more money than let you upgrade your old one for free. That's despite the fact that iOS devices all get new OS upgrades as they become available without carrier interference, hardware permitting, thanks to Apple's direct involvement in the process. At this point, unless Google decides to flex more of its muscle with its OEM and carrier partners, it's pretty clear that if you want the latest and greatest Android has to offer, it's Nexus or nothing.
Nonetheless, we'll be testing Android 4.2-powered devices like the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 in the coming days as they become available. I loved Android 4.1 when I reviewed it, and it looks like Android 4.2 could be even better. Unfortunately, it may be yet another case of "Nice OS if you can get it."
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