Tag: Android 4.3

Jelly Bean And KitKat Both See Small Gains In February

The Android ecosystem is constantly changing as users adopt new versions of the mobile OS. For a while now, Jelly Bean has been king after taking the majority rule from Gingerbread. While Jelly Bean will remain the new Gingerbread for quite some time, KitKat is starting to see some growth.

In the latest Android distribution numbers, Google reports that Jelly Bean is now on 62 percent of all devices. Last month, it was on 60.7 percent of all Android devices. Interestingly enough, Android 4.1 saw a minor decline as more users moved onto versions 4.2 or 4.3.

As for KitKat, it saw a small bump from 1.8 percent to 2.5 percent. More and more devices from last year are beginning to get KitKat upgrades so we can expect to see this number rise more in the coming months. The impending launches of KitKat devices, like the Galaxy S5 and all new HTC One, should help lead KitKat to more marketshare as well.

Both Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich saw either a 1 percent or nearly 1 percent decline in February. Both versions continue to grow more obsolete as devices launch with at least Jelly Bean these days. It can be assumed that Gingerbread is only sticking around thanks to the millions of devices around the world that still run the aging mobile OS.

Now that we’re three months in the new year, we can also start speculating as to when Google will unveil the next version of Android. We usually bet on Google I/O, but that wasn’t the case last year. In fact, Google unveiled Android 4.3 after I/O and then released KitKat in October. Of course, Android 4.5 being unveiled at Google I/O isn’t out of the question. At this point, however, it seems a little unlikely.

Image via Android Developers

March 4, 2014
Jelly Bean Now On Almost 60 Percent Of All Android Devices

At the beginning of December, it was revealed that Jelly Bean was on 54.5 percent of all Android devices. At the time, it seemed likely that Jelly Bean would reach 60 percent marketshare thanks to the holiday season. While it didn’t quite reach that point, it’s getting awfully close.

In the latest Android stats released today, Google reports that Jelly Bean is now on 59.1 percent of all Android devices. Most Jelly Bean users are on versions 4.1 or 4.2, but use of 4.3 is climbing as it has jumped from 4.2 percent to 7.8 percent in just a month.

As you can see, KitKat is still chugging along with a 0.3 percent increase in 30 days. The newest OS is still not available on a lot of devices so growth will be slow for a while. As for Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich, both versions are still slowly losing ground to Jelly Bean. By next month, Gingerbread may finally make up less than 20 percent of the entire Android ecosystem.

As we progress through 2014, expect to see KitKat grow as more devices with the OS enter the market. While the devices shipping in early 2014 will probably have 4.3, the devices shipping later this year will most likely get 4.4. After all, it takes OEMs a while to test these new versions of Android and slap their own skins over them.

2014 may also be the year that Android makes the jump to non-traditional devices, like cars. Last week, Google revealed that it had partnered with auto and tech companies to form the Open Automative Alliance. The initiative is seen as a way to get Android into cars without having drivers rely on the dangerous habit of playing with their phone while on the road. It will also help Android break out of its mobile ecosystem and become an operating system that powers everything.

Image via Android Developers

January 13, 2014
Samsung Announces Galaxy Camera 2, Will Be At CES Next Week

In late 2012, Samsung tried to forcibly invent a new market for smart cameras with the Galaxy Camera. It combined the shooting power of Samsung’s camera lineup with the guts of its Galaxy S III smartphone. It was an interesting idea to say the least, and Samsung thought it performed well enough to deserve a successor.

Samsung announced ahead of CES that it will be bringing the Galaxy Camera 2 to stores this year. The Galaxy Camera 2 is being billed as a generational leap above the original in hardware and software. It appears that only the innards have been upgraded though as it features the same 16MP lens as the previous model.

“Consumers love the Galaxy Camera, and this next-generation version was designed to improve on the successful predecessor, with upgraded and new features that will enhance the photography experience,” said Myoung Sup Han, Executive Vice President and Head of the Imaging Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “The result is a more powerful and portable device which continues to embrace the public’s passion for the social features of smartphones, yet also provides superior image control and quality. We are dedicated to making it easier for more people to achieve great results and with the Galaxy Camera 2’s host of creative features, anyone can capture stand out images.”

Even without the upgraded camera hardware, the Galaxy Camera 2 is a better all-around device. The new device sports a 1.6GHz quad-core CPU, 21x optical zoom, 2 GB of RAM and a 2000mAh battery. All in all, you’re getting a much better device on the hardware side of things with the Galaxy Camera 2.

As for software, Samsung says it will ship with Android 4.3. There’s no word yet on if the original Galaxy Camera will be upgraded to Android 4.3, but it’s not likely. The original is still rockin’ Android 4.1.2 so the bump up to 4.3 in the Galaxy Camera 2 may be a ploy to get current owners to upgrade their hardware.

Oh, and if you do decide to pick up the Galaxy Camera 2, Samsung will throw in 50 GB of free storage on Dropbox for two years. The app even comes preloaded on the device so you have no excuse not to use it.

If you want to get your hands on the Galaxy Camera 2, you’ll be able to take it for a spin at Samsung’s CES booth next week.

Image via Samsung

January 2, 2014
After A Month, KitKat Is On 1.1 Percent Of All Android Devices

In late October, Google released the newest version of Android – KitKat. Like all new Android releases, the only devices getting KitKat are Google’s own Nexus phones and tablets. As such, you can expect its first few months of growth to be a little slow.

KitKat made its debut on the Android distribution chart today with the newest version of Google’s mobile OS showing up on 1.1 percent of all devices. Compared to Jelly Bean’s first few months, KitKat is actually doing pretty well for itself. That’s mostly due to more people owning Nexus devices now than they did in the middle of 2012 though.

As for the other versions of Android, Jelly Bean continues its reign over the Android ecosystem with it being installed on 54.5 percent of all devices. Gingerbread retains its second place standing at 24.1 percent, but Ice Cream Sandwich is not far behind with 18.6 percent. With Christmas coming up, both Gingerbread and ICS stand to lose a lot of marketshare as Jelly Bean devices are likely to find themselves in more hands after the holidays.

So, what does the future hold for Android? KitKat adoption probably isn’t going anywhere that fast as most Jelly Bean users are still on version 4.1. Mobile carriers are slow to upgrade these devices, and it might be a while before some devices are upgraded to versions 4.2 or 4.3. With the reduced system requirements of KitKat, some carriers may choose to just upgrade some devices to version 4.4. If that happens, KitKat may just grow a bit faster than its predecessor.

Still, we won’t be able to see where things are heading until after Christmas. In early January, we’ll be able to see a mostly accurate representation of how many new Android devices were activated over the holidays. My bet is that Jelly Bean is going to see some explosive growth while KitKat only sees minor growth.

December 3, 2013
Jelly Bean Is Now On Almost Half Of All Android Devices

Earlier this year, Jelly Bean was slowly working its way up the Android distribution charts as Gingerbread sat atop its near majority share. Slowly but surely, those roles have reversed with Jelly Bean now on the brink of being on a majority of Android devices.

In the latest Android distribution chart released today, it’s revealed that Jelly Bean is now on almost half (48.6 percent) of all Android devices. Compare that to Ice Cream Sandwich (20.6 percent) or Gingerbread (28.5 percent) and you see that Jelly Bean is now without a doubt the new king of Android.

Jelly Bean can’t celebrate just yet, however, as it’s still not over the 50 percent threshold. Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich will undoubtedly continue to decline in usage, but Jelly Bean will soon have a new version of Android to compete with.

So, will KitKat present any immediate threat to Jelly Bean’s dominance? It’s not likely as Android 4.4. will likely only be available on Nexus devices for the first few months of its existence. This year’s best selling Android handsets are only just now upgrading to Android 4.3 so who knows when they’ll make the jump to Android 4.4.

The launch of Android 4.4 may present an interesting look at how Android distribution evolves though. Over the past year, we saw Jelly Bean emerge as only a tiny blip on the distribution charts when it first launched to now being on almost over half of all Android devices thanks to its proliferation on devices like the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

Will KitKat see the same amount of support next year when Samsung, HTC and other Android handset manufacturers launch their new flagship devices? It’s certainly possible, but we’ve also learned throughout the years that handset manufacturers stay one generation behind where Android currently is. That helped with the proliferation of Android 4.1 this year, but it may just mean that next year’s devices will ship with Android 4.3 instead of 4.4. If that becomes the case, it may be a while before we see KitKat make any significant progress on the Android distribution charts.

October 3, 2013
Netflix Update: Fixed Android 4.3 Problems

If you have anything to do with Nexus HD or Android 4.3 or others systems or devices of the like, you might want to read this. According to one report, an annoying little bug problem appears fixed because Netflix has an update for it now.

“You might have noticed that the newest version of Android was having troubles at times with the streaming service app. Whatever the issue was, it has been resolved in the newest update that is now available through Google Play.”

Opera also seems to have jumped onto the proverbial product “bandwagon.”

For the layman (or woman), Opera is a smartphone mobile Web browser suited to work as a Personal Digital Assistant or “PDA.” PDAs are also referred to as “Palmtop computers.” The browser often enables portable media to play on such devices. Netflix and effective mobile browsers often walk “hand-in-hand.”

“Fixing a few bugs, Opera improved the method for clearing cookies and resolved an issue that caused the app to be uninstalled from certain Samsung devices. The update also promises memory leak plugs and overall stability improvements.”

Not all Android problems are over, however. Auto rotation, battery life, and even “sluggish user interface” difficulties still seem to plaque Android customers even still. Functionality issues, often preempting user to perform hard resets simply after launching the application, have generated much frustration.

“In addition to the Netflix bug, we’ve been hearing about a number of different problems with Android 4.3, problems that Google has not promised to take a look at. Maybe the most prominent of the bunch are the battery life complaints that we’ve been receiving from old Nexus 7 owners in particular. Several Nexus 7 2012 owners have complained that their device drains abnormally, even when it Airplane Mode.”

As many customers reportedly received false permanent notifications, Android’s 4.3 TuneIn Radio updated to Version 5 to remedy this issue, too.

August 11, 2013
Textbooks Are Now Available On Google Play

During the big reveal of the new Nexus 7, Google also announced some of the updates coming to Android 4.3 and Google Play. One of the lesser talked about updates was that textbooks would be hitting Google Play soon. It took a few weeks, but college students can start shopping for the next semester on Google Play today.

Google announced today via the Android blog that textbooks are now available on Google Play. The company claims to have secured partnerships with all the major textbook publishers so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding that obscure textbook on ancient Mesopotamian interpretive dances.

Like with all other purchases on Google Play, you’ll have access to your textbooks on any device that sports Google Play Books. That means that you can buy a digital textbook and access them via the cloud on your Android tablet, iOS device or the Web.

As for specific features within textbooks, here’s what Google says you’ll be able to do:

With the Google Play Books app, you have convenient tools at hand to make studying simpler and faster. You can instantly search within a textbook for a particular word or phrase, bookmark chapters and pages, highlight and annotate key passages and get quick access to dictionaries, translation tools, Wikipedia and Google search.

The textbooks may be digital, but publishers will still nickel and dime you into oblivion. That’s why Google offers digital textbook rentals on Google Play. It’s cheaper than buying a print copy, but it’s still ridiculously expensive. Still, it will save you a few bucks. Use that money to buy yourself something nice, like a mini-fridge. Trust me, you’ll need it.

August 9, 2013
Your Nexus 7 Getting A Little Slow? Android 4.3 Should Fix That

Google introduced the new Nexus 7 last week, and some consumers will have already upgraded to the latest model. Others, however, will hold onto last year’s Nexus 7 even if its performance has diminished somewhat over the last year. Fret not, frugal consumer, as the promised Android 4.3 update will make your old Nexus 7 feel brand new again.

Anandtech reports that Android 4.3 includes support for a feature called fstrim. Think of it like a defragmentation tool for the flash memory inside your Nexus 7. In Android 4.2, the OS would continue to look at memory blocks that used to house data even if the data in question had been deleted. This could lead to serious performance issues, but that’s all been fixed in Android 4.3.

In the latest version of Android, the fstrim tells your OS that it no longer has to monitor data blocks that used to hold data. This allows the OS to focus on data blocks that actually house data instead of the ghosts left behind by deleted games, movies and music.

As you can probably already guess, the advantages to Android users are immediately apparent. You will no longer have to deal with decreased performance as you download, install and delete apps, music and movies.

The new feature isn’t just restricted to the old and new Nexus 7 either. Any device that’s upgraded to Android 4.3 will be able to take advantage of better data management. You should see performance increases in devices like the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 as well.

Of course, you may be wondering where your Android 4.3 upgrade is. At the new Nexus 7 reveal, Google said it would start pushing out the upgrade later that day, but these things happen in waves. It could be a few weeks before you get Android 4.3, but it will definitely be worth the wait.

For all the other new stuff in Android 4.3, check out our previous coverage.

July 30, 2013
Here’s All The New Stuff In Android 4.3

At an event yesterday, Google announced the new Nexus 7 and the Chromecast. New hardware is always exciting, but many more were just as exciting to see that Android 4.3 was finally revealed. While not a huge upgrade from previous versions, this new flavor of Jelly Bean has its fair share of interesting features.

The most compelling new feature by far is the addition of restricted profiles. As you may recall, Google introduced multi-user accounts on Android tablets in Android 4.2. This allowed families to set up multiple accounts for each member of the family on a single Android tablet. With restricted profiles, the admin can control what other accounts on the device can access. For example, a parent can prevent their child from seeing certain apps, or even prevent them from being able to see items for purchase in apps.

Another small, but welcome, feature is the addition of Bluetooth Smart support. With this, Android devices can now interact with Bluetooth Smart devices, like fitness sensors, while using very little energy. Google says that the makers of Bluetooth Smart devices are working to make them compatible with Android 4.3.

Of course, gamers will be happy to know that Android 4.3 is the first mobile OS to support OpenGL ES 3.0. This new rendering platform brings with it a number of enhancements that will make the mobile games of the future look even better than before. Here are the demos from the Google event that demonstrate what OpenGL ES 3.0 is capable of:

Other small improvements include dial pad autocomplete, which suggests phone numbers upon typing in numbers, and improved support for more languages like Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi and more. If you want to see every new feature in Android 4.3, hit up Google’s Jelly Bean site.

So, when can you get your hands on Android 4.3? Google said yesterday that it would start rolling out to Nexus devices – Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus – immediately. That rollout may be taking longer than expected as my 2012 Nexus 7 still hasn’t received the update as of this morning.

July 25, 2013
Google Announces New Nexus 7, Chromecast

Last week, it was revealed that Google would be hosting a breakfast this morning with Sundar Pichai. It was assumed that he would spend the morning talking about Android and perhaps a new Nexus 7. He and other Googlers did that, but they also announced what amounts to a refresh of last year’s Nexus Q.

Pichai kicked off the event talking about the success of last year’s Nexus 7. He said that Nexus 7 accounted for more than 10 percent of all Android tablets sold in 2012. With the new Nexus 7, they’re hoping to capitalize on that growth even further.

When the new Nexus 7 was finally unveiled, Google confirmed much of what we’ve already seen these past few weeks through a number of leaks. In short, the new Nexus 7’s CUP is 1.8x faster than the previous model, and its GPU is 4x faster than the previous model. It sports a full 1080p HD display – the first of its kind on a 7-inch tablet. They were also quick to note that the new Nexus 7 now features stereo speakers and virtual surround sound.

All that’s well and good, but what 4G LTE connectivity? The new Nexus 7 will ship unlocked with 4G LTE support for AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile on a single model. The days of having to buy an AT&T or T-Mobile Nexus 7 from the Google Play store are now gone.

As expected, the new Nexus 7 will ship with Android 4.3. This latest version of Jelly Bean doesn’t offer any major changes, but it does improve already existing software. For starters, the multi-user accounts for tablets that was introduced in Android 4.2 have been upgraded with restricted profiles in 4.3. What that means is that you can restrict certain profiles from accessing certain content. The example used is that a child’s profile won’t have access to in-app purchases inside of their apps.

Other additions include support for Bluetooth Low Energy and OpenGL ES 3.0. They noted that the new Nexus 7 is the first Android device to support the OpenGL ES standard and developers are already taking advantage of it to build beautiful games for the device.

The biggest addition to Android 4.3 is what Google calls DRM APIs. They’ve been working together with Netflix to provide full 1080p streaming on the new Nexus 7. Previously, Netflix streaming on tablets was restricted to SD video due to a lack of strong protection software. The Netflix app has already been updated to take advantage of this new functionality, and is now waiting upon the Android 4.3 update to use it.

Speaking of which, when will Android 4.3 be out? Google says that it will start updating the original Nexus 7, the Nexus 4, the Nexus 10 and the Galaxy Nexus to Android 4.3 starting today. It will also be coming to the Nexus editions of the HTC One and Galaxy S4 soon.

As for Google Play, the only two major additions are the Google Play Games app and Google Play Textbook category. The former adds a hub where players can see all of their games and all of their Google+ friends playing games in a central location. The latter adds interactive textbooks to Google Play from all five major textbook publishers in the U.S. It will also support textbook rentals.

So, when will you be able to get your hands on the new Nexus 7? Google says the 16GB and 32GB Wi-Fi models will be available via Google Play and retailers on July 30 for $229 and $269 respectively. The 32GB 4G LTE model will be available in the coming weeks for $349.

After the new Nexus 7 business was concluded, Pichai took the stage again to talk about the importance on online video. He said that Google is looking for a way to bring everybody’s favorite video content to the big screen from the comfort of their mobile devices. Well, that’s where Chromecast comes in.

Chromecast can be thought of as the successor to last year’s Nexus Q, but it does a little bit more. For starters, it’s a tiny two-inch long dongle that connects via your HDMI port. Instead of Android, it runs a slimmed down version of Chrome OS. It also supports pretty much every device in the house, including Android devices, iOS devices, Chromebooks and Windows notebooks.

Chromecast works by essentially pushing the content that’s currently playing on your mobile device onto your TV. It doesn’t use up your phone’s resources, however, as it pulls the video straight from the cloud. In other words, you’re free to do other things on your mobile device after you queue up a video to play on the TV via the YouTube app.

Of course, YouTube isn’t the only application that Chromecast supports. It also supports Netflix, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music and Google+ Photos. It can also put your current Chrome tab up on the TV from a Chromebook, Windows laptop or Macbook.

Google wants Chromecast to support more apps and devices so it will be releasing a developer preview of what it calls the Google Cast SDK today. The SDK will allow developers to build Chromecast support directly into their app so users can project their apps onto the TV.

So, when can you get your hands on the Chromecast? It will be available later today from the Google Play Store, Amazon.com and BestBuy.com for $35. It will also be available at Best Buy retail locations next week.

July 24, 2013
Google To Host Event With Sundar Pichai On July 24

Sundar Pichai is wearing a lot of hats these days. He’s no longer just the head of the Chrome team, but the Android team as well. That’s why any event with him leaves us guessing as to what he’ll talk about.

Google announced today that it will be hosting a press event/breakfast on July 24. The invitation, courtesy of JR Raphael, specifically mentions Pichai so people are already speculating whether or not Google will have something Android related to show.

So, what are the chances that we’ll see something from the Android team? I’d say they’re pretty high based upon previous reports and rumors. It’s been rumored that we’ll see both Android 4.3 and the new Nexus 7 in July. We haven’t heard anything on either yet so it wouldn’t be too surprising if Pichai unveiled a Nexus 7 running Android 4.3 at the event.

While an Android announcement is more likely, we can’t discount the idea that Pichai might have some Chrome related announcements for us as well. There’s not as many rumors to go on, but there were earlier reports that Google was working on a Chromebook that runs Android instead of Chrome OS. The report specifically stated that Pichai was behind the initiative so he could be using the event to announce Google’s latest stab at the notebook market.

Either way, Pichai is going to announce something. I’m pretty sure Google isn’t hosting the event just so Pichai can have a chat with the press over biscuits and coffee.

[h/t: Engadget]

July 17, 2013
Jelly Bean Is Finally On More Android Devices Than Gingerbread

Over the last year, we’ve seen Android 2.3, or Gingerbread, slowly lose its majority share of Android distribution. Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, helped start the decline of Gingerbread, but it was Android 4.1/4.2, or Jelly Bean, that really helped kick Gingerbread to the curb.

In the latest Android distribution numbers released on Monday, Google revealed that Jelly Bean is finally the dominant Android operating system. By combining both Android versions 4.1 (32.3 percent) and 4.2 (5.6 percent), Jelly Bean is now on 37.9 percent of Android devices. Gingerbread is still hanging onto second place, however, with 34.1 percent.

As you can see above, Ice Cream Sandwich, much like Gingerbread, is ceding ground to Jelly Bean as more and more Android users upgrade to devices that use the latest OS. As this trend continues, developers will be able to better target Jelly Bean and ICS devices without having to worry about Gingerbread users.

Next month’s numbers will undoubtedly see the continued rise of Jelly Bean, but it will also hopefully mark the introduction of Android 4.3. The newest version of Jelly Bean is rumored to be coming out this month alongside the rumored new Nexus 7 tablet. Google will upgrade its own Nexus devices to Android 4.3 first, but it shouldn’t take long for carriers to start upgrading some devices to the newest Android version.

July 9, 2013
Android 4.3 Leaks For Galaxy S4, Available Now

It seems that we’re close to an Android 4.3 reveal as the latest operating system has been leaked for the Galaxy S4. It’s still an early testing build, but you can install it if you have the necessary hardware.

Before we get to that, however, let’s take a look at what Android 4.3 is and isn’t. Google’s latest mobile OS is still called Jelly Bean. It still has the same design of previous Jelly Bean builds. On the other hand, it isn’t a major upgrade. Instead, it brings a small number of enhancements to the already almost perfect Jelly Bean.

So, what are those enhancements? It appears that the biggest update is the inclusion of Bluetooth LE support. Beyond that, there’s been a few tweaks to the camera interface and the inclusion of the share button in more apps. Those expecting a bigger and better Android aren’t getting it in this update.

Even so, Galaxy S4 owners can start playing around with Android 4.3 right now. SamMobile has confirmed that the leaked Android 4.3 test build works on both the Nexus version of the Galaxy S4 as well as the regular TouchWiz version. They note that flashing this custom ROM will void your warranty, but that may be a small price to pay to be on the cutting edge of Android.

While Galaxy S4 owners start testing out Android 4.3, the rest of us will have to wait for an official announcement. According to sources speaking to GottaBeMobile, we won’t have to wait long. Google plans to unveil Android 4.3 in July with the first build coming to – surprise – the Galaxy S4 Nexus Edition.

June 28, 2013
Looks Like We’ll Be Seeing Android 4.3 At Google I/O

UPDATE: Nothing to see here, folks. The only big Android announcement during the keynote is that Google will start selling a Galaxy S4 equipped with stock Android (4.2) via its Play store.

At Google I/O 2012, Google introduced the world to Android 4.1, or Jelly Bean. It later updated Jelly Bean to version 4.2. Now at Google I/O 2013, it looks like Google will be updating Jelly Bean again to version 4.3.

The Verge reports that a page on Google’s Android developer Web site referenced Android 4.3 before being removed. It was still available via cache for a while with a listing for security enhancements in the newest version of Android, but nobody was actually able to catch what those security enhancements were.

Regardless, we still know next to nothing about Android 4.3. Knowing it exists is a start, but there’s not been much in the way of leaks in regards to new features. Some are suggesting that the latest update will just be a minimal update with support for Bluetooth Low Energy and better OpenGL for Embedded Systems 3.0. The latter jibes with other rumors suggesting that Google will announce some new gaming initiatives for Android at the conference.

It’s important to note that Android 4.3 will most likely still be called Jelly Bean. Android boss Pundar Sichai already said that Google wouldn’t be showing off a new version of Android so a small update to Jelly Bean is the only thing that makes sense. Those looking for Key Lime Pie (or Kandy Kane) will have to keep waiting.

May 15, 2013