We all know Google just released its latest OS to the longing arms of Android aficionados everywhere. Some of the first to receive Google's blessing are the Nexus 7 tablet and Google's flagship phone the Galaxy Nexus. You might be wondering because this is only an incremental upgrade from version 4.0 to 4.1 will it bring any major improvements to the fragmented OS? The answer is "yes", Google created a codename: "Project Butter" in an effort to eliminate the stutters and jumpiness that was plaguing scrolling. This alone warrants praise if it in deed lives up to the hype but many other changes and updates worth noting were also made.
The keyboard while looking nearly the same as in Ice Cream Sandwich, has been upgraded to include a more extensive dictionary and bi-gram text prediction making it a must have for anyone who spends a reasonable amount of time entering text. Another sought after feature is a more robust notification drawer. Now the drawer has the ability to expand notifications and even respond to them without leaving your current application. While Android has had the notification drawer for a while, this streamlined way of dealing with the OS is a much welcome feature that will make multitasking that much more fluid and easy. Last on the list is Google Now, a predictive feature which autonomously knows your surrounding and displays useful information on "cards" before you even ask for it. Seeing it in action at Google I/O really makes you wonder how much data is freely shared and made known to Google. As long as they continue to use this information to keep performing these stimulating parlor tricks I won't complain.
Whilst these aren't all the changes made in this years release I have made them available to you courtesy of the boys at Google themselves. Check it out at: http://www.android.com/about/jelly-bean/
