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Android KitKat Released

Posted by timothy on from the happy-hallowe'en dept.

First time accepted submitter taxtropel was one of many readers to note that Google has officially released its newest version of Android. taxtropel extracts from the announcement: "Today we are announcing Android 4.4 KitKat, a new version of Android that brings great new features for users and developers. The very first device to run Android 4.4 is the new Nexus 5, available today on Google Play, and coming soon to other retail outlets. We'll also be rolling out the Android 4.4 update worldwide in the next few weeks to all Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 devices, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play Edition devices." Reader SmartAboutThings adds: "Almost all of the features that the Nexus 5 comes with are not a surprise, since they were heavily leaked before. Still, for those that have obediently waited this day, here are some of its most important specs: 2.2Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 and 2GB of RAM, 4.95-inch 1080p display, Wireless charging, 2,300 mAh battery, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11ac WiFi and NFC; Gorilla Glass 3, Front 1.3-megapixel camera and 8-megapixel sensor on the back with optical image stabilization (OIS)."

5 of 358 comments (clear)

  1. the name by sootman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I still think it's cheesy to use a brand-name food as the OS name, instead of a generic name.

    Otherwise, looks neat. :-)

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    1. Re:the name by PiMuNu · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Interestingly, the word KitKat originally derives from pies made in London. The KitKat club, deriving its name from originally meeting in a certain London pie shop, was a social centrepiece of the whig oligarchy that managed the UK government in the early part of the 18th century, and also one of the first institutions to introduce the concept of copyright, thanks to support from Tonson, a publisher and lobbyist for the publishing industry. It is not clear whether there is any relation between KitKat confectionery and KitKat pies, however.

  2. Google wallet by interkin3tic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm surprised there's still nothing about google wallet. I heard some speculation that with kitkat, they were going to announce a way to use it on any phone with NFC (without the secure element the carriers refuse to allow).

  3. Still no native Opus codec support? by Dr.Dubious+DDQ · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I figured Google was "all-in" on WebRTC and vp9/opus, but a year later it looks like they still haven't added support for it to Android.

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  4. Re:Galaxy Nexus by Patch86 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Not that it's a substitute for proper support, but one small sop is that the Nexus phones are the easiest Android phone to re-flash yourself, and Cyanogen Mod is at it's best polished on Nexus devices. As long as it can handle it hardware-wise, there's nothing stopping you installing the KitKat-derived version of Cyanogen Mod (once it is released).