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Android KitKat Released
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)."
When iOS7 caused trouble for iPhone users, I heard audible Snickers.
3A 4E 22 05 C1 83 0B 7A
It's random, but my posting it here is probably considered illegal to someone.
The mid-range laptop on which I'm typing this comment is out-specced on all fronts by this phone (save for keyboard and day-long readability), and it's barely 6 years old.
Nice.
In not-unrelated news: You can get a Nexus 5 for half the price of an equivalent iPhone.
Does nobody apart from me see that as newsworthy?
No sig today...
Android is Linux. Maybe you want a GNU/Linux with X? Names matter.
HELP MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED BY AN ILLIBERAL ART STUDENT SET TO DESTROY THE INTERWEBZ!
Also, who the fuck needs 2GB of RAM on a fucking phone!? My old computer (which I was using until just a year ago) got by on 2.5 GB of RAM, and it ran just fine. I can't imagine doing many of the things that I do (and did on my old computer) on even a fancy phone. For one, the screen is too small, and there is no built in keyboard. Not to mention, I doubt my toolkit has been ported to Android.
I agree, nobody will ever need more than 640k of RAM.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
I still think it's cheesy to use a brand-name food as the OS name, instead of a generic name.
Otherwise, looks neat. :-)
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
I wonder if it will continue to randomly turn off the Nexus 4, like 4.3 does.
Is that a well known problem? My N4 doesn't seem to have it.
So, according to the summary, Google just released Nexus 5. And Android 4.4 will be rolled out to all Nexus 4s, Nexus 7s and Nexus 10s. What? So does that mean that the Nexus 7s and Nexus 10s have already been released? What a fucked up counting system.
Also, who the fuck needs 2GB of RAM on a fucking phone!? My old computer (which I was using until just a year ago) got by on 2.5 GB of RAM, and it ran just fine. I can't imagine doing many of the things that I do (and did on my old computer) on even a fancy phone. For one, the screen is too small, and there is no built in keyboard. Not to mention, I doubt my toolkit has been ported to Android.
If you were running Java apps exclusively on your old 2.5GB computer, you would have been far less happy with that much RAM. I run a Java based IDE on my desktop maxed out with 8GB RAM and still find myself wanting more RAM at times when I'm debugging a large java application - the app itself uses over 2GB of ram after it caches all of its data.
Galaxy Nexus isn't supported. Source.
Why is it that so few smartphones have replaceable batteries nowadays, it is such an environmentally irresponsible thing to do. Kudos to Samsung for still having them in the galaxy series, but seriously, every phone (and laptop) should have it. Wish Apple hadn't started this trend (for a company that supposedly prides itself as being environmental too...)
-- the cake is a lie
I love the Google phones with one exception: lack of storage. Google devices don't have microSD expansion slots, and the maximum storage sizes are small. If you're going to have small built-in flash sizes at least have an expansion slot. Or if you don't have an expansion slot, at least have versions with large storage options. HTC has a 64GB version of the One, for example. Apple has iPhone models with 64GB.
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).
Should we expect a lawsuit or do they have a licensing agreement with Nestlé? (It's very indicative of the time we live in that this is the first thought that came to my mind...)
The latter. http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/03/google-strikes-bizarre-licensing-deal-with-nestle-to-name-next-android-kit-kat/
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
As another poster pointed out, Android already is running the Linux kernel. If you want the GNU-ecosystem OS on top of the kernel all you have to do is install a chroot environment like "Lil' Debi" and you're done. (requires root)
https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=info.guardianproject.lildebi&fdpage=13
Same goes for those very nice and very cheap long-life Chromebooks.
People give RMS lots of grief for calling "it" GNU/Linux, but he ain't no fool. Linux can be many things besides the kernel for the GNU OS, and see the Debian ports for the familiar GNU environment running on BSD, and yes, Hurd kernels instead of the Linux one.
~.~
I'm a peripheral visionary.
But but but ... I want a desktop andriod for my linux system.
You can get one, but it won't look anything like Darryl Hannah did in 1982.
It's hardly a phablet compared to your Nexus 4, it's only 4mm longer...
Nexus 4 dimensions: 133.90 x 68.70 x 9.10 mm (with a 4.7" screen)
Nexus 5 dimensions: 137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59 mm (with a 4.9" screen)
And I can't get a Nexus 4 or 5 thanks to being stuck on Verizon... Thanks Google.
Or rather, thanks Verizon!
Or rather... man I hate the cell phone ecosystem, I don't know who to hate more.
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
What do you think?
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
It will be paid-for, not supplemented through carrier contracts because I enjoy a lower phone bill... a significantly lower phone bill.
So you're on t-mobile? Last time I checked, all the other phone companies charged you the same whether you got a phone through them or not. In other words, if you don't get AT&T to subsidize your phone, you're paying monthly for a phone you didn't get. You might be thinking of the recent scams AT&T and verizon both came out with where you pay more per month to upgrade faster. You're still getting ripped off though even if you're not on those plans. Again, aside from T-mo, and perhaps they've changed it recently.
It's idiotic of course, but of course it's due to the fact that there are so few choices.
https://www.google.com/search?q=nexus+4+randomly+turns+off
My fairly new N4 does it a few times a day. I see many other identical complaints online.
For everyone it occured synchronous with the 4.3 release.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
I don't know if US carriers subsidize only iPhones, but on other places they subsidize all phones and you end paying for the phone anyway, by being forced into a plan that is beyond your needs. So in the end you are paying for the phone either way. There is no free lunch.
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.
Hacker Public Radio is our Friend
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).