Halloween is not a day that we would associate with receiving technology based gifts but it seems that Google is making an exception on this occasion. The Nexus 5 has been officially announced by the Mountain View giant, designed and manufactured in conjunction with LG. Not content with dishing out some exceptional new hardware, Google has also announced that Android 4.4 KitKat will be made available for a whole host of existing devices in the coming weeks.
Sundar Pichai – who currently finds himself occupying the role of Senior Vice President of Google’s Android, Chrome and Apps departments – has stipulated in the official Nexus 5 press release that existing users can expect to see Android 4.4 filtering through the compatible devices in the "coming weeks". The newly announced Nexus 5 will obviously ship with Android 4.4 KitKat right out of the box, but that isn’t exactly very comforting for those who intend to continue using their perfectly capable Android powered hardware.
Pichai has singled out the Nexus 4, the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 as three of the devices that will benefit from Android KitKat in the immediate future. Samsung’s current flagship Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, as well as the HTC One Google Play Edition devices will also receive the update to Android 4.4, according to the official Nexus 5 press release.
But for the sake of convenience, we’ve broken down the supported devices in a bullet list for more clarification.
Nexus Devices:
- Nexus 4
- Nexus 7
- Nexus 10
Unfortunately, the Android 4.4 KitKat update won’t work on the Galaxy Nexus and the aging Nexus S by Samsung.
Samsung and HTC Devices:
- HTC One Google Play Edition
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition
Other Devices:
There is currently no official schedule on when will KitKat arrive for OEM specific devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy S4, LG G2, Xperia Z1, Moto X etc. But, Google claims that the update has a smaller footprint and will work on many devices which are currently out there. Keeping that in mind, it’s rather odd for the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S to not receive the update, officially.
Halloween is usually a time for adopting a scary demeanor, dressing up in ridiculous outfits and carving pumpkins but those little Google offerings should definitely put a smile on the face of existing users with compatible hardware.
Android 4.4 – or KitKat as most will prefer to call it – has been in the making for quite some time, but we will officially get to see if Google has succeeded in their quest of making the Android experience a pleasurable one for everyone. There’s no denying that Android is one the most visually appealing mobile OSes available and that visual attractiveness should definitely be upgraded with the launch of 4.4. Under-the-hood changes should ensure that compatible powerful hardware will benefit from extended battery life as well as hopefully tightening up a few security holes to make the whole system a lot more secure.
But it’s rather interesting to note that Android KitKat, in its current form, is not a 64-bit OS, but we’re certain that will change when supported hardware is released in the coming time. Also, it’s worth noting that the Nexus 5, Google’s latest flagship, does not boast a 64-bit chip either. We’re certain that this feature is being reserved for release for later next year.
With the Nexus 5 available for immediate purchase and this update coming in the next few weeks it should only be a matter of time until we see how KitKat has gone down with the Android using public.
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