Google makes Android 4.2 official: the polished new flavor of Jelly Bean

Google officially announced the updated version of Jelly Bean, the Android 4.2. Previously known as Android 4.1, Jelly Bean had made serious improvements to the Big G’s mobile operating system with its “buttery” smooth interface that could level up with Apple’s iOS standards. This “new flavor of Jelly Bean” brings multiple enhancements and exciting features over its predecessor.

Multiple User accounts

The newer version of Jelly Bean brings in multiple user support. This means that, for example, everyone in the family could have their own account. When logged-in, it would bring them to the common user interface, apps and background. iOS currently don’t have such feature so that is a cool thing to consider.

Keyboard

The “new flavor” also includes a gesture-centric keyboard that allows you to type by just sliding your finger in a series of letters. This also predicts possible words that you’ll compose. Remember SwiftKey App? 

Photo Sphere

This feature a tweaked upgraded Panorama that was introduced in Android 4.0. This advanced way of capturing photos allows you to take pictures in multiple directions. The saved pictures can be navigated in up, down, right and left directions. Yes, it allows you to roam a little like what you do in Street View.

Google Now

The native virtual assistant service can now feed data directly from Gmail. And like Siri, it can now access events, restaurant reservations, hotels, flights, movie screenings, concerts, etc.

Wireless Integration

At long last, Android now allows you to wirelessly share your display to a TV set. This feature uses Miracast, a streaming tool that allows users to stream content to an HD TV.

Other Features

Settings center in the Notifications Drawer can now allow significant actions like WiFi toggling, screen adjustment, airplane mode toggling, etc. Now, you can also assign widgets on lockscreen.

A featured called Daydream has also been integrated by Google. This screensaver-ish feature can be set up to show photo albums, latest stories in Google Currents and more.

Availability

Android 4.2 “new flavor of Jelly Bean” will be available out of the box with LG Nexus 4 and Nexus 10. Expect it to be rolled out to top Android devices like Nexus 7 in the near future. Other Android brands should refer to their manufacturer for the update, but for sure we’ll let you know once announced.