Introduction to Android 4.4 KitKat

Introduction

Android KitKat (version 4.4) is the latest version of Google's Android operating system. This specific version of Android Google joins with Nestle and uses its chocolate name KitKat. All of Google's Android versions have been named after desserts. The following is a list of all the Android versions:

Android 1.5 - Cupcake
Android 1.6 - Donut
Android 2.0 - Eclair
Android 2.2 - Froyo
Android 2.3 - Gingerbread
Android 3.0 - Honeycomb
Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich
Android 4.1 - Jelly Bean
Android 4.2 - Jelly Bean
Android 4.3 - Jelly Bean
Android 4.4 - KitKat

Image copied from b4tea.com

Release Date of Android 4.4 KitKat

Android 4.4 was announced by Google as Android KitKat in Sep 2013. It is expected to be launched in Oct 2013.

Why KitKat?

Image copied from mashable.com

Google wanted to name Android 4.4 as Key Lime Pie, but Key Lime Pie is not a common name at all. So they want a name that is very popular and is very common in the market and then they decided to name it as KitKat. Because KitKat is very popular and also fulfills the need of a delicious name for Android 4.4. Google made a deal with Nestle to do this officially and Nestle approved of their deal and also advertises Android 4.4 in its commercials.

Expected Features of Android 4.4 KitKat

In Android 4.4 new API's for animations are added.
The camera application is updated in Android 4.4 with features such as the ability to tilt or shift the image, center the focus and change the image quality.
In the menu system a printing and payment option is also added.
In Android 4.4 a new notification widget is added.
In Android 4.4 we can also save an image in a PDF file.
Android 4.4 may be the first cloud-based service for the Android operating system.
Android 4.4 is also supportable to the older devices.
Nexus 5 may be the first smartphone to run the Android 4.4 operating system.
Quickoffice is also pre-installed in Android 4.4.
Google Messenger, Google Talk, and the messaging application is combined into one in Android 4.4.
In Android 4.4 applications like Gallery, Calendar, Google+, YouTube are available to download free of cost.
Android 4.4 supports optical image stabilization.
In Android 4.4 new options are added while printing, like the number of copies to print, editing paper size, colors and so on.
In Android 4.4 applications like Google Drive and Google Keep are also pre-loaded.
Multi-user customization becomes better in Android 4.4.
It is expected that it can also run on devices having 512 MB of RAM.
In Android 4.4 the color of the status bar changes depending on the selected color scheme.
In Android 4.4, Android Gmail application is also updated.
Miracast updates are also in Android 4.4.
In Android 4.4 palette color schemes are also changed.
In Android 4.4, features like battery and security are improved.

Summary

This article introduced you to the new version of Google's Android operating system, Android 4.4 KitKat. It also explained some expected features of Android 4.4.