Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Gets Official

Android mobile operating system 4.1, code named Jelly Bean, gets official during this years Google I/O 2012 event being held at Moscone West Convention Center, San Francisco.

The latest Android OS comes packed with new features including expandable notifications, Android Beam, Bi-directional text support, Gesture mode, Media codec access and a boat load more.

Other improvements include a smoother and more responsive UI across the system, a home screen that automatically adapts to fit your content, a powerful predictive keyboard, richer and more interactive notifications, larger payload sizes for Android Beam sharing.

Here is a bit more detail on some of the new features you can expect in Android 4.1:

• Expandable notifications - Android 4.1 brings a major update to the Android notifications framework. Apps can now display larger, richer notifications to users that can be expanded and collapsed with a pinch. Users can now take actions directly from the notification shade, and notifications support new types of content, including photos.
• Android Beam - In Android 4.1, Android Beam makes it easier to share images, videos, or other payloads by leveraging Bluetooth for the data transfer.
• Bi-directional text support - Android 4.1 helps you to reach more users through support for for bi-directional text in TextView and EditText elements.
• Gesture mode - New APIs for accessibility services let you handle gestures and manage accessibility focus. Now you can traverse any element on the screen using gestures, accessories, you name it.
• Media codec access - Provides low-level access to platform hardware and software codecs.
• Wi-Fi Direct service discoverability - New API provides pre-associated service discovery letting apps get more information from nearby devices about the services they support, before they attempt to connect.
• Network bandwidth management - New API provides ability to detect metered networks, including tethering to a mobile hotspot.

For more details and a full list of new features, head on over to the Google Jelly Bean platform highlights page or watch the preview video below,

Yaseen Khan

South African born web developer and graphic designer who loves all things Gaming, Anime and Technology. He completed a degree with honours in B.IT (Bachelor of Information Technology) at the University of Pretoria, then...

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