Android KitKat Released 358
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)."
I wonder.. (Score:2, Informative)
I wonder if it will continue to randomly turn off the Nexus 4, like 4.3 does.
Re:yum (Score:5, Informative)
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?
Re:Nexus 5: Can it run linux? (Score:5, Informative)
Android is Linux. Maybe you want a GNU/Linux with X? Names matter.
Re:I wonder.. (Score:4, Informative)
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.
Re:Nexus 5: Can it run linux? (Score:2, Informative)
No, Android is not Linux. Neither is GNU/Linux. What he's asking is if we can install our own god damned kernel, regardless of who provides the userspace. Intent matters.
Re:What? Nexus 5 released, Nexus 10 already releas (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:Galaxy Nexus (Score:5, Informative)
Galaxy Nexus isn't supported. Source [google.com].
Re:KitKat? (Score:5, Informative)
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/ [techcrunch.com]
Re:Google wallet (Score:5, Informative)
Re:KitKat? (Score:5, Informative)
What do you think? [kitkat.com]
Re:Count me out this round (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:I wonder.. (Score:5, Informative)
https://www.google.com/search?q=nexus+4+randomly+turns+off [google.com]
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.
Wrong specs (Score:2, Informative)
It looks like a really nice phone, i just wish it wasn't so large. I know it's only "slightly" larger than the Nexus 4 due to the reduced bevel, but the Nexus 4 was already too large. I really want a nice phone with a 4.0" or 4.3" screen. (And no, the "Mini" versions of the HTC One, Galaxy S4 and Droid don't count. They reduced the CPU and/or RAM and/or Storage for all of those when they made them "Mini".)
Re:yum (Score:1, Informative)
You can get a Nexus 5 for half the price of an equivalent iPhone. Does nobody apart from me see that as newsworthy?
Not really since most US people pay subsidized rates
That right there is what's wrong with America today. No, not the subsidised rate, the arrogance of believing that since it doesn't affect the US, it's not news.
You really should think a bit more about how you're living your life, you know that?
Re:Google wallet (Score:4, Informative)
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).
Nexus 5's support Google Wallet tap & pay, even though the device doesn't have a secure element. Since the carriers were arguing that giving Google exclusive control over the secure element was "the problem", it would seem they no longer have a basis for refusing to allow tap & pay. So, it should be the case that any Android 4.4 device with NFC hardware (which is most of them) should be able to do tap & pay.
It's worth pointing out that the Google Wallet app has other features besides NFC payment that work on all phones, including iOS. You can use it to see your transactions (e.g. online stuff) and to send money to people via e-mail, and it also is where you see and redeem Google Offers.