Millions of Entry-Level Devices Will Run Android 4.4 KitKat

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 05 Nov 2013

Android 4.4 KitKat introduces many new changes and features. The nice thing is that you will be able to enjoy them even if you don’t have a high-end phone with 2GB or 3GB of RAM.

Google developed the mobile operating system so that it runs fast, smooth and responsively on a wide range of mobile devices. This means it will offer a smooth experience to users who have a high-end device and to the millions of users who have entry-level devices. KitKat will be responsive and fast on devices that have as little as 512MB of RAM memory.

“Android 4.4 is designed to run fast, smooth, and responsively on a much broader range of devices than ever before — including on millions of entry-level devices around the world that have as little as 512MB RAM,” explained Google. “KitKat streamlines every major component to reduce memory use and introduces new APIs and tools to help you create innovative, responsive, memory-efficient applications.”

Android 4.4 is the first new major Android release since the release of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. As mentioned above, this new release introduces many new changes and features. Here’s a quick look at the main ones.

Android 4.4 KitKat – Main New Features
  • A more polished design for the interface.
  • Improved performance and responsiveness, faster multitasking, enhanced accuracy.
  • Immersive mode automatically hides the things you don’t want to see.
  • Launch voice search, send a text, or get direction by saying “OK Google.”
  • Full-screen album and movie art is displayed onscreen when the device is locked while listening to music or projecting movies to Chromecast.
  • New Phone app that prioritizes contacts based on who you talk to the most.
  • If you get a call from an unknown phone number, the smarter caller ID will look for matches from businesses with a local listing on Google Maps.
  • See all your messages in a central location: the new Hangouts app.
  • Google Keyboard features Enoji, the cheerful and colorful Japanese characters.
  • Native support for printing.

You can learn more about what Android 4.4 KitKat has to offer by following this link.

Please note that KitKat is currently only available on the new Nexus 5 smartphone developed by Google and LG. Nexus 5 is available unlocked and without a contract on Google Play in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and Korea. The price starts at $349. Sprint, T-Mobile, Amazon, Best Buy and RadioShack will sell the new Nexus 5 in time for the holidays.




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