Android is the operating system that powers over 1 billion smartphones and tablets. Since
these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert:
Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly
Bean.
As everyone finds chocolate so tempting, Google decided to name the next version of
Android after one of our favourite chocolate treats, the KitKat®!
On September 3rd, just a day before Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 3, Google announced a new version of Android dubbed Android 4.4 KitKat.
The company refused to divulge many of the important details including
Android 4.4 KitKat release date, features and updates but fortunately,
in the days since, we’re starting to get some clarity.
In late July, Google announced the update that many had expected at
Google I/O 2013 in May. The company unveiled Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, an
update to the Jelly Bean operating system that debuted alongside the new
Nexus 7. Like Android 4.2, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean arrived with some
incremental upgrades to Google’s Android software, bringing things like
Bluetooth Low Energy, OpenGL 3.0 Support, some changes to the dialer,
and more. It was and is a small update, nothing like the jump from
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was.
After Android 4.3 Jelly Bean rolled out to Google’s Nexus devices,
many expected that the next update in line would be Android 5.0 Key Lime
Pie, an update that had been rumored well before Android 4.3 Jelly
Bean. As it turns out, there is a new Android update coming this year
but it won’t be called Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.
Google’s new ‘K’ update is instead going to be Android 4.4 KitKat, an
update that it announced earlier this month, and one that was done in
partnership with Nestle, the maker of the KitKat bar. The update, while
official, is still somewhat of a mystery as the company declined to get
into specifics when pressed for information.