It was expected by many that Google would announce the next version of Android (4.3 or 5.0), at their I/O conference. But that didn’t happen, and neither did they announce any new hardware. But, as rumored earlier, they have plans to bring out a new version of the Nexus 4 in the very near future and it will be running the new OS version.
It’s not a 32GB model that’s been talked about, but it will apparently be the same Nexus 4 that’s available now but with a white casing. The best thing is that the 16GB model will arrive running Android Jelly Bean 4.3 and the device will be released on the 10th of June. There are no hints regarding the rumored LTE support, though that is expected to be available as well.
As for the next version of Android, nobody knows what all features it’s coming with, though many believe that it will only be a minor update. Head here if you are interested in taking a better look at the white Nexus 4.
Google's showing no signs of slowing its pace of Android development, with Android 4.0 appearing on the Galaxy Nexus late in 2011, followed in July of 2012 by the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean release that arrived powering the super Nexus 7.
But, forward-looking, update-obsessed people that we are, we can't help but imagine how Google's going to maintain the pace of innovation in its next version of its mobile OS, Android 5.0.
All we know so far is that Google's working away on the K release of Android, which it's developing under the dessert-related codename of Key Lime Pie. Regarding the version number, it's likely that the Key Lime Pie moniker will be given to Android 5.0. We thought we might find out on 29 October 2012 but as yet there is no official word from Google.
So now as we wait on official news of the Android 5.0 release date and features, we can start to pull together the Key Lime Pie rumours from around the web, with the first sighting of Android 5.0 on a benchmarking website, apparently running on a Sony smartphone. There has previously been speculation that Sony is in line to produce the next Nexus phone, which may lend some credence to this rumour.
On 31 January, a Google IO showing of Android 5.0 looked more likely when screengrabs of a Qualcomm roadmap were leaked, showing Android 5.0 as breaking cover between April and June 2013.
But on 24 April 2013, we read that Key Lime Pie may not make its debut at Google IO after all. Apparently, "trusty internal sources" told a site called Gadgetronica that Google has decided to delay Android 5.0 for two to four months to give hardware makers the chance to properly roll out Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
At the time, we said to take this rumour with a pinch of salt, as even if Google decided not to ship the finished build of Android 5.0 until later in the year, that didn't preclude the company from talking up the new OS at what is, after all, a developer-focused conference.
However, the notion of Key Lime Pie being off the menu at Google IO raised itself again on 26 April when Android 4.3 surfaced in server logs over at Android Police. Those log entries supposedly came from Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 devices running an updated version of Jelly Bean - Android 4.3 - and apparently the IP addresses of those devices trace back to Google HQ. So might that point to a delayed Android 5.0 arrival?
And on 13 May, we got our (almost certain) confirmation that there would be no serving of Key Lime Pie at Google IO from Sundar Pichai, Google's new head of Android. Pichai told Wired that this year's IO is "not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system". Boo! "Both on Android and Chrome, we're going to focus this IO on all the kinds of things we're doing for developers so that they can write better things," he added.
So now we wait.
Android 5.0 phones
Rumours of a new Nexus handset started trickling in during the third quarter of 2012, as we reported on 1 October 2012. There was speculation that this phone would be sporting Key Lime Pie, but sources who spoke to AndroidAndMe correctly claimed that the handset, which turned out to be the Google Nexus 4 would be running Android Jelly Bean.
While the Nexus 4 didn't appear with a helping of Key Lime Pie, speculation that we reported on 21 January 2013 suggests that the Motorola X Phone is the Android 5.0-toting handset that will be revealed at Google IO. According to a post on the DroidForums website, the phone will also feature a virtually bezel-free, edge-to-edge, 5-inch display.
Androids out in force at Google IO 2012
The same leaked Qualcomm documents cited above also made mention of a two new Snapdragon devices, one of which will be, unsurprisingly, a new Nexus phone.
That Nexus phone is most likely the Google Nexus 5, though we'd be surprised to see it break cover at Google IO, given that the Nexus 4 only went on sale at the end of 2012.
On Monday 18 March, supposed images of the Nexus 5 surfaced, with the handset apparently being manufactured by LG. If the accompanying specs, leaked along with the photo by the anonymous source, are true, then the Nexus 5 will feature a 5.2-inch, 1920 x 1080 OLED display, 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and 3GB of RAM.
While a sighting of the Nexus 5 at Google IO is unlikely, rumours that we wrote up on 19 April reckon that there will be an Android 5.0-powered Nexus 4 launched at the event. Apparently, the revised handset will also feature 4G capability and improved storage of 32GB.
Android 5.0 tablets
The original Nexus 7 tablet was unveiled at Google IO 2012, so it's possible that we'll see a refreshed Nexus 7 2 at Google IO 2013. The speculation is that Google will team up with Asus for this, as it did with the original Nexus 7. We expect an upgraded display on the new Nexus 7 tablet, while Digitimes is reporting that the 2nd generation Nexus 7 will have 3G service and and range in price from $149 to $199.
Samsung's Android 5.0 upgrades
Although Samsung is yet to officially confirm its Android 5.0 schedule, a SamMobile source is claiming to know which phones and tablets will be getting the Key Lime Pie upgrade. According to the source, the devices set to receive the upgrade are the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Note 10.1.
As you'd expect, the S4 will be getting an Android 5.0 update
Android 5.0 features
For 24 hours, it seemed as though the first kinda, sorta confirmed feature for Android 5.0 was a Google Now widget, which briefly appeared in a screenshot on the company's support forum before being taken down. As it was so hurriedly pulled, many people assumed it was slated for the big five-o and accidentally revealed early.
On 28 February 2013, we learned from Android Central that Google is working with the Linux 3.8 kernel, which gives rise to the notion that this kernel might make it into Android 5. One improvement that the 3.8 kernel brings is lowered RAM usage, which would mean a snappier phone with better multitasking.
Android Geeks has reported that Google Babble will debut on Key Lime Pie. Babble is, apparently, Google's in-development cross-platform service and app with the aim of unifying its various chat services which include Talk, Hangout, Voice, Messenger, Chat for Google Drive and Chat on Google+.
Android Geeks' source also said that Google Babble will be supported by devices running Android 2.3 and above, which would make sense given that Google will want as many people as possible on the platform.
A screenshot that we were sent from a Google employee on 8 April confirms that not only is this unified chat service on the way, but that it is now called Google Babel not Babble. Babel will come with a bunch of new emoticons and Google+ built-in so you can jump from Babel chat to hangout. A leaked Google memo on 10 April provided a few more juicy details including talk of a new UI and synced conversations between mobile and desktop.
Android Police found references in the code to functionality that doesn't exist in Glass, which suggests that developers accidentally shipped the full suite of Google Play Services with the Android application package.
The files in the package contained references to real-time and turn-based multiplayer, in-game chat, achievements, leaderboards, invitations and game lobbies.
So it seems that Google Games (or whatever it ends up being called) is real, and we may find out more about it - and whether it will ship with Key Lime Pie - during the Google I/O conference. As Android Police points out "It being including in a shipping product suggests that it's finished and freely floating around Google HQ."
Android 5.0 interface
While this is pure speculation, we're wondering whether Android 5.0 might bring with it a brighter interface, moving away from the Holo Dark theme that came with Android 4.0.
Google Now brought with it a clearer look with cleaner fonts, and screenshots of Google Play 4.0 show Google's app market taking on similar design cues. Is this a hint at a brighter, airier look for Key Lime Pie?
Google Play is lightening up [image credit: DroidLife]
Our Android 5.0 wishlist
While we wait on more Key Lime Pie features to be revealed and scour the web for more Android 5.0 news, TechRadar writer Gary Cutlack has been thinking about what we want to see in Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Hopefully the new mobile OS will feature some of these things...
1. Performance Profiles
It's bit of a fuss managing your mobile before bed time. Switching off the sound, turning off data, activating airplane mode and so on, so what Android 5.0 really needs is a simple way of managing performance, and therefore power use, automatically.
We've been given a taste of this with Blocking Mode in Samsung's Jelly Bean update on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Note 2 but we'd like to see the functionality expanded.
Something like a Gaming mode for max power delivery, an Overnight low-power state for slumbering on minimal power and maybe a Reading mode for no bothersome data connections and a super-low backlight.
Some hardware makers put their own little automated tools in, such as the excellent Smart Actions found within Motorola's RAZR interface, but it'd be great to see Google give us a simple way to manage states.
Another little power strip style widget for phone performance profiles would be an easy way to do it.
Set telephone to BEDTIME SLEEPY MODE
2. Better multiple device support
Google already does quite a good job of supporting serious Android nerds who own several phones and tablets, but there are some holes in its coverage that are rather frustrating.
Take the Videos app which manages your film downloads through the Play Store. Start watching a film on one Android device and you're limited to resuming your film session on that same unit, making it impossible to switch from phone to tablet mid-film.
You can switch between phone and web site players to resume watching, but surely Google ought to understand its fans often have a couple of phones and tabs on the go and fix this for Android Key Lime Pie?
3. Enhanced social network support
Android doesn't really do much for social network users out of the box, with most of the fancy social widgets and features coming from the hardware makers through their own custom skins.
Sony integrates Facebook brilliantly in its phones, and even LG makes a great social network aggregator widget that incorporates Facebook and Twitter - so why are there no cool aggregator apps as part of the standard Android setup?
Yes, Google does a great job of pushing Google+, but, no offence, there are many other more widely used networks that ought to be a little better "baked in" to Android.
4. Line-drawing keyboard options
Another area where the manufacturers have taken a big leap ahead of Google is in integrating clever alternate text entry options in their keyboards. HTC and Sony both offer their own takes on the Swype style of line-drawing text input, which is a nice option to have for getting your words onto a telephone. Get it into Android 5.0 and give us the choice.
UPDATE: Google heard us and this feature appeared in Android 4.2.
P-U-T T-H-I-S I-N A-N-D-R-O-I-D 5-.-0
5. A video chat app
How odd is it that Google's put a front-facing camera on the Nexus 7 and most hardware manufacturers do the same on their phones and tablets, yet most ship without any form of common video chat app?
You have to download Skype and hope it works, or find some other downloadable app solution. Why isn't there a Google Live See My Face Chat app of some sort as part of Android? Is it because we're too ugly? Is that what you're saying, Google?
6. Multi-select in the contacts
The Android contacts section is pretty useful, but it could be managed a little better. What if you have the idea of emailing or texting a handful of your friends? The way that's currently done is by emailing one, then adding the rest individually. Some sort of checkbox system that let users scroll through names and create a mailing list on the fly through the contacts listing in Android Key Lime Pie would make this much easier.
Make this a destination, rather than a never-used list
7. Cross-device SMS sync
If you're a constant SIM swapper with more than one phone on the go, chances are you've lost track of your text messages at some point. Google stores these on the phone rather than the SIM card, so it'd be nice if our texts could be either backed up to the SIM, the SD card, or beamed up to the magical invisible cloud of data, for easy and consistent access across multiple devices.
8. A "Never Update" option
This would annoy developers so is unlikely to happen, but it'd be nice if we could refuse app updates permanently in Android 5.0, just in case we'd rather stick with a current version of a tool than be forced to upgrade.
Sure, you can set apps to manual update and then just ignore the update prompt forever, but it'd be nice to know we can keep a favoured version of an app without accidentally updating it. Some of us are still using the beta Times app, for example, which has given free access for a year.
Let us keep older versions. Many people fear change
9. App preview/freebie codes
Something Apple's been doing for ages and ages is using a promo code system to distribute free or review versions of apps. It even makes doing little competitions to drum up publicity for apps much easier, so why's there no similar scheme for Android?
It might encourage developers to stop going down the ad-covered/freemium route if they could charge for an app but still give it away to friends and fans through a promo code system.
10. Final whinges and requests...
It's be nice to be able to sort the Settings screen by alphabetical order, too, or by most commonly used or personal preference, as Android's so packed with a huge list of options these days it's a big old list to scroll through and pick out what you need.
Plus could we have a percentage count for the battery in the Notifications bar for Android 5.0? Just so we know a bit more info than the vague emptying battery icon.
Don't Panic! Whether you need to wire a plug or style a pug, there are how-to guides galore to turn your Android device into a veritable Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
If you've got the question, these apps will tell you the answer to life, the universe and everything...
1. wikiHow
The sheer quantity of articles contributed to wikiHow (150,000 and counting) means quality can be an issue, but this is the place to go for articles on everything from "how to be faithful" to "how to make fake dog poo".
Packed full of step-by-step DIY and craft tutorials, this is the place to go for a hands-on project. Thousands of makes include gadgets, gardening, cookery, keepsakes and clothes, and it's easy to add instructions for your own creations, too.
Always worth a look before you dropkick a dodgy device to the kerb, this bumper repair manual offers fixes for a wide range of everyday electronics including PC and Apple laptops, consoles and mobile phones, with more guides added every week.
Look beyond the annoyingly matey language and the unhyphenated title that implies a rundown of tiny dinners, and you'll find a slick step-by-step guide to more than 60 easy meals, plus 21 videos to help you master everyday kitchen tasks.
There are probably more how-to apps on this subject than any other, but this is one of the few to tackle the genuinely tricky art of tying a bowtie. Available offline, it's ideal for weddings in the middle of nowhere.
Ideal for when weddings in the middle of nowhere go bad, this app based on the teachings of former commando John 'Lofty' Wiseman includes a handy tool for turning your phone into a Morse code signalling device (rather than a phone).
It'll eat up 40MB, but it's worth it to have this offline info at your fingertips should you find yourself in an emergency. Step-by-step guides are invaluable in the heat of the moment, as well as for brushing-up in advance.
Get to grips with digital SLR photography with this app's easy-to-follow advice on shutter speed, aperture, ISO and more. Tips and tutorials cover plenty of conditions and are all available offline, so its easy to go wherever your lens leads you.
If you're always in the kitchen at parties, why not make yourself useful with this step-by-step miscellany of mixology? Type the name of a drink to find the recipe, or select the ingredients you've got for a range of options.
The original how-to guide comes in all shapes and sizes on the Google Play Store, but only this one boasts "soothing sitar music" to accompany its 110 positions. A free version offers 30 of these, which frankly seems like a bargain.
Apple has filed a patent that could make the new iPhone a much more exciting proposition for would-be photographers.
The patent, found by Apple Insider, documents a system whereby the main iPhone can remotely control other illuminating devices, in a similar manner to that seen in professional photography studios.
What's interesting though is that this isn't limited to 'slave' devices, which traditionally are flash bulbs that work from an optical signal from the main camera.
According to the patent filing, other iPhones, iPads or third party devices could be used to provide additional lighting and dramatically enhance the quality of the scene you're shooting.
This might not sound like a big deal, but in the same way Samsung Galaxy S4 devices can become a virtual surround sound system by connecting together to play the same tune, so could an array of iPhones be used to make a much better-lit scene when out getting down with chums.
I flash for you, O Master!
The patent describes other cool elements too: the master device can take a test shot and then information to the other units to give position instructions to improve the quality of the picture.
This means your friends will get an on-screen notification on how to angle the shot, thus making sure it's as high quality as possible. It's easy to see third party options being made available that can do this automatically too, thus making a photographer's life easier.
Credit: Apple Insider
And Apple would use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals to initiate the light function of the other units, replacing the erratic optical system used today.
Of course, this is another Apple patent, which means it will probably never see the light of day – plus the iPhone camera would have to be dramatically enhanced, either through a better sensor or decent third party add-ons, to make it into a camera worth all this hoo-ha.
Still – new stuff is always fun to look at, right – even if it was first filed back in November 2011. And you would lose your mind when trying to rig up a light array of your friends at 3AM in a dingy club: "NO, move it THAT WAY! The shadow is STUPID!"
Unfortunately he said that after Google introduced a whole bunch of things to take on Spotify, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and WhatsApp. That can only mean one thing: it's Google IO time!
Google IO is Google's developer conference, but it's still a place where it reveals a lot that's interesting to all of us.
There wasn't much on the hardware front this year - last year we got the Nexus 7 and the ill-fated Nexus Q - but we did see a Nexus-ised version of Samsung's Galaxy S4: this Google S4 dumps TouchWiz, runs Android 4.2 and costs $649 unlocked.
Destination will be on the right (credit: Google)
This year's Google IO was all about services - and "the end of search as we know it". Google doesn't just want to answer your questions. It wants to anticipate your needs - so for example if you search for the population of India, Google knows your next question might well be how that number compares to other countries. You won't even need to use your fingers: in the Chrome browser and Chrome OS you'll be able to bark Glass-style commands: "OK, Google," followed by whatever you're looking for.
As Matt Swider and Michelle Fitzsimmons explain, it's really very clever: "While traditional search typically relies heavily on keywords, the future of Google's core business will attempt to define 'it'. For example, with as little information as 'how far is it from here', voice search can collaborate distance and directions with current traffic conditions highlighted as well."
Hang with Google
Google+ is getting a massive makeover too. There's a radical redesign, hashtags for finding related content, a new Hangouts app and significantly improved photo features - including Auto Highlight, which judges your photos and picks the best ones, and Auto Awesome, which can create collages, panoramas and animated GIFs.
The Hangouts app is going to be a big deal: it's the project we knew as Babel, and it's going to replace Google Talk - not just on Android, but on iOS and in Chrome too. It combines text, photo and video, moves from device to device and includes the all-important Emoji characters too.
Hey! Let's Hangout! (credit: Google)
Google Play Music has been upgraded as well. The new and terribly named Google Play Music All Access service is "a music service that's about music", which we think sounds like a much better idea than a music service that isn't about music. It's a Spotify-style music subscription offering and it'll cost US$9.99 (around AU$10, £6) per month.
You've got to feel sorry for IO attendees - at over three hours, the keynote was a real bum-number - but the Google goodies did keep on coming. Fancy better Maps? Google has better Maps! The new Maps app brings Google's iOS design to Android, the app to iPads, real-time traffic improvements for everyone and much more information on the desktop - and unlike Apple's maps, when you ask for directions to the shops you won't end up on the Moon. We particularly liked the new Photo Sphere, which can provide 360-degree tours of landmarks - so you might virtually wander around a gallery to check out the masterpieces.
Nokia light up
Did someone say "masterpiece"? Yes, us, just there - and that's the word Nokia's using to describe its new Lumia 925. Does it make Nokia the Michelangelo of mobiles, the Stravinsky of smartphones, Leonardo Da Vinci with da Lumia? No! But it's very good. As Gareth Beavis explains, it's "a tricky beast to rate... but there's no doubting that it's going to be a market-leading cameraphone." We'll get our hands on it properly in June, so watch this space.
