Software: Enter Android four.4 'KitKat'

One of the great benefits of getting a Nexus device is, of course, stock Android. No horrible UIs from smartphone manufacturers, no dodgy features that add together bloatware to the operating arrangement, and the hope of fast updates to the latest version of Android when they're bachelor. The Nexus 5 is the first device to come loaded with Android iv.iv 'KitKat', then there's a number of new features to discuss.

First upwardly, there are several system-wide visual changes that have been fabricated. The status bar at the height and the navigation bar at the bottom are now translucent in the launcher, which now makes the OS feel like it'due south taking up the entire display, rather than letterboxing the bodily usable homescreen space like with Android 4.iii. This translucent result isn't just restricted to the launcher, with refreshed APIs allowing any app to put content behind a translucent status/navigation bars. No apps currently employ this feature, although it appears an update to Maps might introduce the outcome.

The status bar itself at present features entirely white text and icons, which looks corking but has introduced several regressions in the data that is displayed. Previously, blue Wi-Fi or network icons indicated the device had a connection to Google's servers (aka. the net is working) while grey meant there was no connectedness; the transition to white has removed this indicator. Likewise gone are the small arrows placed on the Wi-Fi and network icons that showed whether the device was currently uploading or downloading information. Removing these arrows in KitKat has simplified the status bar, just power users like myself can no longer easily troubleshoot whether the device is receiving/transmitting information when, for example, an awarding won't refresh or connect to the cyberspace.

These features aren't completely removed from Android, but they now reside in the inconvenient quick settings panel accessible via the notification pane. I'm not quite sure what the benefits are to removing the network activity and internet connection indicators, but it's a change that I'll have to get used to.

New to Android 4.4 is an immersive mode that entirely hides the interface, assuasive an app to use 100% of the brandish's real estate. Swiping from the acme/lesser of the screen reveals the status bar and navigation buttons, which volition exist especially useful once games start to take advantage of the feature. Currently, many games continue the navigation bar visible on the display, albeit with the icons reduced to small glowing dots; while this UI mode is still available in KitKat, the immersive mode will provide more flexibility to developers, peculiarly when combined with the translucent effect.

Across KitKat'southward interface and in many of the included applications, Google has moved away from a nighttime theme to a lighter ane that uses whites and greys in preference to blacks. System-wide this affects a number of highlights that occur when you lot tap items or overscroll; previously blue, these now show in gray. The included wallpapers and many app icons are using a lighter color pallet than before, which gives the operating system a visually refreshing appearance.

The launcher itself in Android four.iv has received some significant changes, so much so that information technology'south technically no longer a standalone launcher application, but the Google Search app expanded significantly to comprise the usual homescreen functionality. This means Google Now is fully integrated into the launcher, and accessible through 3 ways: flicking to the left of the principal homescreen, the permanent Google search bar, and swiping up from the home button.

With Google Now occupying a pane to the left of the main homescreen, you tin't have any apps in that pane anymore, restricting your widget/app options to the right panes only. This may be annoying for some users, merely personally I don't use more than than a few panes, and I savor having straight access to Google Now/Search through a quick swipe.

The integration of Google At present also brings back up for an 'always listening' feature, where you tin can say "OK, Google" to your telephone when on a homescreen and it will begin a Google voice search, no brandish tapping required. A similar feature was seen in the Moto X, where you could initiate a Google voice even when the phone'due south brandish was off, nonetheless in KitKat the characteristic only works on the homescreens, which restricts its use somewhat. I'k even so very skeptical of the speed advantages of using voice search over borer the Google search bar and typing manually, but at least the feature is reasonably cool and allows you to search fifty-fifty if your hands are total.

Many of the apps included on the Nexus v (and thus too in KitKat) out of the box are available already in the Google Play Store, and receive updates separately to core Android. There's not much bespeak in spending time going over the features you can observe in the stock Android iv.iv Calendar, Music, Maps, Gmail, Search, Quickoffice apps and so forth equally they're identical to the previous versions for the about part and available for anyone to download. Apps you tin't discover in the Store such as Gallery, People, Clock and Estimator are very like to the apps establish in Android 4.3, with minor visuals changes here and there.

One of the major app changes in Android iv.4 relates to SMS messaging. As we've reported before, Android 4.4 ditches a standalone messaging awarding and bundles information technology into the Hangouts app, allowing you to instant bulletin (through Hangouts/Google+) or SMS message in the one awarding. Information technology'due south a perfectly functional SMS app, but it does little to merge the worlds of Hangouts and SMS messaging. Switching between SMS and Hangouts requires yous to enter an entirely different conversation pane with a divide conversation history, rather than the ideal situation where both are combined.

If you don't desire to utilize Hangouts as the default SMS app, KitKat introduces a way to set third-party applications as the default app. Google has provided a new API for tertiary-party applications to access and send SMS letters officially, which should make the experience of using a non-default messaging app ameliorate than it was in previous versions of Android.

Interestingly, Android 4.4 has two dissimilar gallery applications, the traditional Gallery application that yous've used earlier, and the new Photos app bundled with Google+. The interface of the Photos app is nicer, simpler and packs an improved sharing card, only there isn't feature parity betwixt the ii apps. Gallery contains a ameliorate photo editor and is integrated into the camera application, but the Photos app actually does a better job of loading total-resolution photographs. In the future Google will almost certainly improve the Photos app and leave Gallery in its current state, simply in KitKat right now it'southward somewhat strange to take two apps for the aforementioned thing.

The stock Android 4.4 keyboard has been slightly improved, equally information technology now contains a total emoji keyboard accessible from the smiley push. Bated from this, the keyboard is as skillful as it was in previous editions of Android, packing decent prediction engineering and an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-pick-up layout. It's not equally quick to employ as Swiftkey or other third-political party keyboards, but it provides a decent out-of-the-box feel.

Several other UX improvements have been made around the operating system. In that location's a brand new file picker dialog that'due south similar to a file browser, the app picker dialog is now easier to use and the Telephone application is a much stronger discovery service integrating concern names and a total Google search option.

Under the hood, Android four.4 brings a number of new APIs and new functionality. The OS is optimized for a big range of devices, including those with lower specifications such as merely 512 MB of RAM, but we'll take to wait for a lower-end KitKat-powered device to run into just how much better it is. Wireless printing has been integrated, there's a pace-counter API for fitness apps, NFC Host Carte du jour Emulation, an infrared blaster API for devices such as the HTC One and Galaxy S4, new accessibility APIs and more.

KitKat brings a number of bang-up new features to the table, of which I institute the Google Now-integrated launcher and UX refinements to exist the most useful. The Os visually looks fantastic, particularly at present that Google has improved the onscreen button implementation, and there'southward a number of under-the-hood changes that should meliorate Android further when devices and tertiary-party apps begin to take advantage.