Android 4.4.2 KitKat Update Rolling Out for Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7

The Android 4.4.1 KitKat update is just a week old but a new hotfix from Google is likely to come as theAndroid 4.4.2 KitKat update showed up for the Google Nexus devices earlier today.

                          Galaxy S2 I9100 gets latest Android 4.4 KitKat features with CyanogenMod 11 ROM

The Android 4.4 KitKat update started rolling out for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 just a few days after the roll out of the Android 4.4.1 KitKat update for similar devices. The update stated a few hours after the rumours saying that the HTC One and HTC One Google Play Edition will get the update.

Gottabemobile reported an earlier rumour suggesting the Android 4.4.2 KitKat happening on the HTC One and HTC One Google Play Edition and that it will arrive in the place of the 4.4.1 KitKat.

Differences between the two updates remain unclear at this point but Sprint revealed minor changes for Nexus 5 that could also be seen in other devices.

Clearing the VM Indicator fixes
Delivery of the VM Indicator fixes
Security enhancements
Additional software fixes

Undoubtedly, the Android 4.4.2 KitKat will be rolling out for the Google Nexus 5 and users have also confirmed that the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 4 are also getting the update as well. Although, according to Gottabemobile, the Nexus 4’s prompt does not reveal anything.

Essentially, the software updates of the Google Nexus devices take a couple of days to a week to complete the roll out. As such, Nexus owners must expect receive the Android 4.4.2 KitKat and everything it has to offer a few more days.

So far, we have seen the update on the Google Nexus 7, Nexus 5, and the Nexus 4 and it is safe to mention that the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Google Nexus 10 will not be quite far behind.

If you wish to have the update urgently and you do not want to wait for the arrival of the OTA, you can install and download the update manually through Google servers. Although at this point, only the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Nexus 5 is visible, we expect others to surface in few.

 

Should Microsoft be Worried About Google’s Chromebook

Chromebooks have become a whole lot more appealing lately as they begin to promise longer battery life, better performance, and continue to come in at surprisingly low prices. And this week, Chromebooks got even more exciting with the announcement of the Acer C720P. The C720P may be the second touchscreen Chromebook, but it’s a full $1,000 less expensive than the first one. To see just what the latest batch of Chromebooks has to offer, we’re taking a look across four of them to see which delivers the most value for its price.

Microsoft says you can’t play Call of Duty or Age of Empires on a Chromebook, and that’s fair enough. But you’re not going to enjoy playing Call of Duty on those sub-$250 Windows laptops that Microsoft highlights on its Chromebook vs. Windows laptop page, either. There may never be a Microsoft Office for ChromeOS, but there’s a pretty good version of it available on the web courtesy of Microsoft itself. You can’t do Skype, but Hangouts isn’t bad either. There’s no iTunes, but if you’re online, the Spotify web app works just as well as the desktop app.

This time, the company is targetingChromebooks, Google’s cheap ChromeOS-based, web-centric laptops.

Acer’s C720P Chromebook is certainly the most exciting of the four recent machines. For those interested, its touchscreen gives it a clear edge over competitors — and without raising the price by much.

The C720P’s biggest price competition actually comes from Acer itself: if you’re looking for the least expensive of the recent Chromebooks, that would be a stripped-down version of the C720, which is almost identical to the C720P but lacks a touchscreen. For $199.99, you can get nearly the same specs as the C720P with a major discount. Both include an 11.6-inch display at 1366 x 768, a processor from Intel’s Haswell family, and 2BG of RAM. The only other big differentiator is that the C720P includes an SSD with twice as much storage — 32GB — though both include 100GB of Google Drive space to make up for that low total anyway.

Both the good and the bad news is that the specs on most of these Chromebooks are incredibly similar — often almost identical. That should let you make a decision based on small differences in pricing or just your preference in style without having to worry about making major tradeoffs when moving from one to the next. None of the options appear to be perfect just yet, but for machines that cost less than $300, they’re getting closer than most probably imagined they would.

Android 4.4 KitKat

After two months of agonizing wait, Google just few hours ago revealed the features of the brand new OS v4.4 KitKat along with brand new phone Nexus 5.

Here is key enhancements brought in to the v4.4 KitKat OS

Improved Caller-ID: If a caller receives a call from unknown number, the phone will look for matches on the net with local listings via Google Maps.

Priority Contacts: The new OS empowers the phone to automatically prioritise contact list for easy access, based on the frequency of the peoples’ contacts to which users talk.

Immersive display: To enhance entertainment factor, the new  OS comes with immersive mode, where the status bar and navigation buttons disappear in to the back ground while you play music, games and read e-books. Users can just swipe the edge of the screen to bring back the utility buttons.

Enhanced Message grouping: taking a leaf out of Apple’s iMessage feature, Google has brought in some improvements to the new Hangouts app; now, users can find all their text SMSs and MMSs, audio and video call details all at one place. They can also share location and send animated GIFs.

Emoji Characters:  Initially, users had to install third party app to use colorful characters in their SMS. Now, with KitKat, the keypad comes with native Japanese Emoji emotion icons.

Voice Search: Google has brought in Google Now, a voice based search system. which was seen on the recently released Moto X. Users can initiate phone with voice command ‘Ok Google’ and then can initiate web search, play music tracks and even call people without having to touch the screen.

NFC and Wireless Printing: Google’s new OS comes with improved Quickoffice app where-in people can create and store word documents online as well as print files wirelessly on NFC-enabled HP printers.

Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile):  This feature enables android devices in cars with Bluetooth support to exchange messages.

Multi-tasking:  with efficient memory management, users can multi-task by opening multiple applications; Listen to music while you can browse through the net.

Performance: with low system requirements, the new KitKat OS is expected to bring performance enhancements and also increase battery life.

The new v4.4 KitKat OS is currently available for Nexus 5.