Although it got a new number, Android 4.2 will keep the Jelly Bean name. There are few cool things included in this release, all of which we’ll briefly describe here. Let’s roll…
Photo Sphere
Because Panorama photos are not enough. With this capability, you are able to snap pictures in every direction to create “immersive photo spheres.” Think of the end result as something you see in Google Street View – it’s that awesome. Needless to say, Google Maps integration comes included.
Gesture Typing
Everyone’s getting into gesture typing, the technique pioneered (or at least popularized) by Swype. SwiftKey is working on the SwiftKey Flow while Google is integrating something similar in the default Android keyboard.
Multiple user accounts for tablets
Because tablets are usually shared around the house, you want to be sure your data remains your data. Best of all, there’s no need to reboot while changing profiles. Pretty cool.
Miracast
The Miracast wireless display standard will soon come as standard with many new TVs and Google wants to support it. As you can imagine, this will allow you to beam image from a phone to your brand new TV without using a single cable.
Daydream
Android 4.2 also introduced new kind of screen saver, one that wants to entertain and inform you while the device is idle. The system will show photos from your albums, Google Currents news and some other stuff.
Google Now updates
Google Now is getting even better. With Android 4.2, it will monitor your Gmail account pulling relevant details like flight numbers to show you appropriate information. In addition, hotel and restaurant reservations, along with shipping details, nearby attractions, movie times or even concerts by your favorite artists can also show up as cards in the new Google Now.
Yup, you’ll want to update as soon as the new software is out…
[Inspired by UnwiredView]