Android 4.2 officially out, Jelly Bean still its name

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is now official, following Google's announcement of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10. There are a lot of new things to cover, so let's not waste any time.

Multiple user accounts

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean for tablets adds multiple user-support to the OS. This way everyone in the household can have an account, which once logged in, welcomes them to their own homescreen, background, widgets and apps. Even the games keep the individual high scores and levels.

Settings center in the notifications drawer

The expandable notifications were a welcomed addition in Android 4.1, but now in Android 4.2, you can also take various actions like toggling Wi-Fi, adjusting screen brightness, go to Airplane mode, and more.
To do so, just tap on the icon on the top right once you have the notification drawer on. It took Google a while to copy the time-saving feature that TouchWiz, SenseUI and many other manufacturer Android skins implemented a while ago. Still, it's good to have it backed in right into the OS.

Photo Sphere

With Android 4.0, Google introduced the Panorama capturing mode, and now with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean users will get a cool feature dubbed Photo Sphere. It's a panorama mode on steroids and allows you to capture photos in multiple directions (up, down, left, right).

After they've been captured and saved as JPEG files you can view them and navigate around the whole image. You can share the image on Google+ or, if you feel like it, contribute the Photo Sphere to Google Maps.
The feature itself was inspired by Street View, as the Product Management Director for Android Hugo Barra points out. He adds that the photos pack embedded XML metadata in them allowing you to easily share them on Google+ and put them in Google+ photo albums, where your friends can view them as well.
Google Now is updated
Google has added a lot of new cards to its Google Now service. It now can feed data directly from Gmail, which will provide new cards, such as package shipments info.
Google Now also got cards for events, restaurant reservations, hotels, and flights. Some of them, like hotels and flights will be location specific. There are also new cards like movie screenings, concerts, stocks, public alerts and developing stories & breaking news.
Naturally, most of them won't be available world-wide at launch, but make sure that Google will work hard to bring them to more and more places in the future.

Gesture Typing

Forget about Swype, Android's very own Gesture typing is the new cool kid on the block. It works in a manner very similar to Swype -- you just Swipe your finger over the letters you want to type, lifting after each word is complete.

Naturally, the Gesture Typing feature benefits from the already existing Android word prediction, so you can just click on the words the keyboard suggests. This comes in addition to the offline voice typing service that Google offers, which makes for an all-round great messaging experience.

Wireless TV integration

Better late than never, finally in this version of Android Google has allows you to wirelessly share the screen of your phone or display with a big screen TV set.

All you need to do is connect a wireless display adapter to an HDMI-enabled TV and then it'll start mirroring whats on your screen using DLNA. The new feature uses the Miracast protocol for streaming.
It's another feature most customs launchers had, but is only now making its way to the platform itself.

Widgets on the lock screen

Widgets are a major part in Android and now you can assign a widget on the lockscreen as well. Think of the Music player widget on the lockscreen, but now you can assign another one there, so it's always just a click away.

Daydream

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean isn't just business and no play. Google has integrated a little feature called Daydream, which is simply a sort of a screensaver. Once turned on, you can set it up to show photo albums, latest news from Google Currents and more when the device is either docked or idle.

Various improvements

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean has a lot going for it, including some minor additions. You can now use pinch-to-zoom in Gmail for enhancing reading, triple-tap to magnify the entire homescreen and the pan and zoom with two fingers, as well as added speech output and gesture mode navigation for the visually impaired users.
Expect Android 4.2 Jelly Bean to start its roll-out once the new Nexus family of devices goes on sale on November 13.

Apple iPhone 5 v Samsung Galaxy S II

When we review phones we try to put them in
context, and tie everything up with a
snapshot of the market and the closest
alternatives. Now, we usually keep droids and
iPhones separate because honestly they just
don't mix. But every now and then, they just cannot be kept apart. Never mind the risk of
explosion. Apple iPhone 5 • Samsung Galaxy S III So there you have it: the new iPhone 5
against the Samsung Galaxy S III. In case
you're wondering why this has taken so long,
we needed quality time with both phones -
not just to get the reviews in, but actually use
them day in, day out. Now we're ready to share our impressions and give you insights
that will hopefully help decide which one is
right for you. The two phones are polar opposites in terms
of design - starting from size, through the
design language, to the OS philosophy, those
two could hardly be more different. Apple has everything tightly locked down.
Perfection, as they see it, can only be
achieved in their walled garden. With Android
and Samsung there's little you're not allowed
to tweak (but be careful what you wish for as
the saying goes). It's not a battle of light versus dark, it's a
matter of values and beliefs - Zen-like
perfection and simplicity versus nothing-is-
off-limits freedom. Here's what kind of design
choices that led to: Apple iPhone 5 over Galaxy S III: Thinner, lighter, more compact More impressive build materials Sharper screen with better sunlight legibility
and more accurate colors LTE on all models Samsung Galaxy S III over iPhone 5: Bigger, higher-res screen NFC connectivity Standard USB port for data transfer and
charging microSD card slot for (cheap) storage
expansion Mass storage mode, USB Host functionality Native Google Maps 2GB RAM in some versions The new iPhone is taller and thinner than its
predecessor, but keeps the same screen
width and pixel density, and makes sure the
hand feel is not impaired. Apple also went
with a brand new connector design - the
Lightning port. The inconvenience of yet another standard aside, it is better in every
way and has allowed Apple engineers to build
a more compact phone. Samsung, on the other hand, went all out -
bigger this, more of that, let's get this in too.
It adhered to industry standards and the
Galaxy S III has a microSD card slot and a
user-accessible battery, which makes
extending the phone's life easier (e.g. expanding the storage or changing the
battery when the old one starts showing its
age). Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III
going head to head The differences in ideology are apparent in
the software too - Apple's design is best
executed by Apple, so they made their own
maps. It's not an easy task and it will take
years to get them right (it's how long it has
taken their competitors to get where they are today). Samsung on the other hand take advantage
of Android's open, extendable design and
piled on new features. There's barely a corner
left in the OS that doesn't bear their mark. We'll start by comparing the hardware of the
Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III,
with the performance of the two contenders
in various real-life challenges to be examined
after that.

Will this be able to catch up with Apple Ipad

Google's Nexus line has welcomed its first tablet, the Nexus 7. With a promise of solid specs for a low price, the ASUS-made tablet is poised to storm the Android tablet market and maybe even steal a chunk of Apple iPad's market share.
              
Google Nexus 7 tablet by ASUS
The Nexus 7 is powered by one of the two chipsets at the heart of current flagship phones and tablets - NVIDIA's Tegra 3. You get a quad-core CPU and good graphics muscle at a time when the only quad-core tablets around are pricy 10" models.
The 7" screen might be a compromise to some, but others will see an advantage in the excellent portability. 7" tablets fit in a coat pocket or purse. Plus, WXGA resolution and 216ppi pixel density sound more than reasonable. For comparison's sake, an Amazon Kindle Fire offers 170ppi, and even the new iPad isn't too far ahead with its 264ppi.
Some corners had to be cut to get a quality product at Google's intended price point. Here's the summary of what ASUS and Google offer for $200/$250.
Key features
7" 16M-color IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels), scratch-resistant Corning glass
NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset: quad-core 1.3GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor; 1GB of RAM; ULP GeForce GPU
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
8/16 GB of built-in memory
1.2 MP front-facing camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth; Android Beam
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
GPS with A-GPS support; digital compass
Accelerometer and proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor
4325 mAh Li-Po battery
Incredibly attractive pricing
Main disadvantages
The screen is a bit washed out and has poor sunlight legibility
Non-expandable memory
No USB mass storage or TV-out
No mobile data-enabled version
Front-facing camera only
Disappointing audio output
The Nexus 7 sure has its downsides, but it makes a killer tablet for web browsing, email or gaming. With the Samsung Galaxy Nexus price set at $350 (one of the cheapest dual-core droids, especially considering the screen size and resolution), it looks like Google's Nexus line has transformed from developer-oriented devices to some of the best Android buys.
But there's more to it than just bang for the buck - a Nexus gadget is a ticket to fast updates to the latest Android OS, an untouched Android at that (some don't really like vendor skins) and a great developer community pushing the gadgets beyond what Google had in mind for them.
   
Nexus 7 tablet at ours
So, is smart money on the Nexus 7 tablet or were there too many corners cut to make the price? Is the Kindle Fire shaking in its boots?