Android 4.3 At A Glance

Google’s big event brought us not only two brand new devices, the Nexus 7 and Chromecast, but a new version of the Android OS. Say hello to Android 4.3. While this iteration of Android is still going under the Jelly Bean name, users can still consider this to be a major update. In case you missed the Mountain View festivities today we’ve broken down the new features for you below.

Bluetooth Smart aka Low Energy

Select  sensors and devices that rely on Bluetooth Low Energy will now have support from Android. Bluetooth Smart consumes less power to transmit information to your device, which in turn allows your phone and device to last longer. One of the ways Bluetooth Smart can be used is for various fitness bands that requires a user to strap the device to your body and then will send information to your Android phone through Bluetooth Smart. Now fit Android users will be able to keep track of their heart rate and calories burned without killing their battery life.

Dialpad Autocomplete

Android’s stock dialer got a major overhaul that not allows for an auto-complete setting. When typing out a number or even a name in the dialer, the device will automatically check your entry against the address book to save you some time. It displays three numbers at once, giving your the opportunity to select the correct contact. This feature can be toggled on and off in the Settings menu.

Accelerated 3D Graphics With OpenGL ES 3.0

The new Nexus 7 comes equipped with support for OpenGL ES 3.0, the latest industry standard for accelerated 3D graphics. This provides users with highly-detailed games as long as they are sporting Android 4.3. According to Google’s blog:

 “This brings photorealism to a whole new level in the games you’re playing: blades of grass on the soccer field come alive, asphalt on the street looks real as you screech by, stubble on a villains’ face almost pokes out of the screen.”

Restricted Profiles for Tablets

Tablet users can now take full advantage of  Restricted Profiles. There is already multiple account support on Android tablets running Jelly Bean, but with these new restricted profiles, one account can be used to manage other accounts on the device. For example, one profile can perform Google searches while another user can not.

Android 4.3 Additional Features

• Virtual surround sound.
• Easier text input – an improved algorithm for tap-typing recognition makes text input easier.
• Lower latency input for gamepad buttons and joysticks.
• Bluetooth AVRCP 1.3 support – display song names on a car stereo.
• Additional language support.
• Disabled apps tab – check which apps are disabled in Settings > Apps.
• Faster user switching – switching users from the lock screen is now faster.
• Location detection through Wi-Fi – use Wi-Fi to detect location without turning on Wi-Fi all the time.
• Enhanced photo daydream – navigate through interesting albums.

You can peruse the Android team’s  full blog post for the entire Android 4.3 changelog below.

Source via Android Blog