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Tuesday 11 February 2014

Kitkat 4.4 features that I've come to love



Nearly 3 months ago on 31st October 2013, Google announced its latest Android version, Kitkat 4.4. At that time it looked to me like only a light update to Jellybean. It didn't seem any different, other than the white paint job that it got instead of the techno blue on Jellybean.


It was only after I used Kitkat for few days that I was fully able to appreciate the upgrades and new features that Google introduced in Kitkat. But.... it took me couple of months, to fully understand the usefulness of those features. At first, it was like, they are here, good. But then i understood why they were there, what use can they be of to me and how I've come to love them and how I can't use a smartphone without them....

I've to say, Kitkat has wowed me, and if I could.... I would just pronounce Kitkat as best operating system in the world, the best version of Android till now, the most polished,smooth,simple and dynamic version of Android. 

After using Kitkat I've just come to love it. There are some very specific features that are now must for me to use any Android device. So lets just talk about them now.....


Google Now launcher
Google recently changed the name of their launcher from Google 'experience' launcher to Google 'Now' launcher. But that is the only thing, that's changed. To be honest, Google Now launcher is very basic and simple but fast, responsive and enjoyable.

The thing that sets it apart from others is the persistent Google Now screen on left of the home screen. Now, for some people, that could be really annoying, but I've come to love it with time. It is very convenient to just swipe to the right and.....there is all the information you need. Another thing that works for the Google launcher is its sheer simplicity.... no hassles of any customization, of any type.

 I do own Nova launcher prime and Action launcher pro, in fact I bought them after I had used Google's launcher and I tried living with  them...but I just couldn't for more than couple of days. I started missing my Google Now screen on the left. Some people like the customization of Nova launcher and shutters and flickers of Action launcher, but I am content with what Google provided me with.

I really hope Google put up its official launcher on the Play store like it has been doing with other apps to be available for all.


Immersive mode
Another subtle change that Kitkat came with is 'Immersive mode'. That is, when you are watching a movie or reading a book or even playing a game , the onscreen buttons will disappear giving you a full screen experience. Now this is something very small but it actually improves user experience by a ton.

No more are the on screen navigation controls eating your screen real estate when you need it the most. But when you need them back all you have to do is to swipe down from the top. In Jellybean, this was a major concern for me,because the onscreen controls would eat up the precious space,, but now all is well. App developers can also make use of this feature by making their apps compatible with it. It all combines together to make a great experience.







Lock-screen controls
Another simple yet pretty effective feature is the controls for music playback and movies when the screen is locked together with the album art. Its not only is useful but also makes for a beautiful screen background. You can play, pause or seek to a specific moment. Its very small but effective. Above all its fun..










Lock-screen camera shortcut
There was a camera shortcut in Jellybean too, but two things: it only worked when the phone was not locked, otherwise you always have to unlock the phone and then the camera would fire up and the second thing, it was not cool at all. Lock-screen camera shortcut in Kitkat is a separate button, that when swiped to left opens up camera irrespective of the fact that your phone is locked or not. Your camera will fire up anyway.

It allows you to take pictures while your phone stays locked. That's pretty awesome. You can take your photos and then you can see them too, but just the ones you took at that time, rest of the gallery stays locked and out of your reach. Neat!!! Really adore this little functionality. It should always have been like this, but I'm glad Google added it.








Google keyboard
I have done the courtesy of downloading and using almost all the keyboards on Play store. Some of them are actually very good (Swiftkey), but I have to give it to Google for creating a keyboard that is not only as good as any other but also 'free' to download  from the Play store.

It is responsive, fast and accurate. And swiping is just as good as any other. I like the white paint job that it got more than the blue that Jellybean keyboard had. Although now Google has updated it with the option to choose which color you want. I really like typing on Google's offering and I have stuck with it the longest than any other.


Well these are some of the features that have made my experience on Kitkat really fun and enjoyable. Kitkat is packed with loads of other features, I just cant explain all of them, some aren't useful to me some I just don't like. Kitkat may not look like a huge upgrade to Jellybean,, but it really is. Its polished, smooth, fast and much more mature now.

Android has now come a long way and I hope it keeps on getting better from here..


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