"Jelly Bean"- All About Google's Latest OS (v.4.1)
July 16, 2012 by Richard Turley
Whether you own your own company, lead a busy and hectic professional life, or simply love playing with the latest and greatest technology, a good smart phone can be invaluable. While it may seem like mobile devices are a dime a dozen these days, the reality is that not all mobile platforms are created equal. As technology improves, mobile devices are getting even smarter—some more than others.
A good case in point is the new Android 4.1—nicknamed “Jelly Bean,” where its precursor was “Ice Cream Sandwich.” Junk-food aliases aside, the latest mobile OS from Google offers a handful of features that set it apart from the previous incarnation of Android. What’s more, some of these features might make it a more desirable product than anything Apple has yet unveiled—depending, of course, on where the consumer’s technological allegiances lie.
Voice Commands
The most significant feature of the new mobile and table OS is the way it handles voice commands. Google claims that it has made some significant improvements to the way the voice command system works. You can ask it a question, and the system will do its best to answer. The pertinent information is displayed in the form of a map, localized search results, weather forecasts, or whatever else might be relevant to the user’s query.
If this sounds an awful lot like Apple’s Siri, it is—but with some key distinctions. The big difference is that queries made to Jelly Bean are handled offline. The software system itself interprets them and provides an answer, rather than transmitting the data to Google.
Google Now
The other feature that has drawn much attention—and even generated some controversy—is the new Google Now feature. This is a meta-service that is designed to make like easier to manage. Depending on your vantage point, it will either be very helpful, or a little too intrusive.
Basically, Google Now synthesizes calendar information, navigation features, and more, and provides you integrated data that’s meant to correspond to your real life. So, if Google knows you have an appointment somewhere, it will calculate traffic time and let you know when you need to leave. On your way to the appointment, it might display star ratings for restaurants you pass. There are also applications here for travel—flight cancellation updates, terminal information, and so on.
User-Friendly?
For all of these diverse features, Jelly Bean is said to be a fluid and user-friendly platform. Even so, business owners or IT departments curious about this technology, or desiring to get the most out of it, might still consult with an IT solutions company. Control-Z is a leading IT firm in the Indianapolis region, and is zealous for providing insight into important new technological breakthroughs—a category into which Android 4.1 surely falls.
