Google released Android 4.3 a week ago and it is already available for Nexus 4 and the new Nexus 7. In the next few months it will also
be available for multiple other devices that now run on Android 4.2 or Android
4.2.2. So, I wanted to give you simple presentation of the new Android 4.3
features.
Dial Pad AutoComplete
This is one of the long-awaited features. Instead of doing
standard search from your phone book, now you can start typing the name of the
person you wish to call directly into the dialer. After that, the system will
offer you the phone numbers according to the combination of characters that you
typed.
Restricted Profiles
This is a completely new feature that many people will find
very useful, i.e. the people where the tablet is practically a home device used
by many people, especially children. The user now has the ability to create
user profiles with limited access. The owner of the tablet can individually manage
every profile and restricts access to certain applications. Also some apps can be
restricted to be accessible to a profile but only to a certain extent. For
example, you can setup your child to play certain game only to a certain level,
or you can forbid shopping in certain applications.
Audio
Virtual surround sound is a trick that is used to create a
quasi-surround effect from stereo headphones and speakers for years. Now, this sound
is available on Android devices with stereo speakers as well as on the new
Nexus 7. I tried this on Nexus 4, but I'm not sure whether it is better now
than before.
Location
The Wi-Fi API is improved for scanning the network within
Google Play service. This means that the gyroscope and magnetometer now work
better and deliver more precise data to the apps and games related to the
location and the position of the phone. But, for now, only Nexus 4 and Nexus 7
are compatible with this function. Also, the Wi-Fi scanning is possible without
connection to the network, which will help in determining the location without internet
connection and GPS.
Security
Android 4.3 offers brand-new options when it comes to the
protection and security of yours phone’s information. Individual apps can now
adjust the Wi-Fi password to WPA2 network and to exchange authentication to
networks via the Extensible Authentication Protocol. Keychain API is a new
method for key applications that are unable to "get away" from the
device, even with rooted devices. Private keys that are not visible from other
applications are created and the system partition is now mounted to prevent the
application from running setuid programs. Android is now using SELinux
(Security-Enhanced) mandatory access control system.
New features for Developers
For the developers, there are a lots of new features added. There
are tons of new notification features, in general, the individual applications
will be aware of the notifications from the other applications in the system.
There are also basic options for transparent layers, rotating animations, lock orientation
and access to a new rapid response text.
Bluetooth
Now Android 4.3 has a new Bluetooth support, which includes
lower battery consumption. So far, the new Bluetooth is available only on the
new Nexus 7, the Nexus 4 and the Bluetooth Smart Ready devices. It is primarily
designed for applications with lower bandwidth. So, it's ideal for devices such
as watches, remote controls etc.
Graphics
Android 4.3 now supports OpenGL ES 3.0, the last version of
the OpenGL API for mobile hardware and systems with lower power consumption.
OpenGL ES 3.0 supports the new options for shaders, texture compression and
other complex 2D and 3D graphics effects. However, this is only available only
to Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.