Jelly Bean makes you want to skip ICS (especially since JB includes ICS goodies). The key to making JB awesome, is Project Butter which speeds up frames so that everything operates smoothly - as in iPhone smooth - on your device. JB also makes pull down notifications a lot more useful, with integrated usability in the notifications, so that you don't need to click on the notification which then sends you to the app -- it's all done within the notification itself.
Also within JB is Google Now, a feature that allows for information Cards that are deeply integrated with your interactions, based upon your Google account, ie your searches, location, purchases, interactions. It might scare off quite a few people who are worried about their personal lives out in the open, but without this sort of access to your data, you lose the ability to have what amounts to a true digital assistant that can predict what you want, what information you're looking for, and what's important to you.
It also sounds like Google is aware of the complaints about how long it has taken for ICS upgrades, so they've started what they call as a Platform Development Kit (PDK), starting with JB.
But JB won't be available (to the general public) until mid-July, when Nexus7 ships, and Galaxy Nexus phones receive an OTA update. I'm starting to think I need to switch to Nexus devices altogether.
Nexus 7
As expected, Nexus 7 matches all the specs that were previously revealed, but some additional things were revealed with the Nexus7:
- Designed as integrated into Google Play and not the clean Jelly Bean implementation;
- Includes $25 credit in Google Play;
- Includes free Transformers movie, Dark of the Moon;
- Includes some free digital magazine issues;
- Includes gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer and GPS;
- 340g / .75 pounds.
It's up for pre-order, set for delivery "mid-July".
Nexus Q
Intriguing if expensive ($299), the Nexus Q "social streaming media player" is an orb-like object that links between your speakers / home stereo, television, and your router. It is meant to work with Nexus 7 (and other NFC Android Beam devices), allowing you to add and control content streaming via your device, via Google Play Music, Movies or TV, or Youtube. To me, it's what GoogleTV was meant to be, if Google had had the content ecosystem of Play, at the time they introduced GoogleTV.
Still, it's an expensive option because you have to rely on Play and Youtube content, no subscription Hulu or Netflix included (at the moment). If Hulu+ and Netflix support is added, and if you had the ability to upload your personal content to Play, then this would be the perfect device. As it is, it's not quite ideal, even if it looks really nice.
It too, is up for pre-order, set for delivery "mid-July".
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