Have you gotten your hands on the LG-made Nexus 5 yet? You haven’t? That’s a shame, because you’re missing out on Google’s latest Android 4.4 KitKat mobile operating system. What’s the big deal about the most recent sweetly named Android OS? We’re glad you asked. Because KitKat has some very cool features that make it a must-have purchase.
But, if you’re not going to invest in the Nexus 5, no worries. Google is claiming that KitKat will become available on the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, and Google Play Edition HTC One, and Galaxy S4 phones sometime “in the coming weeks”. Until then, check out these 11 awesome features. We’re pretty sure that these will give you a really nasty case of sweet-tooth.
11. Easter Egg
This doesn’t really reflect the performance of the Android 4.4 KitKat, but it’s a neat feature if you want to have fun with the new OS. Included in the operating system is an Easter egg that converts your smartphone into a virtual KitKat chocolate bar. This is done by constantly tapping the ‘Android 4.4′ text within the About Phone section of the Settings menu.
10. Emojis
Here’s another fun feature that Google has added into the Android KitKat’s Google Keyboard. Emoji, which is a Japanese term for those cartoonish ideograms and smileys seen in text messages and websites, can now be used in your messages instead of traditional text.
9. Contact Prioritization
KitKat will prioritize your contact list by sorting it by the people who you chat with the most often. You can also do a search for places and businesses that are near your location from the search box at the top. The KitKat Contacts app can also link up with your Google Apps contacts.
8. Message Consolidation
The latest Android OS will consolidate all of your SMS , MMS, video calls and Google Hangouts chat messages into one convenient location. Another nifty feature in here is being able to share location and animated GIFs via Google Hangouts.
7. Quickoffice Integration
After Google purchased Quickoffice several years ago, it’s nice to see that is has been integrated into KitKat. Quickoffice is preinstalled and allows users to edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that have been created with Microsoft Office or Google Docs.
6. Enhanced Caller ID by Google
How else can Google Search be used? How about by improving caller ID? If you’re tired of getting calls from unrecognizable numbers, this feature will resolve that issue by retrieving Caller ID information from local listings within Google Maps.
5. Full-Screen Album And Movie Art Combined With Controls
Here’s another fun feature for those who stream music or movies. KitKat allows not only full-screen album and movie art to appear, there’s also controls that let users play, pause, skip ahead or lock the device’s screen.
4. Support for Integrated Pedometer
If you’ve been looking to invest into something like a FitBit, or are looking to lighten-up your gadget load, you’ll really enjoy this feature. Since the Nexus 5 is equipped with sensors that support pedometer functions, KitKat can enable this hardware through apps like Move.
3. Immersive Display
Unlike previous versions of Android, where those intrusive status bar and navigation buttons remained on the screen, KitKat comes with a feature that will hide everything while reading or watching a movie. If you want to get back the status bar and navigation buttons simply swipe the edge.
2. Unlimited Home Screen Panels
If you ever wanted an unlimited amount of app shortcuts, folders, and widgets on your home screen panels, you’re in luck. KitKat contains such an ability. So go wild and crazy.
1. “OK Google”
Are you tired of touching that grimy screen to perform searches, send texts, get directions or play your favorite tunes? If so, or if you’re just lazy, there’s now voice control capabilities. Simply say “Ok Google” and the command you want when on the home screen, or when Google Now is open, and voilà. You’re done.
What’s your favorite feature in the Android 4.4 KitKat? And, what would you like to see in future operating systems?
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