Android 4.3 has now started to roll out on Nexus devices including the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10.
Android 4.3 has still retained the name of JellyBean, I suspect this is due to the fact that no particularly major updates have been introduced in this or the 4.3 version of the mobile OS as both had nothing ground breaking except for general support and accessibility options.
The new version of the OS includes many optimizations, added support and a few added features to enhance current features. The most important of these changes and additions I feel is the inclusion of OpenGL ES 3.0. The inclusion of the updated graphics API should definitely aid in the development of 3D apps and games.
Another nice change is being able to lock down user accounts even more, now users can effectively run within a completely separate user environment. This is a necessary change because in 4.2 the functionality was good but there was a little bit of overlap which was a little bit unwelcome.
Finally the last major feature is allowing app developers to access the notification functionality which is currently used by stock apps and google apps right now. This should expand the quality quite significantly effectively making this the Android 4.1 we always wanted.
Overall all the changes are nice but at the same time underwhelming for a major release of the OS. I can’t fault any of the changes personally but at the same time I can’t help but feel that it’s not particularly impressive. On that note however it may be due to the fact that iOS 7 is also on the horizon which may be stealing some of its thunder.
To view all of the changes please visit here.
