Google Android KitKat 4.4 exploring new feature and update for developer in latest release

Google bring more powerful, more innovative android version KitKat 4.4. It went for release after many rumor and speculation.  Read Android KitKat 4.4’s feature forConsumers.

• Google attempt to reach to billion in faster, smoother and responsive way

Keeping minimum requirement of RAM for 512 MB, was challenge for Google Android KitKat for running smoothly on lower memory devices. That lead to many memory optimization technique and process. Google Android KitKat 4.4 help you to create innovative, responsive and memory efficient application. Dalvik JIT code cache tuning, kernel samepage merging (KSM), swap to zRAM, and other optimizations help manage memory. New configuration options let OEMs tune out-of-memory levels for processes, set graphics cache sizes, control memory reclaim, and more.

“A new API, ActivityManager.isLowRamDevice(), lets you tune your app's behavior to match the device's memory configuration”  Google Android stated in documentation of KitKat

Protocol Tool and Meminfo tool is used to enhanced application memory utilization

• Android 4.4 introduces new  platform  for secure NFC-based  transaction through  Host Card Emulation (HCE)

•          New Framework for Printer  and storage  files

Printer cloud System

Android can print now any kind of content over Wi-Fi or cloud hosted service such Google cloud Print. Google gives manufacture as well as developer to add printing API. Client apps can use new APIs to add printing capabilities to their apps with minimal code changes. In most cases, you would add a print action to your Action Bar and a UI for choosing items to print.
New storage Framework allow you develop a client app that manages files or documents, you can integrate with the storage access framework just by using new CREATE_DOCUMENT or OPEN_DOCUMENT intents to open or create files — the system automatically displays the standard UI for browsing documents, including all available document providers. 

• Low power sensors 

Android KitKat 4.4 introduces hardware sensor batching which is new optimization technique  which reduce power consumption.

Tools to beautification your app in new way :)

Full screen immerse mode to give user more space by disabling status bar notification and hardware button introduces in KitKat

Transitions framework will allow you to animate changes to your UI on the fly, without needing to define scenes. For example, you can make a series of changes to a view hierarchy and then have the TransitionManager automatically run a delayed transition on those changes. 

Translucent system UI styling and enhance notification access will help you to beautify your app and later will help you to enhance notification access

Graphics and render script  improve the performance compare to previous version

Just see comparison chart your self.

Now you can take advantage of RenderScript directly from your native code. A new C++ API in the Android Native Development Kit (NDK) lets you access the same RenderScript functionality available through the framework APIs, including script intrinsics, custom kernels, and more.

New type of connectivity and accessibility are other part which are introduces and improved.

New Media support and Memory analyzer tool are the other. New tool called procstats will help developer to analyze the memory resources your app uses, as well as the resources used by other apps and services running on the system.

Android update : Android 4.4 Kitkat's release with new feature for android user

The buzz and rumors around the corner for Android, comes to and end and android 4.4 KitKat is available for android users. Google provide more polish design and improved performance(i.e part of every update) and new features. Some feature are exceptionally good for android users. Google giant speed up the process of bringing all android device to one O.S version.

Android KitKat has minimum hardware support to run with most of the android devices. Its support device with minimum of 512 MB of RAM memory, which make inclusion of 96 % of device in new android O.S version. Just few week ago iOS new version launched, its buggy reviews, increase the speculation about android awaited launch of KitKat 4.4.But like every time, Google delivered this time too :).

Android KitKat had some really nice feature for android user, Before discussing what's new for developer, i prefer android user first. After all they are our fate decider :).

Easy search Just say "OK Google" to start Google search API. Now you do not need to touch it. "OK Google" will launch the voice search, send text, get direction or play a song.

Go Google

Redefine Music "a work of art" While playing music or movies with chrome cast, user will see beautiful full screen album and movie art when device is locked. You can perform play, pause and seek.

Immerse yourself and improved multitasking while reading book, playing music, Google android KitKat provide you center stage with new immerse Mode with Notification bar and Navigation Button. Android KitKat take system performance to all time high to respond it without a hitch.

Contact, Calling and Messaging updates Android will work smartly to automatically prioritizes your contacts based on the people you talk to the most. You can also search for nearby places and businesses, your contacts, or people in your Google. All message are on one place and smaller caller ID are other features to look for. New Emoji are available for Google keyboard

Feature will force you to switch to KitKat

• Printing from your device using any printer connected to Google Cloud Print, to HP ePrint and other printer that have apps in Google play
• New file system which allow to save and open Google Drive files.
  
  
  
  

  

  New Android File Systen

  
  
•  Create and Edit your document, spreadsheet and presentation using QuickOffice from any where

Statistics and fun fact About Android KitKat

- Nexus 5 is preloaded with Android KitKat, and will be the first device with android 4.4 KitKat

- Android KitKat expected to reach up to 1 billion android phones

- Android KitKat 4.0 will run on phone with RAM more than or equal to 512 MB

Source Of Information Android Official Website 

Android Action Bar backward compatibility support in lower version of android O.S

While following android design patterns, Action bar is an important factor in it. Unfortunately Action bar was not supported in lower version than 3.0. Which was very painful for developer because still android 2.3.3 has fair amount of share in android market. So developers were forced to use Sherlock ActionBar and others
But Good news is , we no more need to rely on third party library for support of Action Bar in lower version from July 2013.
Google Android has provided their native support for backward android version as part of new latest update.
Even Though i  have not gone through this API but seems very very helpful.

Android Support Library, revision 18 (July 2013)


This library will remove the developer pain of Action bar support. I feels that because of its limited support developer can not use Action Bar in latest version also. As using Action Bar and third party Action Bar was very hectic and it lead to great effort with no good result.
Upto now We should thank Sherlock Actionbar. They made one excellent productive library

Soon i am going to post of using this library in our own application. 

New features in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for developer perspective

Yesterday the most awaited update goes on public of android Jelly bean. Everyone was anticipating new update from Google android. Even next version Key Pie Lime also seems to be in Queue. But having this strong update helps a lot for developer and end of day to user

Lets have a look on some new  feature

Faster smoother and More Responsive

Every android update start from this. But really google worked hard to improve the responsiveness of android which already very good. Actual effect will be realize after update only.  Google says Android 3.0 build on a performance improvement included in Jelly Bean - Vsync timing, triple buffering and reduce latency, CPU input boost. 

4.3 improved windows buffer allocation which result in faster image buffer allocation and reduce time in rendering 

Your application May misbehave 

if your app uses implicit intents..

  Because of restricted profile update environment, your application may mis behave so go to android     developer to make it correct.

if your app depends on accounts for the same above reason

Restricted Profile environment 

Any accounts added to the primary user are available to a restricted profile, but the accounts are not accessible from the Account Manager APIs by default. If you attempt to add an account with Account Manager while in a restricted profile, you will get a failure result

Wireless and Connectivity Update

4.3 version allow many wireless and connectivity updates. Android now supports Bluetooth Blow Energy with new API. Wifi Scan only mode allow user to obtain correct location without draining 

battery.

Multimedia Updates

MediaExtractor and MediaCodec has been enhance on great level to support developer. Media DRM is another update from android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Video encoding from a surface  are the topic need to be explore by android developer

Some User interface has been added like ViewGroupOver and Optical bound layout. Some screen orientation has been added. TV scan support are excellent now. Improved support of accessibility services and Notification manager

Some new language are added in localization like Hindi etc

Reference for Information and Images

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