Review: Android 4.2 is a sweeter-tasting Jelly Bean 2/2

[javajolt]

◄ part 1

Photo Sphere


Android 4.2's new Camera interface, folks!

In addition to giving it a spiffy new icon, Google made some tweaks to its camera application. First, it's made major changes by enabling users to hold down on the screen to bring up different options, including several photo modes that were not available before. Those modes include HDR and a few "scene" modes where the camera app adjusts the settings to the specific environment. The HDR mode worked well in low-light situations, but scenes like "party" and "night" needed to be used in the settings they were prescribed for. The flash the phone emits really does a number on a subject—whether it's a person or a beloved toy.


Photos taken in HDR mode with Android 4.2 appear well-balanced.


Photos taken in night mode only work in certain situations because of the explosive flash the phone emits.


The flash in party mode turned out to be a little more palatable for the poor modeling elephant.

Additionally, Google tacked on an option in the Camera app called Photo Sphere. This new feature enables both the novice photographer and the frequent traveler to capture all 360 degrees of their chosen moments. Taking some inspiration from Google's own Street View, Photo Sphere follows the same mechanism as the built-in panorama feature previously introduced in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The user picks a central spot, but instead of moving the camera in one singular direction, they can take shots in all different directions—up, down, left, right—until the "sphere" is completed to their liking. The app then processes the photos, matches the colors and lighting, and produces a circular panorama.
 
The feature is easy to use and a dynamic way to document trips and events. But there were some moments where a number of the photos stitched together were either missing elements, or the end result looked exactly like a stitched-up collage. In the Photo Sphere shot featured below, one of the picture frames only made it partially into the photo before being chopped in half. Fortunately, users can review the Photo Sphere panorama it in its spherical entirety before sharing it, though it will still automatically save to the Gallery.


In Android's new Photo Sphere feature, some parts of the photo were left out when the panorama was stitched together.


However, Photo Sphere takes very nice looking, scenic panoramic photos outside.

Coincidentally enough, Google's Photo Sphere seems to take some cues from Microsoft's Photosynth, a camera feature that was introduced to the Windows Phone and is also available as a standalone app for iOS. Like Microsoft, Google has enabled users to take 360-degree photos and share their creations with friends. But Google has an edge by enabling users to upload it to Google Maps Street View and literally share it with the world, even contribute it to Google’s massive arsenal of Street Views. So far, the site’s additions seem well curated, featuring photos of picturesque landscapes and helpful walk-throughs of university campuses for nervous freshman. To contribute, users just need to share their Photo Sphere panorama to Google Maps, Earth, Search, Google+ Local, or other third-party sites utilizing the API.


Microsoft's Photosynth app (seen here, though the photo was taken with an iPhone 4S) stitches together the photos in a semi-circular manner.


Google's Photo Sphere flattens out the photos into a panorama.

We imagine if Google’s Android keynote had actually gone live, this would have been one of the features at the forefront. Google is essentially enabling its users with their own Street View cameras to help map the world and crowd source more virtual sight-seeing tours. Frankly, this is a win-win for everyone who has ever enjoyed wasting hours with Street View. And it’s really up to the user whether they want to share their photos or not.

Security


Users can set Android 4.2 to verify side-loaded apps before they're installed.

Google stepped up its game in making users feel more secure about the Android operating system. Users can now scan side-loaded apps before they're installed, and Android will run the app against other known cases of malware and will block it from installing if it's truly a threat. We couldn't pick out any known malware apps to install to try the new Google security settings, but it's a nice safety blanket knowing the setting is there for users who need it.


Android 4.2 will ask users questions—and a lot of them—before
it allows users to install a particular side-loaded app.

Android 4.2 also offers a new security feature that will be useful for home and corporate VPN users: a new always-on VPN option. This can be accessed from within the VPN settings panel, and it can prohibit all network traffic unless your phone or tablet is connected to a VPN. With this, if your device loses its connection to the VPN server (or if the VPN server ends the session), traffic doesn't begin flowing over an unprotected network connection.


Always-on VPN prohibits network traffic from getting through unless a secure VPN connection has been established.

And the rest: miscellaneous tweaks
 
Gesture typing: swiping without Swype


Drag your finger around on the keyboard, and Android 4.2 will guess the word you're typing with a fair degree of accuracy.

The sound you hear is a bunch of longtime Swype fans yawning all at once, but Android 4.2 finally includes a keyboard that natively supports gesture-based typing. Drag your finger around the keyboard, and the tablet will guess what word you're trying to spell. Lift your finger up and the word will appear on the screen. This feature doesn't interfere with standard touch typing, and can be disabled if desired.
 
The feature has some limitations—it only works in the standard QWERTY layout, not for numbers or symbols, and it tends to work better for common, dictionary-included words (attempting to type "Ars" always resulted in Ares). But it's a nice addition to have for Swype fans annoyed at having to sideload a beta of the keyboard to Nexus devices to bring the functionality to stock Android.
 
Magnification gestures
 
Android 4.2's one new accessibility feature is called Magnification gestures. After enabling it from the Accessibility settings menu, users with impaired vision can rapidly tap on the screen three times to zoom in on any area of the screen.


Magnification gestures let you get up close and personal. Note the normal-sized navigation buttons underneath the huge app icons.


Even when zooming in, the keyboard stays the same size.

With two fingers, users can pan around the screen and pinch to change the zoom level. Tap the screen three times and reset the zoom level back to normal. Once turned on, we did invoke the feature accidentally a few times—the keyboard rejects triple-tap input (and can't be zoomed in on, even if you've activated magnification), but many other text entry fields don't. In particular, we kept activating the feature by entering an unlock PIN too quickly, or by playing games with a focus on rapid tapping. Outside of that, it's definitely a handy feature to have.
 
Daydream


My tablet daydreams of jelly beans.

This one falls firmly into the nice-not-necessary category: when docked (or when charging), you can use the screen to display photos, shifting colors, and a clock when your tablet is sleeping. No more simply turning the screen off. If you want to use your tablet as a digital picture frame when not in use, this is the feature for you. Otherwise, it can be safely ignored (or disabled).


You can also display photos, clocks, shifting colors, and more in Daydream mode.

Miracast: Android's answer to AirPlay


Miracast is buried in the Settings panel under Wireless display.

Android 4.2 is the first stock Android version to natively support Miracast, the vendor-neutral Wi-Fi Alliance specification meant to enable AirPlay-like video streaming between devices from many different manufacturers (though some individual phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S III and LG Optimus G, have already implemented the feature). As we've reported, Miracast works by enabling direct communication between two Wi-Fi devices without the need for an access point. Gaming and video streaming are two commonly cited use cases for the protocol—using the H.264 codec, Miracast-enabled devices can easily stream 1080p feeds to Miracast-enabled TVs or set-top boxes, and the standard features the same DRM as does any HDMI cable. Miracast does require a receiver on the TV end to work properly, however. Look for a more in-depth look at the feature in the coming weeks.
 
There's one major caveat, at least for now: while support for Miracast is built into the Android platform as of version 4.2, presently the Nexus 4 is the only device that actually makes the feature available. The Nexus 10 doesn't support the feature yet, and a Google representative couldn't tell us when (or even if) the feature would be available on the new tablet. And that's to say nothing of older Nexus devices.
 
Gallery's new photo filters


This elk has been officially hipster-ified with the help of Android 4.2's
built-in photo filters.

In addition to a slight UI tweak, Android 4.2's Gallery app also includes built-in, Instagram-esque photo filters. The filters span effects like vintage, cross processed, and black and white, and can be applied to any pictures that are stored in the Gallery. Users can also add fancy borders or crop the photo, as well as fix elements of a photo like its exposure or brightness. There's even a nice vignette effect. It's a fun way to add some pizzazz to photos without having to deal with finding a veritable third-party app, and some of the effects legitimately make photographs look old-timey. Not bad for a native add-on.
 
Tweaks to the Gmail app


The Gmail app's new tweaks include the ability to instantly
archive a message by swiping.

Google added a fresh coat of paint to its native Gmail application. The app has a new icon for its archive icon featured in the full message view, and users can now swipe left on a thread in the Inbox to archive a message. Previously, the only way users could do so was to manually label it so that it would go into the Archives folder.
 
Google also included the functionality to see the custom label colors that were assigned in Web-based Gmail. You can also get a close up of a word by pinching to zoom.
 
Ultimately if you can get it—we have a more refined Jelly Bean

Android 4.2 is, in essence, a tune-up for Jelly Bean. It brings forth a few very essential, minor features that help the platform keep pace with innovations in iOS, Windows Phone, and Windows 8/RT. The Photo Sphere, Miracast, Google Now tweaks, and new notification panel features in particular seem aimed straight at Apple's phones and tablets. Multiuser support is a page taken straight out of the newly arrived Windows 8's playbook. Now, the multiuser presence in both of these operating systems makes the lack of support in the iPad line an even more glaring omission.
 
As always, it’s unfortunate the OEMs and carriers are holding Android back with delayed software releases. As such, it will affect how many Android users will get this update pushed through to their devices. We're still waiting on Android 4.0 and 4.1 updates from many of these OEMs, so it's difficult to say just when devices in the wild will be getting updates. For now, Google informed us the update will be coming to older Nexus devices at some point in the coming weeks, though even they haven't announced which phones and tablets will be receiving the update for sure. Google is doing a good job keeping Android competitive with other mobile platforms, but thanks to carriers and OEMs, most of the user base just isn't benefiting from the company's work.
 
The good:
 
 • New features keep Android on level footing with the competition.

 • Better security features should help novice Android users prevent malware break-ins.

 • Google Now receives enhancement tweaks that puts it ahead of the competition.

 • Multiuser support finally allows families to comfortably share a device.

 • 10-inch tablet user interface is more consistent with 7-inch and phone interfaces.

 • Notification panel finally includes Quick Settings.
 
The bad:
 
 • Third-parties have already implemented many of Android 4.2's new features separately.

 • Features, like Miracast, not ready at launch.

 • Google Now responds better to robotic queries than natural speech.
 
The ugly:
 
 • Carriers and OEMs are going to make sure you don't get this update for a good long time.

source:arstechnica