KitKat release

[s44]

New APIs described here. SDK also up.

NFC stuff is real, though the Emulation Guide link is borked:

Host card emulation

Android apps can now emulate ISO14443-4 (ISO-DEP) NFC cards that use APDUs for data exchange (as specified in ISO7816-4). This allows an NFC-enabled device running Android 4.4 to emulate multiple NFC cards at the same time, and allows an NFC payment terminal or other NFC reader to initiate a transaction with the appropriate NFC card based on the application identifier (AID).

If you want to emulate an NFC card that is using these protocols in your app, create a service component based on the HostApduService class. Whereas if your app instead uses a secure element for card emulation, you need to create a service based on the OffHostApduService class, which will not directly be involved in the transactions but is necessary to register the AIDs that should be handled by the secure element.

For more information, read the NFC Card Emulation guide.

NFC reader mode

A new NFC reader mode allows an activity to restrict all NFC activity to only reading the types of tags the activity is interested in while in the foreground. You can enable reader mode for your activity with enableReaderMode(), providing an implementation of NfcAdapter.ReaderCallback that receives a callback when new tags are detected.

This new capability, in conjunction with host card emulation, allows Android to operate on both ends of a mobile payment interface: One devices operates as the payment terminal (a device running a reader mode activity) and another device operates as the payment client (a device emulating an NFC card).

Anyone seen/read about new 4.4 GApps updates?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Ok what does that mean in "change my life" terms?

 

[vshah]

wallet might work on any phone with NFC now, even those without a secure element. bypass carriers completely.

that's the hope at least.

 

[s44]

Not much.

Wallet for all... but you have an S4 with a hackable secure element already. If you have NFC keycards, you may be able to emulate/copy them with your phone now. (The business end is cool, though, you'll be able to use any NFC Android as a wireless payment reader.)

Some UI stuff for more fullscreen/fullscreen-style interfaces... though of course your device has buttons.

And of course choosing a SMS handler.

Besides that, just under-the-hood stuff to improve audio/video, web rendering, and reduce/consolidate wake events. All of it's been leaked, either ages ago or late last night.

Unless there's a new new version of Android coming with the yet-unupdated N10, there's no "one more thing..." of tablet/convertible love. Guess I'm still basically choosing between the TF701 and the Note.

 

[bearxor]

I was surprised to see the Gnex isn't getting 4.4.

 

[lopri]

Screen recording. Very cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QHkv-bSlds&feature=player_embedded#at=1456

 

[s44]

BTW, here are the sidebar headers:

KEY DEVELOPER FEATURES

Host Card Emulation
Printing framework
Storage access framework
Low-power sensors
SMS provider
Full-screen Immersive mode
Transitions framework
Chromium WebView
Screen recording
RenderScript NDK
Bluetooth HOGP and MAP
IR Blasters
Closed captioning settings
RTL features
Security enhancements
Tools for analyzing memory use

 

[cbrunny]

There are a LOT of new features here. This is really impressive. Very surprised this isn't a 5.0 release considering how significant some of them are.

 

[s44]

As expected, more new stuff is hidden in a Play Services update (to 4.0).

 

[s44]

And.... source going up to the repositories.

ROMs available in...

 

[lopri]

How do I know that I am not connected to Google Services now that the notification icons are white/grey in 4.4?

 

[s44]

How do I know that I am not connected to Google Services now that the notification icons are white/grey in 4.4?

I think grey still means not connected.

 

[lopri]

Hmm.. so it's white (connected) - grey (unconnected), instead of blue-grey? That sounds neat. Thanks!

 

[destrekor]

I was surprised to see the Gnex isn't getting 4.4.

I haven't read any of this yet... but, what?!
That's not very nice.

I've been on the fence about a new phone, really been waiting for THE ONE to either convince me to go in on contract and lose unlimited data, or THE ULTIMATE ONE to pay full MSRP to keep my unlimited data.
:hmm:

The Gnex is getting long in the tooth, that's for sure. Hopefully Cyanogen Mod will support it with KitKat. I've been on CM10.1 series, though I'm a few point releases behind.

 

[gorcorps]

There are a LOT of new features here. This is really impressive. Very surprised this isn't a 5.0 release considering how significant some of them are.

Really? I was kind of feeling the opposite... like what are they really adding that warrants a name change?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I wonder if the NFC emulation thing allows us to use transit cards. I think that's bigger than collecting payments via NFC. Contactless payments have been around forever, yet we're still using swipe payments even with the latest startups like Square.

 

[Graze]

Really? I was kind of feeling the opposite... like what are they really adding that warrants a name change?

Last I heard it was still called Android and those features added aren't added by just changing the shade of bitmap in Photoshop.

 

[lopri]

I wasn't crazy when I thought the icons got larger on the stock launcher. 20% larger according to the video I linked above.

 

[cronos]

Really? I was kind of feeling the opposite... like what are they really adding that warrants a name change?

Name is just a name. It's still regarded a minor update that's why the version number only changes from 4.3 to 4.4.

 

[lopri]

Am I correct that 4.4 comes with a native PDF maker?

 

[lothar]

I haven't read any of this yet... but, what?!
That's not very nice.

I've been on the fence about a new phone, really been waiting for THE ONE to either convince me to go in on contract and lose unlimited data, or THE ULTIMATE ONE to pay full MSRP to keep my unlimited data.
:hmm:

The Gnex is getting long in the tooth, that's for sure. Hopefully Cyanogen Mod will support it with KitKat. I've been on CM10.1 series, though I'm a few point releases behind.

What more do you expect Google to do with the Galaxy Nexus when Texas Instruments has closed up shop, fired their employees, and is no longer in the Mobile SoC business ?

 

[destrekor]

What more do you expect Google to do with the Galaxy Nexus when Texas Instruments has closed up shop, fired their employees, and is no longer in the Mobile SoC business ?

I completely forgot about that.

 

[cbrunny]

Is galaxy nexus getting the updates to google play services? Are those changes technically part of KitKat?

 

[vshah]

Is galaxy nexus getting the updates to google play services? Are those changes technically part of KitKat?

Yes and No

play store services 4.0 is coming to all gingerbread (2.3) and up phones. not technically a part of kitkat.

 

[bearxor]

What more do you expect Google to do with the Galaxy Nexus when Texas Instruments has closed up shop, fired their employees, and is no longer in the Mobile SoC business ?

I don't know what that has to do with devices that have already been manufactured and are out in the wild. Phones that are, even today, still being actively sold by carriers.

But, I suppose the Nexus One (21 months), Nexus S (22 months) and the Galaxy Nexus (22 months?) are enough history to know one thing now. Buying a Nexus gives you roughly two years of support. That's better than Google's committed 18 months, I suppose.

Of course, the decentralized nature of the OS, especially for newer devices like the GNex and N4, make this much less of an issue than it is on iOS.

And if they keep up their Nexus releases every year with the awesome hardware baseline they started with the N4 and kept going to the N5, I don't think anyone here would really complain about having to shell out $350 a year for the latest and greatest Nexus phone.