Android 4.4 KitKat Review

Android KitKat is for Every One

Every One was waiting for Android KitKat desperately but now we know why it took so long in its launch.Android KitKat brings all of Android's most innovative, most beautiful, and most useful features for every device. Android 4.4 KitKat is specially designed to cover the wide range of devices. It is designed to run fast, smooth  so it can run on devices with as low as 512 MB of RAM comfortably. Therefore, it will cover the wide range of devices which haven't done before.

Running it on a low memory like only 512 MB of RAM has become possible because KitKat streamlines every major component to reduce memory use,  Core system processes are trimmed to use less heap, and they now more aggressively protect system memory from apps consuming large amounts of RAM. Android KitKat also introduces new APIs and tools to help you create innovative, responsive, memory-efficient applications.

New tools gives powerful insight of memory used by app's. The procstats tool gives detail about memory use over time and The meminfo tool makes it easier to spot memory trends and issues.

Wireless Printer

Android 4.4 introduces native platform support for printing. Android apps can now print any type of content over Wi-Fi or cloud-hosted services such as Google Cloud Print. In print-enabled apps, users can discover available printers, change paper sizes, choose specific pages to print, and print almost any kind of document, image, or file. 

Most devices running Android 4.4 will include Google Cloud Print pre-installed as a print service, as well as several Google apps that support printing, including Chrome, Drive, Gallery, and QuickOffice.

Storage Access Framework

A new storage access framework makes it simple for users to browse and open documents, images, and other files. It lets users browse files and access recents in a consistent way across apps and providers.The storage access framework and system UI for browsing make it easier for users to find and import their data from a wider range of sources.

 The document provider can give users access to any remote or local data that can be represented as files — from text, photos, and wallpapers to video, audio, and more.

Most devices running Android 4.4 will include Google Drive and local storage pre-integrated as document providers, and Google apps that work with files also use the new framework.

Step Detector

Android 4.4 Kitkat comes with a whole new sensor Step detector. when the user walks, run or climb stairs it let app to count the user's step. The step counter tracks the total number of steps since the last device reboot and triggers an event with each change in the step count. 

These new sensors are implemented in hardware for low power consumption.Step detector and counter sensors are available on Nexus 5 and they might be available for other sets as well. 

Ok Google

Google has introduced pseudo always-on voice search with KitKat, and a new way to get to Google Now. It lets you can activate voice search from your homescreen or you can access Google now by saying "Ok Google" on homescreen. 

These will evoke the personal assistant, which Google says is now 25% more accurate, and talks back. 

Immersion Mode

Navigation bar will not irritates you any more. Navigation bar can be hide while using any application and you can easily get them back by swiping at the edge of the screen.  

Media

Android KitKat comes with the following media updates and new features.

• Screen recording -  It allows to create high-quality video of your app, directly from your Android device.
• Resolution switching through adaptive playback - It enables seamless change in resolution during playback.
• Common Encryption for DASH - It provides a standard, multiplatform DRM scheme for managing protecting content.
• HTTP Live Streaming -  HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) support to a superset of version 7 of the HLS specification (version 4 of the protocol).
• Audio Tunneling to DSP - It supports Audio tunneling which  dramatically improve battery life for use-cases such as listening to music over a headset with the screen off.
• Audio monitoring - Apps can use new monitoring tools in the Visualizer effect to get updates on the peak and RMS levels of any currently playing audio on the device.
• Loudness enhancer -  Media playback applications can increase the loudness of spoken content
• Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast™ -  Android 4.4 devices can now be certified to the Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi Display Specification as Miracast compatible.

Performance Benchmark