Android 4.4 : KitKat

Android 4.4 , KitKat is the newest version of Google's operating system 'android'. Android KitKat brings all of Android's most innovative, most beautiful, and most useful features to more devices everywhere. Android 4.4 is designed to run fast, smooth, and responsively on a much broader range of devices than ever before , including on millions of entry-level devices around the world that have as little as 512 MB RAM.

DESIGN AND LOOKS 

                           

KitKat has done some basic changes in looks like icons are now much larger and the text is condensed ,the top status bar is translucent and blends with your wallpaper.There are no longer five home screens visible by default; instead there are only two. You can add more by grabbing an app or widget and moving it to the right or left of an existing screen. There's a new menu where you can change your wallpaper and add widgets that pops up when you press and hold the screen . The app drawer also got a makeover. There is no longer a section for widgets and no icon for Google Play in the top-right corner; all you see is a grid of your phone's apps. It also has a translucent background that shows your home screen wallpaper.What hasn't changed is the notifications menu, though Google did add a new location tile in the quick-settings panel. Lock screen  though it doesn't look much different from in 4.2 and 4.3, there's a new music widget that lets you control audio playback from the lock screen without unlocking your phone. 

ALL NEW FEATURES

 Just say “ Ok Google ”

You don’t need to touch the screen to get things done. When on your home screen or in Google Now, just say “Ok Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song.

A work of art

While listening to music on your device, or while projecting movies to Chromecast, you’ll see beautiful full-screen album and movie art when your device is locked. You can play, pause, or seek to a specific moment.

Faster multitasking

Android 4.4 takes system performance to an all-time high by optimizing memory and improving your touchscreen so that it responds faster and more accurately than ever before. This means that you can listen to music while browsing the web, or race down the highway with the latest hit game, all without a hitch.

The future is calling

The new phone app 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 Apps domain. That means instead of opening Google Search or Google Maps and looking for a business, finding its number, and then placing the call, you can just start typing in the dialer and select the correct result, and your phone will start dialing.

All your messages in the same place

Never miss a message, no matter how your friend sends it. With the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same app, alongside your other conversations and video calls. And with the new Hangouts, you can even share your location and send animated GIFs.

Print wherever, whenever

Now you can print photos, documents, and web pages from your phone or tablet. You can print to any printer connected to Google Cloud Print, to HP ePrint printers, and to other printers that have apps in the Google Play Store.

On-device memory status and profiling

Android 4.4 includes a new developer option to make it easier to analyze your app's memory profile while it's running on any device or emulator. It's especially useful to get a view of how your app uses memory and performs on devices with low RAM. You can access the option at Settings > Developer options > Process stats.

          

 

Bluetooth MAP support

Android now supports the Message Access Profile (MAP) so Bluetooth-enabled cars can exchange messages with your devices.

Chromecast support

With your Android device and a Chromecast, you can enjoy your favorite online entertainment, from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and Google Play on your HDTV.

Chrome web view

Applications that embed web content now use Chrome to render web components accurately and quickly.

Closed captioning

Android now supports closed captioning and subtitles. To turn on closed captioning, go to Settings > Accessibility and turn on Captions.

Device management built-in

If you ever lose your device, you can find or wipe it with the Android Device Manager

Downloads app redesign

The Downloads app has been redesigned, giving you new sorting options and list and grid views for all the files you’ve downloaded.

Easy home screen switching

If you love to customize your device and have installed one or more home screen replacements, you can switch between them easily in Settings > Home.

Email app refresh

The redesigned Email app has a fresh new look with nested folders, contact photos and better navigation.

Full-screen wallpapers with preview

Your wallpaper now extends through the notification tray and system buttons. And when you change your wallpaper, you can preview just how it will look before you set it.*

HDR+ photography

HDR+ mode on Nexus 5 automatically snaps a rapid burst of photos and combines them to give you the best possible single shot. Daytime pictures are vivid with clean shadows, and nighttime photos are sharp with less noise.*

Infrared blasting

On devices with an infrared (IR) blaster, Android now supports applications for remote control of TVs and other nearby devices.

Location in Quick Settings

Access your location settings from anywhere with a new tile in Quick Settings.

Location modes and monitoring

If you want to conserve battery, go to Settings > Location to switch between high accuracy and battery-saving location modes. There’s no need to toggle GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile network settings. And to see which apps have recently requested your location, go to Settings > Location.

Low-power audio playback

Android 4.4 on Nexus 5 lets you listen to music for longer - up to 60 hours of audio playback.*

Secure app sandboxes

Application sandboxes have been hardened with Security-Enhanced Linux.

Tap to pay, built a new way

Android 4.4 introduces a new, open architecture for NFC payments that works with any mobile carrier, and lets apps manage your payment information in the cloud or on your device. Now you can tap to pay with Google Wallet or other apps at more than a million stores.