As said in the general post on how to best use Android, the biggest advantage of when you buy a Google branded mobile phone or tablet, is that you can always get the latest updated version of Android and be able to take advantage of all the others, the new features of this amazing operating system. The lucky owners of the Google Nexus 7, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the new LG Nexus 10 and Nexus 4 (still not for sale in Italy), should be notified of a system update to install Android Jelly Bean 4.2 .
Even those who will still have to wait to receive the update, we see in this article to discover all the best features included in tablets and mobiles with Android 4.2 .
Many of Jelly Bean's improvements are related to the performance of the device, with more efficient use of the CPU when the screen is on and greater overall system speed.
The other big news of Jelly Bean that is improved in version 4.2 is linked to Google Now, the system of personalized suggestions that make the tablet or mobile phone become a real intelligent assistant.
1) Google Now and the voice assistant
Google Now in Jelly Bean allows you to see information that changes in real time depending on the time of day, the weather, the traffic situation and where you are.
Then there are boxes regarding the weather, traffic, places nearby, football results and everything you want.
In Google Now you can search using the voice with the Italian language and get answers from the Google search engine.
With Google Now it is also possible to give instructions on the phone such as, for example, " Alarm for tomorrow 7 am " or " Go to Via Dante " and so on.
2) Add multiple users
Going into the Jelly Bean settings on a tablet you can add a new user by defining his Google account.
As with a Windows PC, defining multiple users on the tablet allows all family members to use it with their own settings, without spying on the activities of others.
Each Google account can thus access the tablet to their Gmail, to their search history, to their Facebook and everything else.
3) Custom screensaver
Going in the display settings, you can activate the DayDream, that is the function to activate the screensaver which can be of different types.
You can put a night clock or turn the tablet into a photo frame with images that flow by themselves.
The DayDream is activated when the tablet is in charging mode or connected to the power outlet.
4) Widgets in the lock Screen
You can put predefined widgets on the lock screen such as calendar, digital clock, Gmail, SMS messages.
With some applications, other information such as the weather or the traffic situation to get home can be added to the lock screen.
5) The message on the lock screen
This Jelly Bean function is important for mobile phones because it allows you to write a message on the lock screen where you can write, for example, your phone number and your Email so that if it is lost, those who find it will know immediately who is it.
6) "Swipe" sliding writing mode
In Jelly Bean you can write on the touchscreen keyboard significantly faster than any other system for phones or tablets, iPad or iPhone included.
You no longer have to write by touching the letters one pear but by dragging and sliding your finger from one letter to another, without ever lifting your finger from the screen.
The keyboard then guesses the word correctly in a very precise way.
7) New camera application with spherical photo
Android 4.2 includes a new camera application with a smarter interface and a settings menu that appears wherever you tap on the screen.
This allows you to quickly change settings with one hand while taking a photo.
In addition, there is also the possibility of taking photos at 360 degrees.
8) Main controls in the notification bar
So far, an obvious advantage of custom Android ROMs has been their ability to access main settings from the notification panel.
Now this has also been implemented in the Jelly Bean notification bar from which you can activate or deactivate the Wifi, you can change the audio profile, change the brightness, activate GPS and Bluetooth.
9) Block notifications of individual applications
By going to the application settings menu and tapping on one of them, a new item appears that allows you to disable notifications.
This improvement is important for blocking unnecessary notifications of those applications and games that display advertisements or invitations to open them.
10) Facial recognition
Among the security settings, the possibility of accessing the tablet or mobile phone via facial recognition has been added.
No more PIN or password to enter, just show up on the camera and smile to get past the lock screen and access the device.
In addition to these 10 new functions we also have:
11) The advanced volume control ;
12) the voice assistant for those who do not see us well;
13) Possibility to download speech synthesis data in order to be able to give voice commands even if the tablet or mobile phone is not connected to the network.
To download the Italian language, go to the Language settings.
14) The developer options menu seems to have disappeared, which instead can be activated by going to Settings -> Information and then tapping several times where " Kernel Version " is written.
15) Limit the use of the network if it comes from a mobile hotspot.
In the settings -> Data usage, it can be indicated that a wifi network is generated by the hotspot function of a mobile phone which, presumably, has a limited data plan.
This prevents the tablet from using too much bandwidth for background applications.
16) Optimizing Wireless is a new option in advanced Wifi settings, to save battery.
17) Restart in safe mode as in Windows, deactivating all applications.
This is accomplished by holding down the power key and then tapping for a long time where Power off is written.
18) Reset the preferences of the applications, if they have been disabled or do not send notifications or seem limited.
This option is found in Settings -> Application -> button at the top right.
19) Taking screenshots of the screen in Jelly Bean can be done by simultaneously pressing the Power-Volume Down keys.
The screenshot becomes a system notification to review the image or share it quickly.
20) Uninstall applications by holding your finger on the icon on the app screen.
Bonus: Jelly Bean's hidden screensaver by going to Settings -> System Information -> tapping multiple times where version is written.
UPDATE: Android 5.0 Lollipop Guide, Hidden Update Features and Tricks
