Since the Nexus 4 announcement, we’ve seen several portions of the Android 4.2 OS leak out, in particular the new keyboard and camera apps. Then, just a week ago, a system dump of Android 4.2 was posted online and made available to developers, something that usually results in new features quickly making their way to other devices. First on the list to get new features seems to be the Galaxy Nexus, as a full Google Apps packages has just been posted and is ready for installation on the smartphone.
The applications are packaged as a flashable .zip file, so users will need a custom recovery in order to install the packages. Otherwise, installation should be just like installing any other package. The .zip provided not only includes the new keyboard and camera applications, but also has the new clock, calendar, alarm, and Gmail apps as well. In fact, word has it that pinch to zoom has finally been added to Gmail, after years of complaints. In addition to the Gapps .zip, there is also an .apk for the new Google Wallet from 4.2, which may include some of the new physical Google Wallet card features that we recently reported.
Although it is only officially for Galaxy Nexus owners, this Gapps package should give users a good idea of what the minor changes in Android 4.2 will look like. Installation may also be worth a try if you have a device running a 4.1.1 ROM, although we can’t guarantee the apps will function properly. Of course, for the core OS features such as multiple users and notification toggles, users will have to wait for a real update, but hopefully that will be coming soon, too.
[pocketnow]
