iPhone 5: Apple Doing Something Different

Apple is doing something different with the iPhone 5. It’s creating the iPhone 5C to replace the iPhone 5 and turning the iPhone 5S into its flagship smartphone product. How is it any different from what Apple’s done before? Normal procedure for Apple was to just lower the price of the previous year’s model to take the silver spot on the iPhone podium.

This time, the iPhone 5 gets a plastic back piece to replace the metal one, some designer colors to catch the eye, iOS 7 and some first party software and some hardware tweaks. Then it is designated a new product, the iPhone 5C and simply replaces the iPhone 5 at a cheaper price.

The fly in that ointment is that iOS 7 isn’t quite as polished as it needs to be, with screen elements moved around and parts of the Control Center truncated, giving it a feeling of being unfinished. There is no real customization options as to what app buttons are shown.

Fortunately, all versions of the iPhone 5 are “Jailbreakable,” allowing these minor problems and many others to be fixed. Jailbreaking is the term used to define the process of gaining administrative access to a mobile device, in this case Apple mobile products, to remove usage restrictions that are locked by the factory. It is the exact same process, figuratively, of “rooting” an Android phone.

Owners of the iPhone 5 are chomping at the bit to Jailbreak their devices because waiting for Apple’s incremental updates to iOS 7 is driving them crazy. IOS 7.1 is still in the developers’ hands, but supposedly it will bring back user defined buttons, as opposed to pressing text for an action, which is a bit confusing when you don’t know what button does what until it’s actually pressed. But the decision to go that route is certainly Apple doing something different for the iPhone 5.

The thing about Apple that generates such a level of love/hate with its users is cutting them out of the design process loop. Apple decides how things should look and function and then simply deploys. Now it looks as if they’re trying to get a feel for what their users want.

That’s probably a very good idea. With the humongous Chinese market about to crack wide open for Apple, it would be a bit embarrassing for them to discover their iPhone 5S have been hacked to use the Android operating system simply because users are displeased with the way iOS 7 functions. As it stands, they probably aren’t too pleased about users Jailbreaking their devices now.

On a lighter note, the latest thing to wow iPhone 5 users, especially international travelers, is the dual SIM case that allows SIM cards to be switched out on the fly. The company, Digirit, calls it the SIM+ Case and it replaces the iPhone 5’s original back piece with one that fits into the SIM card slot and provides slots for two SIM cards. It comes with software that allows the two cards to be switched without even having to power down the phone. The company is in its first round of crowdfunding and plans an early 2014 release.

One would suppose that something else Apple is doing that’s different is inspiring third-party developers to participate in the evolution of the iPhone 5.

Google Helpouts: A to Z of Aid

Google launched an all new service called Google Helpouts to assist users with any query they might have. Google Helpouts put you in touch with experts in a particular field regarding which you have a query and you can then ask questions and resolve your issue. Helpouts include everything from experts on grooming, cooking, health experts, fun activities and also hardware and software experts. 

The search giant has collaborated with over a 1000 experts (multiple in each field) and answers a multitude of questions related to anything and everything under the sun. While some queries in each section are free, most of the Helpouts will set you back by anything from $1 per minute to $100 per Helpout. The answer to your query can last from anywhere between seconds to hours, depending on the intricacy, price and the question.

Currently, the sections under which you can ask questions are Art & Music, Computers & Electronics, Cooking, Education & Careers, Fashion & Beauty, Fitness & Nutrition, Health and Home & Garden. The service could be seen as an extension of the traditional Google Search engine which offers information on anything and everything under the sun. However, post a search and you often get millions of results. Too much of something can spoil efforts and the multiple results often confuse readers than solving their problems. There already exist help forums and groups on Facebook/Twitter that provide such services. 

Currently, Google charges 20 percent of the fees charged by experts for solutions. However, health-care segment is exempt from transaction fees. Incase you’re not satisfied with the help offered, Google also refunds the amount. There’s an option to leave opinions on experts in the comments section which can also assist other help-seekers. 

"Most of the world's useful information still resides in people's heads," Udi Manber, vice president of engineering at Google said at a small briefing with reporters in San Francisco on Monday. Helpouts "opens the door to that information as well."

The service sure sounds interesting and might be good. However, currently, Google does not screen any applicants and anyone can sign up to offer services on Helpout. It might lead to some confusion with even non-experts signing up and offering services.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=K-VFC9AQM1k

Google introduces the biggest algorithm change in three years

New 'Hummingbird' algorithm will make core search better at answering longer, more complex and spoken queries

Google's latest 'Hummingbird' update aims to make Google smarter at understanding conversational search questions.

 

Marking Google's 15th birthday, Hummingbird is the biggest change to the inner workings of the world's most popular search engine sinceGoogle's "Caffeine" update in 2010, which sped up Google's indexing of sites and delivery of search results.

The Hummingbird update focuses more on Google's Knowledge Graph – an encyclopaedia of about 570m concepts and relationships that allows Google to anticipate facts and figures you might want to know about your search term.

New engine with old parts

Hummingbird isn't an overhaul that Google search users will instantly notice, however.

"In general, Hummingbird – Google says – is a new engine built on both existing and new parts, organised in a way to especially serve the search demands of today, rather than one created for the needs of 10 years ago, with the technologies back then," said Danny Sullivan of the search blog Search Engine Land.

It will benefit those using more modern forms of search, such asconversational or voice search, where you ask Google a question rather than typing keywords into the search box.

"The goal is that pages matching the meaning do better, rather than pages matching just a few words.

"Google said that Hummingbird is paying more attention to each word in a query, ensuring that the whole query – the whole sentence or conversation or meaning – is taken into account, rather than particular words," said Sullivan.

But will it really work?

Unfortunately, it's very difficult to do before and after comparisons, especially as Google has pushed out the Hummingbird update over the last month without any public announcements.

For the moment we only have Google's word that Hummingbird will make a difference, although it gave a few examples of searches that could benefit from the new algorithm.

For instance, a search for "acid reflux prescription" pre-Hummingbird produced sites with lists of drugs, but now brings up search results with more information about acid reflux treatment in general.

Likewise, a search for "pizza hut calories per slice" now links the answer directly from Pizza Hut.

It’s a smart move, but there’s a long way to go

“Apps are the biggest long-term threat to Google’s current search-based business model – people turn to apps for information on discrete services like flights rather than search,” said Ian Maude, a search analyst at Enders Analysis.

Google Now – Google’s personal digital assistant that uses context, location and knowledge of the user’s habits to preempt requests for information like flights, your daily commute and film times – has been one of Google’s attempts to fight the silos of individual apps and keep you within the Google search ecosystem. That all helps Google maintain its estimated 53% market share of internet advertising.

Google Now relies on Knowledge Graph, as well as natural language interpretation, which were both boosted by the Hummingbird update.

“Hummingbird doesn’t replace keyword search, it augments it, speeding up the process of search using natural language processes that understands conversational search or speech – it’s a smart move, but there’s clearly a long way to go.

“Right now, when I search for trains to Warwickshire, I get a list of search results for train operator websites, but I don’t yet get times for the next trains pulled into fact boxes by Google,” said Maude.

• Not everything is so straightforward in Google land, as Google's chat protocols Hangouts and Talk, suffered a privacy issue on the 26 September that saw instant messages routed to unintended recipients.

7 HIDDEN FEATURES IN  IOS 7

It’s been out for more than a week, but we’re still finding and noticing little things about iOS 7. We’ve already listed some of the major problems and major tips we have, and reviewed the OS, but there’s always more. Next week, we’ll explore a few annoying things we’d like Apple to change, but for now, here are a few useful nuggets hidden in Apple’s increasingly dense Settings menu. We hope these help you save a little battery life, or time. 

You can turn Touch ID on or off with ease

If you’re scared of the NSA, or just don’t like Apple’s newfangled Touch ID fingerprint sensor, then you can easily deactivate it. Go to Settings > General > Passcode & Fingerprint. In this menu, you can Change your 4-digit passcode, make it longer, complicated word, and mess with your fingerprints on record. Enter the Fingerprints menu to scan more of your fingers (or if you’re Andrew Couts, your junk, too), and choose whether to use Fingerprint authentication for unlocking the phone and iTunes/App Store purchases. Though people are saying Touch ID has already been hacked, we still think it’s a lot better than a simple password.

Bonus: If you want to know which fingers you’ve scanned, simply touch one of your fingers to the Home button while in the Fingerprints menu. If it’s a stored fingerprint, one of the rows will turn grey for a second, indicating that you’re good to go.

You can simplify the Notification Center

You can simplify the Notification Center

                                                                                        

We think the pull-down Notification Center screen on the iPhone is fairly useless no matter how you slice it, but if you want to tailor it to your needs a little more, you can. Go to Settings > Notification Center and start marking and unmarking boxes. You can turn off the Today View, Calendar, Stocks, Reminders, and more. If you want to get really granular, you can enable and disable every single app’s ability to send notifications, and customize whether they come in as an alert, banner notification, or silent notification, depending how you care to be notified. Every app can be given different sounds as well. The options are pretty robust.

You can choose which apps can use cellular data

Here’s something really cool. If you’re going over your phone’s data limit, or in danger of it (that’s probably all of you), go to Settings > Cellular. In this menu you can toggle cellular data, roaming, and LTE (high-speed data) on and off, but also turn every app’s ability to use cellular data (at any time) on or off. This isn’t just background usage. If you disable an app on this menu, it won’t ever be able to use cellular data. When you enter an app that you’ve disabled, it will tell you that it can’t use cellular data. In some cases, this means your apps will be unusable unless you’re on a Wi-Fi connection. But it’s great that the choice is yours.

You can choose which apps can run in the background

In iOS 7, Apps can now operate more freely in the background. This is often great. It means that your Podcast collection might be able to sync without you having to enter the app and have it open, among other things. However, if too many apps are running in the background, it can impact your battery life. You can toggle every app that’s capable of running in the background in Settings > General > Background App Refresh. We recommend that you let mapping apps run in the background, as well as Apple’s Weather App. 

Siri can learn to pronounce things right

This isn’t inside the Settings menu precisely, but if Siri is mispronouncing things for you, you may want to correct it. Simply say “that’s not how you pronounce that” and it will ask you how to actually say it. If you have more Siri questions, hit the small question mark circle in the lower left of the Siri app and it will tell you all the ways you can communicate with it. Or if you want Siri to be a man or disable it entirely, head to Settings > General > Siri. 

You can make the text larger and bolder

If you have terrible eyesight, then you may want to consider buying a larger phone (like a Galaxy Note), but if you also hate big phones, Apple has a few settings to help you make things easier to read. To increase or decrease the default size of text, head to Settings > General > Text Size and adjust the slider bar. If that isn’t enough, there are a few more things you can try. You can Bold Text by going to Settings > General > Accessibility. This menu also has a feature called Increase Contrast that will make menus easier to read. Finally, if these just aren’t working, try enabling Zoom (also in the Accessibility menu). This lets you tap on the screen with three fingers to zoom in and look around. Tap with three fingers again to unzoom.

You can tone down animations if they’re making you sick

The truest sign of success for Apple is that it’s OS is used by enough people that there are some people who cannot handle the minimal animations present in the operating system. If the parallax effect (3D-like effect of icons on the home screen) and other animations are giving you headaches or making you nauseous, you can “reduce” the problem a little. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion to reduce animations. There is no easy way to entirely remove animations. You may want to invest in an Android phone (and you’ll still need a mod) to remove animations entirely.

That’s it, for now

We may update this with a more complete list of Settings in the future. If you have tips you’d like to share with other users, please leave a comment below.

Google Updates Gmail, Voice, YouTube For Android

Google pushes out slew of improvements to Android apps, including cards for Gmail and a remote locking option for Android Device Manager.

Google is constantly updating its mobile apps and services and this week offered new versions of three key apps for Android devices: Gmail, Google Voice, YouTube and Android Device Manager.

The latest update to Gmail brings the application in line with the card-based user interface Google has been slowly introducing across its mobile apps. Google has applied the card look to the conversation view within Gmail. Google believes this makes conversations easier to read and follow from message to message. The application also added new check marks to make it easier to see when multiple messages have been selected for actions such as move, archive or delete. Last, Gmail now provides a visual indicator about sync status. If sync is off, the app will let you know so you don't miss messages.

Gmail is free to download from the Google Play Store. It is compatible with devices running Android 4.0 and up.

Google surprised fans of its Google Voice service this week with a minor update to the app. Google Voice has been gathering dust for a while. The update doesn't add much to Voice. Google Voice now offers a warning when users attempt to send text messages to 911. It also added support for new short codes and fixed a number of bugs.

[ Google just made its Wallet electronic payment service available to users of iOS devices. Read Google Wallet Arrives For iOS. ]

Google Voice appears to have fallen out of Google's good graces. Many think the service and associated apps are next on Google's list of "spring cleaning" shutdowns. The app has been neglected for nearly a year, as it continues to have limited functionality -- it doesn't support MMS messages, for example.

For those still maintaining a Google Voice number, the update is free to download from the Play Store.

Google recently updated the YouTube application for Android devices. There's no change log for the latest version of YouTube, and it likely only contains bug fixes. The app was overhauled recently with a number of new features.

Last, Google updated the Android Device Manager with one significant new feature. Users can now remotely lock their Android device with a new passcode entered on the Web. When the service first launched, users could locate their device by ringing it, or erase it completely. The locking feature is a nice in-between step that can be used to secure a device while preserving the information on it.

Microsoft to end security updates for Windows XP next year.

 Microsoft announced that it will not be releasing any more security updatesfor its Windows XP operating system, meaning XP-loyal users are going to face a difficult time in converting their systems to the latest version of Windows 8. 

The end of security updates to XP would mean that any flaws reported by hackers will not be fixed by the company. 

Microsoft ended security updates to many of its previous Windows versions like Windows 95, 98, Vista and XP would be the latest to finally face the axe after Microsoft updated it several times before. 

XP has key security features missing, can't support the latest, safest and most web-compatible versions of Internet Explorer and can't take full advantage of the latest hardware advances. 

Users familiar with the good-old Windows XP might have to upgrade to a new computer, upgraded software and possibly new accessories like printers and scanners and yet the biggest change would be the switch to the Windows 8 OS which has its own set of complexities to access. 

According to the report, Windows 8 is the only operating system available on new computers and since it is radically different from previous versions, desktop owners will find the system complex to operate which is ideally meant for touchscreen tablets.

Mobile computing:Ocean of technology in the hands.

Mobile computing is human–computer interaction by which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software. Communication issues include ad hoc and infrastructure networks as well as communication properties,protocols, data formats and concrete technologies. Hardware includes mobile devices or device components. Mobile software deals with the characteristics and requirements of mobile applications.

Mobile computing is "taking a computer and all necessary files and software out into the field."

"Mobile computing: being able to use a computing device even when being mobile and therefore changing location. Portability is one aspect of mobile computing."

"Mobile computing is the ability to use computing capability without a pre-defined location and/or connection to a network to publish and/or subscribe to information." Uwe Vieille, ACM.org/

Devices

Many types of mobile computers have been introduced since the 1990s including the:

• Personal digital assistant/enterprise digital assistant
• Smartphone
• Tablet computer
• Ultra-Mobile PC
• Wearable computer

Limitations

• Range & Bandwidth: Mobile Internet access is generally slower than direct cable connections, using technologies such as GPRS and EDGE, and more recently HSDPA and HSUPA 3G and 4G networks. These networks are usually available within range of commercial cell phone towers. Higher speed wireless LANs are inexpensive but have very limited range.
• Security standards: When working mobile, one is dependent on public networks, requiring careful use of VPN. Security is a major concern while concerning the mobile computing standards on the fleet. One can easily attack the VPN through a huge number of networks interconnected through the line.
• Power consumption: When a power outlet or portable generator is not available, mobile computers must rely entirely on battery power. Combined with the compact size of many mobile devices, this often means unusually expensive batteries must be used to obtain the necessary battery life.
• Transmission interferences: Weather, terrain, and the range from the nearest signal point can all interfere with signal reception. Reception in tunnels, some buildings, and rural areas is often poor.
• Potential health hazards: People who use mobile devices while driving are often distracted from driving and are thus assumed more likely to be involved in traffic accidents.(While this may seem obvious, there is considerable discussion about whether banning mobile device use while driving reduces accidents or not.) Cell phones may interfere with sensitive medical devices. Questions concerning mobile phone radiation and health have been raised.
• Human interface with device: Screens and keyboards tend to be small, which may make them hard to use. Alternate input methods such as speech or handwriting recognition require training.

In-vehicle computing and fleet computing

Many commercial and government field forces deploy a ruggedized portable computer with their fleet of vehicles. This requires the units to be anchored to the vehicle for driver safety, device security, and ergonomics. Rugged computers are rated for severe vibration associated with large service vehicles and off-road driving and the harsh environmental conditions of constant professional use such as in emergency medical services, fire, and public safety.

Other elements affecting function in vehicle:

• Operating temperature: A vehicle cabin can often experience temperature swings from -20F to +140F. Computers typically must be able to withstand these temperatures while operating. Typical fan-based cooling has stated limits of 95F-100F of ambient temperature, and temperatures below freezing require localized heaters to bring components up to operating temperature (based on independent studies by the SRI Group and by Panasonic R&D).
• Vibration can decrease the life expectancy of computer components, notably rotational storage such as HDDs.
• Visibility of standard screens becomes an issue in bright sunlight.
• Touchscreen users easily interact with the units in the field without removing gloves.
• High-temperature battery settings: Lithium ion batteries are sensitive to high temperature conditions for charging. A computer designed for the mobile environment should be designed with a high-temperature charging function that limits the charge to 85% or less of capacity.
• External antenna connections go through the typical metal cabins of vehicles which would block wireless reception, and take advantage of much more capable external communication and navigation equipment.

Several specialized manufacturers such as First Mobile Technologies, National Products Inc (Ram Mounts), Gamber Johnson and LedCo build mounts for vehicle mounting of computer equipment for a wide range of vehicles. The mounts are built to withstand the harsh conditions and maintain ergonomics.

Specialized installation companies design the mount design, assembling the parts, and installing them in a safe and consistent manner away from airbags, vehicle HVAC controls, and driver controls. Frequently installations will include a WWAN modem, power conditioning equipment, transceiver antennae mounted external to the vehicle, and WWAN/WLAN/GPS/etc.

Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

Google is racing to encrypt the torrents of information that flow among its data centers around the world in a bid to thwart snooping by the NSA and the intelligence agencies of foreign governments, company officials said Friday.

The move by Google is among the most concrete signs yet that recent revelations about the National Security Agency’s sweeping surveillance efforts have provoked significant backlash within an American technology industry that U.S. government officials long courted as a potential partner in spying programs.

Google’s encryption initiative, initially approved last year, was accelerated in June as the tech giant struggled to guard its reputation as a reliable steward of user information amid controversy about the NSA’s PRISM program, first reported in The Washington Post and the Guardian that month. PRISM obtains data from American technology companies, including Google, under various legal authorities.

Encrypting information flowing among data centers will not make it impossible for intelligence agencies to snoop on individual users of Google services, nor will it have any effect on legal requirements that the company comply with court orders or valid national security requests for data. But company officials and independent security experts said that increasingly widespread use of encryption technology makes mass surveillance more difficult — whether conducted by governments or other sophisticated hackers.

“It’s an arms race,” said Eric Grosse, vice president for security engineering at Google, based in Mountain View, Calif. “We see these government agencies as among the most skilled players in this game.”

Experts say that, aside from the U.S. government, sophisticated government hacking efforts emanate from China, Russia, Britain and Israel.

The NSA seeks to defeat encryption through a variety of means, including by obtaining encryption “keys” to decode communications, by using super-computers to break codes, and by influencing encryption standards to make them more vulnerable to outside attack, according to reports Thursday by the New York Times, the Guardian and ProPublica, based on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

But those reports made clear that encryption — essentially converting data into what appears to be gibberish when intercepted by outsiders — complicates government surveillance efforts, requiring that resources be devoted to decoding or otherwise defeating the systems. Among the most common tactics, experts say, is to hack into individual computers or other devices used by people targeted for surveillance, making what amounts to an end run around coded communications.

Security experts say the time and energy required to defeat encryption forces surveillance efforts to be targeted more narrowly on the highest-priority targets — such as terrorism suspects — and limits the ability of governments to simply cast a net into the huge rivers of data flowing across the Internet.

“If the NSA wants to get into your system, they are going to get in . . . . Most of the people in my community are realistic about that,” said Christopher Soghoian, a computer security expert at the American Civil Liberties Union. “This is all about making dragnet surveillance impossible.”

Google turns 15: How it has changed our lives

From a garage startup in Silicon Valley to a multi-billion dollar company that has more than 70 offices in over 40 global locations, in 15 years, Google has come a long way. It has changed the way we study, communicate and find places. Now to do most tasks, there's always an option to 'Google' it.

“I do not take the effort to memorize information that I can easily find on Google,” says 28-year-old marketing professional Divyam Kumar who knows he can depend on the search giant for help for almost everything. “I don't even need to remember difficult spellings or locations,” he says.

Daniel D'Mello (@danieldmello) agrees with Kumar. “I don't need to remember locations or names of specific sources of information anymore. No more books, libraries, websites,” he says. “I just need to know what I'm looking for. Through Google, or Google Scholar, the answer is at my fingertips.” 

So common is this dependence on Google that a 2012 study suggests that people actively forget information if they think they can look it up later. It also states that our minds are changing to ensure we're experts at knowing where to find the info even without being able to recall it.

What made Google make us this way? How does it make itself so relevant?

For a typical query on Google, “there are thousands, if not millions, of webpages with helpful information.” And it is its algorithms that have been developed over years – that throws up the most-related and relevant links and answers to questions you ask.

Today, Google’s algorithms rely on more than 200 unique “clues” that make it possible to guess what you might really be looking for. These signals include things like the terms on websites, the freshness of content, your region and PageRank. This very ability makes people use Google everyday to find everything. Tech journalist Nimish Dubey (@nimishdubey) admits. “Google made a search page my landing page for everything from news to images to videos. Pretty astounding."

The search also has 22 special features that can be activated by typing trigger words. For example, one can use it to find the current time, stock quotes, sports scores, and the weather. You can also use it directly for doing calculations.

Then there is the story of how Google changed the way we use email to become the world's most popular email service. When Gmail was introduced in 2004, it was the first time people heard about free unlimited storage space.

“I would use multiple email IDs because they allowed only 2-4MB storage,” says Chinmay Shah (@chin80), a communications professional who moved to using only one account after Gmail invited users to try its email service that significantly increased storage to 1 GB.

Its minimalistic look and feel made people appreciate it more. The in-email chat grew popular on Gmail although it was not their innovation. Other options like Gmail labs, introduced in 2008, allowed users to try experimental features like the ability to create custom keyboard shortcuts, move the chat box to the right side of the inbox or even the incredible undo send option that lets users 'Stop messages from being sent for a few seconds after hitting the send button'.

Fans of Google Translate, Maps have their say:

French translator Gurudutt Kamath is a big fan of Google Translate, an instant automatic translation tool. “I improve my French to English translations using it because it lets me learn new terminologies about new domains like nuclear science and cardiology,” he says. Translate currently supports 71 languages. First launched in 2006, the service is used by over 200 million people every month on  translate.google.com and Google services such as Chrome, mobile apps, YouTube.

Homemaker Ranjana Vashist uses Google Maps on her phone when she is exploring new places. “I use it in the city and even when I travel to new destinations. It's handy especially in areas where there is no one you can ask for directions.” The web-mapping service that offers a route planner for travelling by foot, car, bike, or with public transportation and also lets users see which areas are congested with traffic in real-time was acquired by Google in 2004.

Then of course there is YouTube, the second most-used search engine in the world. The site hosts millions of videos created by people including teachers and artists. It's partner program has allowed these creators of video content to make money and some make a living just creating videos that people want to see. "YouTube is my favourite teacher," says Tanisha Dey. "I have learnt how to play the guitar, canvas paint and even braid my hair in 5 different ways on the website."

Other Google tools and services include:

Chrome: Its web browser

Google Docs, now Drive: Online file sharing and collab editing tech

Android: Mobile operating platform for smartphones and tablets.

Google Ad Sense: It's ad serving application for online publishers

Tell us how Google has had an impact on you. Share your views below

Google says next version of Android will be called KitKat.

Sundar Pichai, head of Androiddivision at Google, on Tuesday revealed on Twitter that the next version of the company'smobile operating system (OS) will be called Android KitKat.

"We now have over 1 billion Android activations and hope this guy in front of the building keeps that momentum going," Pichai tweeted as well as posted an image of a giant Android mascot built like KitKat chocolate.

Earlier, there were rumours that the next version of the OS would be called Android Key Lime Pie.

Since Android 1.5, Google has named each version of the OS after a sweet. Android 1.5 was Cupcake. Android 1.6 was Donut. Android 2.0 was Eclair. Android 2.2 was Froyo. Android 2.3 was Gingerbread. Android 3.0 was Honeycomb. Android 4.0 was Ice Cream Sandwich. And Android 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 have been called Jelly Bean.

"Android is the operating system that powers over 1 billion smartphones and tablets. Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert... As everybody finds it difficult to stay away from chocolate we decided to name the next version of Android after one of our favorite chocolate treats, Kitkat," Google said.

The KitKat will be Android 4.4. So far there is no word on when Google will release this OS but it is likely to debut in the market with the new Nexus phone in the coming months.

Google announced the new version of Android just minutes after Apple sent out invites for an event on September 10 where it is likely to launch the next version of iPhone.

For KitKat name Google has tied up with Nestle, which makes KitKat chocolates.

"We couldn't imagine a better name for our Android K release than the tasty chocolate that's been a favourite among the team since the early days of Android," said Marc Vanlerberghe, director of Android marketing.

Nestle said that to mark the release of Android KitKat, more than 50 million specially branded KitKat bars will be available in 19 countries including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Dubai, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The packs will lead consumers to the website www.android.com/kitkat where they will have the opportunity to win prizes including a limited number of Google Nexus 7 tablets, and credits to spend in Google Play.

A small number of Android robot-shaped KitKat bars will be offered as prizes in selected markets.