Google release Android 'Jelly Bean' 4.1 source code

Posted on 10 Jul 2012 at 10:29, by Gareth Halfacree

Google has released the source code to its latest Android release, Android 'Jelly Bean' 4.1, giving developers the chance to port the software to older devices.

Designed to bridge the usability gap between the way Android 'Ice Cream Sandwich' 4.0 works on small-screen devices like smartphones and large-screen devices like tablets, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 officially launched with the unveiling of the Nexus 7. Google's first own-brand tablet, the Nexus 7 has, as its name suggests, a 7in display - meaning that the standard smartphone ICS interface feels sparse, but the tablet ICS interface for 10in devices feels cramped.

Jelly Bean then, addresses this issue - but also brings some new features of its own to the mix. Google has promised that over-the-air updates for existing Ice Cream Sandwich devices will be available to upgrade them to Jelly Bean, but has yet to provide a firm schedule or a list of compatible devices.

Thankfully, the Android Open Source Project has a firmer schedule in mind. Late last night, Jean-Baptiste Queru - Google's technical lead for the AOSP - formally announced the release of the source code to 'Jelly Bean.' With access to the code, developers can start to port it to non-Nexus devices - either as an official effort by a handset manufacturer, or as part of a community effort like the popular CyanogenMod third-party Android builds.

As well as the software source code, Queru confirmed the release of proprietary binary builds for the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus devices, while promising that binary builds for the last-generation Nexus S and Motorola Xoom would follow in due course.

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