Report: Google's Android 4.2 shipping Oct. 30 via LG Nexus 4

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) will begin shipping the newest iteration of its Android mobile operating system via LG Electronics' new Nexus 4 smartphone, slated to arrive at retail locations  Oct. 30.

A Nexus 4 pre-order page posted by U.K. phone retailer Carphone Warehouse corroborates many rumored details of Android 4.2, indicating that the updated OS will retain the Jelly Bean branding attached to its direct predecessor, Android 4.1. (Many pundits anticipated Android 4.2 would roll out as Android Key Lime Pie; all versions of Android are given dessert-themed nicknames administered in alphabetical order.) New features revealed by Carphone Warehouse include Gesture Typing, which its listing describes as a Swype-like text input tool enabling users to type by "dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter."

Earlier this week, The Next Web reported Android 4.2 also will feature a new widget enabling direct access to the Google Play digital storefront. The revamped OS additionally touts customization options enabling families, small businesses and others who share the same tablet device to set up individual login profiles, complete with their own app libraries and email accounts.

The Carphone Warehouse listing states the Nexus 4 boasts a 4.7-inch screen with a 1280 x 768 resolution, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, Near Field Communications support, an 8-megapixel camera and 8 GB of onboard storage. The smartphone is LG's first Nexus-branded device--Nexus phones are produced by Google in collaboration with selected hardware partners.

The Next Web previously indicated Google will formally unveil Android 4.2 at an Oct. 29 media event. In addition to the LG Nexus 4, Android 4.2 will power a new 10-inch tablet developed by Google in partnership with Samsung Electronics and also slated to debut Oct. 29. Known internally as "Codename Manta," the tablet--expected to hit retail as the Nexus 10--boasts a 2560×1600 pixel (16:10) resolution offering around 300 pixels per inch. The latest edition of Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) rival iPad offers 264 pixels per inch. Google also will premiere an updated 32GB version of its $199 Nexus 7 tablet, built with Asus and first launched in July--a second 32GB version with HSPA+ (3G) support, enabling consumers to use the device in overseas markets, is expected as well.

Earlier this month, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said there are now more than 500 million Android devices in use worldwide, with an average of 1.3 million additional activations each day. "We'll be at 1 billion mobile devices in a year," Schmidt said, adding that Android products already outnumber devices running Apple's iOS by a margin of 4 to 1, calling the battle between the two operating systems "the defining contest" in the mobile technology segment.

For more:
- read this Verge article
- read this MoDaCo article

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