Google has confirmed it will be bringing a new software update to the Nexus 7 tablet, adding in something new as well as bug fixes. The tablet will remain on Android Jelly Bean, but the version number will be upped to 4.1.2.
The news of the update came from Jean-Baptiste M. “JBQ” Queru, the Technical Lead for the Android Open Source Project at Google. Speaking via the Android Google Group, he confirmed that the update would be coming on October 9th:
“We’re releasing Android 4.1.2 to AOSP today, which is a minor update on top of 4.1.1.”
At 30MB, the update to 4.1.2 isn’t a major one and won’t take too long to download and install – ours took just over a minute, followed by a reboot. Bug fixes and stability improvements are the key parts of the update, which Google hopes will improve the overall user experience with its first tablet.
However, 4.1.2 brings in one interesting addition: landscape mode. Up until now, the Nexus 7 has featured an orientation lock when in the homescreen and app tray, forcing users to hold the tablet in a portrait position. The Nexus 7 can be rotated to landscape mode, but only when in apps that support it, such as Chrome and Facebook. With the update, you should be able to use the device in landscape mode whenever you want.
The update is rolling out now, which is good news for Nexus 7 owners. Being a Google product, this update is likely to be only for the Nexus 7 for the foreseeable future, so don’t expect to see it on any other brand of tablet.
While software updates are on the horizon, Google also looks set to change the hardware game up a bit with a new 32GB version of the Nexus 7.
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