Fancy a slice of Key Lime Pie? A Google employee has served up a tasty treat of a cartoon giving us the strongest hint yet for the name of the hotly anticipated next Android update.
Google software engineer Manu Cornet, who also produces the tech-themed webcomic Bonkers World, doodled the evolution of Android pictured above. The image is "just for fun" and we shouldn't read much into it, but with rumours of the Key Lime Pie name swirling since the start of this year, this is a pretty strong indication from inside Google that the next version will indeed be lime-flavoured.
Google names each new version of the Android software for phones and tablets after a veritable sweet trolley of tasty treats, arrayed in alphabetical order. We've so far feasted on Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean, with Key Lime Pie set to be the next sweet treat to get the Android treatment.
The latest version of Android is Jelly Bean 4.2, which adds the clever Photo Sphere camera feature and debuts on the Google Nexus 4.
Android updates aren't without controversy, however. Jelly Bean 4.2 broke Bluetooth on many phones and managed to miss out December from some apps, forcing Google to rush out a hasty 4.2.1 update. And phone manufacturers struggle to get new software onto your blowers -- even claiming that updates can damage your phone.
As a result, most phone fans are stuck with what they feel is out-of-date software even on brand new phones. As of November, Ice Cream Sandwich is on a quarter of Android phones but more than half still run Gingerbread -- three generations old, not including the tablet-focused Honeycomb.
Will Key Lime Pie defeat the iPhone for good? What do you want to see from the next version of Android? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 16
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anonymous 4 December, 2012 13:11
What I would like to see is an application for notes with encryption for passwords, etc and location based reminders. I would also like to see more improvements in security for business use. Furthering refining and improving of the software.
anonymous 4 December, 2012 14:29
" not including the tablet-focused Honeycomb." - Are you serious? Nearly all tablets have switched to ICS apart from those that were built on v2.X therefore weren't even honeycomb tablets to begin with (tend to be the cheaper tablets like the old Arnovas). The only real bottleneck was for the manufacturers to port their own software to ICS like when the Asus Transformer had to wait what felt like an age. /rant
anonymous 4 December, 2012 14:32
Just to add some references to my rant above http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html
Honeycomb 3.1 is 0.4% and 3.2 is 1.2% - combined they make the smallest slice of the Android lime distribution pie.
jaam 4 December, 2012 14:57
@ Anonymous - re note app - there are loads on the market so its pointless Android including one. Re encryption - most apps have password option and include most of the features you requested. Encryption is done by the phone itself, refer to Privacy/Security depending on which version you are on - you need to encrypt your whole card, or you could just use the cloud services. So this is already catered for.
@ Anonymous re fragmentation. Don't worry most of the "reporters" really don't understand. The don't realise it is the first number that is actually the true variant i.e. 1, 2 , 3
& 4 - the rest are more updates.
Andrew Darrow 4 December, 2012 15:03
Too many variations, and carriers slow to adopt upgrades will leave for an inconsistent mark in the Android adoption progress. Yes it is far superior to Apple in many ways, but they are starting to resemble Apple in limiting new OS availability to new phones only, when clearly the OS can run on older phones as demonstrated by the community of users like myself who have unlocked their phone and installed a custom ROM
anonymous 4 December, 2012 15:10
What the corporate world would like is S/MIME encryption and better security compliance with SD cards. Right now, the biggest stumbling block is the remote wipe. When Exchange initiates a remote wipe of a lost device, the main phone is wiped, but the SD card is left unaffected. This poses a huge security risk if there is any sensitive data on the card.
anonymous 4 December, 2012 15:20
Is it just me or does the Cupcake android and the Gingerbread Android look evil?
CaptainPicard 4 December, 2012 16:13
Yes they look evil. I'd really like to see better internet data saving features, especially on the Android browser. Data compression technology and software already exist, and their are numerous apps that can do this, but its all scattered throughout different apps, I want it to be in the heart of Android.
anonymous 4 December, 2012 21:09
Lemon marangue
Mississippi mud pie
New york cheesecake
Orange pineapple pudding
Peppermint candy
Quench gum (hmm)
Raspberry jelly roll
Sticky toffee pudding
Tutti frutti smoothie
Upsidedown cake
Velvet fudge soufle
Walnut whip
X*
Yoghurt fruit delight
Zigzag butter cream
*any suggestions for x
anonymous 5 December, 2012 04:34
I would like to see a much more bright colored screen, and a better front facing camera, slightley bigger keyboard, and an improvement on speakers for music fanatics without headphones!
anonymous 5 December, 2012 08:58
Xtra toppings
anonymous 5 December, 2012 12:01
@anonymous 04:34 you confuse me!
anonymous 5 December, 2012 18:11
Key Lime Pie?? Isn't it supposed to be #kajukatli?? http://www.kajukatli.in
anonymous 20 December, 2012 11:02
Xi Gua which means Chinese watermelon
anonymous 11 February, 2013 12:01
android is gonna have diabetes with all those sweets :P
jikjordan 14 March, 2013 22:15
I completely love the picture.