Android 4.2 Key Lime Pie Rumor Roundup: Project Roadrunner, revamped Play Store, and more

In our latest trip to the rumor mill, we’ve come back with a whole slew of chatter about the possible features we’ll see in Android 4.2, which is apparently on the horizon with an exciting bag of tricks and tweaks to improve our already stellar mobile experience. Here’s the lowdown on what we believe will be called Key Lime Pie!

Disclaimer: 

What you are about to read is based strictly on rumors, and while they do come from a pretty credible source, nothing has been set in stone just yet. With “Google Season” creeping up on us faster than you can shake a stick at it, all truth will come to light soon. That being said, here’s what we’ve got for you on this fine Sunday afternoon.

Project Roadrunner

Details on Project Roadrunner are scarce at the moment, but what we’ve heard so far is that it focuses on optimizing battery life. In Jelly Bean, we saw Project Butter, which was all about making the Android OS faster and more responsive. If the Project Roadrunner rumor stands true, this might just be the motherload update we’ve all been waiting for.

Customization Center

Another exciting rumor is that of a new Customization Center, where you can change ringtones, language packs, background, launchers, and other odds and ins. There are also templates that change the appearance of all (newly introduced) dynamic icons at once, and post filters that change the look of the entire UI.

The real goldmine though, lies in the fact that manufacturers will have the ability to provide their custom UI skins (TouchWiz, Sense, Motoblur, etc etc) through the Customization Center, though it will not be a requirement. What this means is, when a new version of Android is released, if your manufacturer is slacking on providing an update, you won’t be left out in the cold waiting.

Instead, the user will be able to still download the update in stock AOSP form, if they so choose to. When the manufacturer gets around to publishing the latest version of its skin, the user can then then download and apply it without any issues.

This is something Android has needed since the beginning, but hey — if it comes in Key Lime Pie, we’ll still be tickled pink, and it should result in the beginning of the end, as far as Android fragmentation is concerned.

Updated Google Now, Play Store, and Video Player

Rounding things up — at least for now — it looks like Google Now, the Google Play Store, and the stock video player app will all be revamped. The Play Store will get new features like personalized search, optional promotional campaigns with notification center integration, more billing options, and easier in-app micro-transactions.

The video player app is said to get a “major revamp”, as well as new API support for use with 3rd-party services, and Google Now will provide help for basic OS functions. Essentially meaning, you’ll be able to ask your phone questions like, “How do I turn on WiFi?” or “How do I enable Facelock?”, which will be a pretty helpful feature for Android newcomers.

We don’t expect these rumors to be confirmed or denied until sometime next month, but we’ll be right here waiting to hear more and we’ll be sure to let you know when we do.

Until then, hit up the comment thread and tell us what you think of all of this. If there’s truth here, will you be satisfied with Android 4.2? Is there anything you were hoping to see that isn’t covered? We’d love to hear from you!

Via: AndroidAndMe