Google makes Android 4.1 Jelly Bean source code available
updated 06:51 am EDT, Tue July 10, 2012
Google publishes source code for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Google has announced the availability of the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) source code. It has been posted at the Android Open Source Project and comes just over eight months since Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which arrived last October. Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru added that Google had released the "proprietary binaries" for the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus, with the code for the Nexus S and Motorola Xoom to follow.
The public availability of the source code means that manufacturers can now start recompiling the code for devices that they plan on targeting for the update. It will also allow Android hackers including the CyanogenMod team to start working on unofficial patches for various devices for users who don't want to wait for handset makers to get their act together. It will also allow app developers to test their updated code and release patches for their apps.
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) made its debut on the Nexus 7, which was built in a partnership between Asus and Google. The new OS includes a number of enhancements to Ice Cream Sandwich including the Google Now as well as overall speed and UI responsiveness improvements. Currently only 11 percent of Android devices are running the older Ice Cream Sandwich OS and it is expected that those devices will be among the first non-Nexus devices to get upgrades in the coming months.
