01 May, 2013

When Google I/O is underway, there’s usually some new Android version waiting to be unveiled. Despite all the murmurs about Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, this I/O might bring just 4.3 Jelly Bean.

The version number first showed up in logs of the Android Police website and now Android Authority is reporting its server logs show visits from Android 4.3 devices. They seem to run newer builds than the JWR23B that visited AP (note: the first letter of the build number matches the first letter of the codename).

But more interesting is the list of device names that run version 4.3. There’s the Nexus 4 phone, the older Galaxy Nexus, the two Google tablets, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. Then there are two surprising entries - a yet to be announced Huawei U8819 and a rather low-end Pantech Breakout (listed as ADR8995).

The Breakout packs a single-core 1GHz processor and just 512MB of RAM. If that’s enough oomph for Android 4.3 then the news should be good as far as the eligibility for upgrades of old devices is concerned (it would fall to the manufacturer).

It’s interesting that the Pantech reported it’s running Android 4.3.1 Key Lime Pie so there is a chance the new version of the OS will get a new name, but it could just be an eager dev putting in the wrong name in the build.

Google I/O starts in two weeks, but the two-day keynote has been cut down to a single day, which potentially means no groundbreaking changes (and no 5.0).

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