Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: 5 New Features We Can't Wait To Try

How sweet it is! Google has given developers a taste of Android 4.1 (codenamed "Jelly Bean"), the latest update to the company's OS for mobile devices.

Jelly Bean will come preloaded on the Nexus 7 tablet (which Google debuted moments after unwrapping Jelly Bean), which is available for purchase online now and will ship in July. The company also said that Jelly Bean will roll out next month to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S smartphones, as well as to the Motorola Xoom tablet. Other upgradable devices are likely to be announced later. (Judging by what an inconsistent mess the updates to Android 4.0 have been, we can only hope for a more orderly and efficient rollout.)

Google promises that Jelly Bean will offer users a smoother, faster, more responsive experience than Ice Cream Sandwich, for which Jelly Bean is the first major update. Browse our gallery for a sampling of the 5 new Jelly Bean features we can't wait to try for ourselves. Then, check out the rest of the highlights from Google I/O 2012, including the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q streaming receiver, an utterly insane Google "glasses" demo and much more.