S4 on KitKat - what's new

As soon as I saw Ryan Moore post about the S4 KitKat update I knew it was time to start hitting that update button. Even though I knew I would hardly notice the difference:) I caught the update on the first hit so here's what I'm seeing and reading about on the web.

There were a couple of parts to this update, the OS, camera firmware and Knox. I am using Knox to sandbox my work stuff.

First the OS - similar but not exactly the same as the version of KitKat running on the TabPRO. Some stuff is missing (the off set for the autobrightness) and some stuff is back (Swype). The Play Store version of Swype had gotten very laggy but from a quick check it seems this version is quick again. I do check the GPS after the horrible performance of the orginal Galaxy S. It took a moment for the first lock but after that it was all good. Everything else worked great. All the apps seem to be working well - the advantage of letting things settle and the Nexus owners do all the bug reporting before updating:) We have face and voice unlock as an option and you can get the camera and media player shortcuts on the lock screen. Overall the device is quicker; even the gallery app has less of a think before letting you see your photos.

The camera firmware was also updated. No new features were added but the camera is more responsive.

Knox has also tightened up a bit. Before the update my google user was included in the Knox version of S Planner but now it is strictly my Exchange account. I take a photo and it does not back up anywhere, I can attach it to a reply with my work email account. The Knox apps store is still eyewatering but seems to be filling with business apps.

Nice update.



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