Motorola releases Android 4.4 update for Moto G ahead of schedule
The pleasantly inexpensive Motorola Moto G has been on the market for only a couple of weeks now but it is already getting its first big software update. Motorola announced on Dec. 20 that Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the most recent version of Android available from Google is now ready for the entry level handset. The company had first expected to launch the update in the early part of 2014 but it was able to get ahead of its target by several weeks.
Like the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Moto X and other Motorola devices, the Moto G update offers a wonderful user experience, improved and enhanced performance over the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software that it was released with. The handset, however, does not include the Google Caller ID or Google Experience Launcher offered on the Nexus 5.
Some new features include improvements to navigation and restyle status bars, new full-screen mode, new colour emoji, improved phone dialer app, enhanced touch to focus and photo editing features in the Gallery app.
Motorola added support for printing pictures from Gmail, Google Docs and other phone content through WiFI, Bluetooth and hosted services like HP ePrinters and Google Cloud Print. The Android 4.4.2 Moto G update also incorporates a new Google Hangouts version, which supports MMS and messages.
It's worth noting that the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update has been rolling out to different Nexus devices and Moto G is the first non-Nexus device to get the upgrade. In November, Motorola rolled out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for Moto X.
The Motorola Moto G has a 4.5-inch edge-to-edge HD display with 720 x 1280 pixel (or pixel density of 329 ppi) resolution and sports a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen. The Moto G is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon 400 quad core processor with an Adreno 305 GPU and 1 GB of RAM. The Moto G boasts of a 5 MP rear camera with an LED flash and a 1.3 MP front facing camera. The rear camera is capable of HD (720p) video recording.
The Android 4.4.2 KitKat update will be sent to Moto G phones purchased from Motorola.com and Amazon in the United States first, while other carriers and regions will receive it in the near future.