Android 4.4 KitKat represents a dramatic shift in Google's mobile OS. Android is no stranger to change—Google has dramatically reinvented it several times now—but many aspects of this particular update warrant a closer look. The new Android home screen, for example, may not look much different from the home screens in Jelly Bean or even Ice Cream Sandwich, but it gives us a better understanding of what Google may want Android to look like in the future.
Flat is in
KitKat (left) looks a lot like Jelly Bean (right).
Following in the footsteps of Windows Phone and iOS 7, the new Android home screen is flatter and displays larger icons that almost demand to be poked. The dock at the bottom of the screen has gone translucent and seems to flow into the software navigation buttons on the Nexus 5.
The Google search bar at the top of the screen is a permanent fixture: It shows up on all of your home screens and takes a page out of the Moto X's book by allowing you to dictate commands. The feature is similar to the Touchless Controls found in Motorola's latest batch of smartphones, but you can activate it only by saying "Okay Google" when the device is on and set to the home screen.
Google Now includes a few additional options to make it easier to customize. (Click for full image.)
Liberated from the depths of Google's Search app, Google Now occupies the leftmost home-screen pane, though you can still access it at any time by swiping up from the home button. Google Now behaves just as it does on other Android phones and tablets, though KitKat includes an updated version that lets you customize your experience more effectively by establishing a few parameters. As you set up Google Now, the software asks how you prefer to get around, which sports teams you follow, and which locations it should keep track of.
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