

PREDICTIVE KEYBOARD#At a glance, Jelly Bean's keyboard looks a lot like the stock edition found in Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). But start typing, and you'll see something different. Or, something completely familiar if you're an avid user of SwiftKey. Google didn't take too much time to point it out, but the new prediction algorithm tucked into Jelly Bean's factory keyboard is hugely noteworthy. On one hand, it's a bit strange to see Google effectively ape functionality already hammered out by the folks at SwiftKey. While most of the mainstream swoons over Swype, the Engadget crew remains infatuated with SwiftKey's devilishly intelligent keyboard. Much like that third-party alternative, Google's version learns as you type and begins to make next-word recommendations based on familiar phrases you use. Better still, the center word option can be toggled into a multi-word matrix with a simple long-press. In practice, it works just as beautifully as SwiftKey (save for those times when we typed three or four words together sans spacing), and it's certainly convenient having that voice search microphone button just a tap away.`

OFFLINE MAPS#Google promised us earlier this month that its offline mapping solution would be coming soon -- just in time for Apple to debut its own mapping solution for iOS 6. Right in line with Jelly Bean's launch, offline Maps is now a reality for Android smartphones. It's exactly what you probably assume it is: the same Maps you know and love, but with the ability to navigate sans a live data connection. The concept here is far from new; even in early 2010, a Nokia device was pulling top honors in our smartphone GPS shootout thanks to its ability to operate offline. Fast forward a few years, and the Lumia's Nokia Drive app still remains a phenomenal option due to -- you guessed it -- offline support. It's actually kind of startling that it has taken Google this long to join the party, and now that it has, we're left with mixed feelings.`

HOMESCREEN TWEAKS#You won't find too many differences on the homescreen, but you will find a homescreen that's easier to get along with. When customizing the layout on each pane, it's simpler now to drag icons around until they're just so. It's designed to automatically accommodate your apps and widgets, but we still saw the unfortunate "There's no room for this widget" more than once. Of note, you can also remove any unwanted apps and widgets with a quick swipe up and off the home screen.`

GOOGLE NOW AND VOICE SEARCH#ithout question, this is the highlight of Jelly Bean. Laypeople will refer to it as Google's version of Siri, and in some ways, it certainly acts as a personal assistant. But in some ways, it's more than Siri. Google Now can be activated by holding down the "Home" key and swiping up (or just swiping north from the lock screen). But unlike Siri, which simply requires you to start speaking, this action in Jelly Bean brings up an entirely new portal. Now unfolds, revealing a scrollable list of "Cards" that are just beautiful. (Unlike those from the webOS days, these scroll down rather than across, and don't swipe up or down as the images in the new Gallery do.) The fonts, textures and borders on these things are truly gorgeous. It's a fun place to fix your eyes within Android, because truthfully, it's lovely to look at. Beyond that, though, it's also highly informative. The cards that emerge will become better with time -- assuming you opt into Now from the get-go. You see, Now makes no bones about how it gains intelligence: it watches you. It remembers what you frequently search for. It looks at your current location. It recalls which flights you've been searching for. It's kind of creepy, but honestly, that's what makes it wise. It's also worth noting just how natural the robotic voice is whenever you are lucky enough to ask Now something that it can reply to. It's entirely believable, unlike the very humanoid-y Siri.`

OFFLINE VOICE DICTATION#Asking Now a question that obviously requires an internet connection to answer isn't a wise use of time. But, those with Jelly Bean can finally hammer out emails to send later via voice. Somehow -- likely using a combination of black magic and AdSense-enabled Time Travel -- Google has managed to squash its US English language voice recognition tools into the OS' fabric. Even in airplane mode, we were able to vocally compose emails and text messages with ease. In fact, we saw no difference whatsoever in the composition regardless of whether we had five bars of HSPA+ or a tiny Airplane up in the status bar. For those keeping count, Apple's voice dictation feature -- along with Siri -- requires a live internet connection to be useful. Nice play, Google; now, just cook up something similar for all of those other tongues out there.`

WRAP-UP#In addition to the facets covered above (and this here easter egg), Jelly Bean also supports a new tap-to-air feature for Bluetooth-plus-NFC-enabled speakers; just tap your phone to an adequately equipped speaker, and your tunes start streaming. It's beautifully simple, and it works nicely alongside an updated version of Beam that supports photo sharing over simple bumps, too. All in all, it's tough to complain about a free update that both adds highly useful features and makes the overall system snappier. That's exactly what Google has managed to accomplish with Jelly Bean, which feels just stupendous in use on our Galaxy Nexus review unit. The speed improvements are subtle, but those who have used ICS for any length of time will notice them. It's sort of like transitioning from the iPhone 3G to the 3GS; the hastened transitions are just enough to spoil you once you've encountered them.`