Waiting patiently for the official release of the latest version of Android has never been an easy thing to do. Even when the switch is flipped and the latest variant of Google’s mobile operating system goes live, it still inevitably takes an eternity for it to filter through the approval process of various manufacturers and networks and make it onto existing devices. That is one of the reasons why we often see individual elements ripped right out of new Android versions and packaged up for existing users to flash onto their current installations, which is something that has happened with the core Google apps from Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
We have already seen the Android community taking 4.2 Jelly Bean apart and making the new keyboard available, as well as other elements of the recently announced update. This latest release comes courtesy of an Android tinkerer, and is a little more functional than the previous release. The Android lover has made all of the core Google apps from Android 4.2 available in one single package that can be flashed directly onto the Galaxy Nexus smartphone.
All of the familiar ‘gapps‘ are there, including Calendar, Google Maps, Google Talk, Chrome, Gallery, Voice Search and even the Street View functionality that comes attached with Google’s own mapping system. All of the apps that are included in the download file have been grabbed directly from the Android 4.2 dump, and will offer any additional functionality or user-interface changes that Google might have bundled into the apps as part of the Android 4.2 experience.
The release of the core Google apps follows hot on the heels of the earlier release of the Android 4.2 Clock, the keyboard and PhotoSphere APKs, meaning that Android users should be starting to build up a pretty decent idea of what 4.2 will be like on their Galaxy Nexus. In addition to the aforementioned APKs and the core apps that are now available, the Android 4.2 Google Wallet apps is also available to download to add to the fun.
It may be entirely unknown when Android 4.2 will eventually make it onto existing devices that are already out in the wild, but at least with the publication of these APK sets, users can get a taste of what is to come.
(via AndroidSpin)
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.