Google Android 4.2 pushed to AOSP

Google AndroidGoogle today pushed out Android 4.2 Jelly Bean to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It can be found under the name “android-4.2_r1.” Factory images for the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and the Galaxy Nexus (“takju” version) will also be available.

The Google Nexus 10 was billed as “the best choice for AOSP work on 4.2.”

Everything except the GPU code is Open Source, and the only proprietary binaries besides the GPU libraries are firmware files that get loaded into the various peripheral chips. No flagship device so far has been so open, and no flagship device so far has had that level of AOSP support at launch.

This news will not mean much for most users but, for developers, this is the chance to dig into the source code. It also opens the door to custom ROMs.

The announcement came with some bad (although not completely unsurprising) news. Google 4.2 will not be supported on the Google Nexus S or Motorola XOOM. Both will remain on Android 4.1.2.

Read more: Android Building Google Group