The new Android operating system will be called KitKat, according to Sundar Pichai, VP of Google, Android and Chrome. The website welcoming potential users makes it clear that KitKat is the codename for the new Android 4.4, not for the long-rumored Android 5.0. The name continues the companys tradition of giving each update of its mobile system the name of a dessert.Until just lately, Google referred to the system internally as Key Lime Pie, though the company switched to the other name after noting that few people know what Key Lime pie tastes like. KitKat started being mentioned as a possible name last year after it was seen to be the chocolate treat preferred by Android coders, so we decided to reach out to the Nestle folks, said John Lagerling, director of Android Partnerships, in order to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody. In a post on the Google+ page, Pichai said he returned from a trip to Asia after meeting with the companys hardware partners, noting that up to now more than 1 billion devices have been activated. “I can’t wait to release the next version of the platform that is as sweet as the candy bar that’s one of our team’s favorites,” Pichai said. To consolidate the partnership, a new Willy Wonka-type contest offers buyers of specially identified KitKat packs the chance to win a Nexus 7, a Google Play credit, and even a KitKat chocolate bar in the form of an Android robot.
