Want to try out some of that fancy new Android 4.4 KitKat software that comes with the Google Nexus 5, but not ready to buy a new phone (or patient enough to wait for an official release for your device)? No problem.

Google has posted a factory image of the Nexus 5 online, and folks have dug through the software to find the default apps that come preloaded. You can download and run many of them on existing Android devices — although there’s no guarantee everything will work perfectly on all devices.

Google Home

Droid Life has a list of download links for apps including the latest Google Calendar, Camera, Clock, Email, Gallery, Gmail, Gallery Hangouts, Keyboard, Search, and Home screen apps.

Among other things, this lets you use Google’s new Emoji keyboard, use Hangouts to manage your SMS, use the new Email app with slide-out navigation, and more.

Note that in order to get the new Home screen/launcher app to work, you’ll need to install Google Play Services 4.0, Google Search, and the Home APK file.

And in order to keep Search from crashing, you’ll want to go to the settings, select voice, change it to something other than language and return to the home screen. Then do a Google Search and then repeat the process, this time selecting English (or whatever language you want to use).

via Phandroid and Droid Life

 

 

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