Android KitKat Announced, Google Hits 1 Billion Android Activations

Google’s Sundar Pichai, head of both Android and Chrome, has confirmed (via a Google+ post) that the next version of Android will be called KitKat.  A splash page for the new operating system reveals that KitKat will be the codename for Android 4.4, not the long-rumored Android 5.0.

Google is continuing the trend of dessert names for Android releases and to make this release even sweeter, KitKat (the actual candy bar) is giving you the chance to win a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit. Just look for specially branded KitKat candy bars featuring the Android robot in a store near you.  Once you purchase a KitKat with an Android robot on it, you can head over to the splash page to see if you won anything.  Talk about quite the marketing campaign.

In terms of specifics regarding the campaign/contest, the contest will be offering up 1,000 Nexus 7 tablets, 150,000 $5 Google Play credits, and 20,000 coupons for a free 8 ounce bag of KitKat Minis. It all kicks off September 6th and runs through January 31, 2014.

Pichai also said in a Google+ post that he just returned from meeting with hardware partners in Asia, and he added another little tidbit: there are now over 1 billion Android activations.  Now that is pretty sweet.