I've been checking out Android phones in order to buy one but I've noticed that there are lots of Android softwares available and I have no idea on the differences among them. I've seen Kit Kat, Jelly Bean, etc. Can someone explain to me the differences between them?
Kit Kat and Jelly Bean are just names for their software versions. Android Versions 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 are Jelly Bean. Android 4.4, the newest version of Android, is called Kit Kat. The versions from 2.3 to 4.1 were called Gingerbread. The names mostly change when there's a design overhaul or something major. The biggest change was from Gingerbread to Jelly Bean, because of it's huge design changes. You'll be fine with a phone that supports Jelly Bean or Kit Kat, but I wouldn't recommend anything that can only run Gingerbread versions, because a lot of newer apps require Android 4.1 or higher.
I think Navii has pretty much explained the difference of each Android software versions. I think you would be better off buying the latest versions of Android phones if you plan to install lots of apps in them, but if not then I guess it's ok to buy an older Android phone. I actually use the Gingerbread version, and I have not installed any apps in it so far, I don't like to clutter it.
Oh I see, so it's just the name of that specific version, not two independent, concurrent versions themselves. Thanks, this made my choice much easier as I was split between one that has Jelly Bean and another one with Kit Kat, easier to pick now that I know that Kit Kat is the most recent one.
The problem with Android updates is that the updates don't come out for every phone. If you want to make sure you always have the newest version, then I'd recommend you getting a Google Nexus 5. It actually isn't that bad if you don't always have the newest version available, but Google devices generally get updates the fastest and they are also getting updates for the longest time. If you buy some chinese device you might not get an update ever, even though a lot of updates will come out during the time you own the phone. The problem is, they have to adjust the firmware for every phone by itself, so it's not possible to get updates out for every single phone.
