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Jelly Bean emerges as next version of Android

Rumors indicate that Android's next release will follow the same unconventional naming scheme as its predecessors.

Scott Webster
Scott Webster has spent the better part of his adult life playing with cell phones and gadgets. When not looking for the latest Android news and rumors, he relaxes with his wife and son. Scott also is the senior editor for AndroidGuys. E-mail Scott.
Scott Webster
Google to follow Ice Cream Sandwich release of Android with Jelly Bean. Jelly Belly

As Google's Eric Schmidt tells us, we are still weeks, perhaps even months, away from seeing the first devices to run Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Expected to launch as Android 4.0, the next build of the platform will combine features from both the Gingerbread and Honeycomb builds. Though we wait for official announcements, the rumor mill has already churned out the next release beyond Ice Cream Sandwich. Say hello to Jelly Bean.

According to a source close to This Is My Next, Google has been internally referring to the build as Jelly Bean, however, it's not an official name. Although there aren't a bunch of "J" names to choose from, longtime followers may recall Android 2.2 carrying the name of "Flan" before it was announced as "Froyo."

As for Jelly Bean, the insider advises that there will be some "game-changing stuff" in the release, including features that didn't make the cut for Ice Cream Sandwich. While the source indicates that ICS does include "fairly major architectural, functional, and design changes," we're left waiting to find out what's getting left on the table.