Wade: And now we start to see how Google will attempt to combat fragmentation... I believe Google now is part of the new launcher and that the new launcher will be able to be used eventually on older OS's, all of a sudden gingerbread can have Google now..So while most old handsets will not get 4.4 they will be able to get some of the more exciting aspects
Google now is the left most screen of the launcher. Installed launcher, search and the 4.4 google play services on 4.3 and it all runs perfectly. Launcher now follows the Play Store naming conventions so we'll likely see it on there in the near future.