Android Lollipop
At Google I/O 2014, the
search giant lifted the lid on the version 5.0 of its Android operating system: at that
stage known simply as Android L.
In a welcome turn of events,
Google made Android L available for download right after the Google I/O event.
But there is a catch. The "Developer version" of Android L isn't the
finished product, and is primarily intended as a way of giving developers time
to adjust to the new changes and retool their current apps, so that when
Android L does go public, everything works as planned.
Still, that
hasn't stopped us downloading and installing Android Lollipop on our
trusty Nexus 5 in order to deliver this hands-on preview, covering some of the
significant additions, as well as some of the less-welcome drawbacks.
Android Lollipop: New Soft keys
It may be more of a cosmetic change than a functional one, but Google has ditched the traditional look of the Android soft keys at the bottom of the screen and has adopted something rather more stylish.
NEW LOOK OF PLAY STORE
Even it is conman update in Jellybean and Kit-Kat as well
Android Lollipop: Notifications
This is perhaps the biggest area
of change in Android Lollipop. Notifications have undergone a complete
overhaul, and now look a lot like Google Now's card-based system. Notifications
are displayed directly on the lock screen, and tapping a card allows you to
unlock the device and jump straight to that area. You can even expand cards to
see more details, such as a list of emails, with the phone still in its locked
state (If you don't like the idea of people being able to snoop on your personal
messages then you can enable a feature which locks away the detailed info).
It's a very clever move by
Google, and one that brings you even closer to the content you need on your
handset. Even if you have a security lock in place, the fact that you can tap
the notification you wish to see, unlock the phone and then leap straight into
the relevant information makes the whole process seem a lot smoother. You can
also swipe away and dismiss notifications without actually unlocking your
device.
When the phone is unlocked,
notifications can be displayed by sliding a finger down from the top of the
screen. Rather than showing the data in a slide-down panel, as was the case in
previous versions of Android, a series of cards flow over the top of your current
view, which can be seen behind the cards at all times. This "flowing"
cascade of cards is set to be one of Android L's most striking visual changes.
As before though, the slide-down notifications panel has two stages: your
finger swipe shows notifications, while a second swipe pulls down the quick
settings menu.
While Google is giving
notifications a face-lift, it's also making them less obtrusive. If your phone
is unlocked and you're involved in another activity, such as browsing emails or
playing a game, the call details appear at the top of the display. You can
accept or reject the call without having to pause what you're currently doing.
Another welcome addition is the Do Not Disturb function, which you can quickly
enable to stop you being bugged by your phone.
But what Google giveth, Google taketh away. Lock-screen widgets have
been removed entirely, so if you're a fan of browsing your emails without
unlocking your phone, then you might be disappointed.
WIDGETS AND HOME SCREEN
Widgets is as usually same as in KitKat version and the home screen editing is as usually that we had seen in the Android 4.4
While Android L comes with a new
"People" app and phone dialler, both of which confirm to the new
"Material Design" ethos unveiled at Google I/O 2014, much of the OS
looks the same, largely because Google will be rolling out updates to core apps
when the update officially goes live.
That means apps like Google
Music, Google Mail and your Photos app all look exactly the same as before,
because they are the same as before; the "Material" versions of these
apps won't be available until release.
With this in mind, it's easy to
see why some people could mistake the developer version of Android L with
KitKat. Aside from the slightly different font, those new soft keys and a
redesigned Settings menu, much remains the same. Still, what is here is very
impressive; the new dialler is an attractive mix of colour and boasts new
animation which makes it seem a lot slicker than before.
USER AND GUEST SWITCHING IN NOTIFICATION BAR
Google’s Android software has long facilitated multiple user support, allowing groups of people to share one device but keep their own settings, wallpapers, documents and general content under one profile. The major limitation in the system so far, however, is that multi-user functionality has been a perk preserved for tablets only, but with Android 5.0 Lollipop, phones are finally joining the party. Here, we catch a glimpse of the feature in action, as well as the setup process involved in adding a new user.
Although there has remained a faction of the Android community puzzled by the Big G’s decision to overlook smartphones with its multiple-user infrastructure, the counter argument also makes quite a bit of sense. After all, while folks often share Galaxy Tabs and iPads, smartphones are more personal devices used only by the individual. With that said, though, there’s no doubt that thousands, if not millions will take advantage of this feature once Android Lollipop hits a large portion of end users very soon, and if you’re looking forward to giving it a whirl, the screen grabs currently floating around the blogosphere will almost certainly pique your interest.
From here the users can switch to either to guest or user mode which makes the security point of view more secured.Now you can give your mobile to your friends by switching into guest mode which hides your personal content from them and they are provided with the capability of accessing the other features like gaming browsing so on.
Now we can switch between the accounts.We can add accounts and switch between them which is a new and a good feature coming to us from android lollipop.
Android Lollipop: Battery
Android L brings with it
Project Volta, Google's attempt at giving developers more visibility on what
aspects of their apps are draining the most juice. While it's early days here,
the majority of the apps we tested had not been configured to make use of
Volta, it's a solid move by the Big G, as it gives you a more accurate
indication of how long your phone is going to last and what apps are sucking up
most power
To
help improve battery life, battery saver reduces your device's performance and
limits vibration and most background data. Email, messaging and other apps that
rely on syncing may not update unless you open them.
Another nice touch is that when you're charging your phone,
you're told how long it will take for the battery to be fully topped up. While
we've perhaps not spent enough time with Android Lollipop to get a complete
picture, it did seem to give our Nexus 5 more stamina than KitKat.
Android Lollipop: Release Date
Android Lollipop is coming
to the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 when each launches in November. Next up after that
will be the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Google Play Edition devices
click the below links for other manufacturers who promised to release the update for their devices
and no other manufacturers have shared the exact date of when it’ll be coming to handsets. Keep checking back here and we’ll collect all the latest information up into an easy to use guide.
