Google’s Android 5.0 ‘Lollipop’ is probably on everyone’s mind currently and this post is a compilation of features and news from different resources in the ‘Lollipop’ world.
History of the Android mobile OS:
Does anybody these days really use the phone as a “phone”? Phones have metamorphosed into “smart phones”. And tablets are yet another avatar. All these changes have created the necessity for “mobile operating system”. The “smarter” the phone gets, it needs its very own OS.
‘Android’, as most of us tech enthusiasts would be aware is Google’s own mobile OS. It is the most popular mobile OS and market share for Android devices in 2014 is about 85%, 11% for iOS, 3% for Windows Phone and the remaining for other OS. (Mobile operating system)
Interestingly 5th November was the 7th anniversary of the launch of the Android OS. Google launches its own OS under different candy code-names and list below summarizes them:
- Alpha (1.0)
- Beta (1.1)
- Cupcake (1.5)
- Donut (1.6)
- Eclair (2.0–2.1)
- Froyo (2.2–2.2.3)
- Gingerbread (2.3–2.3.7)
- Honeycomb (3.0–3.2.6)
- Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0–4.0.4)
- Jelly Bean (4.1–4.3.1)
- KitKat (4.4–4.4.4)
- Lollipop (5.0) (Android version history)
Features of ‘Lollipop’:
The ‘Lollipop’ is the biggest update to Google’s mobile operating system as stated by David Burke, head of Android Engineering. Given this, we present a consolidated list of updates:
- Material Design : All smart phones need to be aesthetically good to lure the buyer into buying them. With that in mind, the new “material design” for “Lollipop” has a new look for the app drawer and setup menu, a notification shade for the animations and icons.
Animations are a part and parcel of all smart phones and phones have to be dynamic in today’s world. This has given rise to the “card effect” for “lollipop’s” app drawer and notifications.
However, all these brand new “material design” changes will be most visible on Nexus devices as other smart phone manufacturers will add their “custom skin”. (Unified, fresh design makes Android feel whole) - Increased battery life : The bane of most smart phones is the constant need to recharge or it runs out of batter power. Google tries to solve this issue by employing efficient memory management. When an app is not in use, it is suspended in memory even though it is visible on screen. Suspended apps do not consume much power and this in turn might increase battery power. (Special: Interesting facts about Google’s Android OS )
- Unlocking one another : ‘Lollipop’ enabled devices will be able to unlock one another. For example, Android 5.0 enabled smart phone, might be able to unlock Android 5.0 enabled tablet. This is called as “Smart Lock” feature. This is done by “close-range wireless pairing of Android gadgets via Bluetooth”. (Put Away That Passcode: Android Devices Will Soon Unlock One Another)
From a security perspective, it is still too early to say whether this “is” or “not” a good feature but it will hopefully augur well for further security development. - Multi-tasking : Multi-tasking is actually one of the acute requirements of smart phones and tablets and Android 5.0 enables multi-tasking by keeping all apps open as a stack of cards. This way it is easier to monitor the different activities in a neat way. Google has named this way of organizing apps as “overview”. (Unified, fresh design makes Android feel whole)
- Device sharing : With the launch of ‘JellyBean’, Android tablets could be shared with multiple users. Now, with the launch of ‘Lollipop’, the same feature is available to smart phones as well. ‘Lollipop’ loaded devices will be given the option to create multiple profiles for different users. For example, kids, different family members, guests can be given different sets of accesses. Once a guest needs to use a smart phone, – he/she will be given restricted access on the smart phone. (Unified, fresh design makes Android feel whole)
Bibliography
Android version history. (n.d.). Retrieved Nov 6, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history Mobile operating system. (n.d.). Retrieved Nov 6, 2014, from Wkipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_system Put Away That Passcode: Android Devices Will Soon Unlock One Another. (n.d.). Retrieved Nov 10, 2014, from readwrite.com: http://readwrite.com/2014/10/28/android-security-smart-lock-lollipop Special: Interesting facts about Google’s Android OS . (n.d.). Retrieved Nov 10, 2014, from mid-day.com: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/special-interesting-facts-about-googles-android-os/15739152 Unified, fresh design makes Android feel whole. (n.d.). Retrieved Nov 9, 2014, from cnet.com: http://www.cnet.com/products/google-android-5-0-lollipop/
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