With Nexus 9, Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop Is Here

Google's newest version of its Android operating system -- 5.0 Lollipop -- began rolling out Monday, making its appearance on the just-released Nexus 9. A key feature of the OS, which Google says is its largest and most ambitious release to date, is its use of "material design" for a consistent look and feel across devices. In addition to the Nexus 9, Lollipop will also be found on the Nexus 6 "phablet" phone, with a 5.96-inch screen. Now available for pre-ordering, the Nexus 6 is expected to hit stores later this month. Google says Lollipop is designed to eventually extend Android across a range of devices, "from phones, tablets, and wearables, to TVs and cars." After releasing it on the Nexus 9, 6 and Player, Google expects to roll Lollipop out in stages to the Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10 and Google Play edition devices as well "in the coming weeks." 'Consistent Design Language' Lollipop features more than 5,000 new APIs for developers. It's also designed to give users more control over both how their devices function and how their apps function across multiple devices. "If you're like me, you jump between a number of different devices throughout the day -- reading a magazine on your tablet, checking the time on your watch, chatting with your friend on the phone, even plotting your route in the car," Google designer Nicholas Jitkoff wrote Monday on the Android Official Blog. "More and more, our screens work together, each helping make your life a little bit easier. But if design is the way they communicate with us, it often feels like each one is speaking a different language. That's why we unveiled material design earlier this year: one consistent design language flexible enough to span devices across mobile , desktop, and beyond." Lollipop's foundation on the material design concept includes the use of "strong colors and bold typography to create clear hierarchy and focus attention on content," Jitkoff said. It also takes into account the feel of devices in one's hand and the motions used in operation to create an easy and fluid experience, he added. Security, Battery Life Enhancements Also featuring Lollipop will be the Nexus Player, Google's first device for Android-based TV, built in collaboration with Asus. Currently available for pre-ordering, the Google Cast-ready Player console will enable users to sync video content across multiple devices. For example, a user could begin watching a movie on TV and then finish watching it on a tablet while lying in bed. Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president for Android, Chrome and Apps, noted in a blog post last month that Google has "always introduced Nexus devices alongside our platform releases. Rather than creating software  in the abstract, we work with hardware partners to build Nexus devices to help push the boundaries of what's possible. Nexus devices also serve as a reference for the ecosystem as they develop on our newest release." Other new capabilities that come with Lollipop will enable users to, for example, adjust device settings to allow only certain people or notifications to get through to them when they're busy. Lollipop also offers a new feature that can extend battery life by up to 90 minutes, and enhanced security  settings. Source Url : http://www.cio-today.com/article/index.php?story_id=010000ZENY6S