Android 5.0 Lollipop statue arrives at Google headquarters in Mountain View
There is your first look at the statue representing the latest version of Android. Google has put a statue representing Android 5.0 Lollipop on the lawn of its Mountain View campus. It is the Android bug holding a lollipop that towers over him while giving the peace sign to onlookers. His placement does seem to be a little distanced from the other statues. This could be to represent the next phase for Android.
Source: +Alex Ruiz
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Androidify update overhauls with new design, GIFs, and new items
When Google introduces something new, it seems like everything happens at once. One of the lesser known but certainly fun announcements from today’s Nexus extravaganza is the update to Androidify. The app allows users to create themselves (or anyone else) in the form of an Android-like character. Google has brought a ton of exciting new features to Androidify including character animations, GIFs, new items, and additional language support. Of course, you will notice a new user design with the introduction of Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Finally, Google encourages everyone to share characters on the Androidify website for use in a television commercial or YouTube video.
Hit the break for the gallery and download links.
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Nexus 6 Gallery
At long last, Motorola and Google announced the Nexus 6, the first smartphone to run Android 5.0 Lollipop. Be sure to read up on the launch of the device which is expected to arrive in late October. Below is a growing gallery of images of the new handset.
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Nexus player specs
With Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google released alongside it the Nexus player.
Specs
Display output
HDMI out (1920×1080@60Hz)
Chipset
1.8GHz Quad-core, Intel Atom
Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine
Memory
1GB RAM
8GB Internal storage
Connectivity
Bluetooth 4.1
MicroUSB 2.0
Wifi 802.11ac 2×2 (MIMO)
Remote
2AAA batteries
40g
37mm x 140mm x 16mm
Physical specifications
Mass: 235g
120mm x 120mm x 20mm
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Android 5.0 Lollipop officially announced with new Nexus products
Today is a big day in the world of Android. Google announced via it’s blog the newest and biggest version of Android: Android 5.0, or Android Lollipop. There is a lot to sort through here, so stick with us as we go through all the new features coming to an Android device near you.
First, Android Lollipop will fit screens of all sizes: from smartwatches, to smartphones, to tablets, to automobile screens, and your TV. With this, Android Lollipop will not only be fluid across all your devices, but can sync together allowing you to stop in one place and pick up in another. So if you’re watching a movie on your Android TV device, and want to finish in bed, you can pick up where you left off on your tablet. If you’re listening to a song on your phone, and get in your car, you can pick up the song and continue on your way.
Next is Material Design, which was previewed at Google I/O. This brings fluidity and motion onto your device that makes everything fit together. We’ve seen a lot of this already through some of Google’s updated apps, but Android Lollipop will tie it all together in the OS. Each device will provide the information you need the best way it will work. It has more responsive, natural motion, with visual elements that feel familiar. On your watch, that means a snippet of an email. On your tablet that means the message is shown alongside your message list.
Android Lollipop will have the ability to control notifications at a much greater level. You can access and reply to messages from your lock screen, and you can set what notifications come through at a certain time. Whether that’s getting priority messages based on the person and content of the message only during sleep, or silencing everything during a meeting. Calls will also not interrupt while watching a video, allowing you to ignore the call or accept it without pausing the video.
Android Lollipop will also have much better battery life, with a battery saver feature giving you up to 90 minutes more usage. It also provides greater management of your battery, by letting you know the estimated time until your device dies, or estimated time it will be fully charged.
Android Lollipop will have better security, with a guest mode, and a special pin that you can give to your friends with their own unique profile. Android Smart Lock allows you to pair your device to another trusted device to allow easy unlocking. Encryption is enabled out of the box, and there is better protection against vulnerabilities.
Quick Settings has been updated, allowing you to view them with two swipes down from the top of the screen. New controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation, and cast screen control. Easier on and off toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location (no more long pressing?). Manual brightness control will now be built-in, and adaptive brightness will adjust more intuitively.
Connectivity is improved with Android Lollipop, allowing seamless transition from Wi-Fi to cellular connection. Also, there is improved Bluetooth connectivity, with a new BLE peripheral mode.
ART is now the new runtime (instead of dalvik), with faster and more fluid performance. There is also support for 64-bit devices (like the Nexus 9).
Also a big update is a bunch of new Media enhancements and features. These include lower latency audio input, multi-channel audio stream mixing, USB audio support for microphones speakers etc. OpenGL ES 3.1 brings console level graphics and performance to your device.
Mobile photographers rejoice! A slew of new features include capture of full resolution frames at 30 fps, support for raw formats, control of capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame, and capturing of metadata like noise models. Also, there’s new “video technology with support for HEVC main profile to allow for UHD 4K 10-bit video playback, tunneled hardware video decoding to save power and improved HLS support for streaming”.
OK Google has been updated, allowing for more support of waking your device by your voice (needs digital signal processing support). The site also says “Talk to Google on the go to get quick answers, send a text, get directions and more”. Not quite sure what that means as this is already possible, but more than likely it’s greatly improved with greater control.
Along with all of this Accessibility has been improved, more languages added (15 more to be exact), and device set up has been improved with the ability to tap a new device with a current device by NFC and be done. Tap &pay is improved, print preview and page range support, “Revamped display for battery, Bluetooth, data usage, and Wi-Fi settings and new search functionality”, easier sharing, when hardware supports it the device will wake up when you pick it up or tap the screen twice, and “Improved hardware keyboard accessory support including support for multilingual, emoji input, search key, and improved app and system key chords”.
*Takes a deep breath* Wow, that was a lot to go through! This is easily the biggest update they have ever had. On their blog announcement, Sundar Pichai mentions there are over 5,000 APIs for developers. Are you ready for this? I’m not sure I am!
With the announcement of this, they also announced the Nexus 6, made by Motorola, the Nexus 9, made by HTC, and the Nexus Player made by ASUS. If you visit one of those pages (which will be listed below) you will see they are sticking with the Nexus 5 as well (presumably for those that don’t want a 6″ screen on their phone). Preorders for the Nexus 9 and Player start October 17, and will be released November 3, while the Nexus 6 will be available for preorder later this month, and released sometime in November.
Are you excited about all this?
sources: Official Google Blog announcement, Android, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Nexus 5
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Google makes Android 5.0 Lollipop official; headed to Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and GPE devices in coming weeks
It is certainly a big day in the Android world. Google announced the Nexus 6, the Nexus 9 and the Nexus Player. All three are beautiful devices that many of us are eager to put to work in our lives. All the new devices were announced with Android 5.0, or Lollipop. Which is Android L’s official name. Sorry Lava Cake and Lemon Drop fans.
What’s new in Lollipop? A whole bunch of stuff that many already know about thanks to Google I/O and the developer preview. Material Design is the big key visual element that the new OS brings to the table. It also brings along over 5,000 APIs for developers to use towards making other products play nicer together. Like Google Fit and such. There is the new notification control, the trusted Bluetooth Connections, guest user modes, battery saver mode and few other goodies. Google outline much of it at Android.com.
While Lollipop is great news, even better news is where the new version of Android will land in terms of the previous Nexus family. There are no specific dates mentioned yet, but Google does note that the Nexus 4, 5, 7 and 10, along with Google Play Edition device will all see Lollipop updates in the coming weeks. I am sure that is going to make Nexus 4 owners particularly happy.
Source: Google Blog
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Nexus 6 with Android Lollipop officially unveiled, pre-orders start late October for $649
Well it’s official folks. The Nexus from Motorola and Google has finally been announced. There really isn’t much too surprising with it other than the price.
As far as specs go, the Nexus 6 has a 5.96-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) display at 493 ppi, a 2.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, Adreno 420 GPU, 32 or 64 GB of storage, a 13 MP rear camera with OIS and HDR+, 2 MP front-facing camera, dual front-facing stereo speakers, a 3,220 mAh battery, and Android 5.0 Lollipop. It also has Motorola’s Turbo Charging technology, which means you can charge an additional 6 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes.
Now we get to the price and availability. Pre-orders will start late October for a starting price of $649, which we presume is the 32 GB version. You will have your choice of Midnight Blue or Cloud White for colors.
Google also went on to announce that all five major carriers will offer the phone as well. That means AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and yup, you guessed it, Verizon Wireless.
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HTC’s Nexus 9 is official, complete with brushed metal design and BoomSound speakers
HTC’s often-rumored Nexus 9 tablet is official, and it looks like one of the best Android tablets we’ve ever seen. The device sports an 8.9-inch screen big enough to enjoy movies and games but still small enough to carry around throughout the day. The specs are top notch, too, including a Tegra K1 CPU, 2048×1536 resolution on the screen, and 2 GB of RAM. It’s also equipped with HTC’s fantastic BoomSound speakers, too.
Software is pretty self-explanatory; you’ll get Android 5.0 with no OEM modifications, and it’s a Nexus device, so updates will come quickly from Google. The tablet also looks like it’s getting quite a bit of accessory support, too, as Google is already showing off an official keyboard case for the device. If you’re looking for an Android tablet for true productivity, this might be the way to go.
The Nexus 9 will release on November 3rd in a few different variants. The 16 GB model runs $399 while the 32 GB costs $479, and both will come in white and black. Google and HTC plan on releasing a sand color and LTE version of the tablet later this year, too.
What are your thoughts on the Nexus 9? Is it worth the premium price tag over the Nexus 7 or other cheaper Android tablets?
source: Google
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Google’s Nexus Player is Google’s first Android TV device
We had a chance to see Android TV in action back at Google I/O, and now it’s finally going to be available for all. We also didn’t think Google would brand their own set-top box, but they are. The Nexus Player, made by ASUS, is Google’s first Android TV device, and their first set-top box of any kind.
Going with the round shape, it looks a little different from other streaming devices on the market. It packs a 1.8GHz Quad Core, Intel Atom processor, support for 802.11ac 2×2 (MIMO), and HDMI out. It’s also Google Cast ready. Surprisingly, it doesn’t have an HDMI input like past Google TV boxes.
It comes with a remote control that allows for voice commands and simple commands. The pictured game controller doesn’t appear to come with the unit.
Android TV aims to take over the living room with a plenty of apps and games. Apps suchs as Netflix, Songza, Plex, Hulu Plus, and so much more will be available. In addition, many games will be available that can allow for online multiplayers and achievements.
No price was given, but pre-orders will start this Friday, October 17, with in store availability by November 3rd.
source: Google / Nexus Player
exus Player
Remote with voice search
Power adapter
2 AAA batteries
Quick-start guide
Warranty, Safety and Regulatory booklet
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Android 5.0 Lollipop is official, includes full Material Design overhaul and tons of new features
We’ve been eagerly waiting for Google to make Android L official, and it’s finally here. The OS is version 5.0 and will be called Lollipop, so Google is sticking with their dessert naming conventions. The update includes Google’s new Material Design language throughout the operating system, and there are plenty of new features that look like they’ll make Android significantly better to use. This is the biggest update Android has seen in years, and there’s a lot to get excited about.
Material Design is the most obvious change with Android 5.0. While navigating around a device, content is more reactive (like what we’ve seen in some newer Google app updates) and transitions are fluid and actually enjoyable to watch. Up until now, Google has put functionality ahead of design and polish, and Material Design looks like a step towards putting the user experience in the front seat.
Under the hood, Lollipop comes with a slew of enhancements, too. Content is seamlessly synced between devices, including things like photos, music, and search history. The notification system is getting a major overhaul like what we saw at Google I/O earlier this year, so you’ll be able to answer notifications directly from the lock screen, plus set up a “do not disturb” mode so you won’t get bugged by people in the middle of the night. Getting a phone call or other notification won’t interrupt whatever you’re currently doing, either. You can simply ignore or answer calls while remaining in another app.
Android 5.0 also implements its own power-saving mode. Other manufacturers add this in to their devices in their own ways, but now it will be a standard Android feature. The battery usage stats will also be more detailed, and you’ll get estimations on how much longer your device will last as well as how long it’ll take to fully charge up your device.
Quick Settings, a very popular feature of Android, are getting some new tweaks and improvements. You’ll still be able to swipe down with two fingers to get to your Quick Settings, and from here you can toggle things like a flashlight, mobile hotspot, or turn quick casting on or off. Adjusting settings like WiFi and Bluetooth is also easier.
Security is also a major focus with Lollipop. Device encryption will be turned on by default for all devices, and there are new ways to lock and secure your device. The trusted device method of security actually keeps your phone locked unless it’s near another trusted Bluetooth device like your Android Wear watch.
As far as performance goes, Lollipop uses ART for its runtime, which has come a long way since it was introduced in previous Android versions. It features a pretty significant bump in performance, especially within the UI. 64-bit processing is also included natively in Android 5.0 which will be great for memory-intensive applications. Smaller tweaks like better audio and visual processing have also been added, so everything from listening to music to playing simple games should also perform better and more efficiently.
Of course, Android 5.0 wasn’t just designed for phones and tablets. Google plans on making this the underlying software for all of their devices going forward, including Android TV players. Native support for different devices is built right into the operating system, which you obviously won’t see on a Nexus 9. It does make it much easier for devices to communicate and share information, though, and that’s the goal Google is aiming for with Lollipop.
Now the big question is if your particular device will get the update to Android 5.0. Motorola has already announced plans to bring many of its devices up to speed, and Google is planning on bringing the update to the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. We should hear a little more about update availability in the next few days.
Google has updated their Android page, so if you want to look over the full changelog, you can find it at the link below.
source: Android
Come comment on this article: Android 5.0 Lollipop is official, includes full Material Design overhaul and tons of new features
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