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Android's latest OS, named Lollipop started rolling out officially Monday, November 5. The OS was announced in June alongside the new Nexus devices and created considerable amount of interest.
Himanshu Juneja take a look at few of the key features from the latest Android Operating System:
Material Design
This has to be the most talked about feature in Android's Lollipop upgrade.
The Material Design basically refers to the new design guidelines Google has spelt out, and one can say it was long over due as well. Google has taken some solid steps to bring some semblance of standardisation, and Material Design seems to be one of them.
The Material Design will ensure that the Android apps look and feel same, be it on a Galaxy device, an HTC product, or a Nexus, or practically any device running Android.
This looks like a step to bring a uniform flavour to the Android ecosystem which runs on wide range of devices.
Overview
Overview, or as we can call it multi-tasking, offers a simpler way of navigation.
Users can now go and take a look at the apps in stacked up manner, scroll to the desired app and tap for further actions. Users wanting to kill/close off an app just need to simply side swipe it.
This ought to come in handy for everybody. From heavy app users to casual ones. Navigation with such ease is a welcome change.
Lock Screen Notifications
Users will now be able to perform a lot more actions with the notifications which pop up on the lock screen.
Without unlocking the phone, users get to decide whether they want to reply to the freshly delivered email, or archive it for later viewing. As the notifications only show truncated information, users can also take a detailed look by expanding the view.
Perhaps the best part is when the users are allowed to decide if they want certain private or sensitive information to be restricted from displaying any details.
This is thoughtful and should please many.
Smarter/Enhanced Face Unlock
The face unlock feature has been there with Android before as well, but not the way it has been implemented this time.
Android Lollipop makes sure that the face unlock feature gets up and running as soon as one turns the screen on. Users who are looking at the notifications on the lock screen will have their phones getting unlocked much sooner than expected, thanks to the much more active unlock feature this time round.
Priority Mode/Do not disturb mode
Android Lollipop gives the users the option to choose which apps they consider as most important, and others be kept away from disturbing them. Once the priority mode has been enabled, only the chosen apps will be able to communicate with you.
Google has been smart enough to go one step ahead here, and allows the users to set a duration for the Priority Mode's working. After that time goes by, the priority mode will get disabled by itself.
Users who would like to attend meetings and have private sessions will definitely find themselves making use of this feature on a frequent basis.
Guest Mode
There have been countless instances in everybody's life when they have feared for their private content to be in an accessible state when somebody casually asks for their phones for something as simple as making a phone call, or to appreciate the newly purchased device.
The Guest Mode takes care of the anxiety as it allows the owners to initiate a restrictive session for usage. The guest can make a call, browse the internet and still be restricted enough away from the owner's private content.
Very thoughtfully the guest as well as the owner can clear the data from the guest session easily.
Pin App
This feature takes care of the kids' obsessions really. Actually it can be used with anybody to be honest, especially for playing a prank or teasing adults. But it really is a feature which builds upon the Guest Mode and provides another layer of privacy.
The Pin App mode allows the owner to launch an app, and 'Pin' the app for the session, making the device essentially a one dimensional gadget. The app cannot be closed without a pin and is pretty easy to use as well.
Tap and Go
This new feature allows the users transfer their apps as well as their settings from their old android phone to the new one. This works via bluetooth once the phones have been paired up. Just sit back and enjoy the free time.
Simple yet thoughtful.
Ok Google
This one seems like directly inspired from Motorola. The users get to execute voice commands even when the phone is in the standby mode. As soon as the user utters the command, the phone will 'wake' up and depending upon the command provided, will proceed to either search, send text based messages etc.
Unfortunately, this feature will be limited to the ones which are coming with the required Digital signal Processing support.
Battery Saver Mode
This is one feature every user will be thankful about. Google made the new update for Android extra delicious by including the Battery Saver Mode.
Once activated, it makes some serious changes to how the device works. The processor gets slowed down, and the apps running in background gets severely restricted as well.
The screen, which is a major battery drainer, gets dimmed as well. The estimated time left appears in the setting which gives the idea of how much more juice the battery is left with.
As an estimate, Google claims that this Battery Saver Mode brings about 90 more minutes of charge to the low on charge battery, which really is a good bump. The users can see a nice orangish-red border around the screen once this mode is working behind the scene.