Friday, June 5, 2015

Android M: the 11 most important innovations – BBC News

At the end of May at the conference I / O, which is held annually in San Francisco, Google announced a preview of the next version of the Android operating system under the letter M. A lot of innovations have long been familiar to owners of “apple” products. For example, App Permission program allows you to open access to the individual device features (location, SMS, address book, etc.) when the access it needs, not just during the installation.

The built-in browser – in the Android M is Chrome Custom Tabs – has also long been implemented in iOS, Safari tabs can be opened within any application. Not new and staffing support the fingerprint sensor. About the most important features of the new Android – the review Vestey.Hi-tech.




App Permissions: flexible control over features of the application

Since the first version of Android vulnerable point was the policy of “all or nothing” with regard to installed applications. Downloading new program from Google Play, users could only give her access to all device features requested, or cancel the installation at all. Of course, many people had no choice but to agree to the terms of the developer and possibly put your gadget compromised.

The Android M company differently approached this issue. There App Permissions, with which the system alerts the user when a program wants to pay for the first time to any device functions. Applications will request access to the camera, microphone, address book or calendar is not the first installation, and as treatment of him – just like on the iPhone.

So now, if the calculator suddenly asks permission for access to the network, and Reading SMS, it will be denied. In this or that permission can be withdrawn at any time in the settings.


Fingerprint API: the end of passwords and PIN-codes

Android M became the first version of “OSes” Google, which supports fingerprint sensors at the system level. This means that if the Android-smartphone is equipped with such a sensor, the application can request a fingerprint instead of entering a password or PIN-code. “Native” support Fingerprint API can be used, for example, to enter 1Password, Dropbox or OneDrive, as well as for the approval of mobile payments made with the help of Android Pay (about it below).




Direct Share: a quick way to share the link or photo

With the new Direct Share, you can quickly send an interesting link or a message to another user – and without leaving the current application. For example, if you often share photos in the messenger Hangouts with one and the same person, Android will recognize this habit, and allows you to select a destination by pressing one button.




Isolation and copy text has become easier

Function selection of words and” copy-paste “in the Android M is now much more practical, quicker and easier. From now on, the system automatically selects all the whole word, and if you want to select only a few letters, it is enough to move the “levers”. Also there was a “floating” toolbar on the screen with intuitive buttons for copying, pasting and cutting text. Guess that makes this or that icon at the Action Bar, no longer have to.


Doze: the new power-saving mode

Mode Doze, as stated in the Google I / O, will allow Android -smartfonam tablet and work up to two times longer on a single charge. The essence of this function is that it puts a gadget that did not take a long time to hand off to sleep.

Doze uses motion detection. If, for example, the system detects that the Android-tablet for a long time at rest on the ground, it will be able to suspend all running on its processes and applications. Model Nexus 9 with the power save mode, the company said, “lives” twice as long as without it.




Chrome Custom Tabs: a built-in browser applications

Function Chrome Custom Tabs (“Custom tabs Chrome”) allows you to open a browser Google inside any application without having to switch to another. Now, developers do not have to embed a web browser into their programs and overload them superfluous code. Despite the fact that Chrome Custom Tabs run within the application, it is safe: built-in browser remember passwords stored in Chrome supports autocomplete strings and authorization. However, on the side, including the application, which is open tab Chrome, this information is not transmitted.

A feature App Links allows you to communicate with each other different applications. For example, it can make links from Twitter always opened in the corresponding application, not the browser. Same with email: App Links allowed to view links of Gmail messages in Firefox, if you are so accustomed to.




Support USB Type-C

The Android M implemented system support USB Type-C – the universal connector, which serves both for charging and for data transmission. The same interface allows to recharge using the other of Android-smartphone devices. True USB Type-C was just gaining popularity among manufacturers. They have already completed, such as the new 12-inch “MacBook”, Chromebook Pixel 2nd generation and an external hard drive LaCie. What is the “USB Future” and what it is , you can learn from our survey.




Now on Tap : Operations Assistant challenge Google Now

Now on Tap function lets you instantly call up a “smart” assistant Google Now. In the above example it is clear that e-mail client asks the user if he wants to watch a movie Tomorrowland (“Land of the Future”). Double-clicking on “Home”, you can activate Google Now, which immediately displays the assessment, reviews, trailers, showtimes in movie theaters, and other information. This information derives from the Assistant installed on your device applications, such as Flixster and IMDb.


Easy volume control

Awkward buttons to adjust the volume, which appeared in the Android Lollipop, brought users a lot of trouble . Failed to even acknowledge the very Google. The Android M searcher corrected now by pressing the volume buttons on the screen will be displayed once the individual sliders for volume systems, music and alarm.




Backup application data

This feature enables you to set automatic data backup application Google Drive (“Disc Google”). If you change the device user will be enough to connect your Google-account, after which all supported the program on their own to load the stored information from the “cloud”. The data is copied only when the gadget is not used and is connected to Wi-Fi. There are other restrictions that apply to the testing Android M: one application until it can be stored in the “drive” is not more than 25 megabytes.

In addition, the Android M improved support for SD-card and USB-devices. The system allows you to place on the external drive, not just the application code (APK-packs), but the data they contain.




Android Pay: a new attempt to devise a system mobile payments

The company has already attempted to introduce Android-smartphone in the electronic wallet Google Wallet, but it is not a particular success was crowned. The new initiative Internet search engine – the payoff function Android Pay, which (as well as Apple Pay, or Samsung Pay) will allow to pay for purchases with a mobile device. Transactions can be confirmed through the fingerprint, if the program supports Fingerprint API.

It is unclear how Android Pay will cooperate with Google Wallet, or a new system to replace it completely. The company said that the platform is completely open, that is, users can choose which services to use – for example, Google services, or banking applications.

In the US system to the new devices will be pre-set operators AT & amp; T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Using the built-in NFC-chip smart phone, the Americans will be able to pay more than 700 outlets. Android Pay gadgets will work on the version of Android KitKat or later.

Preview version of Android M is now available to developers. They can download the distribution from Google and install the system on a few “standard” models – Nexus 5, 6, 9, and Player. The final version of the update for the Nexus-devices “over the air” will appear in the III-rd quarter of the year.

Closer to the autumn, when the Android M will be released to the public, it will almost certainly assigned a serial number 6.0. As stands for the letter M in the title of the release, is still a mystery. Guess what “OSes” are baptized in homage to chocolate candy M & amp; M, marzipan (Marzipan) or muffin (Muffin).

There is also a version that “six” call Milkshake – “milkshake” . It hinted Google vice president of development Dave Burke, who immediately after the presentation posted on Twitter a photo smart watches with images of the drink. However, views differed here: some of its subscribers decided that a top manager could mean milk (Milk) or malt whiskeys (Malt whiskey).




Bonus: visual differences from Lollipop

In general, Android M is almost identical to the previous version. Basically, Google has made cosmetic changes to the design “OSes”. Here are some of them.

In place of the icon came dialer shortcut to Google Now (hereinafter screenshots © phoneArena)

Screen applications become vertical. Upstairs there was a search box and a list of favorite programs

The screen with widgets and became vertical

The white font in the application settings” Clock “can be seen more clearly. There tper can specify which day of the week is the countdown

Text tab names in the” Phone “icon replaced

The new interface call history

For the settings screen, you can choose a dark theme

Sources: Lifehacker.com, Independent, AndroidOS.in, phoneArena, tech2

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