Google's new Android L may only be at preview stage, with the fact that it hasn't even been given a proper name yet being a testament to this, but nevertheless, we're already seeing some encouraging signs of improvements that have been made. Namely, the company is shooting for an all-new "Material Design" language, which is set to give the interface a more layered, vibrant feel, and although we're still quite away from the end user release, I'm sure many of you cannot wait to run Android L on your devices. If you don't fancy going ahead and installing the preview on the Nexus 7 or Nexus 5, then thankfully, there's a theme floating about that allows you to achieve a similar look on your current handset.
Although Apple and Samsung regularly drag one another through the slog of the courtroom in quibbles over patents and whatnot, these two keenest of rivals also like to take digs at each other through advertising. Whether a new product is being released or has been around for several months, both Apple and Samsung like to point out the flaws of their adversary's product lines, and now, the Korean Galaxy maker has taken a pop at the iPhone's battery life.
Google Glass may have managed to notch up legions of fans thanks to its technical capabilities, but could we about to see the fashion conscious adopt the wearable technology as a statement of style? It may sound a little far-fetched as the product isn't exactly the most aesthetically pleasing piece of kit we've ever come across. However, in an effort to stand apart from other providers of prescription lenses for Glass, Rochester Optical has started offering a line of stylish sunglass lenses that are compatible with Google's eyewear.
This year's Google I/O was undeniably one of the more interesting and fruitful Google gatherings that we've seen for some time. In the middle of the plethora of announcements made during the keynote we managed to get an insight into Project Volta, Google's latest internal crack at singling out a weakness within its Android platform and fixing it. Last year it was Project Butter that stole the limelight by attempting to make animations within Android run at 60 frames-per-second. This time around the Volta team will concentrate attention on various aspects of Android in an attempt to improve battery life. The good news? Early investigations into Android L suggests that the hard work is proving fruitful.
We know that Android Wear, like most smartwatch ecosystems, will rely heavily on a smartphone for a great deal of its functionality. Given that they're designed, in essence, to supplement our handsets, this isn't too much of a surprise, but with some standalone Android Wear apps having just cropped up on Google Play, it's clear that the likes of the Moto 360, and LG's G Watch will have minds of their own, too. The first batch of Android Wear apps untethered by any post-installation smartphone interaction have begun appearing on the Play Store, and although, naturally, we're talking bare basics in terms of functionality, it sets a very encouraging precedent.
When Samsung announced and subsequently released the flagship Galaxy S5 earlier this year, we knew that it wouldn't be the last in the series for 2014, and that the company's marquee release would spawn a number of spin-offs. We've already been treated to the likes of the camera-centric Galaxy K, or Galaxy S5 Zoom, but the one we were really waiting for was the down-sized Galaxy S5 mini. Today, the Korean company has granted our wish, officially unveiling the device by means of a press release, and below, we've got all of the info.
Google mightn't yet have expanded the beta Explorer program of its Glass project across the world just yet, but in an announcement outlining its intention to do broaden Glass's horizons in the future, the search giant also confirmed its roll-out to folks in the United Kingdom. With the Explorer Edition now officially on sale in the UK at a cost of £1,000, though, cinemas are stepping out to to ban moviegoers from wearing them while watching the latest box-office smash, for fear that they may record and subsequently pirate films.
Google's new Android Wear, TV and Auto ventures were front and center during Google I/O, and as the dust settles on all the biggest announcements to come out of the developer event, we're now starting to find out the more interesting details about what Google will be working on this year.
When Google announced Android L at Google I/O, one of the software's biggest headline new features was its heads-up notifications. Allowing developers to give their apps notifications that fall down from the top of the screen rather than simply living in the status bar, heads-up notifications are similar to the way iOS handles incoming notifications, and are surely an improvement over what came before. Unfortunately, with the early versions of Android L only available for Nexus devices, everyone else is left out in the cold.
If you're all ready to flex your credit card and order a brand new Android Wear smartwatch, then you might want to just take a second to make sure it's compatible with your smartphone, because unless you're running Android 4.3 or above, you're out of luck, just like over 75% of Android owners.
