Android L: New Features in the Next Major Android Release

Android has grown from a tiny upstart to the world's dominant mobile computing platform with over a billion active users. Google isn't sitting still, though, and has just unveiled what it calls the  most ambitious Android release yet. Currently known only as Android L, there's no dessert-themed codename or even formal version number yet. Android L will release later this year, though an exact date isn't known.

We hope to see new smartphones launch around the same time which take advantage of all the new features, and also updates to existing smartphones. HTC is amongst the companies committed to bringing it to its existing HTC One family, while others should announce support soon.

Here are some of the most exciting new features of Android L

Material design

Android will receive a complete visual overhaul aimed at promoting a consistent experience across Android device sizes and types. The new "Material Design" identity is bolder, more colourful, and more animated. Every transition between screens and every user interaction has been refined, down to the system-wide Roboto typeface and the Android navigation buttons.

The change could also be aimed at discouraging third-party vendors from developing custom Android overlays which greatly deviate from Google's vision. A strong enough core UI experience could lead users to reject anything seen as inferior to it.Screen elements will be able to simulate depth, with automatic shadows and scaling, but will also inherit elements of classic magazine typography and layout. There's more emphasis on simple shapes and consistent actions that lead you from one app into another. Google's new design page offers hints of what is to come.

The Material Design identity integrates elements of responsive Web design and will extend to other Google properties including Gmail, which will be redesigned for the Web as well as mobile apps. Material Design takes into account the fact that touch, voice, mouse and keyboard are all equally important input methods, clearly illustrating goals above and beyond smartphone usage scenarios.

Improved notifications

You will be able to interact with notifications more easily in Android L. For starters, you can choose which ones show up on the lock screen and what amount of detail they'll show. You can decide whether snippets of actual messages are displayed when your phone is potentially visible to others, or whether more details will only be revealed when you unlock it. They also aren't necessarily displayed in chronological order anymore - the OS can learn which ones you're more likely to respond to urgently and prioritise those.

There's also a new type of notification altogether - Google calls these heads ups. These appear on top of whatever you're doing and allow you to take action or dismiss them immediately. These are meant to be less intrusive, and can be used for things that can't wait, such as incoming calls.

Trusted environments

Speaking of the lock screen, you'll soon be able to have your phone detect when it's in a trusted environment, which will dispense with the lock code. This could be triggered by the presence of a Bluetooth device such a smartwatch that you wear all the time, a specific Wi-Fi access point, or other factors. When the environment is deemed safe, you won't have to bother with unlocking your phone.

Project Volta, battery improvements

Android L will be able to manage battery life much better, but Google's moves go beyond that to the app development stage, for which new tools have been developed that let developers track battery drain and optimise apps before they ever reach end users. The battery saver mode is similar to those implemented by third parties so far - non-essential services can be turned off or made to run only at intervals in order to save power. Android L will also be able to lower the screen refresh rate, reduce the frequency of data exchanges, or force apps to change their behaviour to match the prevailing battery state.

Google Fit

Everyone's getting into health and activity tracking, and Google is no exception. The new Google Fit framework will take Apple's Healthkit head on, tying into sensors on phones themselves as well as connected accessories to collect data which will be ready for apps to use. Major partners including Nike, Adidas, Runkeeper, HTC, Asus, LG and Motorola are already on board. Google Fit could monitor physical activity and food intake as well as health indicators such as heart rate and breathing.

Greater Web integration

There's also a change to the way individual tabs and documents in apps are handled by Android L. They'll now show up as individual entries in the Recents menu, allowing users to jump directly between them. This pulls the focus away from apps and puts it onto all the things you do with them. For example, Web apps open in Chrome tabs would appear much like native apps running on your device, and you'd be able to jump in and out of them more quickly.

Links on the Web can now also be used to launch apps instead of websites (presumably falling back to the website in case the app is not installed). For example, Google demonstrated looking up a restaurant in Chrome and then tapping a link to not only launch the OpenTable app, but also have it know that it should bring up that restaurant's booking page. Google search results can also now be links that trigger an app, rather than links to websites.

ART Runtime and Android Extension Pack

Google is ditching the Dalvik runtime which has served well for years, in favour of a new one called ART. It can make apps load and run quite a bit faster while using less RAM. ART is 64-bit compatible, and is also engineered to allow apps to work across hardware architectures such as ARM and X86. This also means that Android devices will be able to address more RAM than the 32-bit limit allowed.

With greater diversity in Android hardware obviously envisioned for the near future, the move is a welcome change. Google has worked with major hardware vendors to enable more fluid graphics, potentially paving the way for new Android-based game consoles and set-top boxes. Desktop-class graphics including tessellation, geometry shaders and texture compression will potentially be possible on Android devices.

Knox

Google also made a few announcements that indicate interesting things on the horizon for enterprise users. The company announced that Samsung's Knox feature for work and personal separation will become a part of Android itself. Knox allows corporate IT administrators to control work-related data and policies on employees' smartphones while letting the employees themselves continue to store personal data and use unrelated apps. This alleviates many of the problems with accessing secure information from mobile devices and could make Android far more attractive to businesses

Android 4.4.4 update (14.4.A.0.108) now rolling to Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra

Sony has started to roll out firmware build 14.4.A.0.108 to the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra handsets, just a day after it arrived on the Xperia Z1 Compact. This new firmware version introduces Android 4.4.4 KitKat to both handsets.

Sony has updated its software pages highlighting the new Android 4.4.4 software along with the changelog. This includes an “updated and improved camera experience” according to Sony as well as the latest updates that Google included in this Android build. The full changelog can be seen below.

The Android 4.4.4 firmware is currently rolling out to the Xperia Z1 C6903 and Xperia Z Ultra C6833 variants from what we can see. As you can see from the Xperia Update Checker below, it has already hit a number of regions, so Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra owners should receive it soon.

Firmware 14.4.A.0.108 changelog for the Xperia Z1, Z Ultra and Z1 Compact

Android 4.4.4 including the latest enhancements and security updates from Google
Updated and improved camera experience
Improvements when using Google voice, Contacts, Music streaming and Google+
The latest versions of our Sony apps for you to enjoy
All of our latest bug fixes, optimisations & improvements

Xperia Z1 firmware (14.4.A.0.108) rolling to following regions

– C6903 variant only at time of post

Xperia Z Ultra firmware (14.4.A.0.108) rolling to following regions

- C6833 variant only at time of post

Get into the World Cup spirit by downloading your country’s Xperia Theme

If you really want to get into the World Cup spirit then the following Xperia Themes might be just what you’re looking for. They are country-specific themes, so it’s a great way to show support for your World Cup team. Developer ‘Studio No.7’ has released fourteen Xperia Themes (so far) and plans on releasing more over time.

Only three of these themes are free (Brazil, England and Spain), all of the rest you have to pay for (cost: €1.99). The developer says that a number of Sony Xperia devices running Android KitKat (version 4.4.2) or newer are supported including the Xperia Z, Z Ultra, ZL, Z1 and Z2. Click through the links below to download. 

Free Xperia Themes

Brazil Theme for Xperia

 

England Theme for Xperia

 

Spain Theme for Xperia

 

Premium Xperia Themes

All the Xperia Themes below are premium themes.
Cost: £1.62, €1.99, $2.72

Argentina – Theme for Xperia

 

China – Theme for Xperia

 

Croatia – Theme for Xperia

 

France – Theme for Xperia

 

Germany – Theme for Xperia

 

Holland – Theme for Xperia

 

Italy – Theme for Xperia

 

Japan – Theme for Xperia

 

Poland – Theme for Xperia

 

Portugal – Theme for Xperia

 

Russia – Theme for Xperia

 

Towelroot exploit helps root a number of Sony Xperia models

Notorious hacker Geohot (George Hotz) has turned his attention to rooting Android handsets and appears to have come up trumps with his latest exploit. For those that don’t know, Geohot managed to successfully jailbreak the PlayStation 3, which led to him being sued by Sony.

He has created Towelroot, which is an apk file that theoretically should be able to root pretty much any Android device using a kernel built before 3 June 2014 (Android 4.4.2 KitKat and lower). 

A number of Sony Xperia users are reporting success in rooting their devices using towelroot including Xperia Z and ZL owners running the latest KitKat update and Xperia SP owners running Android 4.3. Other success stories have been reported by Xperia M, Xperia Z1 Compact and Xperia M2 owners.

To try it yourself, all you need to do is head over to the Towelroot website, click on the lambda and download the apk. Then simply run towelroot i.e. tap “make it ra1n,” to see if it has worked. Some users have problems with SU binaries not updating, if that happens to be the case, use the latest version from here. There is also a very large XDA thread discussing towelroot here.

We have hearing many news about the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 from the South Korean giant Samsung and most of the rumors that came up suggest that the model number of this device going to be SM-N910 and now in Samsung’s website via a User Agent profile reveal that SM-N910A will be featuring a QHD (1440 x 2560) pixel resolutions and the same thing was mentioned by an Indian website Zauba that tracks all the imports and exports.

The website claims that the device will be flaunting a 5.7 inch display, the same size that we have seen on the Note 3, but with a higher resolution. The Note 3 that was released earlier had the model number SM-N900 and we can easily assume that SM-N910A will be the new Note variant that will most probably come from AT&T. Samsung might release two different variants of the upcoming Note 4 one being the regular display and another can be a having a curved screen. We need to wait till the IFA 2014 that is scheduled to be held in September.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be the successor of the Galaxy Note 3 Smartphone (or rather a Phablet) which was a big hit in the Android devices market. The South Korean Giant will be expecting the similar kind of response to its Note 4 or even try bettering it. According to SamMobile, the company is planning to bring in more software features to its phablet, Note 4.

According to the insider of SamMobiles, the company is testing new software for the fourth generation Note Phablet and this software is currently being tested on the company’s flagship device Samsung Galaxy S5, with the Android 4.4.3 Operating system as the base. These features include Swipe to launch Motion launcher, Smart Fingerprint and Multi network for Booster. The Aqua Capture might be something that we have seen on Galaxy S4 Active (Aqua Mode) and this hints that the device will be more water resistant device than the Galaxy S5.

The Swipe to launch Motion Launcher is like the feature that we saw on the HTC One M8 that will wake up the phone and launch the camera just by a swipe on the screen even while the display is off. The finger print sensor will be something that we have already seen on the Galaxy S5 and we can expect it to come with more improved features. We presently are unsure of all the features of this device and should for the official unveiling of the device by the company to know them completely..

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be a device to look out this year as the Note 3 took all the attention that was launched last year and made a buzz in the market with its S-features. There are already rumors about the successor of the Note 3 and according to reports form GSM Arena the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – N910 T (Muscat) will be featuring QHD resolutions (1440 x 2560) on the same 5.7 inch screen that we have seen on its predecessor.

Nothing much about the device is known for now but there are rumors that the Note 4 will be a water resistant device and will be powered either by a Snapdragon 801 or an Exynos Hexa chip set. It is also rumored to get a 20.1 MP sensor and we can expect pop up with the latest Android version, 3 GB RAM and the S-Pen support. Samsung has unveiled its Note series of devices in the month August and September, so we can expect even Note 4 to be released at the same time.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is also rumored to have a 64-bit processor that will make it the first Android smart phone to feature it after the Apple iPhone 5S. This processor will be coupled with a 4 GB RAM that is made on the 20nm process. We know that Samsung has unveiled its 4 GB RAM last year but couldn’t use it on any of its device till now so we can expect Note 4 to be equipped with this. The device is also rumored to run on the unnamed Android 4.5 that is probably going to be unveiled at Google I/O that will be held in the month of June 2014.

The other rumors include a 128 GB internal memory and a battery that will vary between 3600 – 3800 mAh. It will also support fast 4G and dual band Wi-Fi network and is also expected to be IP67 certified for water and dust resistance. The reports also revealed that this device will be costing less than $800 and we can expect this device to be unveiled later this year in the month of August or September. Stay tuned for more information and updates, we are pretty much excited to know more about this device and hope that the company unveils it soon.

 

This saga of blaming one another for copying the core features and the notable points, has been running since long and whenever there is a major announcement done by a brand, the other claims that most of it is inspired or copied. The question to ask here, is whether it is really necessary to blame the other party for copying the features? is the blaming side so unique and it never did anything similar?

Take Apple for instance, at least for this year’s WWDC Keynote where the iOS 8 was announced. Apple always pulls the leg of competitors during the keynote, and this time it was over the line. Not that I’m an Android fan, I like Apple and it’s iOS ecosystem. But the blame game has to be limited and you could happily do it only if you are unique and have something totally different.

Apple has been unique with quite a lot of stuff but there was quite a lot of inspired stuff this time, in the iOS 8. But that doesn’t really matter when the user needs the features and that’s integrated into the operating system. What one doesn’t like is the way Apple tried to showcase itself as a brand which does everything right and better than the other brands.

Apple iCloud Photo Library – Google+ Photos

Unlike earlier, now the Apple users would be able to store more than 1000 photos and videos in their library, and everything would be now stored in the cloud, i.e. in the iCloud Photo Library. But wasn’t Google doing that already? the Google+ photos comes with the unlimited storage for photos and videos. The functioning is quite the same, where you could sync the media on different devices.

QuickType keyboard and Predictive Typing

Apple called this as an intelligent keyboard for the iOS devices, but Android has been having this based on the company providing it. These features, if not available through the Android keyboard, would be available through the third party services / apps which have been available from years.

Hey Siri – Ok Google Now

The hotword Ok Google Now was available in many Android devices with the latest Android OS, and you could use that with the Google Now feature. Apple introduced Siri a couple of versions earlier to the iOS 8 but the “Hey Siri” hotword to activate it and listen to your commands is something new from Apple for the iOS users. It all started with the Voice Actions which were introduced in Android, to which Apple responded with Siri, but Google stayed ahead with the hotword detection.

Hotword detection keeps the mic always active and thus, there is a battery drain. Thus, the Google Now Launcher keeps the detection on only when the screen is turned on. But with Moto X, the word is detected even when the screen is turned off, because the device comes with a dedicated processor for the voice, but Apple doesn’t have such a thing yet, thus you would be able to use the “Hey Siri” feature only when the iOS device is plugged in and charging.

Interactive Notifications – Are these new?

The interactive notifications in the iOS 8 is something new for the Apple device users, and Apple gave quite a lot for hype for it. It is something where the users would be able to respond to the notifications right from the notification panel, without having to leave the current app page. Android doesn’t have this? they have it since long for some apps, where you could directly hit the reply or archive button on Gmail app, Call back or message a contact whose call was missed and shown in the notification panel. Moreover, you could install the CyanogenMod to make things even better.

TestFlight for Developers

Apple has now allowed the developers to run and beta test the apps before officially releasing them in the App Store. This was after the company acquired TestFlight, a technology which gives that feature to the developers. But Android users have been getting the feature of beta testing the apps already, since quite some time now.

Videos in the App Pages in Store

Apple’s developer crowd were amazed and cheered happily when it was announced that they would be now able to add videos and show them in the App Store. In Android, this was something the developers were able to do since 2010, four years ago.

Widgets for Third Party Apps

iOS still doesn’t allow the widgets on the home screens but there is at least some possibility in the notification center, where the widgets are available as a notification, and you can play around with it. In Android, widgets is something very much advanced and you can have those widgets on the home screens, notification panel. In Apple, there is a now a third party app support unlike everything that was available only for the system apps, but that is again already seen in Android OS.

There’s a lot of such features which Apple mentioned for the first time, while the Android users have been enjoying since a lot of time. Apple took inspiration from Android, if you look at the WWDC event this year but Android too does that, and there’s nothing wrong in doing that when you are catering to the needs of the users, but the blame game is what makes it look bad when the well known and respected brands do it.

Do you agree Apple has done quite a lot of copy-paste job this time, for the iOS 8?

Apple iOS 8, the biggest update since the App Store roll-out, has arrived: here's all you need to know

Apple’s WWDC 2014 is off to a blazing start with the official introduction of iOS 8, the biggest update to Apple’s mobile operating system since the company launched the App Store in 2008.

Apple’s iOS 8 is indeed a huge update that stands out with being as much about end users, as it is about developers. Ordinary users will notice new features like the new Health hub application, Siri’s expanded functionality, the added support for custom keyboards, for widgets (limited, but still… widgets on iOS!), interactive “actionable” notifications… Developers, on the other hand, will have to master the new Swift coding language, work on embedding TouchID where appropriate, and so much more.

Apple iOS 8: all-around improvements, no changes in looks

Apple’s iOS 8 is all about functionality improvements: starting from the way favorite contact appear subtly, but handily in the multitasking menu, and going through cool new convergence features with the Mac.

Apple adds a sprinkle of coolness with a new camera feature that - we bet - is among the favorites of many camera buffs: you’d be able toshoot time-lapse videos on an iOS 8-enabled device.

Third-party keyboards, and SwiftKey is already hard at work...

How many times have you heard Android converts lavish praise to the endless opportunities of Google's operating system, and one thing in particular - the possibility to install custom replacement keyboards with all varieties of input options?! Not once, or twice, we'd guess. Now, Apple hands you a shield against all such accusations of iOS being limited by introducing official custom third-party keyboard support in iOS 8. SwiftKey, the maker of the extremely popular gesture-enabled keyboard on Android, has already announced it's hard at work, and we can only hope the results appear sooner rather than later.

Health, Siri, Touch ID: Apple is opening up

Apple did not surprise us with the new Health hub and dedicated SDK that allows third-party accessory makers to tap into iOS devices capabilities - after all, we’ve seen it all in rumors before. It all came true to the tee, and so did the rumored Siri polish with new features like the built-in song recognition, powered by Shazam.

One of our favorite iOS 8 features is that Apple also opened up Touch ID to all app developers. Imagine the possibilities - you can have your banking app authorize your payments without the need to type in lengthy and hard-to-remember passwords, and that browser history might finally be totally safe.

Apple iOS 8 release date and compatible devices

Apple’s iOS 8 will arrive to end users this Fall, and that’s when we expect Apple’s new devices (hello, iPhone 6!) to start arriving on store shelves. However, developers can get an early taste of iOS 8 with the betas that start becoming available right away (here's how to get iOS 8 right now). Apple’s iOS 8 is compatible with iPhone 4s and later, iPod touch 5th gen, iPad 2nd and later, as well as the iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display.

Candy Crush Soda Saga, the sequel to Candy Crush Saga, got soft-launched on Android

King, the developer of the wildly-popular Candy Crush Saga that also tried to trademark "candy" and "saga", just released a sequel to its highly successful game – meet Candy Crush Soda Saga. The title just got soft-launched in Canada, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands. In accordance with the "never change a winning team" principle, Kings's new title does not deviate from the philosophy of its predecessor, as it still requires you to match colorful candies across 75 levels. 

As its name suggests, Candy Crush Soda Saga is set in a "mouth-watering", "soda-soaked environment". Apparently, the fizzy drink in question affects the gameplay, as it causes candies to float instead of fall down like they did in Candy Crush Saga. This is one of the more obvious changes and frankly said, it's highly likely that only hardcore Candy Crush Saga devotees will be able to spot the remainder of minor differences between King's duo of sweetish games.

If you are wondering when you'd be able to play Candy Crush Soda Saga on your Android device, then the second half of 2014 is the time period you are looking for. In case you are sporting an iOS device, then don't worry, as King's new game will probably grace Apple's platform shortly after it hits Google Play. 

So, a new Candy Crush game, yay or nay? Drop a line below and share your thoughts!

Download: Candy Crush Soda Saga (Android)

Candy Crush Soda Saga

HTC M9 and M9 Prime to be launched in the first quarter of 2015?

While it looks like the rumored HTC M8 Prime will never see an official release, HTC is reportedly planning to launch a Prime version of its next-generation flagship smartphone, expected to be called M9. 

According to @evleaks, both the HTC M9 and HTC M9 Prime should be introduced in the first quarter of 2015. Surprisingly, it’s said that the M9 Prime is supposed to be released before the regular M9. 

Unfortunately, there are absolutely no details on what features the M9 and M9 Prime should bring. In any case, it makes sense for us to expect the Prime to be more advanced, and more expensive. Design-wise, we’re assuming that the upcoming HTC handsets won’t stray too much from their predecessor (the One M8). We recently saw a couple of HTC M9 concept designs, but it’s hard to believe that the real M9 will look anything like them. 

The allegedly canceled One M8 Prime was rumored to feature a 5.5-inch Quad HD (1,440 x 2,560) screen, Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM, and LTE-A Cat. 6. We’re thinking that at least one of the new M9 models may have similar features. But we’ll see what happens. 

source: @evleaks