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Tag: Lollipop

  • Here’s A 17-Minute Discussion About Material Design

    If you’re developing Android apps these days, you’re going to want to understand Material Design, which is the cornerstone of the latest version – 5.0 Lollipop. The subject was discussed at Devoxx 2014, and Google is now sharing that on YouTube.

    The video description is as follows:

    Nick (@crafty, google.com/+NickButcher) and Chet (@chethaase, google.com/+ChetHaase) discuss the importance of design for developers and Google Material Design implementations in Android 5.0 Lollipop and in the Polymer Web Components project.

    Google has more Devoxx interviews available here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Google Search App Gets Update On Lollipop

    Google Search App Gets Update On Lollipop

    Google announced that it’s beginning to roll out Material Design to its search app on Android Lollipop. This means results have “bold colors, fluid animations and simplified layouts”.

    Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Samsung Galaxy Note4 users can now set up their device so they can say “Ok Google” to ask a question when their screen is off and their phone is unplugged.

    “You can also rely more and more on the Google app to help you organize your life,” Google says. “You may notice a new card asking if you want to be reminded of, say, ‘dinner with Chris’ or ‘drinks with Susan.’ For those times you’ve gotten an email about something but forgotten to follow up, Google can now catch potential plans buried in your Gmail: it’ll prompt you to add them to your calendar then serve up reminders, so you can stay on top of staying in touch.”

    “As you scramble to get through the end of the year, the app will also help you keep track of your trips (whether you’re seeing the family on Thanksgiving or jetting to Vegas for New Year’s eve), to-do lists (did you pay your utility bill? pick up the wine for your Christmas party?) and more (the Bulls score, where you parked your car) with Now cards,” Google adds.

    The app will also now help you search for things in other apps. You can say stuff like “Ok Google, search Tumblr for Things Organized Neatly,” for example. This works with various apps including Tumblr, TripAdvisor, TuneIn, Trulia, and YouTube.

    Finally, there’s an “Ok Google, flip a coin” voice command to let you make decisions.

    Image via Google

  • Google Gives Android Developers A Material Design Checklist

    Google recently unveiled Android 5.0 Lollipop. The biggest difference Google has been touting is Material Design, which the company describes as “a visual language for our users that synthesizes the classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science.”

    Here’s 45 minutes of Google explaining what that means.

    Obviously developers are going to want to support Material Design, as it’s going to be a major part of Android going forward. With that, Android design advocate Roman Nurik has provided a checklist for Material Design here.

    “Android 5.0 brings in material design as the new design system for the platform and system apps,” he writes. “Consumers will soon start getting Android 5.0 and they’re already seeing glimpses of material design with apps like Google Play Newsstand, Inbox by Gmail and Tumblr. Meanwhile, developers now have the Android 5.0 SDK, along with AppCompat for backward compatibility. And designers now have access to Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch templates. All this means that now—yes now!—is the time to start implementing material design in your Android apps.”

    The checklist itself is quite long, but it’s broken up into four sections: Tangible Surfaces; A Bold, Print-Like Aesthetic; Autentic Motion; and Adaptive Design (and UI Patterns).

    “If you include a good chunk of the items in the checklist…especially the ones indicated as signature elements, and follow traditional Android design best practices…you’ll be well on your way to material design awesomeness!” says Nurik.

    As far as those best practices go, you can find some for core app quality here and tablet app quality here.

    Good luck.

    Image via Google

  • Android 5.0 (Lollipop) Gets Consumer Launch Date

    Google’s latest version of Android, 5.0 or “Lollipop,” will be available to consumers beginning on November 3rd. Google first previewed some of its new features back at Google I/O in the early summer, and officially announced it last week.

    Android Police shares a message Google provided to developers, which includes the date:

    Android 5.0 SDK available You can get started developing and testing your apps on Android 5.0 by downloading the Android 5.0 Platform (API Level 21). Also, you can now publish apps that target Android 5.0 Lollipop to Google Play.

    Before Android 5.0 is available to consumers on November 3, we recommend that you test your apps and publish any needed updates to the Play Store.

    Google tells you more about Lollipop’s features here. This includes “Material Design,” which is bringing a new look to a lot of apps.

    Image via Google

  • Now FairSearch Is Attacking The New Android

    Last week, Google announced Lollipop, its latest Android version (5.0), and now, FairSearch is speaking out against it, claiming it “seeks to expand Google’s control.”

    Google first showed off some of the operating system’s bells and whistles at Google I/O back in the early summer.

    Google shared its official name last week, and announced its launch on new Nexus devices.

    FairSearch is a coalition of Google competitors as you may or may not know. It was formed with the sole purpose of influencing opinion (such as that of governments) about Google’s business practices in order to help competitors. It speaks out against the company at just about every chance, but it has mainly been focused on the ongoing antitrust probe in Europe of late.

    It recently penned an open letter to Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, disputing points he made about Google’s fairness in a Berlin speech.

    Here are some snippets from FairSearch’s latest post about Lollipop:

    Google recently announced the latest iteration of its Android OS. Known colloquially as “Lollipop,” version 5.0 of the system is designed to spread Android’s influence well beyond just mobile devices and tablets, with uses including smart watches and other wearables. Lollipop is also designed to work as a gaming platform for the new Nexus Player, bringing the OS to set-top boxes for the first time.

    …

    Google’s Android is already the dominant smartphone operating system, installed on 85% of smartphones shipped in Q2 of 2014, according to Strategy Analytics. Google shows even greater dominance in mobile search advertising with 96% of the market, according to eMarketer.

    It goes on to say Google is “locking consumers to the Android environment anywhere they might have a screen.”

    FairSearch member Microsoft, of course, recently announced its own big operating system update, which is advertised under the banner: “One product family. One platform. One store.”

    Image via Google

  • Google Announces Android 5.0 Lollipop, New Nexus Devices

    Google just announced that the new version of Android is called Lollipop. It also announced a trio of new Nexus devices: the Nexus 6 smartphone, the Nexus 9 tablet, and the Nexus Player Android TV device.

    First things first. Google showed off the new Android at Google I/O back in June. Here’s the presentation if you want to familiarize yourself:

    It includes over 5,000 APIs and what Google calls Material Design:

    Google considers it its most ambitious Android release so far. The company says:

    Lollipop is made for a world where moving throughout the day means interacting with a bunch of different screens—from phones and tablets to TVs. With more devices connecting together, your expectation is that things just work. With Lollipop, it’s easier than ever to pick up where you left off, so the songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all the other ones.

    As you switch from one screen to another, the experience should feel the same. So Lollipop has a consistent design across devices—an approach we call Material Design. Now content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid.

    Lollipop lets you adjust your settings so only certain people and notifications can get through. They can also be seen directly from the lockscreen. There’s also a new battery saver feature, which Google claims can extend your battery life by up to 90 minutes, and new privacy and security features.

    Now for the devices…

    Google worked with Motorola to develop the Nexus 6 smartphone, which has an aluminum frame, a 6-inch Quad HD display, and a 13 megapixel camera. It has dual front-facing stereo speakers and a “Turbo Charger,” which Google says will give you up to six hours of use with just 15 minutes of charge.

    The Nexus 9 tablet was built with HTC, and includes brushed metal sides and an 8.9-inch screen. It has a keyboard folio that magnetically attaches, and folds into two different angles.

    The Nexus Player is the first Andorid TV (also introduced at Google I/O) device. Google worked with Asus on this one, and describes it as a “first-of-its-kind Android gaming device.”

    “With Nexus Player you can play Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad, then keep playing on your phone while you’re on the road,” Google says. “Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV.”

    The Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will be available for pre-order on October 17th and in stores on November 3rd. The Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order in late October and in stores in November. There will be an unlocked version though Google Play, as well as a monthly contract or installment plan through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon.

    Lollipop will also be available for Nexus 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.

    Here’s a video in which Google compares Android to the Wright brothers:

    Images via Google