Lollipop thread (Android 5.0)

[s44]

Instead of having it scattered around the device threads, let's discuss the new Android release in one place.

https://www.android.com/versions/lollipop-5-0/

No big UI upgrades (still no multi-window = fail), but a lot of nice little things. Most interesting tidbit, to me, is that Knock On is now part of Android itself...

 

[poofyhairguy]

I like battery saver built in, and I like the ideas on notifications (though does this mean Hangouts is already fired from that job?).

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

No big UI upgrades? This is a huge UI overhaul. Its far cleaner and minimalistic while being more useful. Multi-window to me is overrated.

I'm very satisfied with the UI upgrades they did here.

Now being at the CyanogenMod Q&A for the OnePlus One, they promised to bring feature parity with CM11 onto CM12. This combined with the new features of L should be a sure winner. I'm very excited.

 

[Red Storm]

I like the multiuser options, it's one area that iOS is still completely lacking in.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Instead of having it scattered around the device threads, let's discuss the new Android release in one place.

https://www.android.com/versions/lollipop-5-0/

No big UI upgrades (still no multi-window = fail), but a lot of nice little things. Most interesting tidbit, to me, is that Knock On is now part of Android itself...

No big UI upgrades

Half the update is a UI upgrade.

 

[s44]

Half the update is a UI upgrade.

No, it's UI tweaks. Whether better or not... who knows. The support for Material animations will be nice, but the new task switcher may actually turn out to be worse.

 

[s44]

Here's the Google Blog post on Lollipop:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/android-be-together-not-same.html

Android 5.0 Lollipop, which comes on Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, will also be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.

Let's hope GPE releases aren't just limited to this year's devices (currently only the Moto G and M8 are on the Play Store). There's no reason we shouldn't get this ASAP on the GPE S4, M7, G Pad, or even Z Ultra...

 

[Eug]

I wonder if it will slow my already-slow 2012 Nexus 7 to a crawl.

 

[JimKiler]

I wonder if it will slow my already-slow 2012 Nexus 7 to a crawl.

I was thinking the same thing. I did a factory reset but that did not last long. Although it will be nice to see the upgrades over KitKat.

I wonder if my Galaxy 4 for AT&T will ever get upgraded to Lollipop.

 

[Megatomic]

I was VERY happy to see that my OG Moto X will get updated to Lollipop "soon". Looking through the new features I see a lot was appropriated from Moto, you guys are going to like that stuff if you haven't used a Moto X.

 

[kpkp]

You get a lollipop, you get a lollipop, you get a lollipop, yes Nexus 7 2012 you too.

 

[SKORPI0]

What's next? Marshmallow (Android 6.0)? :awe:

 

[Eug]

Macaroon

 

[sweenish]

but the new task switcher may actually turn out to be worse.

How? It's a vast improvement, technically. No more thinking I'm going into one app just to end up with Chrome or the play store open instead.

You may be thinking visibility in that you can only see the last three things or so.

The first question is, how often do you actually go back further than three? The next is, since you still have to scroll, how is it worse?

And I shouldn't be surprised that you would delineate between a tweak and and upgrade. ICS was really only tweaks by your logic.

 

[QueBert]

What's next? Marshmallow (Android 6.0)? :awe:

Based off Google loving the gayest sounding code names they can come up with. I'm going with Mallomar

 

[Phokus]

No, it's UI tweaks. Whether better or not... who knows. The support for Material animations will be nice, but the new task switcher may actually turn out to be worse.

Material design is a revolutionary new design language, it's like Apple jumping from Skeumorphism to Flat design, only bigger. Material design actually brings in revolutionary new usability to the smartphone/tablet OS, rather than just different aesthetic looks.

 

[Crono]

Material design is a revolutionary new design language, it's like Apple jumping from Skeumorphism to Flat design, only bigger. Material design actually brings in revolutionary new usability to the smartphone/tablet OS, rather than just different aesthetic looks.

Material design is flat design with physics (read: animations). Not that different from what Apple attempted to do with iOS 7 and 8, but Google's approach looks a whole lot better. I think I still prefer Windows Phone's flat design to the parallax-heavy approach - which has been heavily overused on the web - to material design, but it does look promising. It's easy to overdo the animations to the point of fatigue.

 

[WelshBloke]

... Looking through the new features I see a lot was appropriated from Moto, you guys are going to like that stuff if you haven't used a Moto X.

TBH I'm not seeing a lot of stuff there that's not on my 4.4.4 S5.

 

[Kneedragger]

I like the multiuser options, it's one area that iOS is still completely lacking in.

Yup I agree! Looking forward to using this when others want to use my phone. When my kids gets old enough I see this a good feature..

 

[Megatomic]

TBH I'm not seeing a lot of stuff there that's not on my 4.4.4 S5.

Always on listening for OK Google is the biggest thing that jumped out at me.

 

[WelshBloke]

Always on listening for OK Google is the biggest thing that jumped out at me.

Like that?

 

[TiredEngineer]

Has anyone seen the technical description of this:

"Pick up where you left off
The songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all of your Android devices."

I am really hoping it is independent of the developer implementing it. A post on Android Police about 1 month ago leads me to believe Google may brute force this through Google Drive storage.

For example, the implementation of Immersive Mode is an abomination. Why did Google require developers to implement this infividually. This should be toggle-able by default in every app through the OS. Also...Google themselves has neglected this feature. Trying to browse the web in landscape mode has a large part of the screen taken up with needless soft keys.

 

[Red Storm]

Like that?

On the Moto X you can activate it even when the screen is off, plugged in or not. That is a big difference.

The Nexus is also getting Active Display, another fantastic feature from the Moto X.

All stock Android needs now is multiwindow. Waiting for 5.1

 

[WelshBloke]

On the Moto X you can activate it even when the screen is off, plugged in or not. That is a big difference.

That's a hardware thing though isn't it, it's not really to do with an OS update.

 

[Red Storm]

That's a hardware thing though isn't it, it's not really to do with an OS update.

Well they also mention tap to wake, isn't that also a hardware thing?