While we don’t have a concrete release date, we know that Google is going to be upgrading its popular operating system from Android Kit Kat 4.4.4 to Android L for which, speculation aside, no name or number has officially been assigned. For the last few months, Google released the new operating system’s beta version to developers who have been using it and testing its abilities. Overall the change in the Android operating system was intended to make Android more user friendly, intuitive and easier on the eyes. Unlike the previous versions of Android, L’s theme is much lighter in color and uses white in most places that would have had black in the past.
The first change you will notice in Android L are the notifications. Much like on iOS 7 where the notifications show on the lock screen Android will now do the same. However, you will be able to swipe away individual notifications that you do not want to see. You will also be able to click the notification to open the app that the notification is for.
On the home screen, you will notice that the soft keys are different as well (not applicable for Samsung devices). Instead of the home, back arrow and windows, we now have a square, triangle and a circle. Upon pressing the recent apps button, you are then taken to a screen that looks very much like tabs in Google Chrome (cards) that can be swiped away or clicked on.
The next change, is that when you swipe down from the top of the screen, the notifications no longer cover your screen. Instead, much like on the lock screen, you get mini cards that come down that you can swipe away or click on. Then, instead of clicking on the corner to access the menu that includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc., you can swipe down a second time and that menu will then come down and includes the screen brightness control. The additional menu also come with the option to set “do not disturb” times that can be set right from the pull down menu. “Do not Disturb” is a feature that Apple users are already familiar with as well as some Android users, as the feature was available on many Android devices using Kit Kat 4.4.4 such as the Moto X.
One of the differences that many people were looking forward to with Android L is its effect on battery life and battery related features. On Android L, the phone displays how much time is left to the charge as opposed to the traditional percentage of the battery that was restored by the charge. In the battery menu it will also tell you how much time you have left on your current battery and not just how much or for how long you have used the battery. Android L is also going to come with an updated battery saver feature that is said to increase the battery life of your device significantly more than the current battery saver.
Another change that is coming to devices that will be running Android L, is the recognized Bluetooth and Wi-Fi feature. While some phones already have the Bluetooth feature, the Wi-Fi feature is all new. In short, you will be able to set specific Bluetooth devices or Wi-Fi locations as trusted thereby allowing your phone to stay unlocked when connected to the trusted Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. While this may be convenient for some, this is a feature that you need to be wary of. Passcodes are very important on devices when it comes to the safety of our children and you don’t really want your phone to remain unlocked when you are home thereby allowing your kids to be able to access your phone freely as they wish. Therefore, think twice before selecting trusted devices or locations (whatever settings you choose you can always change them later on although you may not remember that your phone was set to be unlocked).
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Until next time,
Nesanel ~ YWN
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2 Responses
“Passcodes are very important on devices when it comes to the safety of our children and you don’t really want your phone to remain unlocked when you are home thereby allowing your kids to be able to access your phone freely as they wish. – See more at: Passcodes are very important on devices when it comes to the safety of our children and you don’t really want your phone to remain unlocked when you are home thereby allowing your kids to be able to access your phone freely as they wish.”
Why not? Might the kids see something that shouldn’t have been there?
To #1, not sure why you took an accusatory tone.
I’d phrase it more like “Might the kids pick up the phone and send an email to their father’s coworkers” or perhaps “Might the kids cancel an important order.”
Whether people like it or not portable devices are used to conduct business nowadays and unless you don’t care if your business is conducted by a curious 10 year old it may be best to put a password on there.
That is of course besides the fact that a phone with no password can be used to purchase games and other apps and cost the user a lot of money.
The bottom line that the author is trying to say here is that the smart, responsible and appropriate thing to do is make sure the phone is used by the adult, not the child. If you choose to take that to mean that everyone with a phone has something ‘naughty’ on it, that’s your opinion. Good luck with that.