Google unveils Android ‘L’ at Google I/O 2014

The Google I/O keynote revealed the next Android operating system, but under a codename. Android ‘L’. The new Android operating system is under final development stage and the APIs and SDKs are given out to developers so that they can get ready with the next versions of their apps when the final OS is rolled out of the gates.

Android L is presently under a codename. Well, L is not something that will not be included in the final name since the next version of Android is definitely to start with L which is named after a dessert or sugary treat. Also the name of the next version of Android is placed in an alphabetical order, and L is after K (KitKat).

Android L has a whole set of new features under its hood. A new material design, new runtime, enhanced notifications and increased power efficiency with project Volta.

Material design is something some Android users would have already experienced, and is similar to that on Google Now. The entire new interface using material design will be used in Android L and the next final OS release. Below is an example of the Gmail app which shows a new, cleaner and colourful look. Lines between the emails have been slimmed down, new fonts adopted, circular bubble for the contact pics, and a few others. The new material design also implements depths, shadows and fluid animations which creates and interface that feels more responsive. Additionally, the interface in the Android L will have axis-level interface tuning which is able to change how the display looks depending on the lighting and shadows of the surrounding.

Notifications have been improved immensely. Google has changed the way the user will now handle notifications that appear on the top of the screen. Notifications will be displayed on the lockscreen as well and defined by each app on its own. Clicking on the notification takes the user to the respective app and swiping them will clear it out. If you are in the midst of a game or a video and you receive a call, the display won’t cut off to show the caller name. Instead it will slyly notify you in the notification area without disrupting your game or video. You have a choice to reject, answer or simply ignore the cal by swiping it away. Recent apps will also be having a different look. Unlike the older tiled look, the new one will be more of a carousal which simply rolls over the each other, making it simple to handle and more interesting.

A new runtime (ART runtime) implementation means Google has officially chucked away the Dalvik virtual machine which has been running Android applications from the beginnings of Android OS. The major differences between the two are basically the opposite of each other. While Dalvik uses just-in-time code compilation, ART uses ahead-of-time for the same. This can increase the performance (according to Google) by almost four times as opposed to the older Dalvik implementation. Android L will also support 64-bit processing, which increases performance and higher memory addressing.

Project Volta is all about power efficiency. Battery life is a major concern with all the new powerful hardware being used and the number of large and resource-hungry apps being released. The project by Google is an effort to improve the battery life by software optimisation. Google’s app, named Battery Historian, will rely on developers and users together, which can monitor the way and times each app and service makes use of processes, which affects the battery life in the end. Using this information, developers and users can schedule their apps depending on the usage. For example, if you have a very low battery, you can program your apps in such a way that they will suspend checking emails, syncing data and updating apps till you plug in a charger.

The Android L will be available to developers for testing and feedback. The codename of ‘L’ will be removed and the final official release name will be revealed in a few months.