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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Android M release date, features and what you need to know

Android L isn’t even out yet, but Google’s attention is already turning to its successor. Details of Android M are sketchy so far, but it’s already a hot topic among Android developers.
                                       What will Android M be named? © ANDROIDPIT
The next version of Android, Android L, is nearly here - but developers live in the future and they’re already interested in its successor, Android M. So far the information available is almost non-existent - there are a few comments on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) website and nothing else. However, as more information becomes available we’ll add it here.

Android 6.0 / Android M: release date

Android M will be the next major release of the Android operating system, but it is a long way off yet. With massive changes already underway in the Android L release, there will be several incremental updates of that version before Android M ever enters prime time.
Having said that, the life of Android KitKat was only around a year between Android Jelly Bean and the upcoming Android L update, so it is possible that we could see Android M in October or November 2015. However, we tend to think that KitKat was more of a gap-filler than Android L will be, so we may not see Android M until mid-2016.
                             OMG! OMG! OMG! Android M is almost here. Oh, wait... © AOSP
    
 Also, since Google is on an annual release schedule for Android, Android 6.0 M looks like a shoo-in for Google I/O in 2015 and a release in the fall or early winter. As ever, some handsets - notably Google’s own Nexuses - will get it earlier than others.

Android 6.0 / Android M: new features

By the time the Android M release arrives, 64-bit support in Android will be old hat and we'll be looking at new frontiers. The future crop of flagship devices will all have 64-bit chips and at least 4 GB of RAM, with many of the second-tier and even mid-range devices probably having those specs too.
We're already sure that Android L will focus on condolidating everything Android has brought us this far and make increased attempts at providing a more stable and quality-assured platform.
But what About Android M? On the broader front, the Smart Home will be an increasingly important feature of Android, with complete control over your connected devices at home and in the office via Nest and other third-party makers.
            The Smart Home will be a huge part of Android's future. © Samsung Tomorrow

 Android Auto and the Open Automotive Alliance will be increasing in visibility and we're pretty sure that accessing your vehicle via your smartphone will be a standard after-market add-on. Wearables will be in full bloom too, and should have matured into the necessity we've been waiting for, with increasingly less attention focused on the physical smartphone itself, which may be largely relegated to a battery pack lost in your bag somewhere.
We may even see some AI robots introduced on which Android M will be demoed... or perhaps I'm just getting a little carried away. Of course, I'm taking wild stabs in the dark here, but I'm pretty sure Android M will be all about bringing Android to as many new frontiers as possible: from your pocket, to your wrist, to your car and home to who knows what else.

Android M name

This one's purely for fun, so let's have with it: Android Milky Bar, Android Milky Way, Android Marshmallow, Android M&Ms, Android Mud Cake, Android Meh... I got nothin else. Hit the comments and give us your best bets!
What do you think of Android M? Is it too soon to start thinking about it, despite the rumors? Google has planned things way in advance, so it's worth taking a look way down in the future at what the next developments could be.

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Android L to arrive on November 1st?

The Android L release is not far away, of that much we are sure, but with everyone assuming Android 5.0 will arrive in mid-to-late October, depending on which source you believe, we've just had the ground beneath our feet shaken by none other than Motorola Support. Update: Contrary to our recent speculation, we've just received further details which add weight to the presumed late October release of Android L. Head to the bottom of the page for the full story.

A report from Android Authority combines rumors from venerable Android blogger Paul O'Brien and the ever-present "sources familiar with Google's plans" to peg two important dates: new Nexus hardware on October 15/16th, and the release of Android L by November 1st.
Android Authority is claiming that the new HTC-made Nexus 9 tablet will be unveiled on October 15 or 16th, alongside a preview of Android L, but that we'll have to wait until November 1st to get our sweaty paws on Google's latest shiny operating system. As ever, these kind of rumors should be taken with the requisite fistful of salt, but the timings are more or less in line with other rumors, so it's at least plausible
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Apple sells 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the first weekend, surprising no one


Apple has sold more than 10 million of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the first three days of going on sale, following its release on Friday, September 19. Interestingly, Tim Cook says the company could’ve sold “many more iPhones” if the supply chain had been strong enough — but alas, the large-screen iPhone is now so popular that Apple and its Chinese partners simply can’t make phones fast enough.
This news, following Apple’s announcement that it had secured 4 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, should only be surprising to the six Finnish fundamentalists who are holding out for the Second Coming of Nokia. Every new iPhone release has broken the sales record set by the previous iPhone — it’s just a matter of course. There’s no denying that Apple makes good smartphones — and as word of mouth spreads, and the smartphone market continues to expand, iPhone sales increase.
 The massive iPhone 6 Plus battery, clocking in at 2,915 mAh

What is kind of interesting, however, is that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus only just beat the iPhone 5S and 5C – last year, they shifted 9 million combined units in their first weekend. The iPhone 5, released back in 2012, shifted 5 million units in its first three days. While 10 million sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is definitely a strong outing — it’s by far the biggest first-weekend outing of any smartphone in history — I wonder how many units Apple expected to shift.
Apple took a big ideological leap with the release of two large-screen iPhones — and as a result, I’m sure there was a fair bit of uncertainty in Cupertino about how they would be received by the public. Remember, this is an adoring audience that has faithfully echoed Steve Jobs’ small-screen-good-big-screen-bad mantra for years. It would seem, though, that Apple needn’t have worried: The public have spoken, and — unsurprisingly — they like large screens. (Or they have enough faith in Apple that they’ll get a large-screen phone, irrespective of whether they actually want one or not.)
In Apple’s official statement about iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sales, Tim Cook said: “Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend… While our team managed the manufacturing ramp better than ever before, we could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible.” Basically, following 9 million sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C, Apple put in an order for 10 million of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 Plus has been harder to get hold of than the iPhone 6, but it isn’t clear if this is due to manufacturing issues, or if Apple just underestimated supply for the phablet-sized device.
In any case, with all the data that Apple has accumulated over the last couple of weeks, I’m sure it now knows exactly how many new iPhones it needs to make over the next few months to satisfy worldwide demand. We’ll probably never know for certain whether it’s the larger screens or Apple’s massive power as a brand that’s driving sales — but one thing’s for sure: the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are well on their way to becoming by far the most popular smartphones in the world. They haven’t even launched in China yet…


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Bendgate: Is the iPhone 6 too bendy, or are your skinny jeans just too skinny?

First there was the iPhone 4 Antennagate. Then there was the iPhone 5 Scuffgate. And now, with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, there is Bendgate.
Yes, it seems Apple’s all-aluminium design can’t withstand the truly awesome stresses of being placed in the front pocket of a pair of skinny jeans. Numerous owners of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are reporting that their new phones have developed a noticeable bend or kink after being placed in a pants pocket. This isn’t people sitting on their phones, either: A tight front pocket, plus the curvature of your thigh, is enough to bend the new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus.
Furthermore, to prove that these bent iPhones aren’t just freak accidents caused by overly tight pockets, a crop of “bend test” videos (embedded below) have popped up on YouTube over the last 24 hours.
In most cases, these iPhones aren’t bending enough to break them — though presumably, over time, repeated bending will cause serious damage

Design flaw, or just frothingly vehement Apple fans?

At this point, it’s pretty clear that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are indeed bendable. What we don’t know is if this is a design flaw, or if the issue is being blown out of proportion by the huge volume of new (and very passionate) iPhone 6 owners. Remember, there are now 10 million owners of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus who are spending a significant portion of their waking hours admiring and fondling their shiny new slice of Apple magic. All it takes is one iPhone 6 owner to report a slight unplanned curvature, and suddenly millions of other owners are looking for the same problem.
Putting aside such sociological concerns for now — I’m not a sociologist — let’s focus on whether the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have a design flaw or not.

A bent Sony Xperia Z1

For a start, bent phones are not a new phenomenon. The iPhone 5 and 5S both had a tendency to bend if you sat down with them in your rear pocket. The Sony Xperia Z1, which has a metal frame, has also been known to bend. Basically, if you look hard enough, most metal-bodied phones have been known to bend.
This might come as a shock to some of you, but metal bends — and specifically, the cheap, thin, and light metal that is used to make some smartphones (aluminium) is very bendy. This is actually one advantage of using plastic instead of metal: If you apply enough force to bend solid aluminium, it stays bent; plastic, on the other hand, is elastic and bends back into its original shape (assuming you don’t break the elastic limit and snap the plastic, of course — but modern thermoplastics are very tough).




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