Google has formally confirmed that the next version of its Android operating system - version 5.0 - will be nicknamed ‘Lollipop’. It’s intended to have a consistent design wherever it’s implemented, whether on smartphones, tablets or televisions.
Other features include the ability to prioritise certain people and notifications, to allow a ‘guest’ limited access to your device and to extend the battery life if it’s running low. The new OS will be available ‘over the air’ to compatible Nexus devices in the next few weeks.
There are three new Nexus devices created in partnership with hardware manufacturers: a smartphone, a tablet and a TV box.
The Nexus 6 is a smartphone that’s been developed by Motorola. It has a 6-inch Quad HD display, a 13 megapixel camera and front-facing stereo speakers. It’ll be supplied with a ‘Turbo Charger’ to deliver up to six hours of use after 15 minutes of charge. Meanwhile, the Nexus 9 is an 8.9-inch tablet with an optional clip-on keyboard. It’s being produced by HTC. Both are expected to be available in the UK from November.
As well as these two mobile devices, Google has created the Nexus Player in collaboration with Asus. It’s a streaming media player that runs on the Android TV platform, although UK availability hasn’t been confirmed for this.
[Google blog]