Google Unveils Android Lollipop, Nexus 6 Smartphone

Google actually drive on the highways of a new frontier as it announced the new Android Operating system “Lollipop” and three new devices. The devices are: Nexus 6 – the 13 megapixel phone, HTC-made Nexus 9 tablet that has an 8.9-inch screen and front-facing speakers and a TV streaming box which will run Google’s Android TV software, named the Nexus Player.

 

While announcing the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google said in its blog that, “As previewed at Google I/O, Lollipop is our largest, most ambitious release on Android with over 5,000 new APIs for developers; Lollipop is designed to be flexible, to work on all your devices and to be customized for you the way you see fit.”

Adding that, “and just like Android has always been, it’s designed to be shared.”

‘After adaptation, comes efficiency’, Google is also making apps, music and other data seamlessly from one device to the other and with a consistent design, termed ‘material design’. This need was necessitated by the idea that people not satisfied by only one mobile device.

See also: Prescriptions from the ‘Google Hospital’.

In Google’s blog, they also said,“Now content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid.”

Just like iOS’s ‘do not disturb’, Filtering settings to let only certain people or notifications interrupt you has been added, although allowing for more detailed filtering. An energy saving feature promises to extend the battery life by over an hour and 20 minutes. The Lollipop OS also allows multiple user accounts and guest mode, much like laptops. Security options have been expanded to include a PIN, password, pattern or pairing your phone to your watch or car with a Smart Lock.

Nexus 6 smartphone

The six-inched quad HD 1440×2560 display Nexus 6 has an aluminum frame and is such that it has 493 pixels per inch. With dual front-facing stereo speakers and it’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, quad core 2.7 GHz processor.

Also, it has a 13-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization and a two megapixel front-facing camera. A Turbo Charger, that’s included, will boost your battery to give you six hours of use after 15 minutes of charging. Pre-orders start in late October with unlocked versions to be available through the Google Play Store starting at $749 or with carriers, although so far Google has only named US carriers that are expected to have the phone in November. It comes in two colours, midnight blue or white and in a 32GB version and in 64GB.

In partnership with HTC, Google also released a new tablet. The Nexus 9 has an 8.9-inch screen, brushed metal sides and works with a keyboard tailored to fit it with a magnetic attachment that folds into two different angles.

Nexus 9 with keyboard

Created in a partnership with Asus, the Nexus Player is the third device on today’s release and the first to run Android TV. It’s a streaming media player and what Google is billing as “a first-of-its-kind Android gaming device. Just using a gamepad, it will let players play Android games on their HDTV, with the same games available on their phone when they’re away from the TV.

Nexus Player

Google released dates for US availability: The Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will be available for pre-order on October 17 and in stores starting November 3. I’ll update this post with Canadian availability when we get it.

Update: HTC says the Nexus 9 will be available in Canada with Future Shop and Best Buy starting pre-orders “very soon,” for the WiFi version. Rogers and Telus will have the LTE version starting in late November, although no information on pricing is available yet.