Google has revealed its latest line-up of Android mobiles and software, as the internet giant aims to attract a wider range of consumers away from rivals Apple and Microsoft.
Google revealed its new large screen Nexus 6 phone and Nexus 9 tablet, along with a new streaming video and music device, Nexus Player, to compete with Apple TV and Roku, among others.
The new lineup will run on a new version of Google’s Android operating system. The latest software is called ‘Lollipop’ in keeping with Google’s tradition of naming its Android upgrades after treats.
” Lollipop” or Android 5.0, the upgraded operating system for mobile, “is designed to be flexible, to work on all your devices and to be customized for you the way you see fit,” said Google vice president Sundar Pichai, who heads the Android operations.
With the new operating system, according to the Android Website, “The songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all of your Android devices.”
Google is now aiming for more of Apple’s affluent market with the Nexus line while trying to ensure people with lower incomes can still buy smartphones through a recently launched program called Android One.
The new smartphone, called the Nexus 6, boasts a nearly 6-inch Quad HD display, eclipsing the 5.5-inch display on the iPhone 6 Plus that Apple began selling last month.
The Nexus 6 smartphone becomes the newest and largest of the Google-branded handsets, and is produced by Motorola, which Google bought in 2012 and is in the process of selling to China’s Lenovo.
This aluminium frame device has a 13-megapixel camera. The camera comes equipped with optical image stabilization. It also has a 2MP front-facing camera. The phone boasts of dual front-facing speakers which according to Google are meant to provide immersive stereo sound.
Nexus 6 also comes with a Turbo Charger, so that users can get up to six hours of use with 15 minutes of charge, says Google. The phone runs on a Snapdragon 805 quad-core 2.7GHz processor. It has a 3220 mAh battery. The device comes in 32 GB and 64 GB memory options.
On the other hand, the latest Nexus 9 tablet, made by HTC, features a nearly 9-inch screen – two inches larger than the previous version. The brushed-metal tablet “is small enough to easily carry around in one hand, yet big enough to work on,” Google said.
Battery saving mode
After extensive testing Google has finally revealed Android L 5.0 is in fact named Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Material Design is the driving force behind the new update. It completely changes the interface with more fluid animations and a cleaner design. There’s a new multitasking menu and even more ways to use voice.
The biggest addition in is the new battery saver mode. All devices running on Android L will be able to activate this mode and save more than 90 minutes of battery life between charges. The feature has been seen on various manufacturers devices but it is now a part of the core Android experience.
Android 5.0 includes multiple user accounts as well as a guest user mode.
Google also plans to roll out to the Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and the Google Play Edition devices in the coming weeks.
Watch this promo video here: