Android heading for major tools update
Dave Burke, vice president of engineering at Google, took the stage to discuss the company’s mobile platform. For Android N, he said, the team set about rewriting how a lot of the fundamental systems work.
“This year we decided to do something a little different,” he said, “by releasing an early developer preview of Android N before Google I/O. Getting the platform out earlier means there’s more time for app makers and hardware developers to be prepared for the release later this year.”
And if you’re wondering why Android N is still just called Android N, that’s because the team has hit a logjam on the naming conventions. “This year the ‘N’ dessert name is proving trickier than all the others, so for the first time ever, we’re going to ask the world to give us their ideas,” said Burke. “Please don’t call it Namey McNameface. We reserve the right to pick the winner.”
Burke detailed some of the improvements in Android N, most notably: “improved performance in graphics. We’ve already extended OpenGL to bring the experience to mobile. With N we make a leap forward with the introduction of Vulkan. We made a concerted effort to work with the industry on Vulkan. Game developers are able to squeeze in more effects per frame while keeping framerates high.”
The Android runtime has also been improved, said Burke. The compiler now performs anywhere from 30% to 600% faster on benchmarks, he said. Add to that the improvements inherent in the new just-in-time compiler, and he said that applications not only install faster, but can also be fit into half the storage space.
Other changes to the operating system include new security features, such as file-based encryption, which supplants whole-disk encryption as an even more secure means of keeping data safe from prying eyes.
Google’s security fixes for Android also extend to the ecosystem and Play Store, said Burke. “Let’s not forget all the security services Google provides to keep all Android devices safe,” he said. “Safe browsing warns users ahead of time about sites that contain malware or are deceptive. In the Google Play store, we review every app to make sure it meets our policy. We run an app security improvement program with developers. We worked with key banking and ecommerce apps to make sure they were using https properly to prevent man in the middle attacks.”
From an interface perspective, Android N adds the ability to have two apps open at once, side-by-side, and to automatically move to the last application used after a double tap of the “recent” button. For larger devices, like Android TV, picture-in-picture support is also included.
Notifications are also getting an overhaul, with the ability to configure notification options by tapping on an app’s message in the status bar. Messaging notifications will also get more interactive with quick-send responses included in pop-ups.
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