Google Announces Android 5.0 Lollipop, New Nexus Devices

Google just announced that the new version of Android is called Lollipop. It also announced a trio of new Nexus devices: the Nexus 6 smartphone, the Nexus 9 tablet, and the Nexus Player Android TV dev...
Google Announces Android 5.0 Lollipop, New Nexus Devices
Written by Chris Crum

Google just announced that the new version of Android is called Lollipop. It also announced a trio of new Nexus devices: the Nexus 6 smartphone, the Nexus 9 tablet, and the Nexus Player Android TV device.

First things first. Google showed off the new Android at Google I/O back in June. Here’s the presentation if you want to familiarize yourself:

It includes over 5,000 APIs and what Google calls Material Design:

Google considers it its most ambitious Android release so far. The company says:

Lollipop is made for a world where moving throughout the day means interacting with a bunch of different screens—from phones and tablets to TVs. With more devices connecting together, your expectation is that things just work. With Lollipop, it’s easier than ever to pick up where you left off, so the songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all the other ones.

As you switch from one screen to another, the experience should feel the same. So Lollipop has a consistent design across devices—an approach we call Material Design. Now content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid.

Lollipop lets you adjust your settings so only certain people and notifications can get through. They can also be seen directly from the lockscreen. There’s also a new battery saver feature, which Google claims can extend your battery life by up to 90 minutes, and new privacy and security features.

Now for the devices…

Google worked with Motorola to develop the Nexus 6 smartphone, which has an aluminum frame, a 6-inch Quad HD display, and a 13 megapixel camera. It has dual front-facing stereo speakers and a “Turbo Charger,” which Google says will give you up to six hours of use with just 15 minutes of charge.

The Nexus 9 tablet was built with HTC, and includes brushed metal sides and an 8.9-inch screen. It has a keyboard folio that magnetically attaches, and folds into two different angles.

The Nexus Player is the first Andorid TV (also introduced at Google I/O) device. Google worked with Asus on this one, and describes it as a “first-of-its-kind Android gaming device.”

“With Nexus Player you can play Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad, then keep playing on your phone while you’re on the road,” Google says. “Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV.”

The Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will be available for pre-order on October 17th and in stores on November 3rd. The Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order in late October and in stores in November. There will be an unlocked version though Google Play, as well as a monthly contract or installment plan through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon.

Lollipop will also be available for Nexus 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.

Here’s a video in which Google compares Android to the Wright brothers:

Images via Google

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