A Piece of the Pie
We all knew it was coming, the Android update. This one looks like it is going to be one of the most impactful updates that has come out so far. It seems that the folks at Android have a bit of a sweet tooth, as many of their updates have been tasty, sugary treats like the ice cream sandwich, lollipop, jellybean, and the honeycomb.
This time around it is the pie, and this android update packs some noteworthy features. One of the first interesting aspects of the update is that they changed some basic navigational functionality, but there is plenty more where that came from.
A Bold Move
Not all Android updates are created equally. This is something that has become very apparent when you check out the latest and greatest Android update. Here are some of the bold new Android updates that are making a big difference in overall user experience:
Dampening Notifications – This is a problem that has recently come to light. Every website you go to wants to give you notifications about their updates, but there are so many websites and if you get notifications from them all how can you sift through them all, and why would you want to? Our phones have been being flooded with notifications, so the pie update allows you to auto mute certain notifications if you swipe them without looking enough, a handy feature that is most welcome.
Screenshot Editing – This is a lot of fun for the artist on-the-go. This update feels like it was long overdue, it essentially overlays the draw software on any photo you take right on your phone. You can do all kinds of creative stuff to screenshots, or implement them for a business project or presentation. It is nice because the applications are endless.
Better App Search Results – The in-phone app search is somewhat useful when you get a big library, but the new update has allowed for some additional great features. For one now you can search for a specific functionality within an app as well. This is really useful if you don’t remember the name of the app you installed to perform a certain function. This streamlined, fine-tuning is a welcome addition to the Android arsenal.
Gesture Navigation – This one is pretty noteworthy as well, as Google hasn’t made a navigation change in over 6 years. There is not a transition in Android to a gesture-based control system. This gesture system is great for multitasking. Now you only see a home button, but you can swipe up to multitask, and there will only be a back button present on an app that can use the functionality properly.
This control scheme is certainly a bit complicated, and will take some getting used to, but offers a cool new level of functionality. What is nice is this control scheme is not automatically set to default on your phone, so you get to choose if you want to try it out or not and it will stay out of your way if you don’t.