Introduction and interface
Android Lollipop has been a long time coming. There were worries this would be an iterative update, but this is a new level for Google's OS. One that was needed.
This is Android 5, and it feels like a really big step up from Android 4.4.
The key messaging here from the search giant is not that it's just 'a bit better' – it's that it's been overhauled visually and combines well with more than phones and tablets, with watches taking centre stage too.
Note: I'm writing this as a hands on review of the software as I've not had a chance to fully test it with a phone as well, just the Nexus 9. Once I've run it through some tests there, I'll be in a position to score this OS properly.
This is arguably one of the most important releases of Android yet for Google, as it struggles to keep a leash on the myriad manufacturers trying to create something that doesn't look a thing like the stock operating system.
To that end, new Android Lollipop is slicker, faster, more beautiful and, importantly, kinder on the battery than ever.
The new interface is clean and simple, and the whole platform is designed with little flourishes that make it seem premium and useful, which is something that Google will be hoping entices the manufacturers to bring in more recognisable elements of it when they upgrade their handsets to the new platform.
The other important thing here is to make Android 5.0 a really simple tool to build on top of, thus enabling faster upgrades for users.
Apple delights in showing how many of its users are on the latest version of the software compared to the forked Android playground, so if Lollipop appears quickly for all consumers then the platform will become a lot more appealing to developers too.
On top of that you've got the new abilities baked in to compete directly with Apple while improving the experience for users. Running a 64-bit architecture might seem a little redundant now, given there's no phone with enough RAM to support it (although it does lead to slight performance enhancements in some apps), but Google knows what it's doing here and it wants to – like Apple – future proof its platform.
But enough of the strategy – is this new platform actually any good? You're probably going to upgrade no matter what happens, and if you're using a Nexus device you should already have that opportunity, but will the two dimensional interface flatter to deceive?
Interface
It's a tough call when reviewing operating systems: is it more important how something looks, or what it can actually do?
I'd argue that the former is the most important (as long as it's not dog slow under the finger) as the way something looks creates an emotional connection with the user that can help make or break the desire to play with a new tablet or phone.
With that in mind, Google has done a great job with Android Lollipop, flattening down all the menus and widgets and giving everything a much more two-dimensional effect.
That's not to say there's not the odd drop shadow here and there, but mostly everything looks like some sort of papery jigsaw, fitting together nicely.
There are loads of design flourishes that really delight as well: for instance, the settings icon will do a little roll as you drag down the Notifications zone from the top of any screen. It's things like this that make you feel like the device you're using has the power to not let you down, and has the grunt to really do whatever you need it to.
I'm not saying this is a radical overhaul of the way Android works, as the same grid of icons is present and the widgets are still available for the main home screen.
But everything has been polished, which is testament to how simple the Android system has grown to be over the years. It's still the most complicated to learn, thanks to having the 'sub menu' grid of apps, but this also makes it the most customisable, the most rewarding and personal if you spend time putting it together just how you like.
With that in mind, Google's changes are strong. The home, back and open apps buttons are on-screen as before, but now geometric shapes which will spin depending on what the app needs them for.
The notifications are much less obtrusive now - for instance, when asked which default app you'd like to use the option will quietly pop up from the bottom of the screen rather than slapping itself right across what you're doing.
So while the interface hasn't radically changed, Google has slimmed down and refined nearly every element of Android 5 to make it a more attractive OS.
Calls
While I was testing Android Lollipop out on the Nexus 9 tablet, I was still able to check out a flavor of what the calling capabilities of the new operating system will look like.
For instance, Hangouts now has a dialler option, meaning you can make calls through Google's messaging system for cheaper, but this won't be replacing the main phone system.
The big change here is that call notifications won't destroy whatever you're doing with a full screen overlay (thus ruining the game you're playing) - instead you'll get a little notification that you can choose to take or reject the call from.
I'll be testing the final Android Lollipop version on an actual phone soon, so have a look to see how that works - I'm going to guess a bit phone-like.
Messaging and keyboard
Messaging on Android Lollipop is once again routed through the Hangouts app as the main way to chat to your buddies - this allows you to control SMS, video calling and other audio too, along with the new ability to let you bring calls through as well.
I'm guessing that most phone manufacturers won't ditch their messaging app to jump to this, as it's still a little messy and doesn't make the general messaging experience any better. Then again, the extra functionality means that stock Android users do at least have a more powerful option for chatting with friends that can be seen as a rival to iMessage.
The keyboard has been overhauled as well, and on the tablet it's pretty good to use. It's not easy to use in portrait mode, but that's to do with the wider dimensions of the Nexus 9.
In landscape it's a little better, but it's not got the fluidity of the iPad in terms of being able to get up some typing speed in the same way as a physical keyboard.
I do like that all the punctuation (exclamation and question marks, for example) are there by default, and I hope that continues to the phone keyboard with its smaller space.
Performance and notifications
With Android 4.4's Project Svelte, the OS got a big boost for the lower-powered devices, and with Android 5 that's been shown to be the case again.
It's hard to properly test this out, as I'm using the ultra-powerful Nexus 9 tablet, but it's so slippery smooth to use that it would come as no surprise to me if even the phones with only 512MB of RAM (the new Nexus only have 2GB of RAM, which doesn't really test the 64-bit chip) were able to really work well with the new version of Android.
I'll be testing the system on the Nexus 7, Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 as they become imbued with the new level of Android, and others too when manufacturers bestow the power upon them, but the signs are that the new animations and stripped down experience on Android Lollipop is going to be pretty kind on most devices.
Notifications
The notifications centre and lockscreen have been given a thorough going over too, meaning it's now easier than ever to actually get to what you want to see.
The lockscreen is one of the more impressive updates, offering a pseudo-fusion with the notifications centre if you give it a little tug down, where it leaps upwards and joins the notifications bar if you don't want to interact with it there.
A double tap opens you straight into the relevant app (be it a local Wi-Fi network, a game or a message) where a swipe takes it off the lockscreen altogether – all very simple and another example of an OS getting it right in terms of blending together functionality and simplicity.
The virtual tactility of the lockscreen was something that I liked throughout Android 5: the ability to interact with nearly everything. Pull, push, prod and swipe and most things will react in some way, making it feel like a really interactive OS.
The new functionality isn't anything mind blowing, as you can't respond to an email from the lockscreen or notifications centre without opening up the main app (it would have been intuitive to do so - perhaps SMS will allow that function) but it's cool to be able to archive stuff without unlocking your device.
The notifications centre that pervades throughout the device seems to have undergone another change of heart. Where Google was pushing to a grid of quick settings, one that was separate from the main list of updates, the two are now combined into an extendable list that comes down from the centre of the screen.
It can get a bit cluttered up there quite easily with settings and notifications all together (although you do have to pull thrice to see all of them there), and I'm intrigued to see on whether Google will follow this thinking for phones or come up with a simpler way of doing things.
Another feature Google has finally built into the tablet core is the choice for manufacturers to let the phone unlock just by picking it up, or double tapping the screen.
LG, Sony and HTC will probably be miffed that their clever feature will be open to all, but then again, Nokia came up with it in the first place so it's only a matter of time until it rolled out to all.
Priority mode
One of the cleverer functions here is the priority mode, allowing Android Lollipop users to have control beyond the simple 'Do not disturb' option to block calls and texts at certain times.
The new system lets you choose priority senders (nothing new there) but also wider control over which apps can make sounds and vibrate, and which can't. This extends to notifications, and if you choose 'Priority' then things like alarms will always fire, where some other notification sounds won't.
This mode is also cleverly placed with the volume control, meaning just putting your phone or tablet on silent just became a whole lot more intuitive.
Camera, photos and security
The camera app in the Nexus system has been overhauled again – I'm always surprised how little this is changed and how often Nexus devices are just really poor cameraphones.
I understand that, like many things when launching a new Nexus device, it's meant to be a platform for others to build on. As in the Nexus 9 is a showcase for the tools Lollipop has to offer, but doesn't necessarily exploit them in every way.
So the camera app is pretty basic at the moment, although does come with some fancy new features if you're willing to dig down a little bit.
For instance, there's now Photo Sphere, Panorama mode and Lens Blur to join the standard photo and video options. And even within those, there are further choices to be made if you so wish: changing the resolution, quality and location data.
While on the Nexus 9 there are oddly two advanced menus, one within another, the options are well laid out, so if you want to manually change the exposure, you can.
There are more features locked away here though: RAW support for files is an excellent choice and shows Android phones will be even more capable in the future, to take on the likes of Nokia and Microsoft.
As this is a tablet I'm checking Android 5 out on, there's every chance that the Nexus 6 will have far more options to play with in this area. I'm also hoping that the camera itself is a good piece of hardware, as previous Nexii haven't been any good at all for snaps. And this tablet is obviously not going to be much use either (Lens Blur does nothing, for instance).
Photos
But one good thing that the camera does do, thanks to the upgrade to the post-snap processing, is the much-enhanced Photo studio.
Available right from the moment your picture is taken, you can easily tweak all manner of filters and settings to really bring your photo to life.
It's arguably even more powerful than the photo editing functions baked into the iOS 8, as both let you apply filters and sharpen tone and colour – but it feels like there's more on offer with Android 5.
Plus the vertical scrolling to change from things like brightness to contrast, for instance, with horizontal dragging to change the setting, feels like a very intuitive way of doing things.
Sadly this is one of the cool features that I can see disappearing at the high end as manufacturers prefer their own methods of altering photos, but for the mid-tier brands that don't skin or Nexus fans, it's a nice touch.
Security
Google has bulked up the security on Android Lollipop, with a number of old favourites finally getting an update too.
Trusted face is my favourite, as it's the Face Unlock feature finally made useful. Instead of having to watch your gurning mug as the phone or tablet fails to recognise you, it's a more subtle system and a much more accurate one.
Once set up (and this even works in lower light, although it depends on the quality of your front camera, of course) the tablet will begin looking for your face as soon as you unlock.
It's very accurate, but it's hard to know when you've been recognised. The only clue is when scanning the unlock icon turns into a face, before returning to a padlock when it's ready.
In bright light, this is usually under a second, before you've even had time to make sure you've not got any notifications. It's a very slick system, although one that could still be open to spoofing. But it's another layer of security to add to just a simple passcode.
Google's also allowed you to unlock with a Bluetooth watch or NFC sticker – anything that shows it's something personal to you and can thus be a more secure environment.
Verdict
Android 5 is flatter, smoother and more tactile than ever before. It's visually so much more appealing, from the transitions to the typeface used, and it feels like there's a lot of thought that's gone into working out what users need at certain times.
To some people it needs to compete with iOS 8, to be a fully-fledged platform in itself, while to others it's the starting point for others to build on. It needs to be tool rich, rather than finished, and I get the feeling Google is in the latter camp.
We liked
The interface and performance – admittedly tested on a high power tablet – is just really impressive. I liked the way it zips along under the finger and the myriad little tweaks, updates and tricks (and even the sounds the unlock makes) offer a much more premium experience.
If the LG G3 is anything to go by, plus the leaks we've seen, perhaps there will be more manufacturers adopting the flatter design with the clean and pleasant new font.
The photo editing suite is powerful and welcome, as it really gives you the chance to change a mundane picture into something you'd like to share.
We disliked
I'm still not a massive fan of Hangouts as an app, although I do appreciate the power it brings. I just feel like it's a bit too convoluted in what it's trying to do, and will only confuse new phone owners as it seeks to take control of the 'it ain't broke, don't fix it' messages apps on other phones.
There are also no 'delights' on here that you might find on other phones or tablets, but then again I appreciate that's purely subjective. I like the way Samsung shoves the easy settings at the top of the menu, and HTC's Blinkfeed is a useful too, but others hate that and crave the simple experience Google brings.
Verdict
Android Lollipop is the best platform Google has cooked up by far – surpassing what I'd have expected for the next step up of the OS.
While it's still a bit bland and doesn't pack the whizz and pop of iOS 8, that's not really the point of this naked OS. It's a blank canvas to paint upon rather than a fully-fledged operating system.
It's a shame that the Nexus 9 isn't the tablet to challenge the iPad Air 2, showing that there's still work to do with the OS if it can't make hardware brilliant straight away. Perhaps the Nexus 6 will change that, but for now Lollipop is an impressive platform that will give some really nice tools for manufacturers to play with.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1s5DW1B
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