Key Lime Pie - Android 5.0

Cale

Didn't see a thread on here regarding Android 5.0 discussion so, here goes...

Just read this article:

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/486414/20130704/android-5-0-key-lime-pie-k.htm#.UdwTlawstc3

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is expected to be released in October 2013 and reports say that the upcoming software version will support older and low-cost devices to prevent fragmentation between Android smartphones and tablets.
Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie and K Release Build
WallStreetJournal reported the Google's upcoming plans include a "K release" in fall as the company "wraps up development on the next version of Android." "K release" refers the famous Android 5.0 aka Key Lime Pie which will refresh the Android OS environment. Recently, Google released the source code of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean featuring major bugs fixes and some additions not found in previous Jelly Bean versions.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition and Snapdragon-powered variant were found compatible with Android 4.3 and will be available soon to other flagship devices such as HTC One and Sony Xperia Z in 2013. Moreover, Nexus devices, including Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 could receive push update of Android 4.3 once Google officially releases it publicly. The iteration of Android devices are now being finalised by Google.

Older and Low-Cost Devices will be Made Compatible with Android 5.0
Included in the report released by WallStreetJournal, Android 5.0 will be made customised to suit low-cost smartphones and not exclusive anymore to high-end devices. Google has been making a lot of noise to bring affordable Internet connection to billions that currently do not support proper Web connectivity.
This may also mean that older phones released 2-3 years ago will become qualified to run Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. It will incredibly increase popularity and market share of Android devices if the major software update has a tailor-made version for low-end smartphones and tablets.


Android 5.0 Opens Door for Expansion


Google is thinking to expand again and plans to target other electronic devices such as appliances and computers; making the Android OS limitless.
"With the next release of Android this fall, Google is also moving more aggressively to use the software in additional kinds of devices, including laptops and appliances such as refrigerators," included to the report of WallStreetJournal.
"According to Google, the majority of Android devices currently being used rely on a version of the software released in 2011 that has fewer capabilities than newer releases. Some industry experts say that the most recent versions of Android are better for higher-end devices than lower-end or older one that had, for instance, 512MB of memory."
The only way to solve this crisis about compatibility and stability among Android devices is to come up with an Android OS version optimised to all kinds, whether high-end or low-end.
The Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie major feature would be the "optimised factor" not found on earlier versions of the OS, and its release, according to Google, would be a "remedy to the issue of RAM restrictions for older devices and freedom of developers to optimise their apps for all Android devices no matter what version it runs."

Seems Google are making a push to dominate a multitude of handsets in various price ranges.

I do think that too much manufacturer 'skinning' can hamper the overall experience, especially when dealing with low end handsets. I see their skins as interfering what pure Android can potentially do on a low end phone and bring the user more into the realm of Android, much like we have with iOS.

This is a major plus for iOS in my book and why I sometimes venture back to use it.

Obviously rumors are flying about as regards what the features will include - optional manufacturer skins (I certainly hope with the release of the HTC One and GS4 with pure Android that this is a possibility), better Google Now etc..

What do you guys hope for? And also what else do you think Google can do as regards the fragmented Android market?

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

neumie

Will the manufacturers update though? Any chance sony will release an update for my xperia U for example? I would be very surprised to see it (though would welcome it of course ).
Even if the manufacturer does...will the carrier? It took o2 4 months roughly to get ICS our for the U after it was released by sony.

Is there any reason why android is currently updated the way it is? A good technical reason rather than politics? Why cant it be updated like a Linux distro?

Have one source controlled by google that has all the core components needed for android (kernel, systems for running apps, low level UI systems etc), and let manufacturers have a separate repository for their customizations. Maybe have a 3rd one for carrier repositories.

When a manufacturer wants to make an android phone they pull in the stuff from the google repository, make their own repository full of their own customisations that get installed on top of googles stuff, add the carrier repository if required and sell it (I know, simplified but you get the idea).

This would allow all 3 parties involved to release updates quickly and easily.

Looking at this master key problem for example....chances are its already fixed at google. 4.3 and 5 will probably remove the problem. By allowing google to push updates out to all phones this problem could be easily made a non issue very quickly.

By the looks of it the update thing looks more like a political and business rather than a technical issue. The manufacturers want to put their own spin on it (which is good imho, it makes android more diverse and interesting) and the carriers want more control (they would probably prefer people just bought new phones for updates).

Everyone involved in android needs to wake up to the fact that smart phones and tablets are not feature phones. They are pocket PCs and, like any PC, they need constant maintenance. The master key problem is a stark reminder of this. It should be a non issue already. google should have been able to push a fix out and it should have been sorted on all phones. instead the s4 is fixed....and nothing else.

A linux distro sees updates every 3 days roughly. We should be getting that kind of activity on phones/tablets (with a much improved update process of course....the current one is awful) to plug security holes and fix bugs.

Which brings me round to the first question....what would i like to see in KLP? If there is a technical reason why customizations are tightly coupled to specific versions of android then fix it. E.g. if the system proposed above was implemented in my xperia U, google could update all the core systems to version 5 and it would not break sonys customized UI. Also improve the way the update system works.

But most importantly I want a cool minigame for when I tap the android version number multiple times :P.

Dudda

I bet if Google were able to turn the clock back to the day they bought Android they'd change it to the way Chrome updates and then users and OME's can add themes and customizations on top of it.

The chrome browser update system does work incredibly well with most users updating in less than a week. Android is like IE with loads still using older versions like IE6.

Google can't switch overnight to an upgrade system like this but I'd say the long term goal is to have something like this maybe by Android 8.0 or 9.0 and hopefully 5.0 is laying the groundwork to let this happen.

AlmightyCushion

Dudda wrote: »

I bet if Google were able to turn the clock back to the day they bought Android they'd change it to the way Chrome updates and then users and OME's can add themes and customizations on top of it.

The chrome browser update system does work incredibly well with most users updating in less than a week. Android is like IE with loads still using older versions like IE6.

Google can't switch overnight to an upgrade system like this but I'd say the long term goal is to have something like this maybe by Android 8.0 or 9.0 and hopefully 5.0 is laying the groundwork to let this happen.

They can't really do that though. Touchwiz and Sense aren't just skins over the stock Android UI. They are complete rebuilds of the underlying codebase. They could do a windows on it and have a system where the core Android OS is exactly the same on every device and updates are performed by Google only but OEM customisations are kept separate as skins or apks (this is trickier than it is on Windows but anyways). There is no way for Google to enforce this as Android is open source so anyone can download the source code and make their own custom build removing or adding anything they want. They could forbid devices that deviate from this process from using Google services but then they run the risk of Samsung just sticking with Touchwiz and building their own replacements which would cost Google ad revenue. Given the strength of the Samsung brand in the smartphone market this is definitely a possibility.

Google's current solution is to strip everything they can from the Android OS and package them as separate APKs that can be downloaded/updated independently of the OS. It means most people get access to the newer features even if they are stuck on an older version of android. It's not an ideal solution though.