The next iteration of the massively popular Android platform — yes, we can call it massively popular — is finally here. Actually, Android O has been lurking about in the developer preview mode since a few months now. However, it is finally going public and Android O Beta, starts shipping out to the general public starting today.
First things first, and the new operating system is expected to halve the time it takes you to start your Android smartphone. And for developers, the company has come out with a new feature called Vitals, which will allow them to discover potential issues with ther applications that can adversely affect the phone’s security, battery…..the vital signs.
With the new public Beta, we get a closer look at some of the new features Android O is likely to pack. From Notification Dots, which take the form of a little circle and lets you know when a particular app has some notifications, to the ability to press that circle and have a little preview window pop-ip and let you know exactly what is going on behind the scenes.
The next feature of note is autofill. As the name implies, the feature attempts to use context like contact names and so on to put words before your fingers, that is, preempt your typing by putting in words before you.
One of the most important features that we heard of at the developer preview but didn’t get to see, was picture in picture, This feature is finally coming out into the open and assuming that you have a moderate to large smartphone, you will be able to play a video in a small box while also operating other applications. Similar to how the video on YouTube shrinks down to the right hand side corner while you are browsing other videos.
To check out Android O, click here.
