Anxious to get your hands on Google’s new Android L mobile operating system (OS)? You might be in luck if you own one of the devices included in the operating system’s initial rollout. Android L may hit select smartphones sooner than expected, and reports are circulating that the new operating system could appear on handsets before the year is out. “Thanks to our insiders, we have an estimated time frame for the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 4. Both devices should get the Android L update by the end of November/early December,” SamMobile reports.
Android L Phones
In the past, Samsung has been a bit slower to adopt new OS upgrades than some of its competitors. GSMArena notes that both HTC and Motorola were quick to adopt the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade. Motorola has already announced that the Moto X and Moto G will receive Android L within 90 days of obtaining the final source code from Google.
Keeping pace with the competition’s upgrade adoption rate may be why the company is getting out in front of the Android L launch with the Galaxy S5 and the upcoming Galaxy Note 4, GSMArena reports. These are the company’s two flagship handsets in the mainstream smartphone and larger phablet categories, and it seems the company wants them fully equipped with everything Android has to offer.
Big Changes for Android
The Android L update introduces more changes to the Android platform than previous upgrades. The new OS will include a fundamental redesign focused on bringing more cohesion to the Android user experience. The overhaul, dubbed Material Design, utilizes layered 3-D tiles and rich animations to offer smoother transitions between apps. Notifications and the lock screen will also be integrated. Additionally, Android L will allow notifications to be viewed while apps are running; notifications will simply layer over any running application in a manner that is easy to read yet unobtrusive to the user.
What other devices do you hope will incorporate the Android L update?
Image courtesy of Flickr
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