It’s hard to imagine, but it was only six years ago when Google introduced Android to the world. By creating an open platform Android has become the most popular mobile operating platform. Nowadays there are over a billion devices in the world and growing by the millions every day. This month, Lollipop 5.0,  the latest and most advanced platform is unleashed to the masses. We at HOMBRE had the privilege of being first to test the platform and the latest devices. In the coming days and weeks we’ll be bringing you individualized reviews. Launching this month, right in time for the holidays, is the Nexus 9 tablet (Nov. 3) and Nexus 6 smartphone (Nov. 12). Also available on Lollipop are the Nexus Player and Android Wear.

HOMBRE Magazine’s Francisco Romeo at the launch of Android’s Lollipop 5.0

Treats are in abundance at the Lollipop launch event

We got a first hand look at Android’s most ambitious release at a very exclusive event held in New York City. Here Android engineers walked us through the new updates and demonstrated how the platform is designed to be flexible, to work on all android devices and to be customized for you the way you see fit.

Lollipop is made for a world where moving throughout the day means interacting with different screens—from phones and tablets to TVs. With more devices connecting together, Lollipop makes everything flow seamlessly.Now it’s easier than ever to pick up where you left off, so the songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can immediately appear across all the other ones.

As you switch from one screen to another, the experience feels the same. Lollipop has a consistent design across devices. Content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid.

Lollipop also gives more control over your device. You can now adjust your settings so that only certain people and notifications can get through, for example, when you’re out to dinner or in the middle of an important meeting. And when an important notification does come through, you can see it directly from the lockscreen.

There’s also a new battery saver feature that extends the life of your device by up to 90 minutes—helpful if you’re far from a power outlet. Multiple user accounts and guest user mode has been enabled for keeping personal stuff private. And you can now secure your device with a PIN, password, pattern, or even by pairing your phone to a trusted device like your watch or car with Smart Lock.

Nexus devices are part of the Android/ Google family and are used to test and introduce new technologies. Android works with hardware partners to build Nexus products to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

NEXUS Devices

First in stores is Nexus 9, the new tablet built in partnership with HTC. With brushed metal sides and 8.9-inch screen, is small enough to easily carry around in one hand, yet big enough to work on. For an easier experience there’s a keyboard folio that magnetically attaches to the Nexus 9, folds into two different angles and rests securely on your lap like a laptop.

Developed with Motorola, the new Nexus 6 goes on sale November 12. This new phone has a contoured aluminum frame, a 6-inch Quad HD display and a 13 megapixel camera. The large screen is complemented by dual front-facing stereo speakers that deliver high-fidelity sound, making it as great for movies and gaming as it is for doing work. It also comes with a Turbo Charger, so you can get up to six hours of use with only 15 minutes of charge. Nexus 6 has options for an unlocked version though Play store, or a monthly contract or installment plan through carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon.
Nexus Player is the first device running Android TV: a collaboration with Asus. This streaming media player is designed for streaming movies, music and videos. It’s also a first-of-its-kind Android gaming device. With Nexus Player you can play Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad, then keep playing on your phone while you’re on the road. Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV.

Moto 360 is a modern timepiece powered by Android Wear. Comfortable, familiar, and crafted with the finest materials, Moto 360 keeps you up to date without taking you away from the moment. Glance at your wrist to see updates or just speak to get the info you need.

Android 5.0 Lollipop, which comes on Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, it will also be available on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks.

Feature List

Material design: A bold, colorful, and responsive UI design for consistent, intuitive experiences across all your devices

Responsive, natural motion, realistic lighting and shadows, and familiar visual elements make it easier to navigate your device

Vivid new colors, typography, and edge-to-edge imagery help to focus your attention.
Notifications: new ways to control when and how you receive messages – only get interrupted when you want to be

View and respond to messages directly from your lock screen. Includes the ability to hide sensitive content for these notifications

For fewer disruptions, turn on Priority mode via your device’s volume button so only certain people and notifications get through. Or schedule recurring downtime like 10pm to 8am when only Priority notifications can get through.

With Lollipop, incoming phone calls won’t interrupt what you’re watching or playing. You can choose to answer the call or just keep doing what you’re doing.

More intelligent ranking of notifications based on who they’re from and the type of communication. See all your notifications in one place by tapping the top of the screen.

Battery: power for the long haul

A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins
Estimated time left to fully charge is displayed when your device is plugged in

Security: keep your stuff safe and sound

New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices
SELinux enforcing for all applications means even better protection against vulnerabilities and malware
Use Android Smart Lock to unlock your device with your trusted wearable, car or even just your smile

Device sharing: more flexible sharing with family and friends

Multiple users for phones. If you forget your phone, you still can call any of your friends (or access any of your messages, photos etc.) by simply logging into another Android phone running Lollipop. Also perfect for families who want to share a phone, but not their stuff.
Guest user for phones and tablets means you can lend your device and not your stuff
Screen pinning: pin your screen so another user can access just that content without messing with your other stuff

New Quick Settings: get to the most frequently used settings with just two swipes down from the top of the screen

New handy controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls
Easier on/off toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location
Manually adjust your brightness for certain conditions. Then, adaptive brightness will kick in based on ambient lighting

Connectivity: a better internet connection everywhere and more powerful Bluetooth low energy capabilities
Improved network handoffs resulting in limited interruption in connectivity. For example, continue your video chat or VoIP calls without interruption as you leave the house and switch from your home Wi-Fi back to cellular
Improved network selection logic so that your device connects only if there is a verified internet connection on Wi-Fi
Power-efficient scanning for nearby Bluetooth low energy (“BLE”) devices like wearables or beacons
New BLE peripheral mode
Runtime and Performance: a faster, smoother and more powerful computing experience
ART, an entirely new Android runtime, improves application performance and responsiveness
Up to 4x performance improvements
Smoother UI for complex, visually rich applications
Compacting backgrounded apps and services so you can do more at once
Support for 64 bit devices, like the Nexus 9, brings desktop class CPUs to Android
Support for 64-bit SoCs using ARM, x86, and MIPS-based cores
Shipping 64-bit native apps like Chrome, Gmail, Calendar, Google Play Music, and more
Pure Java language apps run as 64-bit apps automatically

Media: bolder graphics and improved audio, video, and camera capabilities
Lower latency audio input ensuring that music and communication applications that have strict delay requirements provide an amazing realtime experience
Multi-channel audio stream mixing means professional audio applications can now mix up to eight channels including 5.1 and 7.1 channels
USB Audio support means you can plug USB microphones, speakers, and a myriad of other USB audio devices like amplifiers and mixers into your Android device
OpenGL ES 3.1 and Android extension pack brings Android to the forefront of mobile graphics putting it on par with desktop and console class performance
A range of new professional photography features for Android Lollipop that let you
capture full resolution frames around 30 fps
support raw formats like YUV and Bayer RAW
control capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame
capture metadata like noise models and optical information
State of the art video technology with support for HEVC main profile to allow for UHD 4K 10-bit video playback, tunneled hardware video decoding to save power and improved HLS support for streaming

Android TV: Support for living room devices
User interface adapted for the living room
Less browsing, more watching with personalized recommendations for content like movies and TV shows
Voice search for Google Play, YouTube and supported apps so you can just say what you want to see
Console-style Android gaming on your TV with a gamepad
Cast your favorite entertainment apps to your big screen with Google Cast support for Android TV devices
Accessibility: enhanced low vision and color blind capabilities
Boost text contrast or invert colors to improve legibility
Adjust display to improve color differentiation

Now in 68+ languages with 15 additions

Basque, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese (Hong Kong), Galician, Icelandic, Kannada, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu
Device set up
Tap & go: instant set up of your new Android phone or tablet by simply tapping it to your old one (requires NFC)
Whenever you get a new Android phone or tablet, you can bring over your apps from Google Play automatically from any of your old Android devices

And more
Ok Google: Even if your screen is off, you can say “Ok Google” to get quick answers, send a text, get directions and more (works with dedicated hardware, such as Nexus 6 and Nexus 9)
Tap & pay: easily manage multiple payment apps by quickly switching between them
Print preview and page range support
Revamped display for battery, Bluetooth, data usage, and Wi-Fi settings and new search functionality
New device level feedback for Nexus devices in Settings > about phone > send feedback
Easier sharing with
your share option menu adjusts based on your usage. For example, if you typically email photos to your family, email now will be ranked higher in your share option menu
Android Beam: Share a file with someone nearby by gently tapping the two devices together
Where supported by the hardware, your device will wake up as soon as you pick it up or tap the screen twice
Improved hardware keyboard accessory support including support for multilingual, emoji input, search key, and improved app and system key chords.