Android N Still Doesn't Have a Name, but it Has Several Improvements

[dgstorm]

It looks like Google is having a hard time settling on a name for Android N. Despite that hiccup, actual development is moving along rapidly. Here's a highlight of just a few of the deep improvements in Android N:

• Performance improvements from the new graphics API called Vulcan - lower GPU overhead - software’s JIT compiler will make apps install 75% faster and the code size is reduced by 50%.
• Improved security - includes file-based encryption, media-hardening framework and seamless updates (this means system images will download automatically without a dialog notification (should you leave that option on).
• The apps carousel has been overhauled - recent apps beyond the last seven you used will be added to a list.
• A ‘Clear All’ button
• Split screen mode coming to both Android phones and tablets
• A long tap on the square button lets Android N users open two screens at a time
• A Picture-in-Picture for Android TV.
• Direct replies will let users respond to notifications, and they won't even need to open the app
• Unicode 9 emoji support - emoji that look much better

That's just a small smattering of the over 250 new features which will be added in Android N. The new OS from Google is already available to beta test, and will launch sometime this summer.