Ready for s'more Android?
Google has chosen "Marshmallow" as the name for its next Android release, which by the way will be Android 6.0, not Android 5.2. After teasing several possibilities in a Twitter post and accompanying YouTube video, Google on Monday confirmed its decision while noting in a blog post, "who doesn't like marshmallows?"
The decision is a blow to M&M fans who were hoping that Google would do a promotional tie-in with the popular candy like it did with KitKat. So far, however, that's been a one-off deal -- after KitKat came Lollipop.
Coinciding with the announcement is the introduction of the official Android 6.0 SDK. With the final Android 6.0 SDK, developers have access to the final Android APIs and the latest build tools to API 23.
There's also a preview image of Marshmallow available for Nexus devices (Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player).
"The preview images are near final but they are not intended for consumer use," Google said. "Remember that when Android 6.0 Marshmallow launches to the public later this fall, you'll need to manually re-flash your device to a factory image to continue to receive consumer OTA updates for your Nexus device."
Android 6.0 Marshmallow will introduce several new features and updates to the open source OS, including better app permissions, custom Chrome tabs, an app linking system, fingerprint support, Android play, and a smart power managing feature called Doze.
Finally, the introduction of Marshmallow means a new statue for Google's lawn. You can see what it looks like above, courtesy of Dave Burke, Android's VP of engineering.
Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
From maximumpc
from http://bit.ly/1NhnJGe
