Marshmallow is here to take Lollipop’s place! In technical terms, Version 6.0 of Android is rolling out to Nexus devices. That means it will be a part of all the new Nexus phones very soon and will also be present in the recent Android phones in the coming months. In totality, the immediate and on-the-surface changes are so understated that you would hardly feel that you have changed from Lollipop to Marshmallow. The things that will instantly strike you as something new are the Google Now launcher and the Settings app. Let us discuss some of Marshmallow’s features.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Google Now on Tap makes Marshamllow smarter than Lollipop
The Google Now Tap is smarter in terms of the extra information it gives for a single query. For example, if a sports team is displayed, Google Now Tap gives you links to the team’s social media profiles, its official website and even directions to the stadium for the next match. Similarly if it is a movie, the Tap will bring up links to the Internet Movie Database app (if installed), Wikipedia, YouTube and so on. It is to be noted though that the choice of whether to grant Google Now this kind of access is the choice of the developer. It works well, but too often it doesn’t pick up the right bit of data, doesn’t provide relevant enough links, or simply isn’t useful enough. The Now on Tap was quite useful when tried in Chrome, Gmail, Rdio, Hangouts, etc. (Google apps) when it was a question of a movie or place name and a quick information was needed about it. But outside of Google’s apps you won’t find it that reliable.
Doze: New battery saver technology
Doze is the name of Marshmallow’s new battery saver technology that cuts down on background processes and checks for new notifications less often when your device is not in use. The technology (Doze) automatically kicks in when if the device is motionless or screen is off. Google claims that the Nexus 9 lasts up to twice as long on a single charge. But the benefits will surely depend on how often you leave your smartphone or tablet idle. Becasue it seems that kind of technology which would be useful for those kinds of devices that are used occasionally on a daily or weekly basis. For devices used continuously in a day’s time, the results weren’t that encouraging. In addition to this, app permissions is another important thing. Apps simply ask for the access to the camera, microphone, contacts list, etc. as soon as they need them, instead of just as they are about to be installed. The change makes it easier to understand what rights particular apps want, and it also means you can let an app access one part of the system but block it from another.
Miscellaneous changes
Lollipop was surely a mess when it came to volume control and silent mode and you won’t have this complaint with Marshmallow. If you tap the hardware volume button, then it brings up the system, media or alarm volume slider depending on what you are doing and if you give it a second tap, you can show all three on the screen at once. In addition to this, if you give a tap on the Do not disturb button in Quick Settings, it lets you choose among from amongst the options of total silence, alarms only and priority only (the last one means selected contacts, events and apps can make a sound).
The native support for the much faster hence superior USB Type-C and fingerprint sensing technology built into Marshmallow is worth a mention but the benefits could be enjoyed only by those who will grab the new devices and no the updated ones. In addition to this, support for AndroidPay is also there. Some smaller twists like the improved text selection tool (that highlights whole words at once for easier picking out of words and phrases) and a Direct Share feature (that brings up the apps and contacts you connect to most often whenever you want to Share something) are also a part of Marshmallow.
Conclusion
In totality, using Marshmallow would not let you feel that you have made any major changes in the way you tackle and interact your smart device. But the feature of Google Now Tap surely comes out as a winner.
[adinserter block=”7″]
Author:Technology Blog
