![]() ![]() It doesn’t have access to the data, accounts, or applications associated with other profiles. This session provides a clean-slate Android environment that’s completely compartmentalized. The first is a temporary guest session that can be launched with just a few taps on the shortcut menu. My Google Now scoreboard will be missed.Īndroid 5.0 includes a couple of built-in sandboxes that should prevent other users from messing with your setup. Android’s old lock-screen widgets are nowhere to be found, though. Like notifications, the settings shortcuts are accessible on the lock screen. Nvidia tells us screen casting requires the Shield’s public Lollipop build to work properly. This feature should work with Chromecast dongles and Android TV devices, but it’s not functional in the preview build loaded onto our Shield sample. Nvidia’s Shield-specific shortcuts are joined by a screen-casting option of Google’s creation. Lollipop’s settings shortcuts are integrated into the main notification drawer, an arrangement that’s much more convenient than the separate pull-down menus on Kit Kat. Notifications for the lock screen (left) and main drawer (right) The scheme is pretty slick, but I wish it could filter notifications by contacts instead of just applications. A shortcut in the volume UI invokes the interruption-free mode manually, while a scheduling system activates the filter during user-defined time windows. They can also dictate whether notifications are allowed to interrupt Android 5.0’s do-not-disturb mode, which only permits alerts from “priority” apps. Users can block apps from pushing notifications to the lock screen or providing alerts anywhere in the OS. ![]() Notification preferences are controlled on a per-application basis. Lollipop can strip “sensitive” content from these lock-screen alerts automatically, which is probably a good idea for folks with nosy spouses, siblings, or roommates. Instead of being confined to the main drawer, notifications can now be displayed on the lock screen. Most recently run apps respond to input instantly after switching, even if they’re still waiting for content updates.Ĭhanges to the notification system are another big-ticket item in Android 5.0. The duration of that delay seems somewhat dependent on the individual application and how much time has passed since it was in the foreground. Selected apps quickly fill the screen, but it sometimes takes a moment for them to display the latest content. Some of that silkiness can probably be attributed to each card being a static shot of the last time the app was used-the contents aren’t updated in real time. Scrolling through active applications is incredibly smooth even when traversing a full deck at high speed. In another fresh twist, the overview remembers which apps were running prior to a reboot, so users can pick up where they left off. Applications can also be closed by clicking the “X” in the upper-right corner. ![]() Swiping cards to either side removes them from the list, just like on Kit Kat. Quicker visual transitions may explain why the Shield Tablet feels a little more responsive with Lollipop installed.Īndroid multitasking is now handled by an “overview” interface that resembles a stack of cards. The animations seem even faster and more fluid than with Android’s previous Kit Kat iteration, which wasn’t exactly a slouch in the smoothness department. To Google’s credit, material design looks great in motion. Mercifully, the old keyboard theme can be resurrected via the settings menu. While the borderless design doesn’t seem to affect my accuracy, I still don’t feel confident using it. The worst offender is probably the default keyboard, whose borders have been erased in favor of a naked character array: The revamped design looks a little barren for my tastes, especially given the stark white backgrounds and extra white space that dominate the UI. Lighting and shadows are used to project a subtle sense of depth onto the otherwise flat aesthetic. Material design is all about simplified graphics and layered surfaces. The most noticeable difference is easily “material design,” a new interface doctrine that permeates the OS in addition to most of Google’s key applications, such as Gmail, Inbox, Calendar, and Keep. Our 16GB review unit was updated early, and I’ve spent some of the past few days poking around the new OS to see what it’s like on Nvidia’s flagship slate. The 16GB Wi-Fi version has first dibs, but its 32GB LTE twin won’t get a taste until “a little later.” Carriers have to certify the update before Nvidia can push it to devices. The Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Nvidia’s Shield Tablet starts rolling out today. ![]()
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