TechSource: What We Want From Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie

What We Want From Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie

Posted: 22 Jul 2013 02:44 AM PDT

Google has already won the crowds over by releasing Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The latest incarnation of the open-source mobile operating system is making its presence felt slowly but steadily in the smartphone and tablet market.

Jelly Bean brought along some interesting features to the Android operating system. With new toggles, Google Now, and many other welcome additions, one can easily call it the best mobile operating system around. That said, the downside to this soaring popularity is that people have come to expect a lot more from Android now that it is on top. Rumors are abuzz that the next version of Google's flagship operating system will be called Key Lime Pie. While what the OS is called doesn't matter much to hardcore droid fanboys and fangirls, what matters more is the features that release will offer.

Now, we don't really know what is being baked into this release, but what we know for sure that it will be released sometime later this year. As far as the features are concerned we already have our Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie wish list ready.

Unified Inbox

Now that Google Hangouts is out, Google should think about unifying all messaging activities into one single app. No, I'm not talking about merging Google Plus and Google Hangouts together. Google should, instead, merge all its messaging applications into a single unified inbox just like BlackBerry does. So, whenever I get an email, SMS, or a hangout invitation, all I'll have to do is open my inbox, check the message, and move on. If, say, I wanted to interact more with the message, I can choose to click on a button and open the app individually. But unifying all communications into one inbox makes things more organized and less resource-consuming. Furthermore, since Google is much more open, it could release an API so that other apps could connect to the Unified Inbox.

Anti-Malware Protection

Android is making the news again. But this time, for all the wrong reasons. Internet is abuzz with warnings of a harmful malware that is infecting many Android devices. Thankfully, there are plenty of antivirus apps for Android out there that help you protect your phone. In fact, we've covered them extensively in our earlier article.

Better Google Now Integration

Google Now is one of the best features that Android has to offer. Competing directly with Siri, this voice-enabled assistant not only gives you contextual advice on how to plan your day but also lets you search the web using only your voice. That said, Google Now has much more potential that is still untapped. Google can make Google Now even better by integrating it with many other services like Google +, Drive, and News. Furthermore, they can also add commands that will help users change the settings of the Android device.

End Fragmentation

One area where Apple outwits Google's Android operating system is that of operating system versions. While majority of iOS users have upgraded, the Android landscape still seems very fragmented. Google can fix this by tailoring Android 5.0 not only for the latest smartphones but also for older smartphones. Yes, it's kind of like Apple did with iOS 7, which will be available across older iPhones as well. Not only will this heavily reduce fragmentation, it will also give users with medium-end smartphones something to cheer about.

Better Landscape Support on Smartphone

Landscape support is something that needs to be worked on heavily. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, though came with many features, also lacked consistency as far as the landscape layout on phones was concerned.

Better Contacts Management

Though the latest contact manager does the job, it has its fair share of flaws. Firstly, managing contacts from multiple sources sometimes gets confusing. For example, the contacts screen displays contacts from various sources often showing duplicates. Now, this can be changed from the settings but sometimes, you'll find that settings are reverted. Also, the contact pictures that show up on syncing are of poor quality and often look pixelated. Let's hope Google looks into that too.

Android 5.0 will undoubtedly be an important release for Google. After all, it also coincides with their 5-year anniversary. Now, let's just hope that they don't disappoint hardcore droid fans like us.