Computer & Technology Digest

 Android 6 . 0 ( Marshmallow ) Release Date : 5 Oct, 2015 API Level : 23 Features : Introduction of Doze mode, which reduces CPU speed while the screen is off in order to save battery life Contextual search from keywords within apps. Renamed "Priority" mode to "Do Not Disturb" mode App Standby feature Alphabetically accessible vertical application drawer App permissions now granted individually at run-time, not all-or-nothing at install time. Application search bar and favorites Native fingerprint reader support Direct Share feature for target-specific sharing between apps App Linking for faster instinctive opening of links with corresponding applications Larger Application folders with multiple pages Post-install/run-time permission requests USB Type-C support Demo Mode feature for screenshot-capture usage Automatic full data backup and restore for apps MIDI support for musical in...

Android 5.0 ( Lollipop ) Release Date : 12 Nov, 2014 API Level : 21 Features : Material design, bringing a restyled user interface Vector drawables, which scale without losing definition Support for print previews Support for 64-bit CPUs Android Runtime (ART) with ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation and improved garbage collection (GC), replacing Dalvik that combines bytecode interpretation with trace-based just-in-time (JIT) compilation OpenGL ES 3.1 and Android Extension Pack (AEP) on supported GPU configurations Updated emoji Improved accessibility support (e.g. switch access support) Recent activities screen with tasks instead of applications, up to a configured maximum of tasks per application Redesigned Roboto typeface Refreshed lock screen, no longer supporting widgets Refreshed notification tray and quick settings pull-down Project Volta, for battery life improvements Guest logins and multiple user acc...

Android 4.4W (Kit K at ) Release Date : 25 Jun, 2014 API Level :20 Features : Initial release of Android Wear platform for smartwatches: the same as Android 4.4 "KitKat", but with wearable extensions added Android 4.4W.1 (Kit K at) Release Date : 6 Sep, 2014 API Level :20 Features : UI updates for Google Maps navigation and alarms Android 4.4W.2 (Kit K at ) Release Date : 21 Oct, 2014 API Level :20 Features : Offline music playback GPS support

Android 4.4 (Kit K at ) Release Date : 31 Oct, 2013 API Level : 19 Features : Refreshed interface with white elements instead of blue Ability for applications to trigger translucency in the navigation and status bars Ability for applications to use "immersive mode" to keep the navigation and status bars hidden while maintaining user interaction Action overflow menu buttons are always visible, even on devices with a "Menu" key, which was officially deprecated by Android 4.0. Optimizations for performance on devices with lower specifications, including zRAM support and "low RAM" device API Wireless printing capability NFC host card emulation, enabling a device to replace smart cards New framework for UI transitions Storage Access Framework, an API allowing apps to retrieve files in a consistent manner. Sensor batching, step detector and counter APIs WebViews now based on Chromium engine (feature parity with Chrome for Android  Expand...

Android 4.1 (Jelly B ean) Release Date : 9 July, 2012 API Level : 16 Features : Based on Linux kernel 3.0.31 Smoother user interface: Vsync timing across all drawing and animation done by the Android framework, including application rendering, touch events, screen composition and display refresh Triple buffering in the graphics pipeline Enhanced accessibility Bi-directional text and other language support User-installable keyboard maps Expandable notifications Ability to turn off notifications on an application-specific basis Shortcuts and widgets can automatically be re-arranged or re-sized to allow new items to fit on home screens Bluetooth data transfer for Android Beam Tablets with smaller screens now use an expanded version of the interface layout and home screen used by phones. Improved camera application Multichannel audio USB audio (for external sound DACs) Audio chaining (also known as gapless playback) Ability for other launchers to add widgets fro...

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Release Date : 19 Oct, 2011 API Level : 14 Features : Based on Linux kernel 3.0.1 Major refinements to the "Holo" interface with new Roboto font family Soft buttons from Android 3.x are now available for use on phones Separation of widgets in a new tab, listed in a similar manner to applications Easier-to-create folders, with a drag-and-drop style Improved visual voicemail with the ability to speed up or slow down voicemail messages Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar Integrated screenshot capture (accomplished by holding down the Power and Volume-Down buttons) Improved error correction on the keyboard Ability to access applications directly from lock screen Improved copy and paste functionality Better voice integration and continuous, real-time speech to text dictation Face Unlock, a feature that allows users to unlock handsets using facial recognition software Automatic syncing of browser with users' Chro...