This article is more than 1 year old

Hands on with Google's Nexus 5X, 6P Android Marshmallow mobes

New kit from web giant shown off in San Francisco

Hardware aside, is Marshmallow up to fluff?

As Pichai promised, the new devices are designed to show off the features in the latest Marshmallow build of Android. The upgraded operating system has some interesting user interface changes, but it's what's going on under the hood that's more interesting.

From a user-interface standpoint, existing Android users aren't going to notice a lot of difference. Yes, applications now open out from their icons and disappear off the bottom of the screen, but there's not a lot new here.

As promised at Google I/O in May, one of Marshmallow's key jobs is to extend battery life – long the curse of wearable tech. The new Doze mode drastically powers down the phone when the motion sensors detect it's not in use, and Google claimed this software gives a 30 per cent boost to battery life on Nexus devices.

Voice activation has also been beefed up and functions like speech-to-text have been improved, with code released to developers so that they can use Google's voice engine as well. There's also voice monitoring when a device is resting as an option.

But the two most important changes are to application permissions and Google Now, and it's those that are going to make Marshmallow stand out.

Firstly, on the application front, when new software is running on the phones, users can choose what data and functions to let it run, rather than the current blanket approval system Android uses. This has been in development since version 4.3, but Google has now decided to build it in properly. It'll be a big help in locking down handsets.

Possibly less welcome is Google Now on Tap. Google Now is Android's digital assistant, and with the new function, pressing and holding the Home button causes Now to scan the screen on display and see if it can do anything to help.

Google Now on Tap

Either very useful, or Clippy on steroids

This might include setting up an appointment card for a date that's recognized, finding an address on the map function, or offering the web page of a celebrity who's being read about. Now on Tap looked impressive in the demos, and could be incredibly useful, or rather creepy, in the real world – depending on your viewpoint.

The Google Android devices shown off at Tuesday's event are the first to run the new operating system, but existing Nexus devices will get it as an update in the next few weeks. No one knows when other manufacturers will update their operating systems, but don't hold your breath. ®

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like