With the many new Android updates, many people ask “What are the new advances for Android?” Android updates tend to bring along with them a new font, a new icon, a new user interface, or a multitude of other things. It can be overwhelming to keep up with everything that Google releases, but it’s important to read through the most recent announcements carefully to see what’s new and what’s not.
The biggest news in terms of fonts is the introduction of “stock” typeface for text. Stock typeface is what you’re used to seeing on documents, on websites, etc. If you’re an iPhone user, you probably have some of these installed on your phone. It’s the same thing for Android devices. If you want your app to look professional, don’t forget to download the latest stock fonts for use in your application.
Another huge advancement in fonts is the addition of handwriting recognition. This allows Android devices to recognize what you write, so you don’t need to type anything in by hand anymore. Instead, you just tap the “handwriting” panel, and the device will then determine the correct character for you based on your handwriting. For example, if you write “cat” with a capital “c”, it will recognize that you are trying to say “cats” in English and will display the appropriate character for cat instead of simply showing “cat”. It’s still not perfect, but this is one of the closest we’ve come to writing actual words with the phone.
There’s still plenty more advancements for Android. New devices will support the Google+ social platform, for example, which means that you will have access to all of the great features that Facebook has to offer on your phone. These new platforms are actually in development right now, so you won’t get everything you’d expect at first, but the features eventually will roll out. You’ll also be able to use the Google+ chat functionality from anywhere, so messaging on your smartphone probably isn’t done away with anytime soon.
In terms of entertainment, Google is looking to make the experience better, both through their own apps and through third party development. Their Hangouts video chat is in beta right now, and could be a major feature of Android 4.4. Plus, Google is working hard to get in on the messaging game with their own iGoogle product, which should give you a better way to search the web and stay connected to the people and information that matter most to you.
So while the new keyboard and handwriting recognition are definitely important advances for Android, there are many more advancements that will roll out over time. What you really want to focus on is making sure you get the best experience possible from your phone. You can do this by being an active user, always being one step ahead of the pack and always being able to be ready to update your software when there’s something new or important to try out. With more companies working on new technology every day, it’s easy to imagine the Android mobile future being completely changed, but one thing is for certain, it’s not going to change without your input.
