Android L Developer Preview

Android is getting a facelift. At Google’s I/O keynote last Wednesday, the company detailed some big changes coming to the platform this fall, highlighted by something the search giant is calling “material design.” Not that Android looked all that bad to begin with, especially in Android KitKat. But Android L, as it’s being called, is a complete reimagining. This is what Android fans will see not only across mobile, but on the desktop, watches and TVs, too.
Google describes material design as something that uses bolder graphics, more fluid motion and more tactile surfaces. All of this combines to create an even more intuitive experience, something that will be consistent across all of Google’s platform. In the Developer Preview, it’s difficult to get a thorough idea of what material design will bring to Android when it becomes available to consumers, but it’s just enough for us to get a taste. And we can’t wait to see more.
We got the software up and running on a Nexus 7, and although material design isn’t present across the entire OS just yet, there are already some big changes in how the software looks and behaves. In some ways the emphasis on design is akin to Apple changing from iOS 6 to iOS 7. And from what we can tell so far, Android will be better off for it. Everything is more fluid, more accessible. Playing with something like the calculator in Android L shouldn’t bring so much joy, but it does. And so on.