There is always a lot of hearsay about the Android platform in the technology circuit. The reason is simple – Android is like the most popular kid on the block. It has amazing tricks up its sleeve, has cool applications, keeps evolving at whim and is very friendly (Read: open-source). These are the qualities which make the Android platform a popular choice among the users, as well as, the developers. It is heart-warming to see how more than 40% of the full-time developers list Android as their primary choice. Since its inception, Android has been consistent in terms of development and widening its spectrum. With a plethora of new and exciting applications, ever-evolving firmware and new ways of keeping the users enthused, Android has found its place and how!!
Being a die-hard Android fan makes me keep a tab on what is happening in the field and I love sharing this information with my readers. This blog post is going to take you through some exciting things that are happening in the Android circuit and then, we will talk about some exciting applications you must try in 2016.
There’s a lot of interesting stuff happening. To begin with, Amazon brings in Fire OS5 to early Fire TV, to get Alexa support to first-generation Amazon Fire TV. Another update by Amazon is even better and would be put to use on a daily basis. Amazon Echo can now get you a pizza. This has happened because of a deal with Domino’s and it enables a customer to order a pizza by voice. Once a customer links his account to the Echo, saved and recent orders can be placed by speaking them to the Echo. There is good news for podcast users as well. Though there are a number of podcast apps on the Android platform, there’s a buzz that Android’s music app, Google Play, will be able to handle podcasts soon.
A device that is rapidly gaining popularity in the Android circuit these days is the Android Wear. These devices are small yet powerful. Android Wear provides you with useful information when you need it the most. It is capable of providing intelligent answers to spoken questions and has tools to help you to reach your fitness goals etc. Android Wear is the key to a multi-screen world. Besides these fascinating devices, there is a lot happening on the Android App front as well. There are a lot of apps which can prove to be immensely useful depending on your individual needs. Here are my picks for 2016, from these amazing apps –
- OUTLOOK –Microsoft has collaborated with SEVEN (an app developer) to offer an official Hotmail App for Android. This app gives the user a simple, clean interface, supports push notifications and allows the user to manage more than one Hotmail account from within the app. If your email needs have not been understood by Google as of yet, then this will be a useful application. The app has been branded as Outlook App.
- GOOGLE SKY MAP – Here’s an exciting app that will use your phone’s orientation tools to present to you an accurate representation of stars and planets on your mobile’s screen. This application is easy to use; you just have to point your phone at the sky and can learn which constellations are visible and whether the shiny object that you see is the planet Venus or a UFO. This app has been designed to work from indoors, as well.
- WORDPRESS FOR ANDROID – Initially there was wpToGo, which was an independent creation. This app impressed the bosses at WordPress so much that they bought it and up-hired the maker to develop it in-house. The app has numerous features, with its latest version offering full integration with other apps, letting you spin content and send it directly to the application for easy updating.
- WINAMP – These ones for the music lovers. Winamp is one of the most popular media players and Android has had an app for it for quite some time. With some recent updates which add support for iTunes, Mac syncing, the new music streaming options, latest release lists and a Shoutcast integration for radio support, Winamp is a really good, free media player.
- EVERNOTE – This app is an alternative to Google’s much popular – Dropbox. With the help of Evernote, you can keep all your business in one place, stashing and syncing all your text-notes, voice-memos and files on your phone and accessing them through your desktop.
These are a few of the apps which, in my opinion, are generic in nature and are useful to everyone. The continuous buzz in the Android market makes my beliefs even stronger than it has great opportunities to offer. Be it an entrepreneur, a student of information technology or an aspiring developer, the field of Android has something for everyone. At Cognixia, we provide great training programs on Android App Development. For further information, you can write to us
