CHAPTER 16: The Future of Android: The 64-Bit Android 5.0 OS 593were like personal computers, then 64-bit Android devices are like the workstation on your desktop
that you are using to develop i3D applications!
It is important to note that because the Android NDK (Native Development Kit) accesses the
lower-level 64-bit layer of the Android 5 OS using the C++ programming language, it will take longer
for NDK support to be added for Android 5.0. Since this is an Absolute Beginners title, this does not
apply to what you are learning currently, and so you can proceed to learn how to use Java, XML, and
IntelliJ IDEA to create Android 5 apps!
Android 5 Runtime: ART Will Become the Default
Back in Chapter 3, you learned all about how Android OS uses a runtime environment to launch and
run your Android applications. Prior to Android 4.4, this was the Dalvik Virtual Machine. In Version 4.4,
an option was added to use the ART, or Android Runtime, which provides faster and more efficient
application launches at the expense of application (and data) storage “data footprint.”
Since most of the new Android 5.0 devices will probably come with 64GB SD cards (or even 128GB
or 256GB of data and application storage), ART has become the default runtime environment.
Combine ART’s pre-compiled, ready-to-load-into-memory predisposition with the new 64-bit OS
speed, increased memory, and fast processors, like the nVidia Tegra K1 Quad-Core, and you have
the recipe for workstation-like performance in the palm of your hand, which is clearly what Google is
going for with Android 5.0 in order to increase its market dominance.
Enhanced 3D Support: OpenGL, Z-Layers, and Shadows
Android 5.0 adds a ton of impressive 3D-related features aimed at increasing the wow factor of
the OS so that it can compete with the other 64-bit operating systems in the marketplace, such
as Windows 8.1 and the upcoming Windows 9. It is said that “flat design” is a popular trend, but
Android 5.0 seems to be bucking this trend by adding things like 3D ripple effects, fine-tune controls
for drop-shadow (shadow height, Z-layer order, and the like), and OpenGL support, which puts
Android 5.0 on the same level playing field (no pun intended) as the Xbox and PlayStation game
consoles. Much of this capability is used in the new Android 5.0 Material Design schema, which I
discuss a bit later in this chapter.
OpenGL ES 3.1 Upgrade: Enhanced Texturing and Shaders
One of the most powerful 3D features added in Android 5.0 is the inclusion of the latest version of
OpenGL ES 3.1. This is the latest version of the real-time interactive 3D (i3D) rendering technology
that is used in popular 3D video games. Most of the new features are related to the skin, called a
Texture Map in the 3D modeling and animation industry, which makes a 3D object look realistic.
These texture maps are made up of different shading attributes called Shaders, and advanced
effects (animated or responsive to gameplay or position, for instance) can be created using a Shader
Language in each shader “slot.” This is somewhat akin to using layers in image compositing,
only shaders are more complex and contain photorealistic attributes including transparency, luster
(shininess), illumination (glow), reflectiveness (reflection), coloration (pixel color values), and the like.