38 4-17April 2018
Google’s latest mobile operating
system offerslessthan previous
versions of Android.David
Crookeslooksatthe pros
and cons of Android Go
Android Go
Whatis it?
Android Go (bit.ly/androidgo446)–or, to
giveitits full name,Android Oreo (Go
edition)–isaslimlineoperating system
developedforentry-levelsmartphones.
It’s basedon Android 8, whichwas
releasedlastAugust, and is designedto
makeGoogle’soperating system run
better on handsetswith 1GB of memory
or less. As such,it doesn’thave afull
array of features, but it doeshave plenty
of tricksup its sleeve.
Whatdoesit looklike?
Android Go lookslikeany otherversion
of the operating system. There’sarow
of favourite
appsat the
bottom of the
screen, as well
as Back,Home
and Recent
Item buttons. A
Googlesearch
bar sits at the
top, and there’s
amicrophone
button thatlets
youspeakyour
search terms.
Themain
difference,
however,isthat
Android Go
takes up much
lessspace
thanother
versionsand
limitsthe appsyoucan install. There’s
also an emphasison managing
your storage and data use.
Howmuchspacedoesit takeup?
According to Google,Android Go takes
up justover3GB of storage when
installed–that’shalf
as muchas Oreo’s
predecessor,Android
Nougat. It achievesthis
by includingfewer
preinstalledapps,and
ensuringthatthe apps
it doesincludeare
stripped-down versions
thattakeuparound half
the spaceoftheir full-
sizecounterparts.These
cut-down versionshave
beenoptimisedto run
justassmoothly,despite
having lessstorage
spaceattheir disposal.Sowhichappscan
Iuse?
One of the most
importantappsforthe newoperating
system is GoogleGo,which has been
designedwith inexperienced usersin
mind.It grants youquick access to ahost
of usefulfunctionsby providingbuttons
forspecificfeatures suchas translation,
imagesearch, weather and voicecontrol.
This savesyou alot of typingand makesopeningwebsites and
appseasier.Googlehas
also madeits voice
assistant availableon
low-end smartphonesfor
the firsttime (Google
Assistant Go), and its
built-inGboardkeyboard
provides voicetyping,
translations,autocorrect
and instant access to
GIFsand emoji.CanIuse Google
MapsandGmail?
Indeedyoucan. The
Android Go versions–
GmailGo and Google
MapsGo –offer all the
mainfeatures you’re
likely to need,from
checkingand sendingemailto receiving
real-timetraffic updates, directions
and public-transportinformation. Each
app is designedto work smoothly,
even if youhaveanunreliablenetwork
connection.Naturally,you can also
use Chromeon Android Go to browse
the web. This comes with its owndataAndroid Go looksmuch
likeany other versionof
the mobileOS
GoogleGo putsGoogle’smost
usefultools all in oneplaceFAQ
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