CHAPTER 16: The Future of Android: The 64-Bit Android 5.0 OS 597lossless raw image format, introduced by Adobe in 2004, called DNG (Digital NeGative). Some
popular digital camera smartphones, such as the Nokia Lumia 1020, already have this capability,
so expect to see some Android 5.0 smartphones with lens assemblies on the back of the camera
in 2015, probably introduced at the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas.
Another new feature of the Camera 2 API is Burst Mode, which allows photographers to take a
series of rapid photographs, kind of like a second or so of video, so that they can select the best
picture from a series of similar shots. The Camera 2 API also allows access to all manual exposure
related digital camera controls, such as F-stop, depth of field, exposure time, and tonal mapping
curves. These features show that Google is trying to encourage camera manufacturers such as Nikon,
Pentax, Olympus, and Canon to put their Android 5.0 OS inside future digital camera products. This
is one of the advantages of an open source OS that a proprietary (closed) OS platform is not going to
be able to leverage in today’s competitive consumer electronics market. An Android-based consumer
electronics device is an open consumer electronics device, yielding a happy customer.
Project Volta: Control Power Use Optimization
The new power conservation initiative for Android 5.0, called Project Volta, is driven largely by
the wearables industry verticals, as they have smaller batteries and are thus “power challenged”
compared to large devices such as tablets, phablets, and devices that are plugged in, such as iTV
sets and home media centers.
Android 5 has a new Job Scheduling API, which allows you to specify when your application’s
background processing tasks will take place. This essentially allows you to control power usage for
the Android device. As you know from previous discussions in this book, you must continually be
cognizant of the ways that apps might drain power from a user’s device.
The new Job Scheduler API allows developers to specify when their tasks are processed during the
various “use states” that a user has for their Android device. The most optimal use of processing
power is when the device is charging, and thus is plugged in, like an iTV set is at all times! The next
most optimal time to spawn processing tasks using the Job Scheduling API is when the device is
idle and not being used for anything else (that is, not multitasking, which can overload the CPU and
increase power usage).
There is also a new tool called the Battery Historian that allows developers to analyze their
application’s usage of power over time so that they can optimize power use. Another tool, called the
Battery Saver, optimizes power usage by the Android OS and installed apps. For example, some front-
facing features on the Android 5.0 estimate the time remaining until the Android device loses power and
determine how long it will take to charge the Android device once it’s placed on the charger.
Android Peripheral: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Recall that the previous chapter on Android wearables development explained what an Android
peripheral is (versus a true Android device). Android 5.0 devices will soon be able to function using
something called peripheral mode, using BLE, which stands for Bluetooth Low Energy (expenditure)
hardware technology. Some of the more common market terminology for BLE includes “Smart
Bluetooth” and “Smart Ready,” and the major feature of BLE is greatly reduced power usage with the
same range of operation and data transfer speed.