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Android Lollipop 5.0 was the best update since Android Kitkat, and now with the launch of Lollipop 5.1, Android Lollipop gets better and better! Incorporating features from the Iphone and Motorola models, and bringing in some of its own, Lollipop gives you a lot to look forward to.

Lollipop Design: New and Improved

Lollipop is the biggest redesign of android in years. To put it simply, the new android is prettier and fancier. It wins against the KitKat purely in terms of aesthetics. With animations, colors and real time shadows, the interface comes to life. These small changes embellishing your interaction with your phone; bright and bold colors, large fonts, and flat paper-like graphics, working with them feels almost intuitive.

Adding to the experience are small visual cues; the new home, back and multi tasking window buttons, for instance, are now geometric shapes which spin in accordance with what the app needs them for. Another example is the contact card. Taking an accent color from the photo itself, Lollipop adds a dynamically-created color overlay to each contact photo; red lipstick, red overlay; blue sweater, blue overlay. The android experience has not only been given a face lift, but a makeover and a new wardrobe as well!

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It is a shift upwards from the flat and dull interface of the KitKat and makes your experience smoother, more fluid and a whole lot more enjoyable. If you don’t have Lollipop on your device yet, you can simply go to the Google Play Store and get the Material Design update for your android device. The update is available for most devices and several of Google’s own apps including Chrome, Gmail, Calendar and more.

Get your priorities in order!

You are in a meeting and can’t be interrupted by notifications from Facebook and Twitter, calls from mum, and your S.O repeatedly texting to check up on you. You put your phone on silent. Simple. No calls, no alarms, no notifications. Except! You walk out of the meeting and realize your boss had been calling and emailing you persistently and is now annoyed at your inefficiency.

The Android Priority Mode is your savior. You can pick and choose which applications you need notifications for and which you had rather remain silent. Lollipop let’s you customize application alerts and decide which are “high priority” for you. You will get alerts for these applications on Priority Mode and the notifications from these will also always appear on top of your notification panel.

Notifications in general are better and improved on Lollipop. They have been integrated with the lock screen and you can choose to either view the notification or dismiss via swipe. Even when in active use the alerts on android lollipop are smarter. For instance, a call alert will pop up at the top of your device screen, allowing you to choose whether you want to attend or ignore the call without having to leave your current task. Whereas on the kitkat a phone call would interrupt your activity on the device at the time.

Android Work and Guest Modes:

Lollipop allows you to use the same device for work and personal use while ensuring that neither interferes with the other. You can set up an exclusive work profile which controls your data and privacy. Through this profile the IT can only access your business content and can’t see your personal data.

The work profile also helps you keep your work and personal life separate. Each app icon on the work profile will have separate work badges differentiating it from the personal profile, and will have separate notifications. Your work Gmail icon for instance will have a badge signifying its difference from the regular Gmail icon.

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The guest mode allows you to lend your phone to your friends without having to worry about privacy. It opens up a safe and disposable workspace that anybody can use. To respect the guest’s privacy, the option of clearing the data within the guest account, is available to both you and your guest. This mode also comes in handy when you’re lending the phone to a toddler to keep them occupied while you go on about your work. Open the Quick Settings panel on your device to see how it works.

Better safe than sorry

For the most part the Android 5.1 is similar to Android 5.0, but there are small updates that make it significantly better. Device Protection for instance, is one of them. This, like Samsung and Apple’s reactivation lock features, helps secure your device in case it is lost or stolen. Given you have the feature enabled; no thief will be able to use your devise unless they have your Google account log in details as well. This holds true even after factory resetting is tried.

“This feature will be available on most Android phones and tablets shipped with Android 5.1 in addition to Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.” – Dave Burke, VP, Android Platform.

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is a professional blogger for Genetech Solutions, an offshore IT Consulting Firm in Pakistan serving clients with effective Web Development Solutions, Social Media, iPhone and Database Application Development. Follow her on Twitter @UroosaRajani110.

Uroosa Rajani