Android N revealed to be Nougat

The Android team announced on their Twitter today that Android 7.0 will be named Nougat. This will most likely have no effect on the development, as previous naming choices have not, besides the Settings app Easter egg included in every version of Android to date.

Introducing #AndroidNougat. Thank you, world, for all your sweet name ideas! #AndroidNReveal pic.twitter.com/7lIfDBwyBE— Android (@Android) June 30, 2016 

In related news to this announcement, the final update this fall might include a different navigation bar design. From inside the Android N's developer preview's files a new solid icon navigation bar design was spotted. Confirmation as to whether it will be included in the final version is up in the air at the moment.

Android Nougat navigation bar

Android Marshmallow navigation bar

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Apple to debut iMessage for Android at WWDC

 Citing anonymous sources, MacDailyNews reports Apple plans to announce iMessage for Android at Monday's WWDC 2016 keynote event, a move that could significantly expand the service's footprint. The publication lacks a measurable track record when it comes to Apple product predictions, though rumors of an official Messages app port have been circulating for some time.
Apple is looking to build out its software services offerings by extending support beyond devices running iOS and OS X, the source said. While no mean feat, adding Android compatibility to iMessage would be relatively straightforward as the product's backend resides in the cloud.
Announcing a Messages expansion at WWDC would not be unprecedented for Apple, which at last year's conference revealed Apple Music would run on Android. Apple Music later landed on the Google Play store as Apple's first in-house developed Android app offering.
For Apple, gaining a foothold on Google's flagship OS gives its customer base access to a trusted — end-to-end encrypted — messaging service compatible with a majority of the world's smartphones. Giving Android stalwarts a taste of iOS design and security might also drive platform churn. During its most recent quarterly conference call in April, Apple said Android switch rates hit an all-time highs over the first fiscal half of 2016. 

Source: Apple Insider

If this occurs, I will be purchasing an Android phone in September alongside the launch of the next Nexus devices. Because I am so deep in the Apple ecosystem with my Hackintosh, MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad and much more I have used iMessage since it was launched. If I would be able to sync messaging through an Android phone to my Macs I would not need iOS any longer. I will elaborate further if these rumors are true. Because the sources are anonymous, there is nothing to back it up. Hopefully this rumor is true and Apple's closed ecosystem will open up a little bit, just like what happened when iCloud.com was launched at WWDC 2013, opening up iCloud apps and services to Android, Linux, and Windows platforms.

UPDATE: As of June 13, 2016, iMessage for Android will not be released. This may change in the future, however.

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72 New Emoji Revealed

The new Unicode 9 emojis have been finalized and shown off to the public. These will most likely make its way into iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 (or macOS 11) following the announcement of the two at WWDC 2016. Android N's developer preview, as well as Windows 10 Insider Preview, already have support for the new emojis. Many of the new emojis are general food and breakfast items, important objects, and reactions. Some interesting emojis include the rolling on the floor laughing emoji, drooling face, and bacon. My personal favorite is the pancakes emoji, but the list goes on for quite a while. In total, there will be 72 new emoji.

Link: http://www.unicode.org/emoji/charts/emoji-released.html#1f922

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Android vs. iOS - 3rd Party Apps

Android vs. iOS

iOS 9 vs Android Marshmallow

Round 1: 3rd Party Apps

Android:

Android Marshmallow's app selection has improved greatly since its predecessors. The Play Store has grown exponentially since its early days as the Android Market. Many new apps are released on iOS first, and piracy is very easy with an Android device. A lot of apps are half-baked, or incomplete. The blame isn't on the OS, but the developers. Many applications are high-quality, but for every great app, two terrible apps are released. Malware is a growing issue, but it still is not too significant. Privacy settings in Android Marshmallow give users better control of the components an app can access.

Pros:

• Newer apps have a unified "Material Design" UI
• Universal navigation in most apps with the navigation buttons at the bottom of the device
• Development for the platform is free

Cons:

• Development for Android is sometimes an afterthought
• Malware and junk apps fill a lot of the store
• Many apps serve no function, or are bloated

• Conclusion - Google Play and its unified Google account support is very nice, especially with the ability to download apps across a large range of devices. Android also allows you to use other app stores, such as the Amazon Appstore and AppBrain. Android app files, known as APKs, can be downloaded right from the device and loaded without the need for a store. This leads to possibility of malware, but the built-in security features should keep it out.

As I said previously, the app support does not match iOS yet.

Rating:  8/10

iOS:

iOS 9 gives developers new APIs, such as Swift 2 and Metal, with optimizations made for every device that runs iOS. The specifications of the iPhone 6S on paper are much worse than the newer Android phones such as the Galaxy S7, but the application optimization is significantly better on iOS due to the smaller range of handsets. Malware is not much of a problem without a jailbreak, although it has slipped through the cracks before. A majority of apps on iOS are a decent quality, but many are throw-away, or can't run properly due to lacking updates. The same can be said for Android, but iOS gets most new apps first.

Pros:

• iOS gets most apps first
• Apple has a history with providing proper development tools
• Apple developers must pay $100 USD a year as a precaution to stop useless apps from entering the store, along with strict review processes

Cons:

• Apple is 100% in control of their app store
• Emulators, tweaks, and custom launchers are not available
• Many apps have no function
• Apple developers must pay $100 USD a year to publish their apps

• Conclusion - The iOS App Store was revolutionary, and had the edge on Android for a long time. The Google Play Store has caught up to it, and now gives developers more options and allows for apps to be placed in the store for free. Apple's developer fee has slowed new developers from joining, while filtering junk apps from the store. The lack of 3rd party app stores and app-loading from the device cause it to lack an openness that I personally would like, although most users don't use the feature in any case. 

Rating:  8/10

Round 3 is coming soon. Comment your opinions below!

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