14 DAY TRIAL // The latest versions of Android were definitely revolutionary as they introduced new features that made sense for end users. The changes introduced by each version of Android have paved the way for something that is now internally called Project Hera.
The name of the project was first unveiled by the folks over at AndroidPolice, who also posted some screenshots allegedly taken from the next major version of Android.
Obviously, I’m not talking about the recently leaked Android 4.4.3 KitKat update, which is mostly about bug fixes and should arrive in the coming weeks.
Project Hera is meant to be part of the next major version of Android, probably 5.0 or whatever Google will decide to name it, and for now, it seems to be just a concept.
However, unlike other concepts that fail to become reality, this one seems to be on the right track and if everything that’s been said on it proves to be accurate, Android may soon become a more streamlined and compact experience for all its users.
First of all, Project Hera has nothing to do with any design changes that Google might operate in the next version of Android. Although I strongly believe that another change in design is the last thing Android needs right now, when users have just begun to get used to the new look of KitKat.
The gap between Gingerbread and KitKat is so huge that another redux of the OS would completely confuse Android users. I’m all for tweaks and slight design improvements, but I think it’s way too early for a complete overhaul of the OS as a whole.
With that out of the way, it appears that Project Hera has nothing to do with design and it surely isn’t a simple application or service.
Hera is Google’s attempt to unify all of its apps and services operating on desktop, Chromebook, tablets and phones under a single ecosystem. It’s the ultimate operating system meant to rule all Google-related services and apps, including some of the major tasks executed by Android.
It's all about convergence, baby! I can’t say the idea is new, but it is definitely revolutionary in the sense that it hasn’t been achieved yet. Many of you probably remember Canonical’s crusade for convergence when the company announced the upcoming release of Ubuntu for phones and tablets.
Canonical’s idea of providing a single operating system for phone, tablet, desktop, TV and other electronic devices was something that might have seem alien to some.
Not for Google though, as the search giant seems to have picked up Canonical’s convergence idea and pushed it forward to the point of making it really revolutionary.
You can resume your search from where you left off directly on your phone, Chromebook device, or whatever other Android device you have with you.
You’ve just popped open Hera and there it is, the last actions you made on any device registered on your name appear on all Android-powered devices and you will be able to resume any of them.
Resume your conversation or search across multiple devices
Project Hera is meant to function like a Universal interface, using a universal language, that of search engines. It aims to give you the answer to what you want to ask, even before you ask it.
From the tiny bits of information that have recently leaked online, Project Hera will be a layer underneath the beautiful OS, which will power the convergence of various Google services and apps from multiple Android devices, be they desktop, phone or tablet.
Think about a multitasking app that allows you to resume your action from one device on another. One of the examples offered by the source of the leak refers to Hangouts, Google’s messaging application that can replace the Android stock Messaging app.
Apparently, Hangouts conversations run on any Android device will be accessible from all devices. Basically, you will be able to switch devices during Hangouts conversations, as they will appear in Hera as multitasking cards running in the background.
The only thing you will need to do is open Hera and you will find all Google-related tasks that you have done during a certain period right there in front of you, only a touch away.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but as we’re getting closer to the next major Android release, more details about Project Hera may emerge.
Stick around and we’ll discuss the new changes that Google plans to bring to the Android platform. Credits for the reveal of Project Hera go to AndroidPolice of course.