14 DAY TRIAL // Google is hosting a major press event on September 29, during which we will end up seeing the LG Nexus and Huawei Nexus make a debut into the wild.
But that’s not all the exciting stuff we can hope for. Naturally, Google is also going to officially launch Android 6.0 Marshmallow during the event, which will come pre-installed on the two Nexus devices.
While we wait for the big announcement, Google is releasing three sample apps that will provide developers with a guide/template for utilizing features buried within the next version of Android.
The first of the three applications is probably the most interesting, as it shows how to take advantage of Marshmallow’s new sharing system dubbed “Direct Share.”
Whenever users want to share something from an app, they have the “sharing” button at their disposal, which conjures a sharing box that makes use of Android’s share intent system.
Google teases upcoming Marshmallow features
In Android 6.0 Marshmallow, these possibilities will be expanded considerably, meaning that users will be able to select how exactly they want to share within that app.
Let’s take an example. If you want to share something via Hangouts, you’ll need to hit the share button, select hangouts, wait for the app to load, select the contact you want to share with, the contact opens, and then click send.
But with Direct Share in place, you’ll be able to directly share to the contact (if the app allows it) so when you hit the button, the message will open ready to be sent, thus cutting a few unnecessary steps.
The other two applications will probably prove very interesting to musicians, as they demonstrate how to receive and play MIDI messages from an attached input device (like a MIDI keyboard).
It seems like Google has ambitions for Android to be deployed in the more professional music space, and by adding more advanced music APIs, the search giant is getting closer to this goal.
Are you excited to see Android 6.0 Marshmallow go live? We only have to wait a week and a half before Google’s next-gen mobile operating system will make its official debut.