Developers uncover what Android N’s Freeform windowed mode looks like

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/fLPADnHmzbHyRcpWePPjaA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/2fc65941ee3d6f98cc31cd6320d43b93 (http://news.yahoo.com/developers-uncover-android-n-freeform-211136430.html)Hints of Google’s ambitions-to transform its Android mobile operating system into viable tablet (or desktop) software-have never been more obvious-than they are in the Android N-Developer Preview, the experimental new version of Android that the company made public-last week. Case in point: A few intrepid developers-have discovered Freeform Mode, an alternative multitasking-interface that splits running apps into-resizable windows, tucked away in unfinished code. If you’ve used a Windows or Mac computer, Freeform Mode will seem fairly familiar.-Within the Freeform Mode interface — an interface launched from the Overview multitasking menu from a new button adjacent to the X on app cards — Android apps inhabit titled,-square windows atop your phone or tablet’s wallpaper. They’re resizable with a press-and-hold gesture — you can reshape apps to your liking by tapping-and dragging on the window-border either horizontally or vertically-— and-automatically transition-between-their tablet and phone layouts when there’s enough room to accommodate the switch. Apps can-be rearranged on the screen with a tap-to-drag gesture on the windows’ title bars, or-maximized and closed with the corresponding-buttons adjacent to them. Related:- How to install the Android N Developer Preview on your Nexus Freeform Mode-even sports rudimentary-mouse support, interestingly: You can resize windows with mouse connected via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB. It’s not quite smoking gun evidence that the mode-will eventually gain compatibility with-a full range of PC-peripherals — Android has long implemented mouse support-in a limited fashion, after all — but possibly-an indication of more robust support to come. Ars Technica In its current state, Freeform Mode lives largely in isolation. Launch a new app and it’ll open in a window, while maximizing an app from Overview shows a split interface with a fullscreen view of the app in-focus and a landscape carousel of apps. Apps within the carousel — a miniaturized version of Overview, essentially — can be closed, maximized, or switched between, and closing-Freeform Mode preserves the entire environment-— Android N-remembers the position and size of windows you’ve opened previously. Related:- How to flash the Android N or Android Marshmallow factory image on Nexus devices But Freeform Mode is very much unpolished. Developers-report that Android N’s-unoptimized memory management causes windowed apps-to frequently reload and pause, and that resizing apps results in graphical glitches. And as Ars Technica notes, Freeform Mode lacks a number of windows management tools you might expect in a modern environment: there’s no way to bring a windowed app to the forefront or send it to the background, for example, and no way to use windowed app while using a maximized app. It’s far from done, though, if the Google’s official Android N documentation is any indication. “Manufacturers of larger devices can choose to enable freeform mode, in which the user can freely resize each activity,” it says. “If the manufacturer enables this feature, the device offers freeform mode in addition to split-screen mode.”-Given that Android N’s in ongoing development and won’t ship to device makers for at least a few months, it’ll be quite some time before Freeform Mode makes its first sanctioned appearance. Considering-its instability at the moment, that’s a very good thing. Also watch: Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Please enable Javascript to watch this video



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