Database Info

Email Client Frustrations and Samsung Response

I am coming from Blackberry and therefore have high standards for email clients. After trying every workaround that I could find from forums, I sent an email to Samsung with my recommendations for future software updates. I am not surprised by the response. On a side note, I fixed the GAL issue by installing "Swift Contacts" from the market but in my opinion all of these features should be out of the box functionality in a modern smartphone especially if iOS has it. I am running Touchdown in parallel right now to see if it is worth the $20 but this phone should do these things stock. Am I crazy for having these expectations?
　
Subject: Email Client
I have had my Captivate for 3.5 weeks. While I love it for many reasons, and besides my major gripe with the GPS performance, I continue to struggle with the email functionality as a past Blackberry user. The stock email client lacks many basic features that Blackberry and iPhone have. Is there any plan to fix the following basic Smartphone/Activesync functionality in an upcoming software update?
- GAL support (global address list)
- Cut/Copy/Paste
- Move email between folders
- Meeting request Accept/Tentative/Decline w/ or w/o message
- Syncronized draft folder w/ exchange
- Create calendar appt. and choose'show time as' free/busy/tentative/out of office.
If there is a way to do any of these thing now, I would appreciate the instructions. Otherwise will these be addressed in future software releases? I am debating switching back to Blackberry really want to make this phone work for me!
Samsung Response:
Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, we are unable to speculate when/if a software revision with this feature might be available due to the fact that this might lead to inaccurate information and confusion.
Please feel free to check back with us periodically for updates. We hope that you will allow us another opportunity to serve you.
Should you desire additional assistance resolving this, we invite you to call Samsung Customer Support by phone at our toll free number 1-888-987-4357 between the hours 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Central Standard Time.
Sincerely,
Samsung Technical Support

- Meeting request Accept/Tentative/Decline w/ or w/o message
- Syncronized draft folder w/ exchange
- Create calendar appt. and choose'show time as' free/busy/tentative/out of office.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure there's an app out there for this stuff, but android is not a business oriented client and as such these are not things "normal" users would need.
I use the gmail app that came on the phone and it has cut copy and paste.
you'll have to define GAL, again the gmail client has access to all your gmail contacts, which is everyone I know since you can easily sync all your contacts with gmail (even phone numbers)
again, a gmail user, but gmail doesn't really have folders it has labels, which is more or less the same from the users point of view, and this can be done, moving labels...
apps are your friend, search appbrain for the things you need, ex: http://www.appbrain.com/search?q=exchange
hope some of that helps

I'm sure there's an app out there for this stuff, but android is not a business oriented client and as such these are not things "normal" users would need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your feedback but I do not accept that Android is not business oriented and only for "normal" users. Many companies that are not on AT&T and therefore can't get an iPhone are allowing android phones form Verizon and others. iPhone can do all of these things and many other Android phones have much more client email functionality. For some reason this Samsung version is hobbled. If Android is going to succeed and eventually dominate in the market any new phone platform must have basic business functionality that is expected with any Exchange implementation using Activesync. If an app like Touchdown can do these things then the stock client should be able to. For Android to win it must work for both business and "normal" consumers.
Also, how do you have cut and paste in gmail? Are you rooted? I do't have it and have read many threads complaining about the lack of this feature.

A couple corrections:
1. cut/paste is there and pretty easy to use - if using the samsung keyboard, tap and hold the 123 key. Viola, you get a directional pad with cut/paste functions, that works very well.
2. GAL is available when composing an email. instead of typing a name, hit the search button near the name box; this will search the server - downside; you only get email address, not phone numbers
3. you missed my biggest annoyance: not being able to dial a phone number in a calendar invite/meeting - phone numbers and urls are not recognized as links. You have to "edit" then copy paste.
These are not android deficiencies, they are Samsung's. Other android phones do not have these problems. So hopefully a 2.1 update, or 2.2 will fix all this. If not we should have some Vanilla (Plain Android) Roms to use in the near future.

orb_526 said:
Thanks for your feedback but I do not accept that Android is not business oriented and only for "normal" users. Many companies that are not on AT&T and therefore can't get an iPhone are allowing android phones form Verizon and others. iPhone can do all of these things and many other Android phones have much more client email functionality. For some reason this Samsung version is hobbled. If Android is going to succeed and eventually dominate in the market any new phone platform must have basic business functionality that is expected with any Exchange implementation using Activesync. If an app like Touchdown can do these things then the stock client should be able to. For Android to win it must work for both business and "normal" consumers.
Also, how do you have cut and paste in gmail? Are you rooted? I do't have it and have read many threads complaining about the lack of this feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am rooted but I doubt that is it, I am running the jh2 update, that may be it, but if I tap and hold,i get the option to cut, copy, and paste. As mentioned above hitting 123 also works, and if you're using swype tap the swype key and swype right, to the "sym" button to get the same thing.
As for the other androids that are more business oriented, they just have different apps, which is why android is awesome, I don't want your features, and you don't want mine, so we just download different apps, and everyone is happy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

screwyluie said:
I am rooted but I doubt that is it, I am running the jh2 update, that may be it, but if I tap and hold,i get the option to cut, copy, and paste. As mentioned above hitting 123 also works, and if you're using swype tap the swype key and swype right, to the "sym" button to get the same thing.
As for the other androids that are more business oriented, they just have different apps, which is why android is awesome, I don't want your features, and you don't want mine, so we just download different apps, and everyone is happy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are rooted and on JH2 then I would classify you as a super users. I understand all of your points and this is why Android is so great! But I am also very invested in Android now and want it to be successful in the market for the benefit of all users. A large majority of users are not power users. Buy an iPhone or a Blackberry or even another Android phone and these basic Corporate Exchange features are working out of the box. Most people do not have the skill or patience to try multiple apps until they find one that works. And most people do not want to spend more money to make their phone do the most basic functions. The Captivate is the only Android phone on AT&T that most corporate users would consider. Even if you don't want or need these features, many will, and it is Samsung not Google that messed up. Samsung should provide this high level device with the features to make it competitive out of the box. These basic features would not deter or impact the non-corporate user in any way so why not include them?
Do you have the "Copy Paste It" app installed? I even tried again and I do not have Copy/Paste in Gmail. What I mean is I cannot copy and paste from the quoted text. I can from the text I am adding. I know how to use the keyboard text select features. If I am missing something I would love to be corrected and figure this thing out!

These basic features would not deter or impact the non-corporate user in any way so why not include them?
Do you have the "Copy Paste It" app installed? I even tried again and I do not have Copy/Paste in Gmail. What I mean is I cannot copy and paste from the quoted text. I can from the text I am adding. I know how to use the keyboard text select features. If I am missing something I would love to be corrected and figure this thing out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would blame att as much as samsung.. perhaps if att had more android phones instead of sticking with the iphone, we would have corporate android.... as it stands I'm just happy we have a high end android at all.
as for copying, no i can not copy from the quoted text, you are correct

alphadog00 said:
A couple corrections:
1. cut/paste is there and pretty easy to use - if using the samsung keyboard, tap and hold the 123 key. Viola, you get a directional pad with cut/paste functions, that works very well.
2. GAL is available when composing an email. instead of typing a name, hit the search button near the name box; this will search the server - downside; you only get email address, not phone numbers
3. you missed my biggest annoyance: not being able to dial a phone number in a calendar invite/meeting - phone numbers and urls are not recognized as links. You have to "edit" then copy paste.
These are not android deficiencies, they are Samsung's. Other android phones do not have these problems. So hopefully a 2.1 update, or 2.2 will fix all this. If not we should have some Vanilla (Plain Android) Roms to use in the near future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. It is not possible to cut/copy/paste from the quoted text. This is the whole point for me. If somebody sends me an email with information, sometimes I want to copy a subset of that information into another email or app. That is not possible with either the stock email client or gmail.
2. For some reason GAL was not working for me out of the box and believe me I tried mutlitple times. I tried installing Swift Contacts and all of the sudden it worked. I can explain it but at least it works. Too bad it does not show the phone number.
3. I had not noticed this before but now that I have, I have another thing to be frustrated about. Thanks
Hopefully Samsung fixes these issues in an upcoming build otherwise I will be rooting for sure.

[Q] A way to digitize notes

I'm looking for a way to digitize notes. Normally (at least at my last job) I would either take my laptop or my TF700 into a meeting and just dictate the notes straight to the device. However at my new job I have had a few stipulations put upon me. They are:
1.) Actions must be documented and filed.
2.) Electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, smart phones, and recording devices (IE Camcorders, cameras) are prohibited.
I am allowed to bring a pad of paper and/or an audio recorder as long as it does not have an LCD or anything with a lens in it (Tape recorder / etc).
My current process is to take a legal pad in with a pencil, short hand everything and duplicate drawings /schematics, then go home and transcribe everything to my computer and sync it with my phone/tablet. To say the process is tedious is an understatement.
Is there a way to do this so that the process is faster and easier?
Any suggestions at all would be helpful.
Thank you.

Search for software that lets you scan a piece of paper and have it turned into digital text.
It shouldn't be that hard to find, I know something like that came with a cheap scanner we bought in the 90s - and the technology can only have improved.
Or if you don't care about file size and if it's in text or picture, you could just keep the scanned image as is, compress a little and use that.

Pennycake said:
Search for software that lets you scan a piece of paper and have it turned into digital text.
It shouldn't be that hard to find, I know something like that came with a cheap scanner we bought in the 90s - and the technology can only have improved.
Or if you don't care about file size and if it's in text or picture, you could just keep the scanned image as is, compress a little and use that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pennycake, I kind of need to have the OCR for key word searches the handheld scanner and software that I have does not recognize my handwriting, even in print.

I would wonder if there is better software / hardware out there.
You can record and there are speech-to-text programs, but I wonder if they would even be as successful as the attempts to digitize the handwriting.

Actually, in my opinion the suggestions made so far are looking at this problem the wrong way.
I think he correct solution is to talk to your manager about the situation and point out that:
i) Any security benefits they think they are getting by banning laptops etc from the meeting are delusional, as after the meeting you are transcribing your handwritten notes to electronic format anyway.
ii) That the current process of you working outside normal hours at home on your personal devices results in a very high risk of the meeting notes being exposed in an insecure environment - in fact, if laptops are banned from the meeting I'm surprised you're even allowed to remove the notes from the office to work on them at home on a personal device.
iii) That while they may have valid reasons to restrict electronic devices at meetings, common sense would suggest that now days the most secure and efficient method of recording meeting notes is to enter said notes directly into a secure enterprise computing environment using an enterprise approved secure device ie., if no-one else, the meeting secretary should be able to use an approved laptop (or similar device) during the meeting.
You need to initiate the discussion that results in a rule change that allows you to take the meeting notes in the most efficient and secure way, rather than search for a better method of circumventing the existing rules - both you and your employer will be better off - you won't have to transcribe the notes at home in your own time and they will have a much higher level of security surrounding those notes.

Pennycake said:
Search for software that lets you scan a piece of paper and have it turned into digital text.
It shouldn't be that hard to find, I know something like that came with a cheap scanner we bought in the 90s - and the technology can only have improved.
Or if you don't care about file size and if it's in text or picture, you could just keep the scanned image as is, compress a little and use that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mike_NZ said:
Actually, in my opinion the suggestions made so far are looking at this problem the wrong way.
I think he correct solution is to talk to your manager about the situation and point out that:
i) Any security benefits they think they are getting by banning laptops etc from the meeting are delusional, as after the meeting you are transcribing your handwritten notes to electronic format anyway.
ii) That the current process of you working outside normal hours at home on your personal devices results in a very high risk of the meeting notes being exposed in an insecure environment - in fact, if laptops are banned from the meeting I'm surprised you're even allowed to remove the notes from the office to work on them at home on a personal device.
iii) That while they may have valid reasons to restrict electronic devices at meetings, common sense would suggest that now days the most secure and efficient method of recording meeting notes is to enter said notes directly into a secure enterprise computing environment using an enterprise approved secure device ie., if no-one else, the meeting secretary should be able to use an approved laptop (or similar device) during the meeting.
You need to initiate the discussion that results in a rule change that allows you to take the meeting notes in the most efficient and secure way, rather than search for a better method of circumventing the existing rules - both you and your employer will be better off - you won't have to transcribe the notes at home in your own time and they will have a much higher level of security surrounding those notes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually tried this, but the reason they don't want electronic media in these rooms are due to the rooms being marked a secure. Electronic media is not allowed to be brought into or out of the room. We have some rooms that have computers that are not allowed to connect to the network or internet in some rooms.
Me removing the notes from the building is not a problem because they are not proprietary or classified in any shape or form. As an engineer they want to make sure I document everything on the projects that I work on. They don't care if I did it via handwritten or pdf. In fact they only request that I make it readable. I transcribe it to electronic media because it makes it much easier for me to do a quick search for key words and find the notes or diagrams and for the teams that I work on to add or make changes.

Juniper Networks study reveals how dangerous Android is to our privacy

Okay, so, I summed up some 5 articles on this subject - in the hope of starting a discussion about device security. I hope you will find this interesting and meaningful and perhaps you will find out about some of the risks of using Android.
2 months ago Juniper Networks, one of the two biggest network equipment manufactures, published a blog post (1) about an intensive research their mobile threat department had on the Android market place.
In essence they analyzed over 1.7 million apps in Google Play, revealing frightening results and prompting a hard reality check for all of us.
One of the worrying findings is that a significant number of applications contain capabilities that could expose sensitive information to 3rd parties. For example, neither Apple nor Google requires apps to ask permission to access some forms of the device ID, or to send it to outsiders. A Wall Street Journal examination (2) of 101 popular Android (and iPhone) apps found that showed that 56 — that's half — of the apps tested transmitted the phone's unique device ID to other companies without users' awareness or consent. 47 apps — again, almost a half — transmitted the phone's location to other companies.
That means that the apps installed in your phone are 50% likely to clandestinely collect and sell information about you without your knowledge nor your consent. For example when you give permission to an app to see your location, most apps don't disclose if they will pass the location to ad companies.
Moving on to more severe Android vulnerabilities. Many applications perform functions not needed for the apps to work — and they do it under the radar! The lack of transparency about who is collecting information and how it is used is a big problem for us.
Juniper warns, that some apps request permission to clandestinely initiate outgoing calls, send SMS messages and use a device camera. An application that can clandestinely initiate a phone call could be used to silently listen to ambient conversations within hearing distance of a mobile device. I am of course talking about the famous and infamous US Navy PlaceRaider (3).
Thankfully the Navy hasn't released this code but who knows if someone hadn't already jumped on the wagon and started making their own pocket sp?. CIO magazine (4) somewhat reassures us though, that the "highly curated nature of [smartphone] application stores makes it far less likely that such an app would "sneak through" and be available for download."
A summary by The Register (5) of the Juniper Networks audit reads that Juniper discovered that free applications are five times more likely to track user location and a whopping 314 percent more likely to access user address books than paid counterparts. 314%!!!
1 in 40 (2.64%) of free apps request permission to send text messages without notifying users, 5.53 per cent of free apps have permission to access the device camera and 6.4 per cent of free apps have permission to clandestinely initiate background calls. Who knows, someone might just be recording you right now, or submitting your photo to some covert database in Czech Republic — without you even knowing that your personal identity is being compromised.
Google, by the way, is the biggest data recipient — so says The Wall Street Journal. Its AdMob, AdSense, Analytics and DoubleClick units collected data from 40% of the apps they audited. Google's main mobile-ad network is AdMob, which lets advertisers target phone users by location, type of device and "demographic data," including gender or age group.
To quote the The Register on the subjec, the issue of mobile app privacy is not new. However Juniper's research is one of the most comprehensive looks at the state of privacy across the entire Google Android application ecosystem. Don't get me wrong. I love using Google's services and I appreciate the positive effect this company has had over how I live my life. However, with a shady reputation like Google's and with it's troubling attitude towards privacy (Google Maps/Earth, Picasa's nonexistent privacy and the list goes on) I sincerely hope that after reading this you will at least think twice before installing any app.
Links: (please excuse my links I'm a new user and cannot post links)
(1) forums.juniper net/t5/Security-Mobility-Now/Exposing-Your-Personal-Information-There-s-An-App-for-That/ba-p/166058
(2) online.wsj com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html
(3) technologyreview com/view/509116/best-of-2012-placeraider-the-military-smartphone-malware-designed-to-steal-your-life/
(4) cio com/article/718580/PlaceRaider_Shows_Why_Android_Phones_Are_a_Major_Security_Risk?page=2&taxonomyId=3067
(5) theregister co.uk/2012/11/01/android_app_privacy_audit/
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Now I am proposing a discussion. Starting with - do we have the possibility to monitor device activity on the phone? By monitoring device activity, such as outgoing SMSs and phone calls in the background, the camera functions and so on we can tell if our phone is being abused under the radar and against our consent. What do you think?
.

I am finding it sad and troubling but even more so ironic that nobody here cares about this stuff.

Pdroid allows you to tailor your apps and what permissions your device actually allows on a per app basis. Requires some setup, and the GUI is nothing fancy.. but for those worried about permissions, it is quite ideal.
Edit : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1357056
Great project, be sure to thank the dev
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

DontPushButtons said:
Pdroid allows you to tailor your apps and what permissions your device actually allows on a per app basis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good for a start, I'll look it up

pilau said:
Sounds good for a start, I'll look it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so I looked it up, and Pdroid does look like a fantastic solution to control what apps have access to what information on your droid.
However, it doesn't cover monitoring hardware functions such as texts being sent, calls being placed etc. as described in the OP. Besides, it only works in Gingerbread as far as I could gather.
EDIT: looking at PDroid 2.0, it does exactly what I originally asked

pilau said:
Okay, so I looked it up, and Pdroid does look like a fantastic solution a control what apps have access to what information on you droid.
However, it doesn't cover monitoring hardware functions such as texts being sent, calls being placed etc. as described in the OP. Besides, it only works in Gingerbread as far as I could gather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually first found out about it on an ics rom, so it's definitely not just gb. As for monitoring, no clue. Any sort of extra process logging would likely bog down resources or space eventually.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

DontPushButtons said:
Any sort of extra process logging would likely bog down resources or space eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely wouldn't know. This solution looks very complicated in first impression but on the Google play page it says 100% no performance effects.
Anyway, I looked up PDroid 2.0 here on XDA, which is the rightful successor of the original app. It does everything the original app does and also monitors many device activities! Here is the full list of features. I would add a working link but I'm still a n00b and I am restricted from doing so. Sigh....
forum.xda-developers com/showthread.php?t=1923576
PDroid 2.0 allows blocking access for any installed application to the following data separately:
Device ID (IMEI/MEID/ESN)
Subscriber ID (IMSI)
SIM serial (ICCID)
Phone and mailbox number
Incoming call number
Outgoing call number
GPS location
Network location
List of accounts (including your google e-mail address)
Account auth tokens
Contacts
Call logs
Calendar
SMS
MMS
Browser bookmarks and history
System logs
SIM info (operator, country)
Network info (operator, country)
IP Tables(until now only for Java process)
Android ID
Call Phone
Send SMS
Send MMS
Record Audio
Access Camera
Force online state (fake online state to permanent online)
Wifi Info
ICC Access (integrated circuit-card access, for reading/writing sms on ICC)
Switch network state (e.g. mobile network)
Switch Wifi State
Start on Boot (prevents that application gets the INTENT_BOOT_COMPLETE Broadcast)

I've always had the luxury of someone else integrating it into the Rom, then I just had to set it up through the app. It is time-consuming, but not very difficult at all. I say give it a shot and see if that's what you had in mind. Maybe the logging is less detrimental than I had previously thought.
I'm sure you could get your post count up by asking for some tips in that thread. Every forum on xda has at least one person that's EXCESSIVELY helpful, frequently more. So have a ball
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

Samsung's advantage.

Samsung is using its control of the device to its best advantage.
Samsung’s strategy to move into software and services is starting to bear fruit as it ChatOn IM service has broken the magic 100m user number.
This number has doubled in the last four months and is showing particular strength in China, India and the US.
I expect the number to grow strongly as ChatOn is installed on almost every Android and Bada device that the company makes.
The service is available in almost every country and supports 63 languages.
These are numbers from Samsung and there is no indication regarding how these numbers are counted or how active these users are.
Despite this, all of them will have at some point signed up meaning that they now have an account with Samsung.
This moves Samsung into contention with WhatsApp (300m users), Line (100m+ users) and BlackBerry (75m users)
This is the key advantage of controlling the device.
One can ensure that your app is front and centre and this seems to be working to great effect for Samsung.
This is a good step forward for a company that to date has largely just been all about hardware.
Samsung knows that it must move up into software and services if it is to preserve its margins and ChatOn is looking like a good start.
Samsung now has a relationship with 100m users. It may be a tenuous and fickle relationship, but at least it is there.
Samsung is now in a position to encourage those ChatOn users to try other things like games, social networking, music and so on.
If it can do that and get those users using its services then it will be well on the road to becoming a Digital Life supplier.
This is exactly what it must do to preserve its profitability as hardware commoditises.
This will bring it into direct conflict with Google and is why I believe that the big battle in tech over the next 5 years will be Samsung vs. Google. (see here for more details).
Everyone scoffs at Samsung’s ability to write software and 8 years ago I was among them.
Things are quietly changing.
Samsung is showing some signs of confounding its critics and soon I may have to afford Samsung a position in my list of Digital Life contenders.

[Q] Android M has arrived: here's what you need to know

The Android M developer preview was launched today at Google I/O 2015 in San Francisco. Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of products at Google, introduced the conference and said that the company had "gone back to basics" with the new version of Android. While Android Lollipop introduced a brand new design and aesthetic, Android M is bringing some much-needed stability and usability improvements, which might not be as immediately arresting, but may prove to be significant long-term additions.
Dave Burke, vice president of engineering at Google, followed Pichai on stage to outline six of the major new features you can expect to see in Android M.
Which phones will get the Android M update first?
1. App permissions
First up, app permissions. As had previously been speculated, app permissions have been overhauled in Android M, with users now being able to choose to accept or deny individual permissions as they see fit. Permissions have also been simplified.
Permissions will now be requested the first time you try to use a feature, not at the point of installation. "You don't have to agree to permissions that don't make sense to you," Burke said, and used WhatsApp to give an example of how this works.
If you want to record a voice message, WhatsApp will prompt you with a one-time request for permission to use your mic: if you still wish to give it access and record the message, you can, but you don't have to. Android M is giving users greater control of the information apps can access, and this is a truly positive step forward for Android.
You can modify the permissions granted to apps at a later date in your Settings, or you can view permissions by type and see which apps have that permission granted. It's all about giving the user complete control over their Android.
2. Web experience
Google has been exploring trends in the way web content is consumed to provide a better user-experience when interacting with websites and apps. "Chrome Custom Tabs is a new feature that gives developers a way to harness all of Chrome's capabilities, while still keeping control of the look and feel of the experience," said Burke.
Chrome Custom Tabs will allow apps to open a customized Chrome window on top of the active app, instead of launching the Chrome app separately. This will provide a faster and more intuitive user-experience when navigating between apps and the web.
Chrome Custom Tabs supports automatic sign-in, saved passwords, autofill, and multi-process security to assist the integration of the app and web experience. So, for example, a Pinterest custom tab will have a Pinterest share button embedded in it, can include custom overflow menu options and doesn't require the Pinterest developers to build their own web browser.
3. Fingerprint support
Google will "standardize support" for fingerprint scanners on phones running Android M. The new functionality will allow fingerprint scanners to be used not only to unlock phones, but to make purchases shopping in real-life or within Play Store apps.
Of course, your device will need a hardware fingerprint scanner to begin with, but with Google's full support, expect to see these appear on many more devices in the future.
4. Mobile payments
Android Pay is Google's new mobile payments system designed to make the checkout process easier and faster. Google is aiming to provide "simplicity, security, and choice," with Android Pay, allowing you to use your existing credit cards to pay for products in more than 700,000 stores in the US.
Compatible with any device housing NFC capabilities (and running 4.4 KitKat or above), the Android Pay platform is being supported by American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, as well as carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Google's response to Apple pay is here.
5. App links
"When a user selects a weblink from somewhere, Android doesn't know whether to show it in a web-browser, or some other app that claims support for the link," this was the problem facing the Google developers before Android M.
You may be familiar with the "Open with" dialogue box which appears when you try to open a link within an app on Android. You might be asked if you want to open a link with YouTube, or with Chrome, for example.
App links are being changed in M so that Android has a greater awareness of which apps can open content directly, instead of stopping users every time with the dialog box. If you tap a Twitter link in an email, for example, the Twitter app will open automatically instead of prompting you to ask if you want to use Twitter to view it.
This is almost a blink-and-you'll-miss-it improvement, but it's representative of Google's attention to detail: Android M is probably going to feel more usable without the user ever understanding why.
6. Power and charging
Android M makes use of a new function known as Doze to improve device standby time. By using motion detectors, Android will recognize when devices haven’t been interacted with for a while, such as when a person is asleep or a device has been left on a table, to reduce background processes.
Burke said that Google tested two Nexus 9 devices, one running Lollipop and one running the Android M preview, and learned that M will provide up to two-times longer standby time. Even in Doze mode, your Android can still start alarms or notify you of priority notifications.
Android M also supports USB Type-C which provides faster charging, and lets users charge other devices with their phone.
Android M release date
The Android M Developer Preview is available today for Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, and the final version is due to launch in Q3, 2015.
What else is in new in Android M?
Auto Backup and Restore for Apps
Possibly the most interesting aspect of Android M not discussed in Google’s I/O keynote speech was Android Auto Backup and Restore for Apps. This feature will be used in conjunction with Google Drive to automatically backup app data and settings with a file size of 25 MB or less.
These backups occur no more than once per day, and run only when the device is idle and connected to Wi-Fi and power. The uploaded data does not count towards your Google Drive storage quota, and is encrypted.
If you lose your device or delete the app, your previous progress will be restored the next time you install it, and it even works with apps which are side-loaded or accessed through a third-party app store.
New app drawer
One of the most immediately noticeable visual changes to Android M is the new app drawer. This now scrolls vertically instead of horizontally, and is held against a white background, rather than a muted shade of your homepage wallpaper. Across the top of the menu you will see your four most recently used apps, and down the left-hand side are the letters of the alphabet.
Android M RAM manager
Google has introduced a new RAM manager to Android M with the aim of providing users with more accurate and comprehensible information regarding the maximum and average RAM usage of apps.
The menu can be found in Settings > Apps > Options (three dots button) > Advanced > Memory. Though it's a little hard to navigate to, the page offers a far clearer insight into app demands, and the overall effect they will have on your device.
With a reading of an individual app's RAM consumption, as well as how often it is running in the background, users will be able to better determine which apps should be removed in endless bid to increase device performance and battery life.
Android M even includes a simple bar at the top of the page displaying the current performance status of a person's handset; if it says "good performance", you're likely running an efficient set of apps.
Adoptable Storage Devices
Though Google has in the past tried to step away from external storage use (the reason why none of its Nexus devices house a microSD card slot), it appears that Android M is striking a compromise.
Adoptable Storage Devices is Google's new storage feature which essentially takes an external storage source (such as an SD card or USB drive) and formats it like an internal storage space. This means that app and personal data can be moved freely between a devices internal storage and its "adopted" storage source.
Adopted storage devices are wrapped in a layer of encryption to soothe security concerns and both microSD cards and USB OTG drives are currently supported.
Google Now
Google Now has been improved upon once again in Android M. Focusing on three key ares: being aware of different contexts, providing answers and helping you take action, Google Now is now smarter than ever.
Google Now's context awareness understand over 100 million different places, so when you ask ''How far is it to there?'' Google Now know exactly which ''there'' you're referring to. This awareness is compounded by Google's Knowledge Graph, which understands one billion different entities, from sports teams to gas stations, TV shows to recipes.
Google Now is also rolling out a pilot program called ''Now on Tap'' with 100 popular apps. Now on Tap provides Google Now-like content right where you are, without having to leave the app you're in. So if you're in Spotify and say ''Ok Google, what is his real name?'' Now on Tap will know you're talking about the musician you're listening to and provide search results right there an then.
The same goes for content in emails. If someone asks you a question about a restaurant and to not forget something on your way home, Now on Tap can automatically pop up a restaurant card with Maps info, Yelp, OpenTable and the dialer, as well as offer to set a reminder for whatever it was you were supposed to not forget.
Google Chrome
Chrome is also leaner and faster than ever before. Initially revamped with Android One devices in mind, where stable and speedy internet connections are not always possible, Chrome's new optimizations are set to arrive for everyone.
Chrome is now aware of network strength and can modify what you see as a result. For example, if your connection is bad, you might see colored squares rather than preview images in Search results. Optimized web pages will load four times faster and use 80 percent fewer bytes. You'll also see a memory usage reduction of up to 80 MB. Chrome will also support offline mode.
Google Photos
As expected, Google pulled the wraps off its new Google Photos service. Previously a part of Google+, Google Photos is now standalone photo and video storage and sharing service that provides unlimited free storage for up to 16 MP photos and 1080p video. That is seriously impressive.
The Google Photos service stores high-quality compressed versions of your photos and movies but doesn't store anything on your device, so you can search through thousands of photos at high speed and without bogging your device down with gigabytes of photos.
Popular features like Auto-Awesome and Stories are a key highlight, accessible through a new Assistant feature, which will automatically suggest creative uses of your images and footage. Through simple pinch gestures you can see tiled images for particular days, weeks, months or even years and then zoom right back in at any point you like.
Google Photos is also powerful for search, as you'd expect. You can search by People, Places, Things and Types, which are all automatically created, and you can drill down in each of those categories to see, for example, every picture you have of a particular person, all without ever tagging them.
Sharing is also a breeze. You don't even need you contacts to have the Google Photos app. You can simply share a link that they can view in Chrome. If they are logged in they can easily download an entire album in seconds.
Are you impressed by what Google has been up to in Android M? What would you have liked to have seen?

First off, if you're going to copy & paste something from another Android site, it helps to at least give credit to the original writer of the article (I have supplied a link to the original article below). Second, please post in the correct forum. The Apps & Games forum is the wrong place for this sort of post.
http://www.androidpit.com/android-m-release-date-news-features-name
Thread closed.