We've reached another milestone in the lifecycle of Android — welcome Android M to the fold. It's available now in as a preview for developers to start getting their apps ready for the new features, and as flashable images for those of us who don't mind (or, more accurately, live for) beta firmware on our phones.
As always, Google has a slew of documentation to help walk you through the new features and functions that'll eventually make up the next major version of Android. These pages and videos are worth keeping at the ready.
Recommended links
Here, now, are pages you'll want to bookmark if you're at all interested in the M Developer Preview:
- Android M Announcement: This is Google's official blog post, and a good high-level look at what's new. Even if you're not going to (or can't) flash the preview images, this is a good, quick explanation of what's to come. [link]
- Android M Developer Preview Site: The home for all things M. If you're lost, come here. [link]
- API Overview: A great synopsis of the new APIs and features you'll find in the M Developer preview. [link]
- Android M Preview Flashable Images: If you have a Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or Nexus Player, you can flash the developer preview, which will be updated several times before the final release later this year. Download the images from this page. [link]
- Known Issues with the M Preview: Again, this is a developer preview. There will be bugs. Google's keeping track of them (and you can submit as well) with a bug tracker. And there's already a list of known issues. [link]
- Submitted Issues: You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy and a mix of useful submitted issues and things folks just think would be cool to see but will never actually happen. It's a mess, but it is possible to pick some wheat from the chaff. [link]
- M Developer Preview Google+ Community: If you're looking for something with a little more interaction, this is the place to go. But go carefully. [link]
Recommended videos
We've also hand-picked a handful of videos from Google I/O that also will help explain what's new in Android M, and what's coming up for Android as a whole.
