The Google I/O conference is starting Wednesday this week, and among the news it is expected that a new Android version – probably 5.0 and maybe nicknamed "Lollipop" will be presented. This is more than suggested by the lecture titles during the conference, including "What's new in Android."
A key issue during Google I/O will be the design, but Androids current form factors are small extent mentioned in the preliminary material.
News that now seems to be far more certain is that the next Android version will be powered by a new virtual machine (VM). Just before the weekend, Android Open Source Project came with the following announcement:
"Dalvik is dead, long live Dalvik! DO NOT MERGE "
This can probably be interpreted in several ways, but according to XDADevelopers, it means that Dalvik has been replaced by ART (Android RunTime) by default VM operating system.
ART is really nothing new in itself. This VM has followed Android 4.4.xi at least since November last year, as an optional and experimental alternative to Dalvik. The choice is available among developing alternatives, which are rather hidden to ordinary users.
Now ART is most likely ready for official use. ART should be able to run applications more efficiently than Dalvik, partly because it uses Ahead-Of-Time compilation of applications instead of Just-In-Time compilation, such as Dalvik. The downside of this is to be longer installation time for apps. ART will also have better "garbage collection", which also can result in better performance.
More efficient execution of applications means less work for the processors, which can provide better battery life and an better experience. Moreover, it is unclear whether ART has the same copyright challenges Dalvik, which is central to Oracle's lawsuit against Google.
