The Android O Developer Preview has finally rolled out. Google’s Android team awaits feedback and suggestions of developers who will take time to try out the new platform version and adjust their apps to work with the new APIs, features, and optimizations. Public release will be in the Fall later this year so others still have time to enjoy their already-delayed Android Nougat.
Google has worked with a number of partners and manufacturers so it’s no wonder why numbers of enhancements and bug fixes reached dozens to hundreds. We have no list of those companies that teamed up with the tech giant but we know Sony Mobile
contributed over 30 new features and around 250 bug fixes that every Android mobile user will benefit from according to Google.
Most of them are focused on audio since Android aims to become a better choice for wireless high-res sound. At present, Bluetooth is already reliable but it’s not hi-res yet. For this effort, Sony lent its LDAC wireless audio coding tech to Android O. In case you didn’t know, it’s the same audio technology already available on the Sony Walkman NW-ZX2, Sony Glass Sound Speaker, Sound Bars, and the Sony Xperia Z4.
Making LDAC a winner is the fact that it can transfer data up to 990kbps (bitrate) or about three times–better than Bluetooth. Sony explains that “it operates without any down-conversion of the Hi-Res Audio content”. It allows “efficient coding and optimized packetization” all the time for an impressive sound quality.
With this development, other Android devices will get to transmit via LDAC, resulting to a higher quality audio. Google has already added this tech to the AOSP base code so developers can take advantage of it. The goal is simple: high-resolution streaming right on your smartphone whether it’s from Sony or not.
VIA: The Verge
