Android P - Continued Evoution

At it's I/O Conference - Google announced the availability of the public beta of Android P.  

 While the spectrum of supported hardware did open up a bit - it's still a somewhat limited portfolio.  And missing as always is the single largest Android OEM - Samsung.   

 One of the reasons I chose my Pixel 2 XL device was to have the ability to join Android beta programs and get a first hand view of the latest from Google.

 So after a quick registration - the 1GB+ update downloaded and installed easily.

 For a beta the build I'm running PPP2.1800412.013 has been very stable and fast.  

 From an app compatibility & usability standpoint - I've only experienced two issues so far.

 First is with ATT's Visual Voice Mail app - it simply does not work and it's kind of not surprising as ATT kind of sucks at apps.  

 The second is the lack of a clear all or "close" app functionality when browsing through app History.

 I've had no issues with phone, messaging, camera, pay - so the basics as well.

 Some reviews discussed the challenges with the new swipe navigation - but I've found it pretty easy to use.  Can ti be refined a little more - sure - but I expect to see that in coming builds.

 When I compare Android P vs Apple's IOS (I also own an iPhone 8 Plus) - it's night and day.   As I've stated for some time - IOS just feels very dated and not very sophisticated.  Plus 11.x has been somewhat problematic.  And in my opinion while features like Face lock advance the technology - I'm just as happy or more with fingerprint - especially when the sensor is on the back.  

 More to come - but I expect Android P to be part of continued evolution of the state of the art in Mobile OS.


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