Google is preparing to take on Apple’s iPhone 5s in 64-bit smartphones and tablets with the launch of a developer preview of its latest Android L operating system.
The 64-bit compatible Android L is expected to power mobile devices by the end of the year following the launch of final version of the OS.
Android L Developer Preview includes updated SDK tools, system images for testing on an emulator, and system images for testing on a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 device.
Compatible with 64-bit ARM, Intel and MIPS processors, Google’s new OS will enable device manufacturers to start the production of 64-bit Android devices.
Intel is offering further support to Google by making kernel-level modifications for Android L, and will develop an x86 distribution later.
Google has also improved the notification and application launching mechanisms in the Android L, which would also assist enhance mobile device battery life.
Some tablets, including Venue 7 and Venue 8 Android, have already been launched with 64-bit processors which are powered by a 32-bit Android 4.4 KitKat version.
Android L supports ARMv8, which is ARM’s 64-bit microprocessor architecture.
At the I/O developers’ conference, Google gave a power punch at Apple by rolling out its new Android Wear-powered smartwatches LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, with the Motorola 360 scheduled for launch ‘later this summer’.
