Creating a Calculator in JAVA

Step 1: Creating a new project

·         Click on the file menu and then select New Project.

·         Now select the Java node from the Categories on the left and select Java Application from the Projects menu on the right.

Click Next.

n

·         Now name the project as Calculator and leave the Create Main Class check box unselected.

·         Now you will see the project in the projects view on the left. Now Right_Click the project and follow the steps below. 

Now select JFrame Form

·      Now provide the name to the JFrame Form. Ignore the messages displayed at the bottom.

For detailed explanation See Here.

Now click finish.

·         Now you will be shown the design view. Now create the layout below using the pallete on the right.
Drag a jtextfield on the design area.
Now drag and drop a jpanel. Set the layout of the jpanel to be gridlayout.
Now Click on the gridlayout from the navigator view on the left and move to the properties view on the right.
Now drag and drop 16 buttons from the pallete to the jpanel on the design area.

·        

After creating the above format, copy and paste the code given below.

·         Enjoy your first java made calculator.

:: Source code ::

Click Here

CHEERS!!!

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Creating a screen shot application in JAVA

Ever wondered about creating your own screenshot application in java? If yes, then this post is for you!
Today, I share with you a code for creating a simple class capable of capturing your screen and saving it in a screen.jpg named file. With much delay lets have a look at the code.

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Daily-Code-a-Challenge : DAY 1

Hello everyone, I am Shouvik Mitra, the founder of wCodes Network. Sorry for being so irregular about this blog. But nevertheless I promise you, my reader, that from today, this blog is going to be my sole partner, and I will regularly keep it updated. With a fresh motto, I would like to introduce the "Daily-Code-a-Challenge" . Hereon, everyday, I will post some exclusively cool questions and challenge you all to complete the task. And for the winners, there is the HALL OF FAME section in our blog. No matter for learners, I promise to post the answers within 24 hours. 

CHALLENGE DAY 1

This time you are an Uber driver and you are trying your best to park your car in a parking lot.

Your car has length carDimensions[0] and width carDimensions[1]. You have already picked your lucky spot (rectangle of the same size as the car with upper left corner at(luckySpot[0], luckySpot[1])) and bottom right corner at (luckySpot[2], luckySpot[3]) and you need to find out if it's possible to park there or not.

It is possible to park your car at a given spot if and only if you can drive through the parking lot without any turns to your lucky spot (for safety reasons, the car can only move in two directions inside the parking lot - forwards or backwards along the long side of the car) starting from some side of the lot. Assume that the car can't drive through or park at any of the occupied spots.

Example

• For carDimensions = [3, 2],

parkingLot = [
    [1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1],
    [1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1]
],

and
luckySpot = [1, 1, 2, 3],
the output should be
parkingSpot(carDimensions, parkingLot, luckySpot) = true;

• For carDimensions = [3, 2],

parkingLot = [
    [1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0],
    [1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1],
    [1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1]
],

and
luckySpot = [1, 1, 2, 3],
the output should be
parkingSpot(carDimensions, parkingLot, luckySpot) = false;

• For carDimensions = [4, 1],
  the same parkingLot as in the previous example and
  luckySpot = [0, 3, 3, 3],
  the output should be
  parkingSpot(carDimensions, parkingLot, luckySpot) = true.

• [input] array.integer carDimensions
  Array of two positive integers. It is guaranteed that carDimensions[0] > carDimensions[1].
• [input] array.array.integer parkingLot
  2-dimensional array, where parkingLot[x][y] is 1 if cell (x, y) is occupied and is 0 otherwise.
• [input] array.integer luckySpot
  Array of four integers - coordinates of your lucky spot at the parking lot (0 ≤ luckySpot[0] ≤ luckySpot[2] < parkingLot.length and 0 <= luckySpot[1] <= luckySpot[3] < parkingLot[0].length). It is guaranteed that either luckySpot[2] - luckySpot[0] + 1 = carDimensions[0] and luckySpot[3] - luckySpot[1] + 1 = carDimensions[1] or luckySpot[2] - luckySpot[0] + 1 = carDimensions[1] and luckySpot[3] - luckySpot[1] + 1 = carDimensions[0].
• [output] boolean
  true if it is possible to park your car, false otherwise.

YOU WILL GET A LINK TO UPLOAD YOUR CODES RIGHT HERE, WITHIN 24 HOURS. KEEP CODING WITH WCODES NETWORK. 

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Base64 encoding for images

Base64 is an encoding format that represent binary data. Google new feature instant previews are in text format, here Google requesting images(screen shots) are in string format to reduce server load time. In this post I will show you how to make images to strings with PHP.

PHP images to strings PHP terminology there is a function called base64_encode(). <?php $img_src = "image/sample.png"; $imgbinary = fread(fopen($img_src, "r"), filesize($img_src)); $img_str = base64_encode($imgbinary); echo '<img src="data:image/jpg;base64,'.$img_str.'" />'; ?>

You can also try it live at https://www.base64decode.org/

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An Ex-Microsoft Engineer's Advice to Programmers: Learn How to Write

Finding success in any field is rarely confined to a singular skill, even one like programming. That’s why Mike Borozdin, the now senior director of engineering at DocuSign, suggests all programmers sharpen their grammar skills in addition to their coding skills.

You might be a fantastic programmer, but knowing how to write clearly can help you better explain your work to managers or potential clients. Borozdin, a former Microsoft engineer for several years, explains to Business Insider:

I would advise folks in software to do one thing, and that’s write. Learn how to write ... It’s actually useful. You need to know how to express yourself. And it’s really tough for a lot of engineers to step up and do public speaking... Once you create a successful piece of software, you’re probably going to be writing English as much as you’re going to be writing Java or Objective C. I’ve created multiple pieces of software at DocuSign that went viral, and people liked them and wanted to use more of them. And I probably wrote 10 times the documentation and explanation, and answered questions in paragraph form.

Furthermore, knowing how to write makes it easier for you to claim proper credit for your work. Borozdin recollects times he’d handed off work to manager and wasn’t acknowledged for his work because it wasn’t clear that it was his idea being utilized. If you only know how to write in code, it might be a good idea to spend some more time with one of your first written languages.

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Creating a Web Browser in Java

Welcome Back,
Today lets' see how to make a Web Browser for displaying webpages available on the web with the power of Java.

Screen Shots:

Code:

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Creating a Story Writer in Java.

Today we are going to show you how to write and save documents over JAVA programming language. To reach our desired aim, I have personally created a StoryWriter – A program which helps its users to write story and save the story in a .txt file. Our sample program uses some manipulating streams available in JAVA.

• BufferedWriter
• FileWriter
• PrintWriter

The Program writes the story line by line and closes the file sockets as soon as it finds a break statement (Ctrl+ Z)  

Screen Shots:

[Fig. 1 Opening Screen]

[Fig. 2  Story Write Screen]

Code:

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Creating a Quadratic Equation Solver program in JAVA

Here is a simple code written in JAVA to solve quadratic equations even with complex roots.


Description of member Functions:

• discriminant(double a, double b, double c) - Variable 'a' signifies the coefficient of x^2, 'b' signifies the coefficient of x and 'c' signifies the constant.
• wait(int n) - Variable 'n' signifies the number of milliseconds to wait before displaying the output. *This function is an extra written to make the program more realistic.

Screens:

Code:

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Create a JAVA Task Manager

Hello this is Shouvik Mitra,
Lately I was working on project which involved me in developing my own Task Manager which helps to list down all the ongoing processes by the system.

Here's a small code on how to list down all the task performed by the system.

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How Antivirus Software Works

Due to ever increasing threat from virus and other malicious programs, almost every computer today comes with a pre-installed antivirus software on it. In fact, an antivirus has become one of the most essential software package for every computer.

Even though every one of us have an antivirus software installed on our computers, only a few really bother to understand how it actually works! Well, if you are one among those few who would really bother to understandhow antivirus works, then this article is for you.

How Antivirus Works:

An antivirus software typically uses a variety of strategies in detecting and removing viruses, worms and other malware programs. The following are the two most widely employed identification methods:

1. Signature-based dectection (Dictionary approach)

This is the most commonly employed method which involves searching for known patterns of virus within a given file. Every antivirus software will have a dictionary of sample malware codes called signatures in its database. Whenever a file is examined, the antivirus refers to the dictionary of sample codes present within its database and compares the same with the current file. If the piece of code within the file matches with the one in its dictionary then it is flagged and proper action is taken immediately so as to stop the virus from further replicating. The antivirus may choose to repair the file, quarantine or delete it permanently based on its potential risk.

As new viruses and malwares are created and released every day, this method of detection cannot defend against new malwares unless their samples are collected and signatures are released by the antivirus software company. Some companies may also encourage the users to upload new viruses or variants so that, the virus can be analyzed and the signature can be added to the dictionary.

Signature based detection can be very effective, but requires frequent updates of the virus signature dictionary. Hence, the users must update their antivirus software on a regular basis so as to defend against new threats that are released daily.

2. Heuristic-based detection (Suspicious behaviour approach)

Heuristic-based detection involves identifying suspicious behaviour from any given program which might indicate a potential risk. This approach is used by some of the sophisticated antivirus software to identify new malware and variants of known malware.

Unlike the signature based approach, here the antivirus doesn’t attempt to identify known viruses, but instead monitors the behavior of all programs.

For example, malicious behaviours like a program trying to write data to an executable program is flagged and the user is alerted about this action. This method of detection gives an additional level of security from unidentified threats.

File emulation: This is another type of heuristic-based approach where a given program is executed in a virtual environment and the actions performed by it are logged. Based on the actions logged, the antivirus software can determine if the program is malicious or not and carry out necessary actions in order to clean the infection.

Most commercial antivirus software use a combination of both signature-based and heuristic-based approaches to combat malware.

Issues of Concern:

Zero-day threats: A zero-day (zero-hour ) threat or attack is where a malware tries to exploit computer application vulnerabilities that are yet unidentified by the antivirus software companies. These attacks are used to cause damage to the computer even before they are identified. Since patches are not yet released for these kind of new threats, they can easily manage to bypass the antivirus software and carry out malicious actions. However, most of the threats are identified after a day or two of its release, but damage caused by them before identification is quite inevitable.

Daily Updates: Since new viruses and threats are released every day, it is most essential to update the antivirus software so that the virus definitions are kept up-to-date. Most software will have an auto-update feature so that, the virus definitions are updated whenever the computer is connected to the Internet.

Effectiveness: Even though an antivirus software can catch almost every malware, it is still not 100% foolproof against all kinds of threats. As explained earlier, a zero-day threat can easily bypass the protective shield of the antivirus software. Also virus authors have tried to stay a step ahead by writing “oligomorphic“, “polymorphic” and, more recently, “metamorphic” virus codes, which will encrypt parts of themselves or otherwise modify themselves as a method of disguise, so as to not match virus signatures in the dictionary.

Thus user awareness is as important as antivirus software; users must be trained to practice safe surfing habits such as downloading files only from trusted websites and not blindly executing a program that is unknown or obtained from an untrusted source. I hope this article has helped you understand the working of an antivirus software.

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How to Spoof MAC Address on Android Phones

A Media Access Control address (MAC address) is a 12-character unique identifier assigned to a specific piece of hardware such as the network adapter of your WiFi device. In simple words, a MAC address can be used to uniquely identify your Android phone on the Internet or the local network.

Spoofing MAC Address on Android Devices

Even though MAC address is embedded on the hardware device during manufacture, it can still be spoofed to input a new one of your choice. Here is a detailed instruction on how to spoof MAC address on your Android phone.

Before you spoof the MAC address, you need to record the original/current MAC address of your device which can be done according to the instruction below:

• On the Home Screen of your phone, tap Menu button and go to Settings.
• Tap About Device and go to Status
• Now scroll down to record the 12-digit code shown under Wi-Fi Mac address. An address would read something like:
  

  Example MAC address: E5:12:D8:E5:69:97

Requirements for Spoofing the MAC Address

1. Rooted Android Phone
2. BusyBox app installed on your phone
3. Once BusyBox is installed, you need to install Terminal app

Once the above requirements are satisfied, follow the instructions below to spoof your MAC address:

1. Open the Terminal app and type the commands as listed below:
   
   

   $ su [HIT ENTER]
   

   $ busybox iplink show eth0 [HIT ENTER]
   (This will show your current MAC address, just for your confirmation)
2. Now, type the following command:
   
   

   $ busybox ifconfig eth0 hw ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX [HIT ENTER]
   (In the above command, replace XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX with your new MAC address)
3. You have now spoofed your MAC address successfully. To check for the change enter the following command again:
   
   

   $ busybox iplink show eth0 [HIT ENTER]
   (Now you should see your new MAC address)

I hope you like this post. For feedback and queries, pass your comments

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How to use Android 5.0 Lollipop

 Android 5.0 Lollipop is a big change from Android 4.4 KitKat. It changes the interface, using what Google calls "Material Design", which is based on the idea of tangible layers. This design scheme is seen throughout the entire OS, but along with these visual changes, Android 5.0 benefits from some excellent updates, adding more usability to sections like notifications, better battery life, and multiple user accounts (great for parents).

If you're new to Android with Android 5.0 Lollipop, you may be surprised at all the options available. This is especially true if you're coming from iOS, in which case you should read our tutorial about switching from iOS to Android.

Current Android users will be able to jump into Lollipop will little problem, but Android newbies may get confused. Android 5.0 Lollipop is rolling out now so get ready with this guide.

Setup

If you're using an older Android device with NFC and have upgraded to a new device, you can use a feature called Tap & Go. It works the same way that Android Beam works when pushing content from one device to another. The difference with Tap & Go is that is restores your existing system settings and apps to the new device.You will have to download apps again, but it makes the process much easier than before, where a restoration could include your entire library of apps rather than the select ones that you use. Take note though, that while Tap & Go works with any Android device with NFC (including custom ROMs) and the latest Google Play Services app, it will only directly mirror the Google Launcher. This means that people using custom launchers will have to setup the launcher again.Lollipop will ask some standard questions during setup, like to enable Google Now and asking for feedback from the device. It's up to you to allow Google to collect these stats. The apps will then download to the device (I'd recommended letting the device restore on a Wi-Fi connection).

You can also use another option that lets you choose which apps to install. This is a good way to streamline your app library by not installing apps you don't use. This setup only works if you previously had a Google account and an Android device.

Set up your account

If you're going to use an Android device, you're required to have a Google account. Your account is the gateway to Google's different services and apps, going beyond Gmail to includes the Google Play Store, Google Maps, and a lot of other services like contacts.

If you don't have a Google account, create a Gmail account. This will let you log into the different apps that will save your information and share it with other apps.

Of course, you may already have a Google account even if you've never used Android, and your Gmail account can be used to sign into the device. Be aware that while Google does collect information, it's used to improve the different services within the Android ecosystem. You can opt out of a lot of services, although you will be missing some features.

Customize your Settings

Before you download a single app, you should customize settings. Customizing individual settings will tailor your device to your needs. A lot of these settings can have an impact on battery life, and it might be better to disable some features. Lollipop is said to have a better battery life, but it's still know known how much better it is.

Jump to top

Wireless & Networks

Wi-Fi

Whenever you're home, connect to your wireless network. By switching Wi-Fi on, Android 5.0 Lollipop will scan for available networks. During the initial setup of Android 5.0 Lollipop, it will ask to connect to a wireless network, so you should already have access.

Tap on the three dots icon for more options, and then tap on Advanced.One option you might not need is Scanning always available. This allows apps to scan for networks even if Wi-Fi is turned off. Always scanning can affect battery life, and most likely, you won't need this option enabled.

Another option is Wi-Fi frequency band. Depending on what type of router you have, it will support only 2.4 GHz, only 5 GHz, or both. If your router is old, it probably doesn't support 5 GHz.A problem in Android 4.4 KitKat was that scanning for both frequencies could cause connection problems. If you know what frequency your router is, select that specific band. In most cases, leaving the 2.4 GHz option selected leads to fewer problems, but this issue could be solved with Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Bluetooth

If you connect your device to any Bluetooth devices like an earpiece, car, or Android Wear, you'll need to enable Bluetooth. If you never use Bluetooth, turn it off because it will scan for different devices.

Data usage

The Data Usage meter is a great tool if you have a data cap on your wireless plan. Android 5.0 goes even farther with Network Restrictions. It will set wireless connections like cell data plans and restrict background data. This is helpful if you have a data cap on your home internet service. Otherwise, you can leave this option alone.

More

There are a lot of options under the More section. If you've used recent version of Android though, the options are the same. The main feature you'll want to look at is the Default SMS app. Google pushed Hangouts to combine SMS/MMS and Google Hangouts in one app, but in Android 5.0, the Messaging app is back. Google wants to give people the option of choosing from using Hangouts or a stock app.

NFC/Android Beam

This feature is used with Google Wallet payments and sharing other forms of content. It doesn't use a lot of battery so you can leave it enabled without worrying.

Display

A big drain on battery is the screen. In most cases, you can use Adaptive Brightness and the phone will dim when necessary. If you want to get the most out of the battery manually, set the screen brightness as low as possible.

Sleep

Sleep on a phone refers to when the screen automatically turns off. In most cases, 15 seconds is plenty of time, unless you're reading something and you don't touch the screen. At most, the option should be set to 1 minute, but you'll still see the battery drain faster than if it was set to 15 seconds.

Sound & notifications

Android 5.0 Lollipop has expanded notifications a lot. It's added a lot of new features to make notifications more useful. One big addition is that notifications display on the lock screen and it's much easier to act on them.

Interruptions

This new feature adds a priority mode to Android 5.0. You can set priorities to different things like events, calls, and messages, but the feature won't work unless you set Downtimefor when priority interruptions will display. Essentially, it works the same as iOS 8's Do Not Disturb. You can set specific days and the time range to silence disturbances, but the best use is probably to silence your phone when you're sleeping so that you're not woken up with a message.

Notifications

Android notifications are great, but sometimes it can get overwhelming. There are new options like what notifications display on the lock screen. App Notifications are app-specific settings for the type of notification.

You can entirely block notifications (great for spammy social media apps), mark it as priority so it always displays, or mark it as sensitive so that it doesn't display on the lock screen. The When device is locked and App notifications options work together, so you'll need to customize your apps after you've installed them all.

Storage

The main use for Storage is to clear Cached data in Android. If you use streaming music apps, they will usually cache playback data, and this can consume a lot of space. Otherwise,Storage is a simple way to track space.

Battery

The Battery section shows system services and apps that are using battery. Android 5.0 Lollipop has improved battery management by adding approximate remaining time.

If you tap on the three dot menu and select Battery saver, there will be two options. One is to leave it on all the time, which adds a Google Play Music-style orange bar to the top and bottom of the screen. While it's useful, Battery saver will slow down performance and restrict background updates to apps like email or messaging, to save battery life.The second option is to let the feature automatically turn on at 15% or 5% battery. This is a better option because it will restrict the device when you need battery the most. According to Google, Lollipop should have improved battery life, but adding this feature will still be useful for older devices.

Apps

The Apps section supplies a lot of information. The first section, Downloaded, displays all the apps you've installed. You shouldn't be surprised about apps in this list.

An addition to this section is the Device memory meter that sits above the Running apps section. It shows the amount of RAM that's being used by the system, as well as apps and available free RAM. This is great for people who want to know which apps are using a lot of RAM. When you tap on an app to see detailed information, you're shown the different services and processes.You also have the option to "Stop" or "Report" the app. Reporting the app will give Google some information about your device and how the app is running, but it also gives Google data about possible malicious apps.

Users

A feature that was only available on Android tablets now comes to Android phones. You can now create multiple users on a single phone, giving each person their own section to use.If you already have a Google account, you'll able to log into the device with it.

Location

Location reporting is necessary for apps like Google Maps or Foursquare. The problem that can arise is that location services can drain battery a lot if your device is sending data all the time.You can set the accuracy level in the Location settings for High accuracy, which uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell data for your location. Battery saving only uses Wi-Fi and cell data, whileDevice only uses only GPS .

If you want your battery to last, set your option to Battery saving, but expect a delay with apps that rely on location.

Security

Screen Security

You must enable a screen lock on your device, the first step in security for your device. Android offers four options: swipe, pattern, pin, and password.

Swipe isn't even a lock, it's a way to see notifications before entering the home screen.Pattern, Pin, and Password are more secure ways to lock your device, and one of these should be enabled.You should also set the auto lock for the screen. There are a lot of time options, but you should either set it to "immediately" or at a maximum of 15 seconds. Owner info is a way to put contact information if case you lose your device and if you have Android Device Managerenabled, you'll be able to locate your device using the web.

Smart lock

Smart Lock is a feature using trusted devices paired with Android. Google highlights the feature with paired Android Wear, and it works by recognizing a paired Bluetooth device. If it's connected, you don't need to use your screen lock code. The moment Bluetooth is unconnected, the device requires the screen password again.Another option is Trusted Face. Using the front camera, it looks at your face and unlocks the phone. The problem with this feature is that it's not as secure as the other methods, although Google admits that before you can set it up.

The release of Android 5.0 also included another option called Trusted Places. This lets you setup a secure place where your device will never require your screen lock password to unlock a device. It's a great option if you're home or at work, but keep in mind that having your device unlocked negates any security.

Encrypt phone

By default, any preloaded device will have device encryption turned on. If you're upgrading to Android 5.0, you should encrypt your device. Be aware that the setup will take at least an hour, during which time you shouldn't touch your phone at all.

Device administration

When it comes to Device administration, you should be most concerned with Unknown sources. Enabling this option lets you install apps outside of Google Play. Unless you know about APKs or develop apps, you shouldn't have this enabled because it can give apps unnecessary access to your device. To be safe, you should only download apps through the Google Play Store.

Screen pinning

This option lets you lock an app so that you'll only be able to use that app for the time being. It works via Recent apps, where you'll see the first app with the pin icon at the bottom right of the card. Tapping on the pin locks the device to this single app.To exit, hold the Back and Recent buttons at the same time. If you want to add an extra layer of security, you can enable the option to ask for the unlock pattern.

Accounts

This is where you can view all the different accounts that you're signed in to. This includes Google, social media, and other apps that require syncing. You should recognize all the apps in this list.

Backup & reset

Back up my data will save data to Google servers. This includes apps, passwords, and other settings. Automatic restore allows Google to restore backed up data.

These are the most important sections of Settings that you should set up if you get a new device.

New Android 5.0 Lollipop features

Notifications

Android 5.0 displays notifications on the lock screen, something that was previously only possible with apps or custom Android ROMs (custom versions of Android). When you wake up your device, you will see recent notifications. If you pull down an individual notification, it expands and shows more information. If you have Google Now enabled, the bottom of notifications will have Google Now information. If you wake the phone up and use the volume keys, you'll be able to set sound notifications for All, Priority only (with a timer), or None (with a timer)If you pull down the expanded notifications again, you'll see Quick Settings. This area includes options for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, along with a new Flashlight icon to use the camera flash as a flashlight. You also get battery percentage and the gear icon for Settings. If you have a screen lock, you will need to unlock the device before you can access Settings.To dismiss all the notifications, at the bottom of the notifications, you'll see three staggered bars. Tap on them to dismiss all notifications.

Recent apps

Changing Material Design also changed the Navigation Bar (the bottom set of icons), although the refreshed icons perform the same functions as before. Android 5.0 also changes the way that apps are presented by creating cards for each app instead of square snapshots, which was the same since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.An interesting feature is that with the recent apps, different sections are shown as separate cards, and you can scroll through them. The redesign of this section makes it a lot easier to navigate, but it could also get congested quickly.

You can also pin apps to lock them so that, for example, if you're handing off your phone to show someone something, they won't go snooping. It's not a feature that most people will need to use, but for parents, it's a great way to lock a game for kids to play without being able to access the rest of the phone.

Google Now

If you're already using Google Now, you know the power it has. Connected to your Google account– notably, Gmail– Google Now supplies a lot of information. While it takes time to customize it and get really relevant results, the Google Search-connected feature is worth it.Google Now received quite a nice update in Material Design. Previously, Reminders, customization options, and settings were hidden at the bottom of the screen. Now, they're available through the menu tab in the Google search bar. This makes it much easier to customize your results and choose what kind of updates you get.

Google Now gets better the more you use it, so it's a feature you shouldn't ignore.

Widgets

Android 4.4 KitKat users won't be surprised with the addition of widgets to the home screen. Just tap and hold the screen and you'll open the options for wallpapers, widgets, and settings. The settings menu isn't Android 5.0 settings, but Google account settings. You can set different search options, voice, accounts, privacy, and Google Now notifications.Note, while using widgets for updates is useful, it can affect battery life.

Google Play Store

The Google Play Store is Android's store for apps, movies, music, and reading. Android 5.0 Lollipop's Material Design improved the Google Play interface a lot, making it easier to find, download, and buy content.

Games has subheadings for top lists, but quality can vary a lot. In the Apps section, you will find all the non-games apps.

Movies & TV has tons of shows that can be bought or rented. If you purchase them, you'll be given the option of downloading in standard or high definition, for when you're offline or streaming them.

There are also sections for magazines and books if you like reading. The same downloading option is available as that for Movies & TV, otherwise the content is streamed to the device.

Google has spent a lot of time improving Android by pulling apps out of the operating system and supplying them as individual apps. While this does increase the number of apps you'll have, having these apps available as standalone downloads means that Google can update them whenever it's required, rather than offering an entire update to the Android OS.

A step forward

Since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the incremental improvements to the operating system have made it more powerful and useful. With Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and Android 4.4 KitKat, many of the final steps were put in place, and Android 5.0 Lollipop is the result of all this work. When Android 5.0 Lollipop is officially released, there could be even more improvements, but for that, we'll just have to wait and see.

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