Android 'M' is for Marshmallow

As is tradition (Lollipop, KitKat, Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, etc.) Google has revealed the version name for the upcoming sixth version of Android with a new statue in front of its Mountain View, CA HQ. The "polish and quality" focused Android M will stand for Marshmallow, and while it's still not available for public consumption (check out our preview from June), the company is encouraging developers to get their apps ready now, with a new SDK and "near-final" preview versions to use. The name shouldn't be much of a surprise however, since it's the one most of you guessed in our poll, where it nabbed 37 percent of the votes.

SOURCE: Android Developers

Google buys French company FlexyCore to make Android more buttery

Though Google made significant strides in smoothing out Android performance with Project Butter, apparently it's not yet satisfied. According to L'Express, Mountain View has just purchased French firm FlexyCore for €16.9 million ($23.1 million). That company made its name with software like DroidBooster, which improves the speed of apps running Android without increasing battery drain. A Google spokesman in France said that the business is already integrated with its Android teams, and confirmed that the software will "help optimize the performance of (Android) on mobile devices." Whether it'll bear fruit in the soon to be released Android 4.4 KitKat remains to be seen -- but given Google's promise that the new OS will make even low-spec phones sing, we wouldn't be surprised.

Source: L'Express (translated)