Android Go was released in 2018 and targeted entry level smartphones in developing worlds. Google says that 1,600 Android Go devices released by 500 manufacturers across more than 180 countries have been released in the past 14 months. This OS is perfect for e-readers because running the full version of Android, which everyone does, depletes battery life, because of all of the background processes. Bigger batteries, more RAM and octa-core or deca-core CPU processors are a stopgap measure. I think now is the time for e-reader vendors to adopt Android 10 GO.
Google has just announced Android 10 GO and the first handsets will be available this Fall. This new release helps you switch between apps faster and in a memory-efficient way. Speed and reliability are also enhanced—apps now launch 10 percent faster than they did on Android 9 (Go edition).
Android 10 (Go edition) includes a new form of encryption, built by Google for entry-level smartphones, called Adiantum. Up until now, not all entry-level smartphones were able to encrypt data without affecting device performance. Adiantum is built to run efficiently without specialized hardware, meaning all Go edition users will have the same level of data security as any Android device, without compromising performance. This will make the next generation of devices more secure than their predecessors, it will also make smartphones or e-readers to be used more safely.
I have been super bullish on Android Go on e-readers, the performance and stability it brings is mind blogging. In the meantime if you have an e-reader that runs Android and you find your favorite apps have refresh problems or simply don’t run, try Lite apps. We posted a review video that took Lite and Go apps and tested them on e-readers and they work better than the flagship apps. This is because apps like Instagram or Kindle are designed for smartphones or tablets. They are meant to look pretty, with animated page turns and lots of little things that make them look aesthetically pleasing. The problem with E Ink displays is that they do not handle refreshing on Android apps very well, whereas Lite and Go apps forgo all of the animations and strip everything to the core, it these apps that end up working better on e-readers. You can checkout our Lite and Go section on the Good e-Reader App Store to checkout what is available.
Could you image an e-reader running a striped down version of Android with only security and functionality and none of the pretty things? Battery life that lasts a month, instead of a week or less. Apps that perform super well? This is the future of e-readers, Android Go 10.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.