Google eyes split-screen feature for Android tablets

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The next version of Android may offer a split-screen mode for tablets.Josh Miller/CNET

Google aims to keep pace with Microsoft and Apple by adding a way for Android tablet users to view and work with two apps side-by-side.

A pair of Google staffers spilled the beans in a Reddit discussion on Thursday, teasing that a split screen is in the works for next year's major upgrade to Android to version 7.0. Since each new version launches around October or November, that means Android users may have to wait almost a year before the feature is available.

"We're working hard on a range of enhancements for Android in this form factor," Android and Chrome UX director Glen Murphy said, referring to Google's new Pixel C tablet equipped with a 10.2-inch screen. A "multiwindow" capability, he said, is something "we've been spending a lot of time on -- hopefully we can share more about this soon."

Andrew Bowers, Google's director of product management for consumer hardware, revealed more specifics. He told the Reddit audience that "we're working on lots of things right now for N" -- referring to the next major release of Android -- "that, of course, we wish we had, you know, yesterday. But we'd spoil the surprise of N if we shared all of them. Split screen is in the works!"

With tablet sales dwindling, Google and other manufacturers have been looking for ways to boost demand. One tack they're taking is to make the devices function more like laptops via attachable keyboards and other features that can help users accomplish workday tasks. By allowing multitasking, split screen lets a tablet better emulate the experience of a PC. It's something that Microsoft and Apple already offer, so Google is playing catchup in bringing the option to Android tablets.

Split screen has been available on Windows tablets via a feature called Snap Assist since Windows 8 debuted in 2012. Users can open one app and then snap a second app onto the screen, viewing them both at the same time. Windows 10 enhanced the feature by adding the ability to snap up to four apps on the screen at the same time.

Apple got into the split-screen game with the release of its iOS 9 software in September. Displaying two apps together, the Split View feature is available for this year's iPad Pro and the iPad Mini 4 as well as last year's iPad Air 2. Another, more limited feature, dubbed Slide Over, supports a wider range of iPads, but the second app opens in a small right pane with no option to resize it. The first app also gets dimmed out, so you can only work with the second app.

Google usually reveals tidbits about the next version of Android at its I/O conference in May or June, so we might get to see the split-view feature in action at that point if it becomes a reality.

Google did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

Android phone at $10 price is now a reality

LG 10USD Android phone

You might be dreaming of the time when smartphones would be available at the price of feature phones. A new Android phone has just been spotted for less than $10.

Technology-centric news site Motherboard has got a chance to spot the highly affordable Android phone called TracFone LG Prepaid Lucky LG16. This new smartphone has just been listed on the Walmart site with a price tag of $9.82 (around £7, €9) exclusive of some shipment charges.

The cheap Android running phone is marketed in the US by prepaid wireless service provider TracFone Wireless and is manufactured by LG as a basic smartphone to let novices experience Google's open-source operating system without being much of a burden on their pockets. The smartphone does not have components like a front-facing selfie camera sensor or high-speed LTE support but comes equipped with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and features a 3.8in TFT touchscreen display. Also, there is a 3-megapixel rear camera sensor with VGA video recording support.

LG has provided Android 4.4 KitKat operating system on the $10 Android phone with a tweaked interface on top. We speculate that the smartphone would not receive an update to the latest Android Marshmallow version or even its preceding Android 5.0 or 5.1 Lollipop. However, the smartphone does have Google Play Store to let you download new Android apps and there are 3G as well as Wi-Fi connectivity options.

The Android smartphone is currently available for purchase through Walmart with an optional $5 care plan for the first two years. It would also be available through other sales channels and other regions like the UK in the coming future.

Although LG's attempt to come up with the $10 phone might not alarm its rivals such as Samsung and Sony, it does suggest a way to offer some really cheap smartphones. Google is already working on its Android One initiative to expand the presence of Android by offering affordable smartphones.

You can go ahead and spend $10 on the new smartphone, but if the latest Android experience is your primary requirement, there isn't anything pleasing. That being said, the new smartphone strives to persuade some feature phone users to start keeping Android in their pockets.