Mingis on Tech: What do we know about Android P?

In the alphabet, O comes before P. 

So it goes with Android versions, too. But even though last year's Android 8.0 ("Oreo") hasnt even arrived for most Android smartphone users, Android P is already on the horizon, promising a slew of under-the-hood improvements and some still-to-be-unveiled must-have features.

A pre-release version of "P" arrived last week, though Computerworld blogger JR Raphael says it's not really ready for widespread use (except for developers). A more stable public beta will likely arrive in the next month or two.

Raphael joined Computerworld Executive Editor Ken Mingis for this week's look at all things Android, with an emphasis on what's coming in P, why Android upgrades seem to be late and what Android users can and should do to stay current. (Hint, hint: Google Pixel....) 

Raphael, who crafts an annual report card on how well carriers are doing in terms of updating the phones they sell found that the major carriers – Google being the exception – are falling down on the job. That prompted even more discussion about why that problem seems to be getting worse, not better, and about upgrades in general.

Raphael's advice: Don't expect to stay current on Android unless you have one of Google's Pixel phones. 

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