Google I/O is usually meant for the developer who build apps for various Android devices. There might be new product announcements, but usually the keynote is more aligned to developers. Google now announced the preview of Android Studio 1.3. What excites the developer is the inclusion of most wanted features, mainly support for C/C++ language.
You might aware that Java is the main programming language of Android with some support via NDK (Native Development Kit). Using Java is actually an overhead Android imposes onto itself. So game developers & even some app developers too prefer using C/C++ via NDK as improve the core performance of their apps and games.
JetBrains, the brain behind IntelliJ which also powers Android Studio, has came up with JetBrains CLion that incorporates the functionality of using C/C++ in Android Studio 1.3 preview. CLion supports both C & C++ (also includes C++11 standard, libc++ and Boost) natively.
CLion brings features like editing, debugging, code completion, refactoring capabilities to Android Studio. As CLion is already a developed product, the integration makes the Android Studio more powerful. Using CLion’s built-in terminal, developers can execute any command without leaving the IDE. Local and remote debugging also available via SSH protocol. Depending on the preferred platform, developers can work with a command-line prompt, Far, power-shell, bash or other tools.
The new Android Design Support library, which are backward compatible with upto API v7, enables developers to add material design to their app. It provides support for adding new material design components like Floating Action Button, Toolbar with Motion, Snackbar. It also support new layouts like TextInputLayout, AppBar Layout, CollapsingToolbarLayout & Tab Layout.
Android Studio 1.3 preview now recognizes various services of Google like Google Ads, Google Analytics, GCM, and other features planned later for inclusion. Studio also generates basic code for above mentioned services to quick start the development.
Android Studio 1.3 preview is currently available through the canary channel.
