Industry News - Week of Mar. 27, 2017

Much of the news coverage this week demonstrates how serious Google is about clamping down Android security. There's also news about a giant robot at Amazon, drones in Walmart stores and an Android "O" on the horizon.

Must-Read: Android Security Year-in-Review 2016

This 70-page report details the Android security protocols currently in place, ways that products from the community can cause harm and the major known vulnerabilities.

Must Watch: Android Security Year-in-Review 2016 (video)

For those too busy to read the paper, Adrian Ludwig, directory of Android security, covers Android's year in security in this 30-minute video.

Five Tips for Successful Google Play Launches

Adam Gutterman, Google Play Games' go-to-market strategic lead, posts some insights on getting launch right the first time, and embeds some videos to drive home the point.

Diverse Protections for a Diverse Android Ecosystem

Adam Ludwig and Mel Miller  blog about the 2016 Android Security Year-in-Review, and emphasize some important security enhancements coming in Nougat.

Android "O" Developer Preview is Here

Background limits, notification channels, adaptive icons, a new low-latency audio API and many more cool new features are coming in the O-flavored dessert. Google VP of engineering Dave Burke takes a look.

Here's Phandroid's First Take on Android O

For a look inside Android O while letting someone else crack the plastic, Android-only news site launches a series on the latest announced version with a promise of more to come.

Heads Up Developers: Java 8 Will End Jack Support

A brief note posted by Google PM James Lau indicates that support for Java 8 will be added directly to the javac and dx tools, and not into Jack, the part of the toolchain that compiles Java source into dex bytecode.

Amazon CEO Channels His Inner 'Aliens'

It wasn't able to do much more than swing its arms, but this giant humanoid robot appears to have the potential to pick from the highest shelves.

Walmart Kicking the Tires on Drones

Walmart is toying with the idea of using drones in their stores to fetch items for customers and bring them to a designated area of the store.

Google Maps Offers Advice on Parking

The app that helps get drivers to their destination is expanding to include parking advice. Leveraging its "popular times" data, Google Maps now estimates the chances of finding a place to leave the car.