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Android has always been the most adventurous mobile operating system. It’s constantly evolving and Google is always changing different aspects of it. This year’s release of Android L includes one of the biggest overhauls to the OS that we’ve ever seen. Everything from the runtime to the design scheme is changing. With all of those changes, Google made the wise move of allowing nerds and developers alike to try out Android L on Nexus devices before pushing it to mass market.

I’ve had the privilege of using Android L on my Nexus 7 since last night. As such, I thought that I’d share my first impressions of it, both for those who have it and those who don’t. Let’s get right into it.

Google made a big point of Material Design at Google I/O. The truth is, Android L doesn’t look as radically different as you might think. There are differences, sure, but the majority of things are the same. The homescreen has no major changes, nor does the app drawer. The settings have changed to adopt Material Design, as has the Calculator app. None of the other apps (aside from the dialer on phones) have changed their design, which makes the change seem much lot smaller. This should change over time, though, as more apps switch from Holo to Material Design.

The notification tray is one area that received a major redesign. No longer are there two trays for alerts and quick settings. Now there’s one unified notification tray that’s home to both notifications and quick settings. This is how it works: drag down from the top of the screen to see your notifications, and then drag down on that notification tray to view your quick settings. There’s also a button to go directly into Settings.

There are couple of major flaws with this system. One: to open quick settings, you now have perform at least two swipes – sometimes more, because it’s finicky – to get to your quick settings. While you’re in those quick settings, you also can’t act on any of the notifications that are quite visible directly below the quick settings. To access the notifications, you have to manually close quick settings and then tap on the notification. It’s a bit too much of a hassle and is something that I sincerely hope Google changes before launching Android L to the public.

The lock screen has been due for a refresh, and with Android L it’s finally received one. Notifications are now front and center, with quick access to them straight from the lock screen. Notifications are also expandable on the lock screen, just like in the notification tray. To unlock your device, you simply swipe up. You can also swipe to the left to open the camera, and on phones, swipe to the right to open the dialer. It looks busier than the previous lock screen, but it works well.

Project Volta is Google’s push for better battery life in Android. As of yet, we haven’t seen this. In fact, battery life has been worse than on KitKat. Since this is a preview build, though, we’re going to let this slide because are plenty of other bugs to squash. By the final release, we expect this to be ironed out.

Android L adds in lots of new animations and features. To compensate, Google has switched the default runtime to ART, promising faster performance. However, performance has been a mixed bag so far. Some things, such as scrolling and animations, are noticeably faster and smoother, but others aren’t quite as refined. The new multitasking view stutters whenever you try to use it. At times, the notification tray will also stutter or randomly flick back up even without a screen touch. All of this is normal for a preview build, but I hope that Google is working hard to fix the problems.

As we’d expect from a preview build with a new runtime, app compatibility is varied. Some apps support Android L just fine, but others don’t. Some of the big name apps that don’t work include Twitter, Dropbox, Bible and Google Docs. There are others that are are having issues, and it’ll take a bit of time for developers to get their apps working with this new version of Android. In the meantime, it’s important to remember that this is still a beta OS and that these issues are to be expected.

For a beta build, the Android L Developer Preview isn’t too bad. It has some quirks and there are some things that we’d like to see changed, but for the most part, it works and is filled with potential. The best thing for Google to do is to listen to user feedback, take into account what all of us using Android L are noticing and then work on fixing those issues. If you don’t have the Android L Developer Preview, don’t stress it; you’ll get the fully working version in the fall and you won’t have to deal with all the bugs.

If you do have the Android L Developer Preview, drop a comment letting us know how you’re enjoying it!

Everyone is still hyped about the recent announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. That does not mean there’s no room for some other powerhouse devices, though. The HTC Amaze4G was released last week, and sure is a huge step up compared to most devices out there.

Overall, this device is fast and smooth with the amazing build quality we always expect from HTC. After using it for a day, there’s not much to complain about. Let’s take a look at the specs:

The first thing you’ll notice about the device is its great build quality, which is a trend with HTC devices. The device has a unibody aluminum shell, much like the Sensation. This gives the phone a very solid feel when held. Nothing feels loose. And though it might be much heavier than competing smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S II, the weight also gives it a sturdy feeling.

In the time I’ve been using the HTC Amaze 4G, I’ve found no issues with performance. Videos, games and all other normal tasks perform very well. That 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM sure do their job well. But does it come with a negative effect on the battery?

I have not had the device enough time to say exactly how good the battery life is, but it isn’t amazing. After being unplugged at 3:00 pm (fully charged), I used the device for about 7 hours until it died. The battery ran out on me at about 10:15 pm. This was under constant 4G connectivity and heavy use. Mainly to check e-mails (received and sent a total of about 40), Twitter, Facebook, Google Voice texting and about 1 hour of browsing (in total).

This Super LCD qHD display is not bad at all, but it’s not as impressive as the HTC Sensation XL. Just like the Sensation XL, the viewing angles are impressive, but the colors are not as saturated and vibrant. The Amaze holds its own when it comes to use in direct sun light. The definition is also very good. Text is crisp in the browser, and pixelation is nearly impossible to see with the naked eye.

The device happens to be compatible with T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 42 network. This means that speeds are substantially higher, but not as impressive as we’d expect. Using SpeedTest.net’s app, the data speeds averaged about 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up. There are areas of the city where it would go up to about 14 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up, while other areas would result in lower than 5 Mbps down and 0.7 Mbps up.

Generally speaking, though, the speeds are much higher — even comparable to Verizon’s 4g LTE network in my market (San Diego, CA). Verizon’s 4G network normally has down speeds of about 8-14 Mbps (in my area), with peaks of up to 20 Mbps and upload speeds of 2-4 Mbps.

HTC has been putting a lot of effort into improving its cameras, and this device is no exception. Its camera is much faster and has many options. If you like playing around with photography, this smartphone camera allows you to change ISO settings and boasts the following shooting modes:

I have not had time to play with the camera features very much. After taking a few shots (in auto mode), it does have a quick response and close to zero shutter lag (though not as fast as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus). Here are some pictures I took, one in the living room and the rest sitting in a vehicle going about 60 miles per hour (to test shutter speeds). You can be sure that we’ll be going into more detail about this in the full review. For now, check these out:

The HTC Amaze 4G really is a great smartphone to have. Even if it might currently be overshadowed by the just-announced Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Still sporting Android 2.3.4, it’s unknown if this device will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich. But the possibilities are pretty high.

HTC did mention that it was looking into ICS upgrade plans. This being one of the most current devices gives it great odds. Not to mention the fact that it does have NFC, and could take advantage Android Beam, Google Wallet and other features/services.

I will be writing a full review next week, so stay tuned. Also, check out the images posted below and let us know what you think of the HTC Amaze. Is anyone thinking of getting this device? Would you rather wait for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to come to T-Mobile (if it does)?