Android N Developer Preview 2 is out, brings new rendering engine and UI features

The second developer preview for Android N is out and you can download it right now by signing up for the Android Beta program here. The latest preview build fixes a handful of issues that plagued the first preview, including the inability to connect to hidden WiFi networks. Added to the update is a new 3D rendering API, brand new emojis and a lot more.Vulkan APIThe most prominent feature of the release is the integration of the Vulkan API (Application Program Interface). The API will offer greater power to developers by cutting down on GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) overhead. In layman's terms, the Vulkan API is giving developers as good as direct access to the GPU, bypassing any operating system (OS) limitations. With the right skills, a developer can extract a lot more performance out of the GPU than was possible earlier. Vulkan is similar to Apple's Metal API.Google claims that the API can offer up to 10 times the performance seen in OpenGL ES, in certain applications, and that multiple cores can be used in parallel to improve efficiency.Launcher ShortcutsLauncher shortcuts is an interesting new feature as well. You must be familiar with the Google Now launcher or similar launcher that you get by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. The new Launcher shortcuts will now let apps take advantage of the launcher mechanic. Google says that you can, for example, place a shortcut to your home within the Maps app. Just swipe and directions to your home will be presented to you. 3-5 such shortcuts can now be placed in any app.Other changes include emojis that have been redesigned to look more "human," Unicode 9 support, changes to the API and a whole slew of bug fixes.Android N really is shaping up as a major upgrade over Marshmallow.