Paranoid Android shows off their implementation of multi-windows
Over the past few months, I have fallen head over heels in love with Paranoid Android. While I certainly hold the work of each ROM developer in very, very high regard (let’s face it, Android would be a very frustrating platform without them) I love the creativity and functionality that PA adds.
Their latest goody? Multi-window support for apps. The team behind Paranoid Android have shared a post giving some early details regarding their implementation on Google+, along with a video demoing it. While it is more of an overlay than having two apps sharing the screen like TouchWiz allows, it still allows foreground apps to stay in context while the user can do stuff like reply to Google Talk messages, play with the Music app, etc.
The key element that I love the most about it is that any app can be used in the manner shown in the video below as long as it has the Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_MULTI_WINDOW flag set in the Manifest file. The PA team has also been clear that this is still an early stage prototype, and that they are trying to ensure they get the implementation right. The overlays can currently be launched via the notification drawer, though my guess is they might take it a step further and allow any app to create a chat-head of sorts.
Keep up the good work, Paranoid Android. We’ll be keeping a close eye on your progress.
[Source: Google+]
