Welcome once again to Digital Paw Print! The weather may be getting colder, but the technology world is certainly heating up. Apple launched a new lineup of iPads, while Google is readying its sweetest version of Android yet.

OS X Yosemite 10.10

Apple’s OS X Yosemite includes a new design inspired by iOS 8, a faster and redesigned Safari, and a new Notification Center.

Included in the free update are Continuity features such as Handoff, in which you can start working on an email or Pages document and continue it on a Mac. Another feature of Continuity includes the ability to accept calls on your iMac and use the iMac’s speakers while your iPhone is on the same WiFi network as the Mac.

The Messages app gets upgraded too, and has new features like the ability to title conversations and add new members to the chat without having to start a new chat. You can also activate “Do Not Disturb Mode” to opt out of new message notifications. Short sound clips can be added to messages as well.

iCloud is rebranded as iCloud Drive, which now allows you to upload any type of file, anywhere, anytime, on any of your devices. You can also share items from an iPhone to a Mac via the new AirDrop.

In the Mail app, you can annotate images, add speech bubbles, and make comments by using Mail Markup. Family Sharing allows up to six family members to share purchases made in the App Store, iBooks, and iTunes. When someone wants to make a purchase, it asks the parent user for permission.

OS X Yosemite is currently available as a free download to those who own OS X Snow Leopard or newer.

iPad Air 2

The Apple iPad Air 2 gets a new design, Touch ID, and a new processor. The Apple iPad Air 2 is 6.1 millimeters thick, making it thinner than the iPhone 6. The lightest model (WiFi version) weighs in at 437 grams, making it extremely light, but only 30 grams lighter than the iPad Air.

The Apple iPad Air 2 also includes the Touch ID sensor, which can be used in place of a password and for Apple Pay.

Pay is Apple’s new payment system that combines the use of the NFC (near field communication) chip and the Touch ID for easy, fast, and secure in-store and in-app purchases. So far, six banks have made their credit cards available for use with Apple Pay. 34 stores, including Bloomingdale’s, McDonald’s, Macy’s, and Nike have NFC checkout systems installed.

The iPad Air 2 also has a new A8X processor, which is 40 percent faster than the iPad Air’s A7 and has 2.5 times the graphical performance. The A8X is joined by the M8, which will record data from the barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, and compass for applications such as Health.

The iPad Air 2 also has a maximum of 10 hours of battery life and a new eight megapixel iSight camera, which can record video at 1080p resolution. The front-facing camera has a new 1.2 megapixel sensor that can record 720p video. When using FaceTime, the iPad Air 2 will utilize two microphones – one for recording sound and the other for suppressing background noise.

Internet on the iPad Air 2 gets a boost as well, with 2.8 times the WiFi speed of the iPad Air and 50 percent faster cellular connections.

The Air 2’s 9.7 inch display has also been improved, with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 (a grand total of 3.1 million pixels) and a pixel density of 264 ppi (pixels per inch).

Pricing starts at $499 for the 16GB model, and it will come in three colors: space gray, silver, and gold.

iPad Mini 3

Despite the fanfare of the announcement of the iPad Mini 3, it doesn’t contain many new features that will compel a buyer to purchase it over the iPad Mini 2. The only really new features for the iPad Mini 3 are the Touch ID sensor and the new gold color.

Other than that, the iPad Mini’s specifications are exactly the same as that of the iPad Mini 2. Unless the Touch ID sensor is an absolute necessity or if you can’t live without a gold iPad, the $299 iPad Mini 2 16GB ($100 cheaper than the $399 iPad Mini 3 16GB) is a much smarter buy.

Android Lollipop

Google’s popular Android operating system receives one of its biggest overhauls in 5.0 Lollipop. The most apparent change to the OS is the new design aesthetic, which Google dubbed “Material Design.” It feels more minimalist, and is a much better contender to Apple’s elegant iOS 8.

Notifications are upgraded too, and now appear on the lock screen, similar to Apple’s iOS. Google says that your phone will automatically prioritize notifications for you, and hide minor ones for later. You can also manually adjust app notifications, as well as how much information appears on the lock screen.

The new Priority mode (much like the iPhone’s “Do Not Disturb Mode”) will only show calls and text messages on the lock screen. The new “Overview” menu will allow you to view all background apps as a stack of cards. Each unique card is an app or a task within that app.

For example, one card may be Flappy Bird, while Google Chrome will have cards for each tab that is open.

Additionally, there are new features such as the Battery Saver mode, data encryption, “OK Google” commands from the lock screen, and much more.

Google also announced the Nexus 9 smartphone, Nexus 10 tablet, and the Nexus Player (A media streamer similar to the Apple TV), which will be the first devices to run Lollipop.

Android Lollipop will also be available to devices such as the HTC One (M7 and M8), the Samsung Galaxy S5 and S4, the Galaxy Note 4, the Motorola Moto X (First and second generation), the Moto G, the Moto E, and the entire Sony Xperia Z series.

With the dozens of new features that Google has crammed into Android 5.0 Lollipop, fans are in for a real treat.