Smartphone Thieves Hate This New Android Update

Google’s latest update to its Android operating system makes your smartphone less desirable—to thieves, that is.

Android 5.1 was rolled out on Monday with a new anti-theft technology called Device Protection, according to Google’s Official Android Blog. The system will keep your stolen or lost phone locked until you sign in with your Google account, even if someone restores your phone to factory settings.

Device Protection will be available on smartphones shipped with Android 5.1, and also the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.

Other features on Android 5.1 include support for multiple SIM cards and HD voice calling between compatible devices.

Apple introduced a similar feature on iOS 7 called Activation Lock, which police in San Francisco and New York have attributed to big drops in iPhone thefts.

The 10 Most Ambitious Google Projects

Google Driverless Car The Google Self-Driving Car has been in the works since 2005 after a team of engineers won a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to design an autonomous car. The project, which aims to reduce traffic accidents, has made headway in recent years as states passed laws permitting self-driving cars. Google plans a commercial release between 2017 and 2020.

David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images

Google has been testing balloons which sail into the stratosphere and beam Internet down to Earth.

Jon Shenk—AP

Google's smart contact lenses.

Google/AP

Google Lively Google Lively was a web-based virtual community space where users could design avatars, chat with one another and personalize their online hangout space. The project was discontinued after a six-month stint in 2008 after limited success.

Google/AP

Google Earth Google's virtual map of the Earth allows users to tour the earth with 3-D satellite images. The project, which dates back to 2004, has already found significant applications in disaster relief.

Google/AP

Project Ara Google's build-your-own-smartphone project allows users to customize their handsets to their own preferences, with the possibility of eliminating electronic waste by encouraging users to add hardware updates on their own terms. The team is working towards a limited market pilot in 2015.

Bryan Bedder—Getty Images for Engadget Expand

Disease Detecting Pill Google unveiled its plans to disease-detecting ingestible pill in October, a project that'll let patients access their real-time health data to encourage preventative care. The pill will contain nanoparticles that can bind to certain cells and chemicals, with the possibility of detecting diseases like cancer in early stages.

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Flying Wind Turbines The flying windmill is the project of Makani Power, a wind turbine developer acquired by Google in 2013. The tethered airborne turbines will harness wind energy for the goal of producing low-cost, renewable energy

Andrea Dunlap—Makani Power/AP

Google+ Google's social networking platform launched in 2011, the most successful service after several flops at designing a Facebook competitor, like the now-retired Google Buzz. Today, Google+ boasts over half a billion monthly active users.

Stephen Lam—Reuters

Google Books Google Books dates back to 2004, when Google partnered with libraries and universities to plan to digitize millions of volumes over the next several years. The project aims to make searching books as easy as searching the web.

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