The many faces of a little green robot
Open Signal Maps has a report on Android fragmentation here where they point out just how many devices they have to check compatibility for becuase of the fragmentation that plagues Google’s OS.
Google Now and the predictive future of search by TheVerge
The Verge interviews the engineering team behind Google Now on Android to find out what’s next for the innovative search feature. Google executives Hugo Barra, Scott Huffman, Jeff Dean, and Vincent Vanhoucke tell the story behind how Google Now came into being and why it represents the best of Google.
Dear Google, please force developers to follow Android Design Guidelines
There have been lots of blogposts, articles in the news and discussions on why apps look so much better on iOS than they do on Android. The problem with these articles is that they go straight to the software and blame it, they simply say “because iOS is better”, I believe this is not the case. Android is not the problem, Android developers are the cause, they think just because it is easy to publish on the Play Store and make money they don’t have to care about how their apps look. They simply throw on some shitty design they do in about an hour or two and say that’s fine, let’s make my self rich.
Read the whole article at the link.
Google should have Matias Duarte in charge of designing all their products’ UI
Matias Duarte is a fairly known name in Silicon Valley and most of the tech industry. He is responsible for the user experience and interface design of the Sidekick, Helio, webOS, and now Android (since version 4.0). All of the above previous engagements have been either successful for a short period of time or not at all, but when he came to work for Google he changed everything for Android. After all, he is the inventor of the “cards” interface vastly used today for multitasking.
I am somewhat familiar with his work, since i use a Palm Pixi Plus and i have fiddled with his other projects. And truthfully, I am very excited to see him work for Google, and his work with Android is incredible.This man took Android at complete changed it. He turned around the mess of that interface and cleaned up everything. He made new icons, he standardized animations and transitions and gestures, he unified the experience, he made it coherent, and most importantly, user friendly. It doesn’t rely on anyone else to prettify it for the public; it is better than any other Android skin out there. Some people could even say it saved it.
But Android hasn’t been the only Google product to receive a redesign in the past year. Nearly all of it’s products received a new identity and a new look. but it wasn’t led by Matias Duarte. And it only makes me wonder why. I just had the opportunity to use a Galaxy Nexus (albeit for a short period of time) and it was beautiful. It was amazing. And it made me realize: “What if Matias Duarte redesigned the entire Google experience?”
Giving a man like Matias Duarte the task of designing Google would completely redefine the company, with a unified experience across all platforms including the web. it is likely to attract far more users and invite people to “go Google” (i know i will). He may be a mobile interface designer by large, but this may open up his range and will likely be an incredible project for both him and Google. It is an option worth exploring and i really hope he or anyone else at Google reads this and agrees
Fingers crosses.
Why MG Siegler Hates Android
Why do I hate Android? It’s definitely one of the questions I get asked most often these days. And most of those that don’t ask probably assume it’s because I’m an iPhone guy. People see negative take after negative take about the operating system and label me as “unreasonable” or “biased” or worse.
I should probably explain.
Believe it or not, I actually don’t hate Android. That is to say, I don’t hate the concept of Android — in fact, at one point, I loved it. What I hate is what Android has become. And more specifically, what Google has done with Android.
The cloud’s time to shine
It’s time to start building web apps. Native apps nowadays only have a handful of advantages compared to web based alternatives, but with new APIs and technologies are being developed to make web development better, we should start moving our apps to the cloud. A web version of Flipboard and Sparrow would provide cross-platform and easy way to distribute your app, which I may point out are already web centric as it is. It is only through the collective actions of developers the web and the future can move forward, but being stuck in native iOS and Android development, you are not only depriving other users of using your service, but also doing double the work. The web is the future, let’s bring it forward now.
Google's Android UI fragmentation
Google’s design has always been inconsistent across it’s apps. Android design at first, was awful, but with Matias Duarte it has matured and evolved quite nicely as Android 4.0 really seems to have a consistent UI and UX. But if you look closely, it is still far from it. This article explores the daunting fragmentation that plagues Android apps created by Google themselves, and why it paves the way for poorly design apps.
GALAXY Nexus
Google’s new flagship phone in collaboration with Samsung is the first with Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”. It’s big, and pretty and fully featured, but come on, we all know you only care about the new Nokia Windows Phone that is coming soon.
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