

Android addresses UI shortcomings - mcantelon
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2011/01/android-addresses-ui-shortcomings.html

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potatolicious
> _"His job is to make Android's interface so good that companies like HTC or
> Samsung don't have to spend so much time improving it."_

An admirable goal, but IMHO never going to fly. HTC, Samsung, et al are
desperately fighting not to become commoditized as merely hardware
manufacturers (Foxconn style). They _desperately_ need to differentiate
themselves and convince consumers that they're buying a unique experience, as
opposed to simply doing the hardware fabrication for the Google Experience.

I mean, look at their current changes to stock Android - IMHO nothing really
compelling. In fact, most of these OEM-specific UIs seem like just cruft on
top of the Android experience. Wholly unnecessary even without the Honeycomb
makeover.

~~~
angusgr
Another thought, I wonder if Google initially anticipated the amount of
makeover work that OEMs would put into Android.

Does anyone know how hard/easy the current presentation layer makes
customisation? If they released a more easily & deeply skinnable version of
their UI, do you think it would be possible for Google to steer manufacturers
towards making less sweeping customizations, leading to a more standard
(although still distinct) UI/UX?

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wvenable
I suspect that, not only did they anticipate it, they fully expected it. HTC's
Sense UI started on Windows Mobile before HTC ever sold an Android device.
Google's customers for Android aren't you or I, they are the device
manufacturers and carriers and a customizable user experience is a big selling
point for a company like HTC.

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Zak
Lots of complaints in the article about the hidden menu. I _like_ the hidden
menu, at least on devices with small screens (all phones). I know it isn't as
discoverable as an always-visible toolbar, but discoverability is not the only
valid concern in the design of a UI.

~~~
jsz0
The major problem I have with the menu button, and all the Android buttons, is
they are disruptive to the flow of using the software. Until the touch buttons
are as sensitive as the touchscreen itself it's going to be a bit jarring to
switch back and forth. This raises the problem of the touch buttons getting
activated accidentally if they are too sensitive. I prefer having all the UI
elements accessible from the touchscreen itself. It's probably a bit of a
compatibility nightmare to attempt to solve now. Using touchscreen UI elements
in tablets and a physical or touch button in SmartPhones is definitely not the
most consistent way to approach the problem. Many people use their phones in a
landscape orientation. IIRC at least one Android phone maker implemented the
menu/back/home/search buttons in a second small LCD. This would probably be
the best approach. The buttons themselves could change orientation as needed.

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trjordan
The Nexus One solves this problem -- the 4 button are just dedicated chunks of
the screen, and they're precisely as responsive as it sounds like you'd like.

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martythemaniak
WebOS is turning out to be one of those things that are commercially
unsuccessful/unpopular but massively influential. Both Android 3.0 and RIM's
playbook (whose OS will eventually make it to their phones) seem to be more
influenced by webOS than the iPad.

To put it another way, WebOS:Android = Pixies:Nirvana (things like this seem
to happen a lot in music).

~~~
juiceandjuice
I've liked almost everything I've seen about webOS except the actual phones,
which is a shame. webOS has always felt much more polished to me than Android.

On the flipside, the new Nokia phones look awesome, but I don't think I could
drop my iPhone for Symbian.

In any case, if Android turns out to be a bit more like webOS, I could see
myself switching for an Android phone.

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vilya
I really wish they'd get rid of the hardware back button.

Some apps, like the gmail app, use it to mean "go back up one level in the UI"
- for example from reading a mail back up to the list of mail in your inbox.
Other apps, like the browser and maps, use it to mean go back through your
history (just like the back button in a desktop web browser).

It causes just enough cognitive dissonance that I frequently end up trying to
use it for the wrong thing. It's very annoying.

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joeguilmette
_It's interesting to think of Android as "the tide that rises all boats", a
platform that accelerates mobile development not just for smartphones, but
also for tablets, media players, digital cameras, TVs, cars, appliances and
much more._

Are we talking about Android or iOS?

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kristianp
My main pain point with my Android (2.1) phone is the soft keyboard. The
spelling options hide the current text when text messaging, but there is no
way for the keyboard to know where the text being edited is on the screen to
avoid this.

