By After the announcement of Android 2.2 and all of the great features we’d be getting with it, we found it hard to come up with more useful features that would take Android even further. It looks like Google’s satisfied with the functionality side of things, too, as now they’re going to be working very heavily overhauling the user experience.
This move isn’t only something Google’s wanted to do since Android 1.0 was released, it’s something they hope will continue to cut down on fragmentation by providing a default skin and enhanced core functionality that their manufacturing partners will be proud to adopt (as TechCrunch describes it, it will essentially make the need for custom skins “pointless”).
All of this will be coming with Gingerbread, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves: we still have yet to finish our bowl of Froyo.
[via TechCrunch]
this is definitely great news, lets just hope the guy from palm does his job efficiently
How could they possibly be happy with functionality? They haven’t done much with functionality since the first version. I grant that Froyo adds some functionality but what about the basics that everyone has been griping about? Things like bluetooth autodial. 2.1 was almost completely user experience. Google needs to get away from user experience and go back to foundational functionality.
Things like bluetooth autodial are just frankly low on the list I guess. What percentage of smartphone users will actually care about such a feature? 10%?
Anyhoo, Google didn’t say they are adding no features to the OS, they always are if you are watching the AOSP, so who’s to say it won’t get griped-about features?
Keep buying android everyone. We need your money. We took your TV manufacturing, we are taking your car manufacturing and now we want your electronics consumer market. Keep buying…keep buying.
@Fr33d0m
There have been massive jumps in functionality with every version. You can’t say there hasn’t because specific issues haven’t been addressed.
Fr33d0m wrote on June 17, 2010
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Why is there a period missing at the end of this sentence where’s the PERIOD, people blah blah blah
Seriously, bluetooth autodialing? Is that it? I personally use my phone just fine without this feature. I dunno, don’t want to sound like an iphone applehead but how important is this feature?
Great concept, but I don’t think the phone makers will change their tactics – they want to ‘differentiate’ themselves from the other phone makers, so even if the UI is excellent, they will try to monkey with it anyway.
It is needed. the iPhone has a much better interface especially with regard to media usage.
Bs the iphone is pretty. Look at that the 4th gen iPhone has something magical and different…WALLPAPERS.
With my nexus one, the only complaint I have is media. Why? Well it’s easier to keep organized with an app drawer so that way I can keep what I want on one page. as I’ve said Media is the only problem.
Better native media format support and an EQ for the media player are all I really need.
I just hope that this user experience upgrade includes the 3-d desktop with multi-touch everywhere that Google bought recently.
bluetooth dialing is part of froyo. Along with many other things:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.2-highlights.html
I’m really kinda wondering where the improvements will come. The only thing that needs to improve in my opinion are the out of the box UI widgets (don’t confuse with desktop widgets). They could be sleeker so that apps built without a lot of styling look pretty good right off the bat. They could also tweak the way you back up to apps a bit…like not having an app that you go to from a notification and then back up from not show up in the quick switcher.
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The real work however needs to come in the form of some real separation of styling from the core OS. And also making sure that the OEM’s can get their unique experience by simply replacing apps and not having to dig into the OS as much. This will help with upgrades. Of course its still open source and they may want to tweak for performance or the like. I’d also like to see a sort of “app pack” system where a dev can develop a whole suite of apps to completely change the experience for your phone. For instance Sense could be an “experience” that you download that swaps all of your apps for the sense versions.
Android fragmentation ‘is a boogeyman, a red herring’ lol are they doing somthing like microsoft with wp7 did?(rebirth)
Things I like about Froyo:
* The improved camera app in Froyo!
* The phone button at the bottom of the screen
* WIFI reconnect works better
Bluetooth dialing is in froyo. Didn’t you get the memo? What other “basic functionality” are you asking for? I really don’t see any additional features other than the media player needing an overhaul.