Not that current Android phones fall short in machine power. Rather, very like the androids of the silver screen, the operating system has been the weak purpose. Previous versions of Android have lacked some intangible spark. an individual's part, maybe — a missing je ne sais quoi that has been keeping several critics and users from totally partaking with the platform.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus |
It’s a debatable purpose, however I’d argue that “special something” are often found in Android’s biggest competitor, Apple’s iOS. Siri, the voice-activated digital servant on the iPhone 4S, may be a nice example of a feature that marries technical prowess with an individual's touch: we tend to speak to “her”, not to “it.”
Android, on the opposite hand, has continually been sold on the strength of its robotic nature. Power, hardware specs and hackability we tend tore the explanations why we were imagined to get an Android. It’s not a fancy concierge, it’s a Swiss Army Knife.
But with the Galaxy Nexus, Google has place alittle soul into the machine.
The Galaxy Nexus may be a collaboration between Google and Samsung, and also the device runs the purest, most “true” illustration of Android four.0 you'll get your hands on.
The smartphone, on the market Thursday for Verizon’s 4G LTE network, runs Android four.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, the most recent iteration of Google’s mobile OS. To date, it’s solely shipping on this phone — the Galaxy Nexus may be a collaboration between Google and Samsung, and also the device runs the purest, most “true” illustration of Android four.0 you'll get your hands on.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus |
Ice Cream Sandwich brings a set of refined touches and prospers to the OS, all of that add up to a vast success.
Gestures play a way larger role, and this goes a protracted manner towards humanizing the interface. The settings menus inside native applications, once solely navigable via inscrutable, nested lists, are currently neatly tucked off to the edges of the screens. By using your thumb to slip the screen to the facet in most native apps, you'll quote (and dismiss) these hidden menus. Pinch-to-zoom is incorporated a lot of intuitively into apps, too. within the calendar, for instance, reverse-pinching on a listing of the full day’s events zooms in on a selected block of hours. Touch-typing has conjointly been revamped to receive user input a lot of accurately.
The opacity of bound components just like the notifications space has been reduced, creating the slider translucent thus you'll continually see what’s occurring beneath it. The phone’s contacts menu is smarter, because it currently pulls information from all of your synced social apps. All this results in fewer faucets, swipes and squints.
Even Android’s system-wide typeface was reimagined, giving the OS a lot of temperament. “Roboto,” Android’s new official font, permeates all components of the OS. Google’s Android user expertise chief Matias Duarte tells Wired the font serves a twin purpose, staying “modern, nevertheless approachable,” however with mechanical forms underscored by a “cheerful demeanor.”
Though they'll appear to be insignificant changes, these items are the meat, the true stuff of that “soul” consists. When a tool cooperates with you a lot of totally, you develop a stronger emotional reference to it. you begin to smile as you notice all the insufficient details and prospers.
No comments:
Post a Comment