No mention of Android Extension Pack (and OpenGL ES 3.1 that was also confirmed)? This is pretty important stuff, considering the importance of games as revenue driving apps. With this, Google is going to both help unify Android game development and exert influence over the OpenGL ES API.
In the comparison picture, you call it "cleaner". I suppose that is the optimistic way to put it. What I see is that there is significantly less information displayed in the new view.
Agreed. Google's been doing things like that more and more often lately, progressively making their applications worse. Maps is by far the worst offender, IMO. Measure tool is lost. Latitude hides in G+ where most map features are missing. On desktop, all you get are fuzzy earth images, the updated crisper satellite images aren't available.
Also: "Google has really worked hard on creating an interface that feels responsive and resonates with how humans interact with devices."
Resonates with how humans interact with devices? Is that a quote from Google marketing or something? I'm having a hard time guessing how such a statement could be qualified by a journalist with a few minutes of experience with a new interface.
It's not all bad news. Notifications on the lock screen are nice. My Moto X does some of that already. I also find myself hitting the recent apps button to try to swap between tabs, so having tabs there would work for me.
Android is the only mobile OS that doesn't prioritize the UI thread, and as a result it still can't scroll smoothly. Running everything in a VM also contributes to input lag. I'd love to know how any of that resonates with how humans interact with devices.
So ART is 64 bits but what about native code and the OS as a whole? From watching the keynote I didn't seem to catch if everything is 64 bits and not just ART.
From what I understand, the runtime was the only thing holding android back from being fully 64bit. The kernel has it, apps automatically are compiled with 64bit support because its java like, perhaps not optimized though.
It looks to me like Google is getting ahead of Apple in Design. Android L seems to be more consistent and visually pleasing than iOS 7 or OS X 10.10. Apple still has better developers on his side though.
Wow I'm really shocked job scheduler didn't already exist. I guess I just assumed apps could ask the OS to schedule them on events (power plugged in, wifi available, etc)
Why is everyone (Google, Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft) making horrible UI decisions lately? Like someone else said, it seems like a lot of form over function.
I think it's gotten to the point where it's more about showing off something "different" to draw attention.
How well it actually works for the user is almost an afterthought these days. We've moved into the "abstract art" era of UI design where you have to be smoking dope to find any beauty in this stuff.
These things have long stopped to be office machinery and are subject to fashion and fads now exactly like everything else. You could as well go and complain about shoes not being just functional footwear. NOTHING that the majority of people are carrying with them every day and using it all day long is immune to that. You can be sure that this already started when the first humans wrapped themselves in bearskins.
Speak for yourself. Android was overdue for a UI revamp. It's been looking outdated for quite a while now. While I don't agree with every UI decision, overall it's definitely an improvement.
I won't disagree that iOS 7 is ugly, but it was also overdue for a UI overhaul.
Win8 has the best looking and most functional touch-UI implementation, IMO. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person for not joining the Win8 hate train.
It's hard to see the colors and round buttons not in this light, really. The Gmail app they showed off looked very iOS7'ish indeed. But then much of the this (stark colors, little detail) already was there with WP, so it's more all of them moving in the same direction.
And honestly I can't find much wrong with that. There're loads of Android apps that still are firmly rooted in the 2.x days visually and they're as sexy as Windows 3.1 shareware.
Right now I have 75 tabs open in Chrome. Yeah most of them are garbage they just accumulate from clicking on links...but would the recents button seriously try to show all of those? Even if you only had 15 tabs open that would seriously muddy up the screen when trying to switch between apps.
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22 Comments
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bengildenstein - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
No mention of Android Extension Pack (and OpenGL ES 3.1 that was also confirmed)? This is pretty important stuff, considering the importance of games as revenue driving apps. With this, Google is going to both help unify Android game development and exert influence over the OpenGL ES API.Brandon Chester - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
There's going to be a separate article about the Android Extension Pack and some contrasts and comparisons to what Apple is doing with Metal.bengildenstein - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
I'm looking forward to it.Ev1lAsh - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
+1morganf - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
In the comparison picture, you call it "cleaner". I suppose that is the optimistic way to put it. What I see is that there is significantly less information displayed in the new view.icrf - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
Agreed. Google's been doing things like that more and more often lately, progressively making their applications worse. Maps is by far the worst offender, IMO. Measure tool is lost. Latitude hides in G+ where most map features are missing. On desktop, all you get are fuzzy earth images, the updated crisper satellite images aren't available.Also: "Google has really worked hard on creating an interface that feels responsive and resonates with how humans interact with devices."
Resonates with how humans interact with devices? Is that a quote from Google marketing or something? I'm having a hard time guessing how such a statement could be qualified by a journalist with a few minutes of experience with a new interface.
It's not all bad news. Notifications on the lock screen are nice. My Moto X does some of that already. I also find myself hitting the recent apps button to try to swap between tabs, so having tabs there would work for me.
Laxaa - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
I agree. It looks nice, but there's a lof of form over function here.sonicmerlin - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
Android is the only mobile OS that doesn't prioritize the UI thread, and as a result it still can't scroll smoothly. Running everything in a VM also contributes to input lag. I'd love to know how any of that resonates with how humans interact with devices.gigathlete - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
So ART is 64 bits but what about native code and the OS as a whole? From watching the keynote I didn't seem to catch if everything is 64 bits and not just ART.grahaman27 - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
From what I understand, the runtime was the only thing holding android back from being fully 64bit. The kernel has it, apps automatically are compiled with 64bit support because its java like, perhaps not optimized though.gigathlete - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
Hopefully the great people at Anandtech will have a fully detailed look at Android L and can answer this question.ArmanUV - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
It looks to me like Google is getting ahead of Apple in Design. Android L seems to be more consistent and visually pleasing than iOS 7 or OS X 10.10. Apple still has better developers on his side though.nirolf - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
Maybe, but my problem with Google is that most of it's users won't get the new stuff. I'm tired of waiting for updates that never come.skiboysteve - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
Wow I'm really shocked job scheduler didn't already exist. I guess I just assumed apps could ask the OS to schedule them on events (power plugged in, wifi available, etc)Chriz - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
Why is everyone (Google, Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft) making horrible UI decisions lately? Like someone else said, it seems like a lot of form over function.jwcalla - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
I think it's gotten to the point where it's more about showing off something "different" to draw attention.How well it actually works for the user is almost an afterthought these days. We've moved into the "abstract art" era of UI design where you have to be smoking dope to find any beauty in this stuff.
uhuznaa - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
These things have long stopped to be office machinery and are subject to fashion and fads now exactly like everything else. You could as well go and complain about shoes not being just functional footwear. NOTHING that the majority of people are carrying with them every day and using it all day long is immune to that. You can be sure that this already started when the first humans wrapped themselves in bearskins.kyuu - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
Speak for yourself. Android was overdue for a UI revamp. It's been looking outdated for quite a while now. While I don't agree with every UI decision, overall it's definitely an improvement.I won't disagree that iOS 7 is ugly, but it was also overdue for a UI overhaul.
Win8 has the best looking and most functional touch-UI implementation, IMO. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person for not joining the Win8 hate train.
Beautyspin - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
"The contact icons adopt a circular design similar to what Apple has done with iOS 7" - Really? Biased much?uhuznaa - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
It's hard to see the colors and round buttons not in this light, really. The Gmail app they showed off looked very iOS7'ish indeed. But then much of the this (stark colors, little detail) already was there with WP, so it's more all of them moving in the same direction.And honestly I can't find much wrong with that. There're loads of Android apps that still are firmly rooted in the 2.x days visually and they're as sexy as Windows 3.1 shareware.
CoryS - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
Right now I have 75 tabs open in Chrome. Yeah most of them are garbage they just accumulate from clicking on links...but would the recents button seriously try to show all of those? Even if you only had 15 tabs open that would seriously muddy up the screen when trying to switch between apps.skiboysteve - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
If its anything like windows phone 8.1 your tabs will only show up in the task switcher if you recently used them.