Google sets its sights on friendlier Android UI

Report suggests Google wants rid of manufacturer skins

16 June 2010 15:38 GMT / By Paul Lamkin

Google's next aim for Android is to create a user experience that is so perfect that mobile phone manufacturers will not feel the need to add their own UIs over the top.

According to TechCrunch sources, the Android team has pretty much hit all of the core features that they wanted Android to offer but they would rather manufacturers went with its own user interface.

That's why the next version of Android, codenamed Gingerbread (which may or may not be Android 3.0), will be focused on the usability of Android's primary graphical interface and the report suggests that Google is looking to put the usability on par with iOS.

iOS is only designed to work on a very few niche handsets however, all falling under the Apple banner (just iPhones and the iPad). Android is open to a much wider market and has to adapt to numerous differing hardware specifications. We've seen over 15 phone manufacturers develop Android phones already and the major players like HTC, Samsung and Motorola all seem to like sticking their own "skin" on top of the devices.

Google faces a bit of a battle to get what it wants then, although we have to admit that what Google wants, Google usually gets.

Via: techcrunch.com

Full tags

Software, Phones, Android, Google, Operating Systems