Here is the Latest on the Next update Ice cream sandwich:
Interesting update on what next to expect..........
From MSNBC:
By Wilson Rothman
Google has an ongoing problem: There are too many different versions of its software out there, running on too many different machines. Rather than rein in the number of possible devices — a tactic preferred by Apple and Microsoft, among others — Google is embarking on a much more challenging task: To create one OS that can drive 'em all.
I scream, you scream
Its nickname, Ice Cream Sandwich, belies the fact that it's software engineering ambition in its extreme. Google is promising the OS update by the year's end. Central to the task is writing software tools that do not require apps to work with specific screen resolution or power demands. And because the goal is to have this same OS run not just on phones and tablets, but set-top boxes and other systems, Google will be "adding a lot of UIs to accommodate Android devices of all shapes and sizes," according to tech site Ars Technica, reporting from Google's I/O event in San Francisco.
In spite of that, the core look and feel will resemble Android's 3.0 Honeycomb, now found on a handful of Android tablets including the Motorola Xoom and Asus EeePad Transformer. According to Cnet, Ice Cream Sandwich "will include all of Honeycomb's user interface features, too, and includes the 'holographic' user interface, application launcher, multitasking and richer widgets."
Tablet update coming soon
Speaking of those Honeycomb tablets, they're due to get an interim update with two very welcome additions. I have complained for a while that the Honeycomb home screen is ugly, because the "widgets" that give it an advantage over the iPad are still sized to fit phones, not spacious 10-inch tablets. In the Android 3.1 release (for tablets only), widgets will be resizable.
Many Honeycomb tablets come with USB ports, and now we know why: The release will also allow for device support via USB, a clear benefit that the iPad does not share. Not only will people be able to plug in cameras to off-load images, but they'll be able to use keyboards, game controllers, microphones and other input and control devices. (Here's more on the Open Accessory program.)
There will also be provisions in the new software for interaction with a wide range of accessories, from exercise machines to robots.
But will it update?
Ambitious as the path to Ice Cream Sandwich is, that's something that Google can handle mostly in-house. The other half of this fragmentation problem is that devices out there don't get updates to the new OS — even when they're technically compatible. To fix this problem, Google is enlisting the help of its partners, the biggest companies in the wireless world. "New devices from participating partners will receive the latest Android platform upgrades for 18 months after the device is first released, as long as the hardware allows."
Neither of these big moves is bound to solve the fragmentation for the 100 million or so active Android devices currently in the world, but it's a sign that Google cares about the future of its platform, and about making it a great OS for really cool software.
Another discussion where I posted a version of this led me to thinking that this might make for an interesting topic all on its own.
How would you envision a port of android made specifically for Desktop/Laptop environments, and do you think such an OS would be appealing to the average user?
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As I envision it, ChromeOS should be folded into Android 4.0 and Google should build a version of the combined OS for Desktops.
The idea would be to create a common ecosystem of apps and usage environment accross multiple device categories, ad have it all interconnected through Google products and other apps running in the background.
I envision something that boots instantly right into ChromeOS while the rest of the Android system boots up in the background, thus allowing you virtually immediate cloud based functionality on the desktop. You could even choose to ONLY boot into chrome, say if you needed to look up something quickly online and didn't want to fully turn on a computer that has been turned off.
The chrome side of things would be very similar to ICS for tablets and would be deeply linked to all things google as well as relying on versions of the same Google apps that run on mobile, but optimized for ICS and taking advantage of larger screen dimensions. I envision touch interface to be retained for those who have touch sensitive screens, but also better keyboard and touchpad/mouse controls than currently exist. Lastly I would bundle a Google fork of Libre office specifically designed to have deep automatic integration with Google docs and Google+, but allowing users to have local editing control.
I would love to have such a system and have a common ecosystem between my phone, tablet and desktop/laptop, much how Apple currently does with IOs devices and MacOS and how Microsoft is planning to do with Windows 8 and WP8. unlike those ecosystems, this would run variants of the same OS, as opposed to different OSs made to work together, thus being able to take advantage of current built up knowledge and the existing android market.
Imagine if Google did the entire thing open sourced and released it to desktop and laptop OEMs.
A guy can dream right? If only there was a way to have a bunch of people pitch it to Google.
What do you guys think and how would you envision such an OS?
Android is already going to be merged with the Linux kernel in version 3.3 (with improved power management in 3.4)
nejc121 said:
Android is already going to be merged with the Linux kernel in version 3.3 (with improved power management in 3.4)
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Click to collapse
you sure about that? From what I've read Android is going to provide it's drivers and both Android and linux are going to provide patches to each other's kernels (with Power management being addressed in later versions of the linux kernel (3.4?). The Android kernel will remain (at least for now) a fork of the linux kernel.
Still that doesn't really address the subject of this thread.
Santeno said:
As I envision it, ChromeOS should be folded into Android 4.0 and Google should build a version of the combined OS for Desktops.
I envision something that boots instantly right into ChromeOS while the rest of the Android system boots up in the background, thus allowing you virtually immediate cloud based functionality on the desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i too dream of Google using all the OS & games tech experience they have gained from Android to bootstrap a full desktop OS.
My personal fantasy is that the under no circumstances include any of the Chrome Cloud based nonsense. But focus quite heavily on games and multimedia, offer an OS that delivers content & gaming rather than try going head to head on productivity (where they would get owned).
Am not going to go into my objections to the cloud concept, lots of geeks my age & older well remember the mainframe model from the 70's and the cloud suffers many of the same inherent flaws IMHO.
I addition my fantasy involves ARM leveraging the experience with the multi-cores they have developed to produce an ARM desktop CPU arrays, as am a big fan or clusters and arrays, render farms etc.
I have to confess being serious i don't see either happening since both would be attempting to breaking into markets they are inexperienced in and where entrenched competitors already have a tough obstacle course laid out, plus pretty deep war chests.
But the main issue with a Google desktop OS, IMHO to succeed, i think it would have to be capable of some kind of half decent x86 emulation ........... But hey we are talking 'The Brothers Grimms Tales of Silicone Valley' here anyways.
Its possible to do so now, albeit not the same experince you get on your phone or tablet due to lack of driver support Its how i checked out 4.0 before I got it on my Asus Transformer Prime. Worth a try!
(Im new to XDA so I cannot post links, however google "android x86 download" and its the first link.)
There are ready is a port of android that works on desktops that these guys are working on over at http://www.android-x86.org/.
Hi!
I'm developing a general android application as a solution for our college attendance system and notes exchange.
It's a project and I'll be awarded marks for it.
And hence I'm critical or the choice of the Android version.
I see many apps supporting only 4.0 and above.(Prolly due to inclusion of the Holo UI and the benefits of upgraded frameworks)
but the profs say stick with 2.3.3.(For the greater range of compatibility)
I'll be submitting the app one year from now and will have a better penetration of Android 4.0+ by then....
I'd like suggestions of whether to stick with 2.3.3 with greater compatibility;
Or go for 4.0 and have better features.....
Suggestions and reasons for why to choose the given platform appreciated....
Thanks Beforehand....
usually 2.3.3 is faster
but 4.0 has more option and better interface
So, Heres what I'm seeing..
Windows eventually removing their heads from the warm dark places which inspire them, and bridging the gap between Win 8 and WinPhoney.. and giving users back a powerful PDA-like experience where we can once again do powerful things on our devices besides swipe & play games
iPhone6 or iPhone7 actually functioning more like a tablet, the iPad functioning more like a macbook, and people actually getting work done on their phones again.
Both the above phones docking into docking control stations which go to myDP out to Flatscreen + mouse & keyboard, for a Full Office Pocket Computing Combo
and Android clinging to their obsolete wanabe iPhone, pain-in-the-butt smartphone experience they seem overjoyed about... without anyplace to progress to but the dreaded Linux OS, losing all of its users but the current Linux users when the bridge from Phones to Desktops is complete
Google, Apple, & MS working like crazy to be sure phones stay as far away from desktops as possible for as long as possible, by continued slothful micro-trickling of RAM, ROM memory, Internal Memory, GPU & CPU speeds, and very un-user-friendly software which keeps phone users confined to a small phone box to expand their profitability
the rise of Hardware companies like ASUS, Huawei, etc, who offer devices able to support Win8.. Apple quickly changing their game to follow suit, and the inevitable end of this little current SmartPhone-only empire
and Android left diddling themselves making a few diehard Desktop Linux OS Phones
and I dont see Android having much of any future at all in that rapidly approaching time period they seem completely oblivious to.
anyone agree with that forecast & assessment?
Android is very popular among all the OSs & the combination of a cool software & high end latest hardware makes it endlessly happening.
ak070 said:
Android is very popular among all the OSs & the combination of a cool software & high end latest hardware makes it endlessly happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok.. so the "cool apps" you feel will make it to be "endlessly happening", regardless of the generation or era?
and "the latest hardware" remember is all relative...
You dont think INCREASED hardware capabilities able to support a larger more fully functioning, & more useful OS will make these little apps seem a trivial waste of time?
chinarabbit said:
ok.. so the "cool apps" you feel will make it to be "endlessly happening", regardless of the generation or era?
and "the latest hardware" remember is all relative...
You dont think INCREASED hardware capabilities able to support a larger more fully functioning, & more useful OS will make these little apps seem a trivial waste of time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never mentioned cool apps. I'm talking about the overall OS. Its Open source. So there are many manufacturers that use this OS & come up with their own ideas & devices with different designs which gives users a very wide variety to choose from. And as far as new hardware is concerned, manufacturers like Samsung & Sony use new hardwares to add new features which were never implemented before & completely redefine the 'Smartphone' experience.
I'm not saying that other OSs are bad. It's the matter of one's own taste finally.
Seems to me your assessment is based on your usage/desired usage.....in reality many many people don't really even need a Windows pc, and use the internet primarily for media/social applications, which android favours.
So there will always be a market out there regardless I reckon
Nice fortune telling but i really dont agree ...
ak070 said:
I never mentioned cool apps. I'm talking about the overall OS. Its Open source. So there are many manufacturers that use this OS & come up with their own ideas & devices with different designs which gives users a very wide variety to choose from. And as far as new hardware is concerned, manufacturers like Samsung & Sony use new hardwares to add new features which were never implemented before & completely redefine the 'Smartphone' experience.
I'm not saying that other OSs are bad. It's the matter of one's own taste finally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya... but is it really just about OSs? or do u think the manufacturers play a larger role in it?
For example, if Samsung & HTC were to create the majority of their devices for use with a new "Windows Mobile 7" because of its design & functionality & usefulness exceeding that of Android - which would inevitably happen, because even though Android is useful for certain things, a Phone OS who encompassed those things, and surpassed it in many others, creating a wider-use platform able to satisfy a broader user base would have to dominate - Dont you think that the number of Android users would dwindle to near nothing?
if every new HTC & Samsung was built with, say, a "Windows Mobile 7" which out-performed Android, and was preferred by companies like ASUS, Huawei, HTC, & Samsung, because of the OS having more use in Government & Job-specific applications that Win CE is often used for, which WinMo 6 started to see a bit of before it was sat on.. Users would of course move from Android to WinMo7, and I really dont see that there would be many android users left at all
Linux is Open Source, yet very few there are who use it & develop for it..
Windows is the largest OS on earth.. Like it or not - like MS or not - developers still create freeware and awesome programs according to the specifications of the device. and if that device allowed for more control, functionality, & customizability, it stands to reason that most devs would migrate as well
If this is a arguent thread well here we go..
i walked into the windows store and messed with the 41mp phone and all i did was spend 10min scrolling down and up to find apps
end of my argument...
androidfoshizzle said:
If this is a arguent thread well here we go..
i walked into the windows store and messed with the 41mp phone and all i did was spend 10min scrolling down and up to find apps
end of my argument...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya, it can get a bit silly... apparently they are alphabetized, and i think you can sort different ways too..
For 100% sure, WindowsPhone will never amount to anything unless its a full Win8 they call WinPhone some day
but I do think win MOBILE 7 is whats needed, and what could sink android.
Android won't sink..Ubuntu will have a phone out that has a full desktop OS by the time windows does anything.. Android is a mobile operating system anyways
sent from 9 month old nexus 4
open source
i agree with androidfoshizzle..linux (android ubuntu) is open source and have many supporters..its free but gives high end support and availability of features.they understood that linux has to become user friendly and it has come to a very reasonable level!
chinarabbit said:
So, Heres what I'm seeing..
Windows eventually removing their heads from the warm dark places which inspire them, and bridging the gap between Win 8 and WinPhoney.. and giving users back a powerful PDA-like experience where we can once again do powerful things on our devices besides swipe & play games
iPhone6 or iPhone7 actually functioning more like a tablet, the iPad functioning more like a macbook, and people actually getting work done on their phones again.
Both the above phones docking into docking control stations which go to myDP out to Flatscreen + mouse & keyboard, for a Full Office Pocket Computing Combo
and Android clinging to their obsolete wanabe iPhone, pain-in-the-butt smartphone experience they seem overjoyed about... without anyplace to progress to but the dreaded Linux OS, losing all of its users but the current Linux users when the bridge from Phones to Desktops is complete
Google, Apple, & MS working like crazy to be sure phones stay as far away from desktops as possible for as long as possible, by continued slothful micro-trickling of RAM, ROM memory, Internal Memory, GPU & CPU speeds, and very un-user-friendly software which keeps phone users confined to a small phone box to expand their profitability
the rise of Hardware companies like ASUS, Huawei, etc, who offer devices able to support Win8.. Apple quickly changing their game to follow suit, and the inevitable end of this little current SmartPhone-only empire
and Android left diddling themselves making a few diehard Desktop Linux OS Phones
and I dont see Android having much of any future at all in that rapidly approaching time period they seem completely oblivious to.
anyone agree with that forecast & assessment?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fortune teller!
androidfoshizzle said:
Android won't sink..Ubuntu will have a phone out that has a full desktop OS by the time windows does anything.. Android is a mobile operating system anyways
sent from 9 month old nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it already does
The problem with Linux is its just over complicated and not much fun to use.. everytime you want to do something, you have to pull out your programmers reference book.. or google it.
I had thought early on that Android would be a way to enter Google into direct competition with Apple & Windows Desktop OSs, and give us all another viable option..
the problem is two-fold..
1stly, Linux Devs are overly left-brained. and they dont have any creative oversight or people in charge of non-geeky usability engineering.. making Linux the choice of OS for people who enjoy doing what would only be done by IT guys if your computer had serious problems on other OSs
2ndly, Google's own shortsightedness.. their Android dev team has created an implementation of the Powerful Android Platform that is really anything but powerful... and these google OS's are designed inside and out to be phones, and have little use outside the mobile phone market, except as equally-functioning tablets, which make them little more than large phones, without great calling ability
the Ubuntu OS is starting to be developed for Android, rather than the other way around.. its looking more and more like a Phone interface.. It actually seems to be optimized for touch screens, and if not, the developers think "making Linux more user-friendly" means making it work like a phone..
Users want an OS thats fun to use.. we're not all retards... i dont think the devs get the difference.
at any rate, Ubuntu is definitely NOT replacing Win7 or Win8 or OSXs anytime soon, thats much has been made painfully transparent by google..
further, google really wants to make you know you are using a Google product.. it has Google DNA on it from top to bottom.. which is great if you think Google is the way you should be doing all of your computing.
I think, still, a powerful Windows Mobile 7 Solution would quell Android, and take all wind out of its sails, and eventually pretty much squash it for all but Ubuntu Desktop users
But Even given its complexity and difficulty of use, how many of us would still prefer to have a Linux Desktop on our Phone, rather than a Google Phone for our desktop???
I most certainly would
The new RootMyTV exploit brings a lot of ideas to my mind one of them being , replacing the inbuilt system apps with rebuilt versions that have much more control and maybe a better UI.(But still a similar UI otherwise it will become super hard for people to use it.)
The new Inbuilt app (Settings app in this case) can have (Not limited to):
Finer control over the options
Always upto date UI (Web OS 5.0 UI on older devices , Web OS 6.0 seems to be a fully non-multitasking OS)
Adding newer features from the newer devices as soon as possible.(Game optimizer comes to mind)
But there is a problem , the OS seems to be using Verified Boot so is this possible? Will we have to create some kind of Magisk but for Web OS?(Web Os is based on Linux)
If you do have any ideas please do share.
We probably will not be testing them immediately on the TV's (No one wants a 2000+ dollar paperweight) and instead using the emulator.
Since I have been changing the system a lot myself for quite a while now, I can say that at least the UI of the apps should be relatively easy to replace (most of them are based on web technologies). The easiest way to modify / replace webOS / default palm apps should be via overlayfs.
But I'm also always a little 'confused' (in a lack of a better friendly description) about the countless strange questions from several users, whether you can e.g. install webOS 6 on a device with webOS 4, if you can enable feature X of a newer generation on your TV or how you can use the root access to defeat copy protection mechanisms for obviously illegal purposes.
There's obviously a lack of a basic understanding how an operation system in general and especially on a TV works. The different generations have different hardware that require the corresponding proprietary drivers, kernel modules and system services written by LG (which are of course closed source).
Obviously, this means that it is virtually impossible for most features of newer devices to be made available on older devices.
For example, you can rebuild the UI of the Game Optimizer, but the functionalities of it are not easily backward portable. If a TV does not support VRR, for example, there is nothing you can activate in this regard.
There are a very few exceptions, like OLED Motion Pro, which can be enabled on 2019 models - but only because this feature is already supported by the TVs and was disabled at the last minute before release. OLED Motion Pro will never activate on a 2018 (or earlier) model!
I hope this helps a little better to understand what is possible and what is not. UI / UX yes, functionalities and features not or only to a very limited extent.
I do know about the feature enabling limitations etc.
By adding newer features I meant the UI/GUI of the newer features , we cant really do anything other than that.