Android has always been about customization not only to users but OEM and even developers too. Some skins comes with features that is not existent on "Stock Android" or "Google Android" like customizable Quick Tiles, better camera experience, battery saving mode, and many more that requires editing the OS deeper rather than "there's an app for that" solution.
I'm getting sick and tired of "If only they'd come with Google Play Edition" comments. It's like saying if every phone comes in Stock Android, people will love Android more. Fact is, the majority of Android users are attracted to the features offered by OEM. Only tech enthusiast prefer Google Android. Hell, even most of them use other custom ROMs like Paranoid or Slim.
So I wanna ask you guys, and do a poll while at it. Which Android skin do you prefer? Also do you think it's a good idea if every phone goes Google Android? I definitely don't think so but it's always nice to have an option to do so.
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Hello all
I recently switched from AT&T where I had an IPhone to Verizon Droid X. I love the android system and all the cool things you can do with it. The one thing that is really bothering me though, is the lack of a USER FRIENDLY magnification accessibility option. I know that the DX has a square magnifier in its options, but the extreme distortion and lack of options virtually makes it useless as a daily driver. How can a company like Google ignore this issue, and don’t say it’s because of hardware because Apple has been doing it since they first launched the IPhone.
Is there a way an app could be written that can do full screen magnification like the IPhone or is it possible that a custom rom could be written with this feature. After doing a lot of searches on the subject I know my disappointment is felt by many others, but I have not been able to find a single person that can:
A. Explain why this is something that Google Devs have overlooked.
B. What are our options as a community to fix this; are there android devices with full screen magnification like the IPhone already? If so, why isn’t it on every phone and what rom do I need to flash to get it. If not, can a rom or app be written with this functionality.
We all know that Google and the community can make awesome looking notification bars and widgets to keep the geeks in all of us happy, but where is the actual stuff to improve the OS for the everyday consumer?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cZ4mdrlWYM&feature=g-trend
From the looks of it seems Google is going to incorporate Google now into ios. But why give ios this feature if Google now was supposed to be the siri's challenger. I'm confused
Maybe just to show off !
chaki- said:
Maybe just to show off !
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Click to collapse
haha maybe , but I love the picture. lol.
It won't be integrated - merely just an app. Compared to Siri's new capabilities in iOS 6 it won't be a real competitor. Siri can interact with other apps while Google Now will be limited to questions and search.
Also, Google doesn't care - they just want their search to be used by the maximum amount of people. Ads are their bread and butter, so anything that promotes the use of their site is positive to them. They could care less about the Android vs iOS thing otherwise.
Closed
Please use iphonedevelopers.com for anything related to that OS
Youtube: RealTime UI - New Phone Interface Concept
Hey! So I made a video that shows what I feel like the future of mobile devices and phones should be. Perhaps this can be made into a new launcher or a special version of android... Essentially it merges Android notifications with iPhone spotlight and some webOS elements. I hope to get feedback on this idea so knowing xda, I am pretty sure I will get many great responses here.
Let me know what you think! Would love to hear from you guys! Thanks!
*Also feel free to share and repost!
First, almost all your ideas can become reality developing a new Launcher, but it'll require a lot of very hard work, since you'll need to develop the launcher and the clients for the social nets.
However, merge the Android notifications with your concept will be an impossible task for a Launcher. You can hide the status bar, but you can't manage the notifications (in an easy way, you only are allowed to delete your own notifications, you can't delete the notifications that other apps puts on the status bar).
Overall, you have an atractive idea for many users (although not for me, I don't need social nets on my phone hahaha).
Best regards.
RoberGalarga said:
First, almost all your ideas can become reality developing a new Launcher, but it'll require a lot of very hard work, since you'll need to develop the launcher and the clients for the social nets.
However, merge the Android notifications with your concept will be an impossible task for a Launcher. You can hide the status bar, but you can't manage the notifications (in an easy way, you only are allowed to delete your own notifications, you can't delete the notifications that other apps puts on the status bar).
Overall, you have an atractive idea for many users (although not for me, I don't need social nets on my phone hahaha).
Best regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Perhaps a whole new OS would be the best solution.
Maybe modifying some system files, not the entire SO (as a beginning... )
RoberGalarga said:
Maybe modifying some system files, not the entire SO (as a beginning... )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha true that! Wonder if making a custom ROM with all this would be in the realm of possibility..perhaps someone would have some insight!
It does seem like a great idea, but perhaps targetting only those who primarily use their phones socially... I, personally, don't really use even the basic social apps on my phone (perhaps only whatsApp, and twitter when I'm reeaaally bored ). It seems to me, that you are gonna target a community that goes social network crazy on their phones (half the girls in my school )
I'm not a fan of Facebook per se. I don't care for the social media craze that seems to have permiated every facet of technology. When it comes down to it, I see Facebook as an enabler. It allows us insight into the intimate details of people we care about, without actually having to interact with them. It entices us to click "like" instead of personally conveying our appreciation or admiration. To top it off, I'm even less enthralled with Facebook on Android. Update after update that notoriously brings almost no improvement in performance, and many times results in an even worse experience. Not to mention the invasive permissions they keep slipping in with every new feature they implement. So why would I write an article about Facebook Home? Perhaps even more questionable, why in the world would I say they are "Winning"?
For most of us Android geeks/enthusiasts, there's been a quiet war going on behind the front lines of Android for quiet some time. Manufacturers continue to give us devices with their specific flavor of Android such as Samsung's TouchWiz and HTC's Sense, among other variations of Google's "Vanilla" Android experience. Meanwhile Android developers have been working endlessly to bring users more options with modified or custom ROMs such as Cyanogen Mod, AOKP, ParanoidAndroid to name a few. It's about choice - which the manufacturers don't want to give us. They want us to get used to their skins and their custom features, so that it becomes inherently habitual to use them. And we all know how hard it is to break habits.
Regardless of the ROM an Android user chooses, it doesn't end there. Android users are a unique bunch - and most of us want our phones to be unique as well. However, if you have been watching the evolution of the Android user closely (as Facebook undoubtedly has) you might have noticed that despite our yearning to be different, to customize our Android experience to our own taste, there is a sweeping movement taking place within the community: The Android user base has grown so quickly that it is no longer just a haven for the tech-geeks and device tinkerers. There is a large number of users that want to be able to customize their devices without having to learn what rooting is, or how to flash a custom ROM. They have no idea what a bootloader is, or even superuser for that matter. Yet their desire remains the same - to be able to tailor their phone as they see fit. This is where the ROM wars end - and the Launcher wars begin.
When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if you're running Samsung's TouchWiz or the latest Cyanogen Mod Nightly. You're most likely going to install a custom launcher which will serve as your main user interface. Apex Launcher, Nova Launcher, or perhaps one of the new comers such as Chameleon Launcher or.. yep, you guessed it: Facebook Home.
This is where Facebook's genius begins to show. For the majority of Android users, it's not about what ROM you're running anymore (and for many newer users, it never was). It's the launcher that ultimately defines their device. And when you step back for a second and really dissect what's been going on with Android, it's always been about the launcher. TouchWiz and Sense are just that - launchers. Despite the fact they are deeply integrated with their respective phone's OS version, they're still basically just different user interfaces. Most of what they offer in regard to features can be successfully ported to other phones, other ROMs. The reason for Android user's past frustration with these manufacturer's customizations was their inability to remove them or change them. So where does that leave us today?
Facebook Home is exactly what a vast majority of the Android user base wants. Another option, another way for them to tailor their phone to their own usage habits. And if they don't like it, they can simply change their launcher or uninstall it completely. And let's be honest - there are millions of Android users who are Facebook fanatics. Facebook Home isn't just another app.. it's the new front line of the Android wars. Don't be surprised if you start seeing more of the major social media sites offering their own launcher. After all, it only makes "Sense".
I’ve been a CyanogenMod user since CM6 for the HTC EVO. While I can’t claim to have contributed much directly to the community (I’m no developer and more of a sys admin kind of guy), I have installed CM on countless phones over the years - basically any friend or family member who sat their phone down long enough. As soon as it was available, I snagged a OnePlus One, and it’s still the phone I have today. While I was initially excited to see where the foundation of Cyanogen Inc. would take the project, I’ve become increasingly disappointed with the direction that things have gone (both CM and COS), and I think my next phone will likely be a Nexus device with stock Android. I’m fairly certain that this post won’t accomplish much (aside from starting a flame-war/trolling/what-have-you), but I thought I would post it just to see what might come of it.
What I initially loved about CM was the fact that it added a number of useful features to stock Android, it allowed a ton of functional customization, it seemed to be more efficient and stable, and it let me continue to update devices that manufacturers had artificially sunsetted. I was impressed by the fact that lead developers were more interested in code quality and security than by shiny features. Amidst the desire to make Android better, there was also a sense of perfectionism to CM as evidenced by the “don’t ask for ETAs” mantra - it would get done when it was ready, and I was always willing to wait.
When Cyanogen Inc. formed, I was curious to see how they planned to make money. I actually decided to be a bit bold, contacted Kirt and Steve via LinkedIn, and offered to share some of my ideas. One of my biggest suggestions was that they should do something to fill the gaping hole left by Blackberry. At that point (and even still today), no manufacturer had really been able to provide the enterprise-grade functionality provided by Blackberry and BES. MDM solutions were (and are) a double-edged sword that are really just a patch for the solution. Given the huge priority that Cyanogen placed on security, I thought it would be a good direction to take. I’ve sent a few other suggestions over the years (including attempting to get the OnePlus One on the shelves at Walmart when I worked at the corporate offices), but it never seemed to go anywhere.
Right now, when I wake my phone, I have a reminder that there is a system update ready for my OnePlus One that will install COS 13.1. This update adds “new mods for Cortana, OneNote, Microsoft Hyperlapse, Skype, and Twitter.” I have yet to hit install. My issue is far less that Cyanogen is working with Microsoft and more with the fact that the company, much like Canonical/Ubuntu, seems to have the not-invented-here syndrome. (Side note: here’s a great article from the Turnkey Linux team that serves as partial inspiration for this post https://www.turnkeylinux.org/blog/ubuntu-not-invented-here-syndrome). Instead of offering new and useful features, Cyanogen is reinventing wheels and cramming the OS full of things that aren’t really at the top of anyone’s list for issues that could be solved or features that could be added. The innovation just seems to be gone. Most of the features that were exclusive to CM and drew me to the project are now part of stock Android. It makes me wish Cyanogen had taken up Google on their $1B offer.
Here are a few examples. Who remembers when ADW was the stock launcher of CM? I do. In contrast, who actually uses Trebuchet? I think it’s a featureless piece of junk. No gestures? No ability to hide icons in the drawer? No useful functionality that really sets it apart from other launchers? Why develop something new just for the sake of doing it yourself when it only provides basic functionality? Right up there with it is the File Manager application. There are plenty of other more feature-rich applications on the market, and I frankly never use the app provided by Cyanogen because it isn’t nearly as functional as something like ES File Explorer.
Similarly (but more egregiously), is the Browser application. Show of hands: who uses the browser provided in AOSP? No? Me, neither. Be it Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or something else, no one uses the browser built into the ROM. Why did Cyanogen feel the need to create another browser that lacks functionality, is rarely updated for security patches like mainstream offerings, and is basically just another piece of lint on everyone's phones? I fail to see the innovation, there.
I initially loved the idea of having a Cyanogen Account because it was pre-Google Device Manager. However, now that Device Manager exists, I don’t see a reason to use my Cyanogen Account because there haven’t been any additional additions to the feature set. I emailed Kirt and Steve once about potentially folding the WebKey project into Cyanogen and linking it to the Cyanogen account. That would provide remote access, remote file management, a remote shell, and countless other features (most or all of which could be made to work without needing root if baked into the ROM). How much would that add to the ROM and set it apart from other offerings? Neither Google, Apple, Microsoft, or Blackberry have anything close, and it would be a game-changer.
The Themes engine. Alright, so some may disagree with me, here, but I don’t really care about theming my phone or my computer. For me, that was cool back when Compiz/Beryl were the hotness for Linux. Now, I’m more interested in function over form. Why spend so much time building this thing when there are actually useful additions that could be made to CM/COS?
In conjunction to this, there are a number of features provided by CM that are now part of AOSP and make me wonder why I'm still on CM/COS. Google has added permissions management. They have included tethering. The majority of Developer Options are baked in. They switched the whole tap/long press to turn on/off/open settings feature in the notification panel. There isn't much to set Cyanogen apart, anymore.
Instead of just complaining, I wanted to start a list of things that I really thought Cyanogen would have provided by now (or would have at least considered). Some of these would provide Cyanogen with a revenue stream so they wouldn't have to keep cozying up to Microsoft, something that I'm sure most of us would appreciate (does anyone actually use Cortana?) I’d be interested to hear what other features the community would like to see added to CM/COS:
WITHOUT root, implement NFC tag actions that are available with the screen off. For example, allow a user to unlock/wake their phone, turn certain settings on or off, switch to a different profile, or perform a set of pre-defined actions by tapping a NFC tag. Obviously, there would have to be some security mechanisms built in order to whitelist trusted tags so the functions can be used with the screen off, but I’ve always wanted to be able to set my phone down on a tag at my desk and have it automatically connect to my company’s WiFi, put my phone on vibrate, etc.
Partner with an existing developer or independently build parental controls into COS.
Add a login manager for public hotspots to accept terms and conditions on subsequent logins after the first connection (would need to use MAC address, GPS, or some other unique identifier since some companies use the same provider, e.g. Starbucks and McDonald's both use ATTWiFi as their network name but have different captive portals)
Make a Kiosk version for customers at coffee shops and the like.
Create a mobile pay kiosk version similar to the Chili’s tablets since Cyanogen is known for security.
Make a version tailored toward the elderly (lock certain features, provide a restricted set of capabilities that are easy to access, etc).
As previously mentioned, build in WebKey or similar functionality that is tied to a Cyanogen account.
Include Tor without needing root.
Allow the ability to modify DNS settings.
Develop AirPlay compatibility for the Cast feature.
Right now, I’m at the point that I was at with Ubuntu about five years ago. Canonical had “improved” Debian into a bloated nightmare complete with in-house developed projects such as Unity, Ubuntu One, the Ubuntu Software Center, Mir, and others that no one asked for or wanted. If Distrowatch rankings are to be believed, Debian (and Mint) is now more popular than Ubuntu, likely as a result of Canonical’s decisions.
This is not a call to arms but rather a suggestion. Perhaps it is time that the community creates, by way of analogy, a Cyanogen Mint. Maybe we need to go back to the foundation of AOSP just like many users have done by going back to Debian. For me, at least, Cyanogen isn’t satisfying the same needs that it did two years ago, and I’d like to have a mobile OS or ROM that does. There are a lot of custom ROMs out there like Paranoid Android, AOKP, and OmniROM, but they are incredibly fragmented in the devices that they support, and none of them have the level of backing that Cyanogen gained. Perhaps as a community, we need to consolidate our efforts, focus on a common project, and bring forth a high-functioning ROM that can fill the void that Cyanogen no longer does.
In light of today's news about the layoffs at Cyanogen, thoughti might bump my thread to see if anyone would be interested in joining this conversation.