By A few days ago we saw the pimped out Haykuro baked HTC Hero Build running on the G1 – I’m sure you remember that. Well now we have more… more HTC and less Android. HTC has practically made a living by taking the lackluster Windows Mobile OS and completely buttering it up and sexifying it with their TouchFlo 3D User Interface. Looks like they plan to do the same for Android:
Up to now we’ve seen the exact same UI across all models of Android to date, but that won’t last long. Remember, Google is working with carriers to help them customize their offerings and the latest example of this is with the HTC Magic. In some Asian locations the HTC Magic is being sold with Microsoft Exchange support, with Google saying, “Android does not currently include support for Microsoft Exchange.”
True that. But manufacturers and carriers are able to customize Android however they want? Exactly. These versions of the HTC Magic with Exchange support won’t come with any of those “with Google” slogans. In that same manner, the HTC Hero could be a 100% unique TouchFlo 3D experience that is based on Andriod but doesn’t include the “with Google” slogan.
I’d be happy to “exchange” my “with Google” branded G1 for a UI like this… or at least give it a shot.
As cool as the interface is on that “Hero” I don’t really like the idea of this. I mean how long will it be before all phone manufacturers are creating phones and touting it as Android when, in reality, it’s just based on Android and is actually a fairly gimped system. For example, Verizon could very easily create an Android phone that does not allow access to the market and could only allow a user to buy Verizon apps.
I say leave Google to the main OS and just let the phone manufacturers/carriers add there own apps for release.
That’s a pretty cool interface, and I would really like good Exchange support. I wonder if someone will release a Hero build that we can flash to our G1’s? I’m looking at you, Haykuro.
@Geoff:
That definitely sounds like something VZ would do. I would guess that it wouldn’t be hard to get around that by rooting the phone, but it still sucks for the average consumer who thinks that “rooting” is something a plant does.
@X3HaloEd
“Rooting” IS something a plant does.
You have a good point Geoff but by doing that, the whole ‘Open Source’ thing will be false.
@Grant:
That’s not the predominant definition in my vocabulary :)
if this is what we get from carriers customizing or tweaking android, then im all for it. That looks incredible, tell me we all wouldnt be happy with that on our g1? i know i would
@geoff
the more the better.
I understand that your looking out for the common user, but for those who have rooted their phones, it will be amazing. Just imagine the possibilities. Eventually people like JF and Haykuro will be taking the best of all these OS tweaks and make something amazing. The only foreseeable problem is if the future android phones are not rootable.
I agree with Campbell
Wouldn’t it be cool if Android took a modular approach to its OS, similar to how the Linux kernel loads drivers? Want that feature? Download the binary and tell Android to load it. Of course you’ll have the dupes who try and load GSM modules on CDMA phones, but the whole point of Android is to do whatever we want, not the carriers!